We don’t want you breathing down our back
Posted: January 27, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breathing down our necks, expressions, get off my back, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, New York times, words Leave a commentThis mashup was found in an article in the January 21, New York Times magazine section, titled “They want to destroy us”. It is a conflation of “breathing down (one’s) neck” (monitor closely, usually in an overbearing way) and “get off my back” (stop harassing me). Invading one’s space is the common denominator in the two idioms and probably was the cause of the confusion. A big thanks to Barry Eigen who spotted this one, and commented that “it’s certainly hard to picture this happening unless the recipient of the breathing has no shirt on.” Agree.
We’ve jumped over the last hoop
Posted: January 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 30 Nights, clear a hurdle, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentHoops and hurdles seem to confound folks, given the many malaphors posted involving these words. This one was uttered by a film producer exclaiming that the last legal step was completed in order to distribute a film. It is a nice congruent conflation of “jumping through hoops” and “clearing a hurdle”, both meaning to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal. This one is similar to “we still have a lot of hurdles to jump through (https://malaphors.com/2013/08/05/we-still-have-a-lot-of-hurdles-to-jump-through/) and “we have so many hurdles to cross” (https://malaphors.com/2014/02/15/we-have-so-many-hurdles-to-cross/) And who can forget “he bent over hoops for me” (https://malaphors.com/2016/02/19/he-bent-over-hoops-for-me/). By the way, the speaker was Tom W. Metz III, who is currently producing his first full length picture, 30 Nights! Check it out @30NightsMovie. A big thanks to Lou Pugliese for hearing this one and sharing it.
They are kicking the can down the table
Posted: January 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chuck Schumer, cnn, come to the table, expressions, humor, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, words Leave a commentSimilar to the last post, this is another “kick the can down the road” malaphor. Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, said this one on CNN. He was explaining why he did not want to pass a CR. This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (to postpone or defer an action) and I think “come to the table”(to meet to negotiate a particular issue or situation). My guess is that Schumer combined these two thoughts as he is currently negotiating a deal to stop the government shutdown. New Yorkers talk faster than their thoughts. A big thanks to Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one.
That issue always seems to get kicked down the can
Posted: January 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Harris Faulkner, humor, kick at the can, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 Comment
You are lemmings to the slaughter
Posted: January 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, lambs to slaughter, language, like lemmings, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentSometimes comments on Facebook produce great malaphors. This one is no exception. It was uttered by an anti-vaxxer accusing everyone of not knowing or wanting to know the “truth”. It is a mashup of “lambs (or pigs) to the slaughter” (innocently and helplessly, without realizing the danger) and “like lemmings” (doing things without fear or thought). Both idioms concern large numbers usually, and both refer to people who really aren’t thinking but merely following. I suppose when lemmings jump over the cliff they are going to their “slaughter”. A big thanks to Cassandra Anne who spotted this one on her facebook feed.
Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog
Posted: January 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, dropped like a hot potato, dumped, expressions, Fire and Fury, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Wolff, Steve Bannon, whipped like a dog, words Leave a comment#3 in the “Fire and Fury” malaphor series. This one comes courtesy of the President of the U.S. Donald Trump, in one of his twitters responding to the book, “Fire and Fury”. He says:
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/949498795074736129
“Dumped like a dog” is a conflation of “dropped like a hot potato” (to abandon someone or something suddenly), “dumped” (to reject), and “like a whipped dog” (ashamed because you have been defeated). The latter seems particularly appropriate given the context. Of course, dogs do take “dumps” which may have been in the speaker’s mind. A big thanks to David Barnes for sniffing this one out.
I’m going to dig into this with both feet
Posted: December 31, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dig in your heels, dive in with both feet, expressions, humor, jump in with both feet, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentWhile researching home prices in Florida, my friend said this to his wife. This is a nice congruent conflation of “dig in” and “jump (dive) in with both feet”, both meaning to work on something enthusiastically. The speaker may have been thinking about feet as “dig in (one’s) heels” might have been on his mind as well. With jumping and diving in the mix, he may also have been considering a pool with that Florida house. A big thanks to Lou Pugliese for uttering and sharing this one!
Deficit hawks folded like a cheap suit
Posted: December 27, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: all over her like a cheap suit, CNBC, deficit hawks, expressions, folded like a cheap suitcase, GOP, humor, Jim Cramer, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis timely beauty was uttered by CNBC’s Jim Cramer on his show “Squawk on the Street”. He was talking about the Republicans who had been deficit hawks for years and now voted for a tax bill that grows the deficit by at least 1.5 trillion dollars. It is a nice mashup of “folded like a cheap suitcase” (collapse easily) and “all over her like a cheap suit” (pawing and clinging; seductive). You can hear and see this one on the following link:
Kudos to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one. He was all over it like a cheap suitcase.
I was left in the blue
Posted: December 26, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, left in the dark, malaphor, malaphors, out of the blue, words Leave a commentThis was uttered as some friends were planning what to do after finals. One had no idea of the plans. This is a nice mashup of “left in the dark” (to keep someone uninformed) and “out of the blue” (unexpectedly). A tip of the hat to david5cerda for hearing this one.
They swear like chimneys
Posted: December 20, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, smoke like a chimney, swear like a sailor, words Leave a commentThis terrific conflation was uttered by a college freshman relating to her parents about the language in her dorm. It is a mashup of “swear like a sailor” (to use profanities freely) and “smoke like a chimney” (smoke cigarettes excessively). Both involve doing something in excess which leads to the mix up, I think. Also “smoke” and “swear” are 5 letter words that start with s. A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and shared it!
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