I have a pulse to the ground

Posted: July 21, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This timely malaphor was recently uttered by Donald Trump.  An article in the July 20, 2015 New York Times quotes The Donald:

“I have a pulse to the ground,” he added. “I think I know what’s wrong with the country, and I think I’ve been able to portray that in a way that people agree with.”

This is a conflation of “have my finger on the pulse” (to be familiar with the most recent developments) and “have my ear to the ground” (to watch and listen carefully to what is happening around you).  Lots going on with this one.  Fingers go into ears, etc.  This one is similar to the March 23, 2015 entry, “keep your finger on the ball”. https://malaphors.com/?s=pulse   A big thank you to Paula Garrety for seeing this one and passing it on!

 

We have to keep our finger on the ball

Posted: March 23, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

This beauty was heard on a conference call by Gary Kelly, a faithful malaphor follower.  It is a congruent conflation of “finger on the pulse”  and “eyes on the ball”, both involving attention and monitoring something.    The mash up also conjures up the image of Lucy keeping her finger on the football and letting go just as Charlie Brown goes to kick it. This is another malaphor mixing body parts, something that seems to happen frequently.   A big thanks to Gary Kelly!