A rose is a rose by any other name
Posted: January 4, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Gertrude Stein, Hardball, humor, language, literature, malaphor, MSNBC, Shakespeare, words Leave a commentThis is a nice literary malaphor, uttered on the MSNBC show Hard Ball . It is a congruent conflation of Shakespeare’s “A rose by any other name” and Gertrude Stein’s sentence “a rose is a rose is a rose”, both interpreted as meaning things are what they are. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this conflation of two famous lines in literature.
He had a hissing contest
Posted: January 3, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 93.7 the Fan, Antonio Brown, expressions, hissy fit, humor, malaphor, pissing contest, Ron Cook, Steelers, wordplay, words Leave a commentRon Cook, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer, uttered this beauty on the sports talk radio show, 93.7 The Fan. He was summarizing Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown’s out of control behavior and that Brown had “a hissing contest” with one of the coaches. This is a conflation of “pissing contest” (useless or trivial argument) and a “hissy fit” (a childish temper tantrum). Both idioms actually fit the context, a rarity in malaphors. The rhyming of hissing and pissing also contributed to the mashup. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one and sending it in.
Trump is hunkering in
Posted: December 31, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: digging in, Elise Jordan, expressions, humor, hunkering down, language, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, Trump, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by Elise Jordan on MSNBC, as she was describing Trump alone in the White House. It is a congruent conflation of “digging in” and “hunkering down”, both meaning to get started in working on something or alternatively to seek refuge in a particular place. A big thanks to Frank King for catching this one.
It stuck out like a sore eye
Posted: December 27, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphors, sight for sore eyes, stuck out like a sore thumb, words Leave a commentDescribing a poor choice of paint color on a porch, the speaker uttered this one. It is a nice mashup of “stuck out like a sore thumb” (very conspicuous) and “sight for sore eyes” (overjoyed to see someone after a long absence). Perhaps the speaker was thinking about a thumb in the eye after viewing the paint job. In any event, a big thanks to Mal for sharing this one he remembered from years ago.
The government pulled the wool over him
Posted: December 21, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ali Velshi, expressions, humor, malaphor, Matt Apuzzo, MSNBC, pulled one over on him, pulled the wool over his eyes, Trump, wordplay, words Leave a commentOn the Ali Velshi MSNBC show, Matt Apuzzo was talking about General Flynn and that some believe the government tricked him. He then uttered this nice malaphor, which is a congruent conflation of “pull the wool over (one’s) eyes” and “pull one over on him”, both meaning to trick or deceive. The operative word here is “pull” which appears in each idiom. A big thanks to Hawk-eared Frank King for hearing this gem.
Sitting behind the driver’s seat
Posted: December 17, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: behind the wheel, expressions, humor, in the driver's seat, malaphor, malaphors, NPR, On Point, words Leave a commentThis one has to be read in context. On the December 10, 2018 “On Point” NPR podcast, a person was discussing self-driving cars. “I felt safer sitting in the back seat of that driver-less vehicle than I did sitting behind the driver’s seat of my own car’. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510053/on-point
This is a mashup of “in the driver’s seat” and “behind the wheel”, both meaning to take charge. The speaker wasn’t thinking of either idiom, but was certainly confusing his words. If you are in the back seat of one car, how is that different than being behind the driver’s seat of the other car? A big thanks to Alan “Moose” Richardson for hearing this one.
Whatever turns your boat
Posted: December 15, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: books, humor, language, malaphor, whatever floats your boat, whatever turns you on, wordplay Leave a commentOverheard at a WalMart at midnight: two women were talking about another woman’s unusual outfit and one of them uttered this classic malaphor. It is a congruent conflation of “whatever floats your boat” and “whatever turns you on”, both meaning whatever makes you happy. The phrases both begin with “whatever”, and with boats capsizing, you can see where the confusion arises. A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one while doing some midnight shopping.
If you enjoyed this one, and are thinking about how to fill that Christmas stocking, why not get the malaphor book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”? It’s available on Amazon for a cheap 7.99. Makes a great addition to any bathroom.
Beat the iron while it’s hot
Posted: December 12, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beat it to the punch, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, strike while the iron is hot, The Ranking Academy, wordplay, words 2 CommentsThis beauty comes from a video tutorial on Getting Google Reviews. It is a nice mashup of “strike while the iron is hot” (to make most of an opportunity or favorable conditions while one has the chance to do so) and “beat (someone) to the punch” (to do something before someone else does). Both idioms involve doing something early. A big thanks to Frank King for seeing this one and passing it on. Shout out to The Ranking Academy for giving us this blooper. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopSeO4OPWd5M9zzPhA6qpg
He’s a wild cannon
Posted: December 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, loose cannon, malaphor, malaphors, wild card, wordplay, words 2 CommentsWe will be able to put all the dots in a row
Posted: December 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Hayes, connect the dots, expressions, get your ducks in a row, humor, Jackie Speier, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, Mueller, Trump, wordplay, words Leave a commentJackie Speier (D-CA) uttered this nice malaphor on the All In with Chris Hayes show on MSNBC (11/28/18). Here is the context: “and I have no doubt in my mind that we will at some point, when the Mueller investigation is over, be able to put all the dots in a row and draw a line through them.” This is a congruent conflation of “get your ducks in a row” (organize your affairs) and “connect the dots” (to understand something by piecing together bits of information). “Dots” and “ducks” sound alike and the idea of connecting dots is similar to a row. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one.
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