The cat is already out of the barn

Posted: December 18, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The speaker was talking to his wife about school shootings and said that they are too late to rectify due to lax gun laws. He then blurted out this nice mashup of “the horse is out of the barn” (it’s too late to prevent something from happening) and “the cat is out of the bag” (allow a secret to be known). Too bad he didn’t add that the train has left the station. “Out of” is the common thread here, and cats certainly hang out in barns. A big thank you to Chuck Hatsis for admitting he said this one and sending it in to Malaphor Central.

They’ve kicked this one down the can many times

Posted: December 16, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Larry Richert, Pittsburgh radio talk show host of the “KDKA Morning Show with Larry Richert”, was talking about the budget talks and another continuing resolution due date. Regarding Congress actually voting to pass a budget, Richert said “they’ve kicked this one down the can so many times.” This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (defer or postpone a definitive action) and “down the line” (in the future). Both phrases involve something done in the future, hence the mental mixup.

A tip of the toque to Katie Minnock for hearing this one and sending it in!

Even when he’s lying out of his teeth

Posted: December 11, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ben Wikler, the current chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, was on The Daily Show and speaking about how Trump’s habit of speaking before he thinks appeals to so many voters. Wikler added, “even when he’s (Trump) lying”. You can catch this on the December 9, 2024 show at the 32:31 mark.

This is a congruent conflation of “lying through (one’s) teeth” and “talking out of (one’s) ass”, both describing one who lies brazenly. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this beauty and sending it in. This malaphor was also submitted a few years ago by Lou Pugliese in a different context – https://malaphors.com/2019/03/11/shes-lying-out-of-her-teeth/

Democracy is hanging by a string

Posted: December 9, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one was heard on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast, episode 241k, at 1:28:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000679274189

This is a mashup of “hanging by a thread” (something is in a dangerous state and likely to fail) and I think “have (someone) on the string” (to keep someone awaiting a decision). Threads and strings are similar so it seems logical that something would be hanging by a string, but to date it’s not an actual idiom. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

Meshing on all cylinders

Posted: December 6, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The coach of the football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, was asked about the team’s collapse last year:

“Last year is over. We don’t care about last year,” Sirianni said on Sunday. “We learned what we needed to learn from last year and what we needed to do off of that. This year, it’s a different group of guys. This is a different team that’s gelling and meshing on all cylinders right now. With that being said, you are only as good as your last game. We’ve got a big game coming up this weekend.” Here is the link to the entire interview:

Nick Sirianni deserves his share of credit for Eagles’ turnaround

This is a mashup of “meshing with (someone)” (working well together) and “hitting on all cylinders” (performing at maximum efficiency). Both idioms describe working together and the malaphor could thus be a congruent conflation. Props to Linda Bernstein for spotting this one in the Philadelphia Inquirer and sending it in!

It will be a smooth breeze

Posted: November 22, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pittsburgh traffic report on KDKA: John Shumway was talking about an accident which was backing up traffic, but that once you got by the accident driving “will be a smooth breeze”. This is a congruent conflation of “smooth sailing” and “a breeze”, both meaning easy progress without difficulty or impediment.

A big thanks to Dan Geier for hearing this one and sending it in!

There are lots of stakes

Posted: November 19, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Melanie Zanona, a Capitol Hill reporter, said this malaphor on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast when she was discussing the issue of whether the House Ethics Committee should release the report on Matt Gaetz. You can hear it at 20:15: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000677135164

This is a mashup of “a lot at stake” (taking a big risk) and “stakes are high” (risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous). A big thank you to veteran malaphor spotter Frank King for noticing this one and sending it in.

I think Hillary really had the upper leg

Posted: November 8, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one was spotted in a New York Times article about how undecided voters are making up their minds.  The one lady named Morgan said about the comparison between Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris:

“I think it’s unfair. I think Hillary was much more versed going into her campaign. I feel that Harris is not nearly as prepared as Hillary was. I do see some similarities, in terms of the name-calling and belittling. I think Hillary really had the upper leg, if you had to compare the two.”

This is a nice congruent conflation of “have a leg up” and “have the upper hand” (have an advantage over someone or something). This is another example of a body part mix up. A big thank you to Linda Bernstein for spotting this one!

Donald Trump is the white elephant in the room

Posted: November 1, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

William Cohen, who served as both a Republican U.S. Representative as well as a U.S Senator and Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton, said this malaphor on the MSNBC show The Beat with Ari Melber on October 23, nine days ago. It is a mashup of “elephant in the room” (obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed) and “white elephant” (a burdensome possession whose costs outweigh its value). While I have posted this one before (September 6, 2012), it is too good to pass up.

 “The elephant in the room” seems to be a common expression mix-up.  For example, I have posted:

“It’s the 800 pound elephant in the room”  https://malaphors.com/2015/03/30/its-the-800-pound-elephant-in-the-room/

“I think that’s the pink elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2013/08/07/i-think-thats-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room/

In fact, I have a separate section devoted to the “elephant malaphor” in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205

A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!

It’s a ghostland

Posted: September 25, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two friends were talking about a place that was once busy but is now nearly abandoned. This is another word blend congruent conflation (see prior post “nimwit”) of “wasteland” and “ghost town”, both referring to an abandoned or unused area, usually urban or industrial.

I have previoiusly discussed the difference between a portmanteau and a word blend malaphor but the above malaphor prompts me to repeat my discussion.

Word blends are types of malaphors and the website and books have many examples.

Someone asked me if my word blend malaphors are actually portmanteaus. I don’t think so. The main difference is that a portmanteau is an intentional word blend while a malaphor is unintentional.  There are other differences:

A portmanteau is a combination of two (or more) words or morphemes, and their definitions, into one new word. A portmanteau word generally combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings, for instance, the term “wurly” when describing hair that is both wavy and curly.

The word “portmanteau” was first used in this context by Lewis Carroll in the book Through the Looking-Glass (1871), in which Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice the coinage of the unusual words in Jabberwocky, where “slithy” means “lithe and slimy” and “mimsy” is “flimsy and miserable”. Humpty Dumpty explains the practice of combining words in various ways by telling Alice,

‘You see it’s like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.’

My single word blend malaphors are unconscious blends of words to make an unintentional new word. The word sounds or looks correct at first blush, but then on closer examination is incorrect. Examples include “Buckminster Palace” (Buckingham and Westminster, and/or possibly Buckminster Fuller) and “split-minute decision” (split second and last minute).

A special shout out to Kristen Ann for hearing this one and Anthony Kovacs for sending it in.

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