mainliners

Posted: August 3, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Overheard at an airport…Two couples were discussing their vacation plans. “We are headed to Branson to catch some shows but we heard there are no mainliners playing right now.” This is a congruent conflation of “headliners” and “main acts”, both referring to performers that are star attractions. I think it is very possible there are a few “mainliners” performing in Branson. A shout out to Mike Kovacs for expert eavesdropping and catching this perfectly formed malaphor!

A lot of these reporters are not cowing to Trump

Posted: July 31, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one was heard on the Friday, July 24, 2026 All in with Chris Hayes podcast. It appears at the 45:00 minute mark:

Jen Psaki was talking about the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the fact that the awardees and attendees are not afraid of Trump. This is a conflation of “kowtowing” (obeying someone in power) and “cowering” (shrinking in fear). Both words fit the context, and “cowing” is a nice blend of the two. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

A lick and a prayer

Posted: July 27, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

There was a discussion about selling an RV in Florida and that it will require a bit of luck and hard work. “He will need a lick and a prayer.” This is a conflation of “on a wing and a prayer” (only the slightest chance of success) and “a lick and a promise” (a quick and careless attempt to do something). The speaker may have been thinking “luck” given the context but it came out “lick”. A tip of the hat to Leslie Geier for sending this one in!

They kill them like they’re candy

Posted: July 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

During a press briefing addressing the ongoing military conflict and humanitarian crisis involving Iran, Trump was asked about the actions of the Iranian regime. He used a malaphor to highlight the random, widespread slaughter of civilians and protesters by hardline authorities earlier in the year:

“Young kids. They kill ’em. They kill ’em like they’re … like they’re … uhh … candy. It’s crazy what they do. They treat them so badly. They’re just killing people at random and nobody talks about it.” https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/kill-them-uh-candy-trump-161044395.html

This is a mashup of “killing them with kindness” (responding to someone’s hostility with politeness and warmth) and “like taking candy from a baby” (a task that is extremely easy and takes little effort). A shout out to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!

He’s a one-man wrecking ball

Posted: July 22, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown was talking about the Houston Astros and specifically Yordan Alvarez, who he described as “a one-man wrecking ball.” This is a mash-up of “one-man wrecking crew” (describing a person who single handedly dominates a situation) and “a wrecking ball” (in slang, an aggressive, unstoppable person or thing). Given the context, “one-man team” (a single person who perform all the duties or responsibilities of an entire group). A big shout out to Bob Marchinetti for hearing this one and sending it in.

This one would be perfect in my new malaphor book, “Backseat Quarterback: Malaphors from the Sports World“, available now on Amazon! Get your copy today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G9JXP8L3

Soar or sink on their own petard

Posted: July 17, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jason Alexander was discussing the ‘Chinese Restaurant Episode’ from the t.v. show Seinfeld. In that episode nothing happens and the network executives did not understand what Larry David and the writers were trying to achieve. Alexander then said Larry David was going to stick to the original idea and script, regardless of what the executives thought, and that the writers were going to “soar or sink on their own petard.” Here is the You Tube clip from a Write LA event:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVgajGufr6s

This is a mashup of “sink or swim” (fail or succeed entirely on one’s own efforts) and “hoisted on (one’s) own petard” (caught in your own trap designed to harm another). A big thank you to Verbatim for catching this one and sending it in!

It’ll knock you on your socks

Posted: July 4, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Someone was talking about a new restaurant and how good it is. He said it was so good “it’ll knock you on your socks.” This is a mashup of “knock (someone’s) socks off” (bedazzle or amaze someone) and “knock (one) on (one’s) ass” (to be overwhelmed with emotion). It’s close to a congruent conflation. Also in the mix is “knock (someone) off their feet”, also meaning to amaze someone. For some reason sock knocking idioms are frequently mixed. My website contains three other good ones – “knock you back on your socks”, “windows will really knock you off your socks”, and “it blew our socks off”. https://malaphors.com/2020/07/31/knock-you-back-on-your-socks/ https://malaphors.com/2017/03/19/the-floor-to-ceiling-windows-really-knock-you-off-your-socks/ https://malaphors.com/2015/07/30/it-blew-our-socks-off/

A big thanks to frequent contributor Sam Edelmann who heard this one and sent it in.

Let’s do a White Santa Gift Exchange this year

Posted: June 29, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This nice malaphor was uttered unintentionally in a conversation. It is a congruent conflation of “White Elephant” and “Secret Santa”, both types of gift exchanges. This truly is a perfectly formed malaphor. Huge shout out to Kristen Ann for contributing this one and Anthony Kovacs for submitting it to Malaphor Central. I can’t wait to join in on that gift exchange!

Packed to the brim

Posted: June 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Seen in The New Republic:

“President Trump, who definitely has not read all of the media coverage of the weak attendance at his rally on the National Mall on Wednesday night, insists that the event was “packed to the brim.”

This is a congruent conflation of “filled to the brim” and “packed to the gills/rafters”, both referring to something that is completely full. Another shout out to Frank King for spotting this beauty.

The economy has hit tank bottom

Posted: June 22, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This one was heard on the YouTube program “MeidasTouch with Ben Meiselas”. He said this during a discussion of the current state of the U.S. economy. It is a congruent conflation of “tanked” and “hit rock bottom”, both meaning something is going down to the absolute worst level. Hats off to frequent malaphor contributor Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

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