A wrench had been thrown into the bucket
Posted: October 4, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick the bucket, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw a monkey wrench into the works, words Leave a commentIn the context of a plan that was derailed, a coworker said that “a wrench had been thrown into the bucket.” I think this is a mash up of “throw a monkey wrench into the works” (disrupt a plan) and “kick the bucket” (to die). I think the latter is in the mix because the speaker was discussing a plan that was essentially dead as a result of the derailment. Anyone have any other ideas? A big thanks to Tom Winkleman for hearing this one and passing it on!
Microsoft continues to cloudy the water
Posted: October 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cloud the issue, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, muddy the waters, words Leave a commentThe exact quote is “Microsoft continues to cloudy the water around their licensing schemes.” This was heard on a corporate training video discussing a technology where software use is either licensed via a traditional shrink-wrapped license or via a Service Provider Licensing Arrangement. It is a congruent conflation of “cloud the issue” and “muddy the waters”, both meaning to make something unclear. Certainly muddy water is cloudy, and hence the mix up. And as pointed out by the Magellan of Malaphors Mike Kovacs, who heard this beauty, readers should note the transmogrification of the word “cloud” to fit this malaphor. Score for Mike and extra points for using the word transmogrification in a sentence and for using the word correctly. This is like getting fouled on a three point shot that goes in and having the other team called for a technical.
You can’t change back the clocks
Posted: September 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, Cameron Diaz, can't change the past, can't turn back the clock, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentIn an interview on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy, Cameron Diaz was referencing growing old gracefully and said ” you can’t change back the clocks”. http://site.people.com/style/cameron-diaz-taught-gwyneth-paltrow-how-to-use-a-blow-dryer-proves-shes-the-ultimate-celebrity-bff/
This is a nice congruent conflation of “can’t change the past” and “can’t turn back the clock”, both meaning that you can’t make things the same as they were in an earlier time. The phrase “change the clock” is often used when switching to daylight savings time and vice versa, so this might have been in the speaker’s mind. A big thanks to Vicki Kovacs for hearing this one!
We’re on the same page length
Posted: September 27, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on the same page, on the same wavelength, words Leave a commentDescribing a positive experience in a job interview, the speaker felt that he and the interviewer were “on the same page length”. This is a nice congruent conflation of “on the same page” and “on the same wavelength”, both meaning to be in agreement or thinking similarly. Both idioms have the words “on the same” and share similar sounding words – “wave” and “page”. I can see where this would be a commonly used malaphor. A shout out to Amy Silver Desmond for hearing this one and passing it on!
Push the bar
Posted: September 26, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, push the envelope, raise the bar, say yes to the dress, words Leave a commentA participant on the television program “Say Yes to the Dress” was referring to her desire to raise her standards when selecting a wedding dress and said “push the bar”. This is a conflation of “push the envelope” (exceed the limits of what is normally done) and “raise the bar” (raise or exceed the standards of quality that are expected). It is close to a congruent conflation, as both idioms describe exceeding a standard. My guess is that the verbs “push” and “raise” caused the mental confusion.
A big thanks to Chief Malaphor Hunter (CMH) Mike Kovacs for submitting this one for a friend.
Speaking of exceeding quality standards, did you know the new book He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors received an A+ rating from the Society of Word Oddities (SWO)? Get yours today on Amazon!
It’s as clear as a bone this morning
Posted: September 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clear as a bell, dry as a bone, expressions, humor, KDKA, language, malaphor, malaphors, Pittsburgh, words Leave a commentThat was the weather report from local channel KDKA in Pittsburgh yesterday. This is a mash up of “as dry as a bone” (extremely dry) and “clear as a bell” (very clear). The weatherman was discussing a very clear and dry (little humidity) day and managed to describe both in one nice malaphor! I think this should be in our standard lexicon to describe those beautiful clear, dry days, don’t you? Hats off to Bill Shaffer who heard this beauty.
Some are riding the fence
Posted: September 20, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, riding it out, sitting on the fence, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis well-crafted mixed idiom appeared in the Washington Post. The author, Callum Borchers, was discussing the issue of where Republicans who are seeking office stand on supporting Donald Trump. “In future elections, Republicans seeking office will have to answer an important question: Where did you stand on Donald Trump? Some seem acutely aware of this looming litmus test and are riding the fence.”
This is a mash up of “sitting on the fence” (not taking sides in a dispute) and “riding it out” (continue working through something unpleasant or dangerous). The author might also have been thinking of “riding the pine” (in sports, to remain sitting on the bench), as it involves sitting. In researching this curious malaphor, I found that the idiom actually is used in St. Maarten. On that beautiful island, the airport is situated right off the beach. Tourists hold onto a fence as the planes take off and land just feet above them, hence the expression “riding the fence.”
A tip of the hat to frequent malaphor contributor John Costello for spotting this one and sending it on!
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Hillary Clinton is in the process of refudiating everything that Mr. Trump says
Posted: September 19, 2016 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, Hardball, Hillary Clinton, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, refuting, repudiating, Sean Jackson, WORD BLENDS, words 1 CommentThis nice word blend malaphor was uttered by Sean Jackson, chairman of the Florida Black Republican Caucus and Trump supporter, on MSNBC’s Hardball. Mr. Jackson stated, “Hillary Clinton is in the process of refudiating everything that Mr. Trump says by trying to make him out to be the bigot.” See http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/hardball/2016-08-26
This is a mash up of “repudiating” (rejecting the validity or authority) and “refuting” (proving or saying that something is not true). Word blend malaphors are an interesting subset of idiom blend malaphors. There are quite a few posted on this website. A shout out to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it on!
If you liked this malaphor from the political world, you will want to get the book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon! There is a whole chapter devoted to mash ups from politics.
I’m going to move out and fly the nest
Posted: September 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fly the coop, humor, language, leave the nest, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one seems appropriate for this time of year when kids are leaving for college. That’s exactly what led to this nice malaphor uttered by a smart and talented young lady leaving for college. It is a conflation of “fly the coop” (to escape or to get away) and “leave the nest” (to leave your parents’ house and live independently). Both phrases involve leaving from somewhere, and coops are where chickens live and have nests, hence the confusion of coops and nests. A big thanks to Marianne Julian for hearing this one from her daughter and passing it on!
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He is getting paid under the pocket
Posted: September 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, lining one's pockets, malaphor, malaphors, out of pocket, pocket money, pocket pool, under the table, words 1 CommentThis malaphor is a mash up of “getting paid under the table” (money paid secretly and illegally) and perhaps “out of pocket” (lacking money) because it refers to money. However, there might be other idioms at play here. “Lining one’s own pockets” might be in the mix, as it means making money for oneself in a greedy or dishonest fashion. Certainly money under the table is taken dishonestly. “Money burns a hole in one’s pocket” could also be in the speaker’s mind, as it refers to someone who spends money as soon as it is earned. Then there is “pocket money” (cash for incidental expenses) again referring to finances. Actually, there are a lot of phrases involving pockets that refer to money. The speaker might also have been thinking of a game of pool, which involves a table and pockets. And that gets me to the phrase “pocket pool”, which I will refrain from defining as this is a G rated website (at least sometimes). Kudos to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
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