They put me through hoops and ladders
Posted: August 19, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chutes and Ladders, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, language, malaphors, put me through the ringer, words Leave a comment
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.
He bent over hoops for me
Posted: February 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bend over backwards, congruent conflation, humor, idioms, jump through hoops, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentNow that’s impressive! This ditty was overheard at a benefits hearing where the claimant was referring to someone who was assisting her. It is a congruent conflation of “jump through hoops” and “bend over backwards”, both meaning to do everything possible to please someone or accomplish something. Bending over hoops is probably the ultimate in pleasing someone. The mix up is caused, I think, by the action words bend and jump, and by the similar meanings of the phrases. A shout out to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it along.
And I’ve only jumped through the first one of these hurdles
Posted: April 25, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, hoops, hurdles, jump, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, Bradley manning, Chelsea Manning, clear a hurdle, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis malaphor is similar to my posting of August 5, 2013 but bears repeating. This is a wonderful mix of “jump through hoops” (do everything possible to please or obey someone) and “clear a hurdle” (overcome an obstacle). The confusion lies with hoops and hurdles, things you jump through and jump over. It was spoken by Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning) on announcing her name change. Here is the context:
“Unfortunately, the trans* community faces three major obstacles to living a normal life in America: identity documentation, gender segregated institutions, and access to healthcare. And I’ve only just jumped through the first one of these hurdles.”
http://www.chelseamanning.org/featured/chelsea-mannings-statement-on-her-legal-name-change
Many thanks to Guy Patterson for spotting this malaphor!
We have so many hurdles to cross
Posted: February 15, 2014 Filed under: hoops, hurdles, PLACES, river, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, clear hurdles, crossing the rubicon, expressions, humor, Jimmy Cliff, jump through hoops, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, rivers to cross, words Leave a commentThis is a mash up of “clear a hurdle” (overcome an obstacle) and I think “rivers to cross” , borrowed from the great Jimmy Cliff song “Many Rivers to Cross”, based on the context of the malaphor. “Crossed the Rubicon” (taken action with no return) also comes to mind. “Jumping through hoops” (to do extra things to get what you want) might also be in the mix, confusing hoops and hurdles. Thanks to Sam Edelmann for spotting this one!
we still have a lot of hurdles to jump through
Posted: August 5, 2013 Filed under: hoops, hurdles, jump | Tags: blended idioms, clear a hurdle, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentThis is a wonderful mix of “jump through hoops” (do everything possible to please or obey someone) and “clear a hurdle” (overcome an obstacle). The confusion lies with hoops and hurdles, things you jump through and jump over. It was caught by Deb Rose as she was listening to NPR. The speaker was talking about legalizing marijuana, the possible business opportunities it might inspire, and the logistics of making that happen. He said, “we still have a lot of hurdles to jump through.” Yeah right. ‘Nuff said.
Recent Comments