They keep kicking themselves in the foot
Posted: October 12, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Capitals, expressions, humor, kicking themselves, language, malaphor, malaphors, NBC Sports Network, Penguins, shooting themselves in the foot, wordplay, words Leave a commentDuring the second intermission of the Penguins/Capitals hockey game last night, a commentator asked why the Capitals keep “kicking themselves in the foot.” This is a nice mashup of “kick yourself (or themselves)” (annoyed with yourself for doing something) and “shooting yourself (themselves) in the foot” (to cause oneself difficulty). Shooting and kicking are the culprits of the mix up. A tip of the toque to Steve Kovacs for sharing this one.
We are breaking the air
Posted: October 11, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breaking the ice, breaking wind, clearing the air, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about meeting new people when moving to university, and uttered this nice malaphor. It is a mashup of “clearing the air” (to remove doubt from a situation) and “breaking the ice” (to do something that reduces tension or unfamiliarity). I couldn’t help think that “breaking wind” (farting) might also have been in the mix, as wind and air might have been confused. However, farting was probably not what the speaker wants to do when meeting new people, and then again, perhaps a freudian slip? Anyway, it’s a nice mix up and a big thanks to bittenbyfrost for sending this one in!
Those politicians are just a crowd of gravy diggers
Posted: September 29, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gold digger, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on the gravy train, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis one was overheard recently from malaphor follower Pat Mattimoe. Pat says “this is what happens when the gold-diggers get on the gravy train.” It’s a nice mashup of “gold digger” (a person who only pursues romantic relationships for financial gain) and “on the gravy train” (to be in a position of making lots of money without expending much effort). Both phrases involve getting lots of money. Perhaps the speaker had the monster truck jam tv commercial that always includes “Gravedigger!!”. Who knows? All I know it is an excellent malaphor. Thanks Pat!
Let’s get all our ducks on the same page
Posted: September 26, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ducks in a row, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, on the same page, words 1 CommentThis little ditty was overhead at a service desk. It is a nice congruent conflation of “get your ducks in a row” and “get on the same page”, both meaning to get organized. Phrases using ducks to get things organized seem to confuse folks a lot. For example, I previously posted “she needs to get her ducks in order” (thanks to Matt Lauer for that one!) and “we need to get our ducks together” . https://malaphors.com/2014/05/16/we-need-to-get-our-ducks-together/ https://malaphors.com/2013/12/23/she-needs-to-get-her-ducks-in-order/ I’m not trying to be a wise quacker here. Just pointing it out. A big thanks to Carolyn Atkins for hearing this one and passing it on!
We’ll be buttoning down the hatches
Posted: September 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: batten down the hatches, button up, expressions, humor, hurricane Irma, language, malaphor, malaphors, Weather Channel, words 1 CommentMayor Randall Henderson, Jr. Of Fort Myers, FL uttered this one on The Weather Channel as the city was bracing for hurricane Irma. It is a nice mix up of “batten down the hatches” (to prepare for a challenging situation) and “button up” (to close something, usually a space, securely). One might argue that this is just a malaprop, confusing batten with button. However, as Malaphor King, I determine that it is a malaphor. The speaker might have been confusing up with down, and he was referring to the city needing to secure itself for the impending storm, hence the idea of buttoning up something. A big thanks to Steve Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.
It’s dead as a cucumber
Posted: September 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Matthews, cool as a cucumber, dead as a door nail, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, wordplay, words Leave a commentChris Matthews from MSNBC was referring to the Graham-Cassidy Health Bill when he uttered this beauty. He immediately realized his mistake and then said “dead as a door nail” but it was too late. The malaphor is in the books. It is a mashup of “dead as a door nail” (undoubtedly dead) and “cool as a cucumber” (extremely calm and in control of your emotions). Certainly when you are dead you are pretty cool temperature-wise. Perhaps this is what Mr. Matthews was thinking. I’m glad cucumbers are dead. I still remember live tomatoes in the movie “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” A big thanks to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and passing it on quickly.
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Don’t count your eggs before you put the basket down
Posted: September 18, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: don't count your chickens before they hatch, don't put all your eggs in one basket, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis sage piece of advice was given by the contributor’s ex. It is a nice mashup of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” (don’t make plans based on future events that might not happen) and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” (don’t focus all your attention one thing or area). Both phrases start with “don’t” and both involve hens (chickens and eggs) so there is bound to be confusion. Apparently after saying this he rationalized the phrase by noting some eggs may fall out or break as you’re putting the basket down. This is true. Thanks to Zozie for sharing this one!
You walk that balance
Posted: September 15, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: balance, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Neil Huntington, Pittsburgh Pirates, walk a fine line, words Leave a commentPittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neil Huntington on his pregame show was asked how he can juggle playing to win vs giving inexperienced players a chance to play. He answered, “You walk that balance.” This is a combo of “walk that fine (or thin) line” (balance two competing ideas or groups) and “balance (something) against (something else)”, meaning to compare two things, typically one positive and one negative. in order to make a decision). This is a subtle but excellent conflation, as the two ideas involve competing ideas. Also, the speaker may have been thinking of gym class, walking the balance beam in gymnastics class. A shout out to Bob Marchinetti for hearing this one.
That went over like a lead brick
Posted: September 14, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hit me like a ton of bricks, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, went over like a lead balloon, words Leave a commentThis was overheard at a meeting. It’s a nice mashup of the phrases “went over like a lead balloon” (to fail completely or go over badly) and I think “it hit me like a ton of bricks” (surprised or shocked). “Drop a brick” (to announce a surprising bit of news) might also be in the mix. And yes, lead bricks are manufactured – see http://ultraray.com/products/lead-bricks?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Ultraray&utm_term=lead%20bricks&utm_content=Lead%20Bricks
A big thank you to Jenny Hensley who dropped this one on me!
He was a sitting deer
Posted: September 12, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: deer in the headlights, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Pittsburgh Panthers, sitting duck, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered on the radio by the color commentator for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team. He was describing a Youngstown receiver who was standing still. It is a nice mashup of “sitting duck” (someone who is vulnerable to an easy attack) and “deer in the headlights” (of a paralyzed or frozen manner due to shock or bewilderment). Deers and ducks are often confused, right? Pittsburgh is deer hunter territory, so the speaker may have been thinking of upcoming deer season and an easy target. A big thanks to Mike Ameel for hearing this one and passing it on!
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