Don’t leave me out to dry
Posted: April 26, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hang one out to dry, humor, language, leave me hanging, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThe speaker uttered this one and then realized a few minutes later he had spoken a perfect malaphor. This is a conflation of “leave (one) hanging” (keep someone in suspense) and “hang (one) out to dry” (to desert in a troubling situation). Certainly you leave clothes out to dry on a nice sunny day so perhaps the speaker had this visual in his mind. A tip of the hat to Dan Obergfell for not only sharing this one but saying it as well!
He’s grabbed it by the horn
Posted: April 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bill Barr, expressions, grab 'em by the pussy, grab the bull by the horns, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Mueller Report, Trump, words Leave a commentThis amazing malaphor was uttered by Donald Trump, on his reaction to Bill Barr’s performance as Attorney General and how Barr has handled the Mueller Report.
“Attorney General Barr is going to be giving a press conference and maybe I’ll do one after that, we’ll see. But he’s been a fantastic attorney general. He’s grabbed it by the horns,” Trump said.
https://www.abc-7.com/story/40326997/democrats-outraged-as-trump-team-shapes-mueller-report-rollout
It is a mashup of “grab the bull by the horns” (take control of a difficult situation) and Trump’s own expression, “grab ’em by the p***y” (stating that since he is rich and powerful he can do anything he wants with women). Given the speaker, it is probably a good bet that the latter expression was floating in his mind when he uttered this malaphor. Perhaps the word “horns” triggered the mix up? A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this gem and realizing it was a genuine malaphor. Excellent work, Mike. Keep those ears open.
Coaches shouldn’t browbeat players over the head
Posted: April 15, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beat someone over the head, browbeat, expressions, humor, malaphor, Tom Izzo, words Leave a commentThis was uttered on a sports radio show (of course). The speaker was talking about Tom Izzo and his rant at his players during the NCAA tournament. It is a nice mashup of “browbeat (someone) into (something)” (bully or initmidate) and “beat (someone) over the head (with a fact or opinion)” (emphasize or repeat something strongly). The word “browbeat” originally (1580s?) meant “to bear down with stern or arrogant looks,” and later became a term used for “bullying”. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one.
He’s got nothing to hang his head on
Posted: April 11, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hang your hat on, hang your head, humor, Kyle Guy, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentUniversity of Virginia basketball guard Kyle Guy was remarking on the 42 point performance of Carsen Edwards of Purdue, even though Purdue lost. This is a brilliant mashup of “hang (one’s) head” (express shame or contrition) and “hang (one’s) hat on (something)” (depend or rely on something). “Hang” is in both expressions and “head” and “hat” are similar sounding and visually close. A big thanks to Tom Justice for hearing this one. Wahoowa!
I’ll defend you to the nines
Posted: April 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: defend to the death, dressed to teh nines, expressions, humor, malaphors, words Leave a commentA father was talking to his daughter about always defending her actions. It is a nice mashup of “dressed to the nines” (wearing very elegant or formal clothes) and “defend to the death your right to say (something)” (disapprove what another is saying but allow them to say it). “Dressed to the nines” expression is thought to have originated from the 99th Wiltshire Regiment, a military unit noted for its smart appearance.
This one reminds me of the classic I posted a few years ago: “She was dressed to a tee (or t)”. https://malaphors.com/2014/01/21/he-was-dressed-to-a-tee-or-t/
A big thanks to Mike Kovacs, Chief Malaphor Reporter, for hearing this one.
There are people waiting around the wings
Posted: April 6, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: around the corner, Heather McGee, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, Trump, waiting in the wings Leave a commentThis one was uttered by Heather McGee on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace. She was referring to people wanting to challenge Donald Trump in 2020. It is a mashup of “waiting in the wings” (stand ready to do something at the appropriate time) and I think “just around the corner” (very soon, imminent). As followers of this website know, MSNBC is known as The Malaphor Channel. Malaphors tend to be spoken when someone is filling up airspace, such as political pundits, sports radio shows, and athletes being interviewed. A big thanks to Guy Moody for spotting this subtle one.
The swallows are coming home to roost
Posted: March 29, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chickens come home to roost, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, the swallows come home to Capistrano, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about a group of people getting what they deserved based on their actions. It is a conflation of “chickens coming home to roost” (facing the consequences of your actions) and the song “When the swallows come back to Capistrano”. This one reminds me of one of my favorite malaphors that I previously posted and which appears in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
Alabama State Representative John Rogers, in response to questions about his protests outside a hospital that is about to be closed, said “We’ll be here until the cows come home from Capistrano”. Here’s the link: http://blog.al.com/archiblog/2012/11/why_not_give_rep_john_rogers_w.html
Those swallows (or cows or chickens) from Capistrano sure get around. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one.
It sticks under my skin
Posted: March 27, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: gets under my skin, humor, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, MSNBC, Noah Rothman, sticks in my craw, Trump Leave a commentNoah Rothman uttered this nice malaphor on the MSNBC show, “Morning Joe”, on March 21. He was referring to Trump’s comments about McCain and Obamacare. It is a congruent conflation (two idioms mixed with the same meaning) of “sticks in (one’s) craw” and “gets under (someone’s) skin”, both referring to something that is irritating or bothersome to someone.
So what’s a craw?
A craw is the crop of a bird or insect, the transferred sense of the word to refer to a person’s gullet (Free Dictionary). Perhaps Mr. Rothman is a Frank Sinatra fan, thinking of the song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one!
Two things caught my eyebrow this week
Posted: March 25, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: caught my eye, expressions, humor, malaphor, raised some eyebrows, words Leave a commentThis was spotted on a facebook post. Sounds painful. It’s a nice mashup of “caught (one’s) eye (attention)” (attract one’s attention) and “raised a few eyebrows” (to elicit shock or surprise through unconventional actions or words). Both idioms involve the eye, and both involve getting one’s attention. I’m surprised that, considering the times we live in, there were only two things… A big thanks to Yvonne Stam for noticing this one and sending it in.
Kicking up the daisies
Posted: March 23, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Kicking Daisies, kicking the bucket, malaphor, pushing up daisies, words Leave a commentThis was noticed on a tweet concerning people who don’t donate their organs when they die. Here is the tweet:
https://twitter.com/annamaclurex/status/1106972374631628800
It is a wonderful congruent conflation of “pushing up daisies” and “kick the bucket”, both phrases meaning to be dead. The writer may have had the band “Kicking Daisies” in her mind when she wrote the mashup. A big thanks to bittenbyfrost for noticing this one and sending it in.
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