You should start over and get a fresh slate
Posted: October 26, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clean slate, expressions, fresh start, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentSome malaphorous advice from a classmate. It is an excellent congruent conflation of “fresh start” and “clean slate”, both meaning an opportunity to start fresh despite past problems or mistakes. The words “clean” and “fresh” are similar in meaning and probably caused the confusion. “Start” and “slate” have similar sounds. A big thanks to Jesse G. for hearing this one and passing it on!
My anxiety is through the charts
Posted: October 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, humor books, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the charts, through the roof, words Leave a commentA disability applicant was being interviewed and uttered this nice congruent conflation of “through the roof” and “off the charts”, both meaning much more than usual. This malaphor is the cousin to a previous posting, “the humidity was off the roof”. https://malaphors.com/2014/11/03/the-humidity-was-off-the-roof/ A tip of the hat to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it on.
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It is finally sinking through
Posted: October 24, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, getting through, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, sinking in, Twitter, words Leave a commentOur Twitter-in Chief, Donald Trump, gave us this beauty in a recent twitter. “It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred.”https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/922072236592435200?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_daily202 It is a congruent conflation of “sinking in” and “getting through”, both meaning to make someone understand something. The prepositions “in” and “through” are probably the culprits here. However, Jack MaCack has a different theory he shared on Twitter as a response: “I think by using the phrase “sinking through” he was channeling the current state of his diaper.”
In any event, Trump seems to be a malaphor goldmine, based on the frequency of past posts. Let’s hope he keeps ’em coming! As soon as this tweet was released over the weekend, I heard immediately from two Malaphor Hunter regulars – Justin Taylor and Barry Eigen. Kudos to both of them for spotting this subtle mashup.
It was trial by error
Posted: October 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Murder She Wrote, trial and error, trial by fire, words 2 CommentsContinuing with the legal theme, this is a mental hiccup of “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success) and “trial by fire” (a test of one’s abilities to do well under pressure). The obvious culprit here is the word “trial” used in both phrases. My fellow lawyers would say this malaphor should certainly be appealed. Incidentally, this was the title of a Murder She Wrote episode (season 2, episode 13 to be exact). Kudos to Caleb Harris who heard this from his girlfriend’s lips and immediately sent this to the website. Caleb knows these gems are fleeting moments that are quickly forgotten unless written down.
Ignorance of the law is nine-tenths of the law
Posted: October 22, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, ignorance of the law is no excuse, language, malaphor, malaphors, possession is nine-tenths of the law, words 2 CommentsMany lawyers would agree with this malaphor. It is a mashup of the following two sayings: “ignorance of the law is no excuse” (even if you don’t know that something is illegal, you can still be punished for doing it) and “possession is nine-tenths of the law” (if you actually possess something, you have a stronger legal claim to owning it than someone who merely says it belongs to him or her). A big thanks to Desiree Lees for hearing this one and sending it here!
Ask someone a simple question and they jump down your ass on Facebook
Posted: October 19, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get off of my ass, humor, jump down his throat, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 2 CommentsThis beauty was uttered in response to an article someone shared on Facebook that had a virus attached. “Good grief… ask someone a simple question and they jump down your ass on Facebook. Just asked if they read article cause I got virus when I opened article.. … Some people need manners!” I couldn’t agree more. This is a mashup of “jumping down (someone’s) throat” (reprimand or strongly criticize) and “get off my ass” (leave me alone or stop following me). nagging, harassing, badgering). Body parts are often confused, leading to malaphors such as this one. The throat and ass have previously been confused – see https://malaphors.com/2016/07/29/remember-when-he-put-his-foot-through-his-ass/. Also, the shoulder and ass – https://malaphors.com/2013/05/09/youve-got-a-chip-up-your-ass/. Directions also are frequently confused. Up and down seems to be another issue in this malaphor – “up your ass” and “down your throat”. Anyway, a nice indictment of social media and a great malaphor. A big thanks to Julie Milne for sending this one in and to her friend Jennifer for saying it!
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This subject has been swept under the radar
Posted: October 18, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, swept under the rug, under the radar, words Leave a commentThe subject is aliens from outer space. Here is the quote:
“…Take the founder of Bigelow Aerospace for example, who is one of many who has shared his knowledge about the fact that we are not alone, and that we are being visited.For so long, this subject has been swept under the radar by so many people, and all of a sudden we’ve had this burst of information that’s made it clear to most that something is going on here…”
This is the source:
This is a nice mashup of “swept under the rug” (to ignore or deny something in the media that is embarrassing) and “under the radar” (not being noticed or addressed). Both idioms contain the word “under” and both describe something hidden. A big thanks to the comedian Frank King for sending this one, and another thank you to his sister for spotting this malaphor!
The USFL went down in smoke because of Trump
Posted: October 17, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: down in flames, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, up in smoke, USFL, words 1 CommentI am guilty of this one. I was talking to my wife about what happened when Trump convinced the USFL owners to change the schedule from the Spring to the Fall season in order to compete head to head against the NFL. This is a congruent conflation of “up in smoke” and “down in flames”, both meaning something failed or was destroyed. Flames and smoke are the culprits here. Also down and up. Directionally challenged semantically?
It’s got everything under the book
Posted: October 16, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: by the book, everything under the sun, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, under the hood, words 1 CommentThe speaker was describing all the rides and other attractions at a particular amusement park and blurted this malaphor out. It’s a nice conflation of “everything under the sun” (nearly everything one can reasonably imagine) and I believe “by the book” (strictly following the rules). However, because of the word “every”, the mix up could include “every trick in the book” (every possible way to achieve something). There may also be a malaphor thyme, here, and the speaker might have been thinking of the phrase “look under the hood” (examine the engine in a car). A shout out to Caleb Harris for hearing this one and sending it in!
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I’m walking on eggs and needles when he’s around
Posted: October 14, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, malaphors, on pins and needles, walking on eggshells, words Leave a commentThis descriptive malaphor was uttered by a housemate in college, referring to the submitter. It is a nice mixture of “walking on eggshells” (to act with great care as to not upset anyone) and “on pins and needles” (anxious). Both phrases involve anxiety or nervousness and also contain the preposition “on”, adding to the confusion. Certainly the speaker was not “walking on sunshine”. This malaphor reminds me of an oldie but goodie posted awhile ago about nervous employees waiting for a promotion announcement: “They were sitting on their hands and needles.” https://malaphors.com/2012/08/27/sitting-on-their-hands-and-needles/ Also this one: https://malaphors.com/2017/07/03/theyre-walking-on-pins-and-needles/, A shout out to Stanley Dubinsky who shared this one.
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