put your thumb on exactly where it is

Posted: October 19, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one was heard on the podcast All In with Chris Hayes, in a discussion about Bernie Sanders. It is a mashup of “put your thumb on the scale” (unfairly influence a process or outcome) and “put your finger on it” (identify the exact reason of a situation with precision). Digit confusion. Props to frequent malaphor contributor Frank King for spotting this one.

They’re taking their move

Posted: October 18, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heard at a volleyball watch party. This is a congruent conflation of “making a move” and “taking a shot”, both meaning to initiate an action. This one is subtle and difficult to hear/spot, but frequent malaphor contributor Sam Edelmann has ears like a hawk. Thanks for sending this one in, Sam!

Put in the shoulder grease

Posted: August 31, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A large, brass family heirloom was being restored, requiring a lot of physical effort, including polishing and rewiring. At some point, frustration set in, and this was said: “Well, I guess we just have to put in the shoulder grease to get this done.”

This is a conflation of several idioms, including “put in a good faith effort” (make a sincere attempt), “put your shoulder to the wheel” (make a sustained, concentrated effort), “use some elbow grease” (put in the hard work necessary), and maybe “grease the skids” (help prepare for or ease the way for the success). Then again, maybe shoulder grease is a little more effective than elbow grease. A big thanks to frequent contributor Verbatim for this multi-mixed malaphor.

He is going to rape this country dry

Posted: March 24, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was noticed in a Facebook comment exchange. The commenter was talking about Trump and his control over the Department of Justice and the FBI and what he may do with these government agencies. This is a mashup of “rape the land” (destroy all the resources) and “bleed/suck/milk (something or someone) dry” (take all the resources that someone or something has available). There may also have been a Freudian slip in there. A big thanks to Diana Greenhalgh for spotting this one and sending it in!

He had a bug under his saddle

Posted: March 19, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

The speaker was describing a friend who was complaining. This is a congruent conflation of “burr under (one’s) saddle” and “bug up (one’s) ass”, both referring to a source or cause of a persistent annoyance. This one is similar to a previous post, “he put a burr in her bonnet”. https://malaphors.com/2012/12/28/he-put-a-burr-in-her-bonnet/ A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for sharing this one.

Sowing roots

Posted: January 15, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

This incongruent conflation was uttered by Andrea Heckler in her podcast entitled “The Struggle to Settle Down”. As soon as she said “sowing roots” she caught herself, making it clearly unintentional and so it qualifies. You can hear the mashup at 8:32 of the podcast:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoeJfViCtMI 

This is a mix of “putting down roots” (settling down) and “sowing (one’s) oats” (engaging in rebellious behavior in one’s youth before settling down). As I mentioned, this is a rare incongruent conflation as it mixes two idioms with opposite meanings. It’s possible “sowing the seeds of (something)” (doing something that ensures an outcome in the future) is in the mix.

A big thanks to Pierre Abbat for hearing this one and sending it in.

2024 Malaphor of the Year!!

Posted: December 29, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s that time again and I know everyone has been anticipating this moment. It is NOW time to reveal this year’s Malaphor of the Year.  But before I unveil this masterpiece, here are the winners of past years:

2015 – I have a pulse to the ground (submitted by Paula Garrety)

2016 – Let’s give them a round of hand! (submitted by Martin Pietrucha)

2017 – Welcome to my shoes (submitted by Steve Kovacs)

2018 – Whatever turns your boat (submitted by John Kooser)

2019 – My old car shit the bucket (submitted by John Fischer)

2020 – You’re a one-horse pony (submitted by Bruce Ryan and Ron MacDonald)

2021 – The new President says he wants to turn over a new page (submitted by Frank King)

2022 – Backseat Quarterback (submitted by Chuck Hatsis)

2023 – His cards of lies are about to crumble (submitted by Mike Kovacs)

Before I reveal the winner, I want to give a shout out to the runners-up:

#5 Tying themselves in pretzels (May 2024 – submitted by Mike Kovacs). This conflation of “tying”, “twisting”, “knots”, and “pretzels” is a malaphor masterpiece.

#4 He’s a wet toast (December 2024 – submitted by Bruce Ryan). A beautifully descriptive mashup.

#3 They’re like a fish up a tree (February 2024 – submitted by Martin Pietrucha). This conflation describing professional soccer players attempting to play with both legs is a perfect description, improving the underlying idioms..

#2 I’m gonna want to pick your ear on this (September 2024 – submitted by Andy Jacobs). A beautiful visual and conflation had to be my runner-up of the year.

But the winner this year is She was giving me the cold finger, submitted by Jim Weil (September 2024). This new conflated phrase might be the ultimate snub. It is a mashup of “give (one) the finger” (to treat one poorly or display contempt for someone) and “give someone the cold shoulder” (to snub someone). 

Happy New Year everyone!

It was a softball layup

Posted: November 6, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The contributor’s nephew, who loves just about all sports, uttered this one. It is a congruent conflation of “a softball” and “a layup”, both describing something easy (one is a question and the other a task). A softball layup must be super easy. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

Sometimes we clash heads

Posted: November 4, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

This was heard on the You Tube video, “Meet the Krispy Pizza Kings of New York”. Here is the link to the video:

This is a congruent conflation of “clash with (someone or something)” and “butt heads”, both meaning to disagree with someone. A huge shout out to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and sending it in!

Nimwit

Posted: September 23, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

A YouTuber was describing a dumb politician and used this word. It is a word blend congruent conflation of “dimwit” and “nimrod”, both terms describing a stupid person.

The idiom “nimrod” doesn’t seem to be used often these days. The usage perhaps was first recorded in an 1836 letter from Robert E. Lee to a female friend. Lee describes a “young nimrod from the West”, who in declining an appointment to West Point expressed the concern that “I hope my country will not be endangered by my doing so.” Although Lee may have been sarcastically referring to the student as a “tyrant or skillful hunter”, the modern usage more closely fits his message. The usage is often said to have been popularized by the Looney Tunes cartoon character Bugs Bunny sarcastically referring to the hunter Elmer Fudd as “nimrod” to highlight the difference between “mighty hunter” and “poor little Nimrod”, i.e. Fudd. However, it is in fact Daffy Duck who refers to Fudd as “my little Nimrod” in the 1948 short “What Makes Daffy Duck“, although Bugs Bunny does refer to Yosemite Sam as “the little Nimrod” in the 1951 short “Rabbit Every Monday“.

A big shout out to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

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