Are you giving me a break?
Posted: March 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: are you kidding me?, expressions, give me a break, humor, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, Sam Nunberg, Spin, words Leave a commentHad to post this congruent conflation immediately, as it was said last night by former Trump aide Sam Nunberg on in an MSNBC interview. Given the context, Nunberg mixed “give me a break”, and “are you kidding me?”, both scoffling retorts to something that seems unbelievable or ridiculous.“Are you giving me a break?” Spin.com calls it a “Borat-esque phrase”, but you and I know it to be a beautifully constructed malaphor. https://www.spin.com/2018/03/ex-trump-aide-sam-nunberg-was-unhinged-long-before-todays-meltdown/
A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and passing it on.
If you liked this jumble, take a break and pick up my book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon! Just click here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
Even the playing field
Posted: March 5, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: books, even the odds, expressions, humor, Jenna Bush Hager, level the playing field, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis subtle congruent conflation was uttered by Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show. It is a mashup of “level the playing field” and “even the odds”, both meaning to make a situation or activity more fair and balanced. This one is heard often, as the two expressions have the same meaning and contain words that are synonyms – even and level. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in. Frank has the ears of a hawk when it comes to malaphors. By the way, check out Frank’s website, http://www.themhcomedian.com/frank-king-speaking/.
She’s the bread earner
Posted: March 3, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breadwinner, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, wage earner, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about a couple and their finances. It is a nice congruent conflation of “breadwinner” and “wage earner”, both referring to the person whose earnings are the primary support for his/her dependents. Of course, “bread” is slang for money, so bread earner makes a lot of sense (cents?) to me. A big thanks to Elaine Hatfield for sharing this one.
Looking for a mechanic that won’t try to pull the fleece over my head
Posted: March 1, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fleeced, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pull the wool over my eyes, words 3 CommentsThis was posted on a neighborhood site in Baltimore looking for recommendations. It is a congruent conflation of “fleece” and “pull the wool over my eyes”, both meaning to cheat or deceive. Lots going on here in the recesses of the brain. Fleece as a noun is a lightweight jacket, so the idea of pulling it over one’s head makes sense. A fleece is also the woollen coat of a domestic sheep, so the speaker might have been thinking of wool and fleece at the same time. Using the word as a noun but thinking of it as a verb makes this a very interesting malaphor. Also, eyes are part of the head so the mixing of these body parts were clearly in the speaker’s brain. A big thanks to Larry Mason for spotting this one and sharing it.
This may not be the cross I want to die on
Posted: February 28, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fall on my sword, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, not the hill I want to die on, words 2 CommentsThere was a discussion about due process errors in a law office, and this was uttered by someone who didn’t think they were worth fighting for. It is a congruent conflation of the military expressions “not the hill to die on” and “fall on (one’s) sword”, both meaning something so important it must be dealt with. While the word “sword” does not appear in the malaphor, my guess is that the speaker was thinking of a sword when he said “cross”, as the sword looks like a cross. Also there might be some Christian symbolism of dying on a cross wrapped up in this one. A big thanks to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and passing it on.
I need to clear my chest
Posted: February 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clear the air, expressions, get it off my chest, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, my 600 lb. life, TLC, words Leave a commentThis one was heard on the TLC t.v. show, “My 600 lb. Life”. In context, it is a congruent conflation of “clear the air” and “get it off my chest”, both meaning to discuss or otherwise confront a troubling situation. Certainly weighing 600 pounds could be a troubling situation. Of course, taken literally, one may want to try a steam shower or an inhaler for really nasty chest congestion. A big thank you to regular malaphor contributor Mike Kovacs!
She needs to pull a trick out of her hat
Posted: February 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cross country ski, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pull a rabbit out of my hat, trick up my sleeve, Winter Olympics, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by the play by play commentator for the women’s cross country skiing race at this year’s Winter Olympics. It is a nice mash up of “trick up her sleeve” (secret advantage) and “pull a rabbit out of her hat” (to do something surprising or seemingly impossible). Both idioms concern the element of surprise, and both involve tricks or magic. A big thanks to Jake Holdcroft for hearing this one and passing it on!
By the nick of their teeth
Posted: February 17, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: by the skin of my teeth, expressions, humor, in the nick of time, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis is a nice congruent conflation of “in the nick of time” and “by the skin of their teeth” (just barely). “Skin” and “nick” are both four letter words with a “k” and an “n”. Kudos to Curioussteph for uttering this one unintentionally and sending it in.
I couldn’t pass it down
Posted: February 14, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 937TheFan, expressions, humor, Josh Taylor, malaphor, malaphors, pass it up, turn it down, words 1 CommentJosh Taylor, weekend host of @937TheFan, a sports show in Pittsburgh, uttered this gem when discussing an opportunity that he didn’t think he had time for. It is a blend of “pass it up” (skip or ignore) and “turn it down” (to reject something). The directions “up” and “down” in the idioms no doubt caused the confusion. I have a hard time knowing what’s up and what’s down these days myself. A big thanks to John Kooser who spotted this one!
Something you really can’t pass down is my malaphor book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, now on Amazon for a cheap 6.99. Here is the link to non-stop hilarity: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
He’s not the brightest knife in the drawer
Posted: February 14, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, not the brightest bulb, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, words Leave a commentThis was spoken by a radio host describing a politician. It is a congruent conflation of “not the sharpest knife in the drawer” and “not the brightest bulb in the chandelier”, both describing someone who is not very intelligent. Other similar idioms include “he’s one fry short of a Happy Meal”, “the elevator doesn’t go to the top floor”, and my personal favorite, “somewhere there’s a village missing its idiot”.
This malaphor is similar to several other postings on the same theme including “not the brightest tool in the shed”. https://malaphors.com/2013/06/24/not-the-brightest-tool-in-the-shed/, and “not the sharpest bulb in the shed”, https://malaphors.com/2017/08/03/not-the-sharpest-bulb-in-the-shed/. Thanks to Verbatim for sending this one in!
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