We stemmed that curve
Posted: July 10, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Hayes, flatten the curve, humor, language, Lena Hidalgoo, malaphors, stem the tide, words Leave a comment
She’s the last person on the totem pole
Posted: July 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Fred Allen, H. Allen Smith, humor, language, low man on the totem pole, malaphors, words 1 CommentThe humorist H. Allen Smith used this phrase as the title of a book (1941) after the radio comedian Fred Allen had used the term to describe him in an introduction to an earlier book. The position on an actual totem pole bu the way, has no such signficiance. Nevertheless, the term caught on quickly enough to become a cliche.
Can you imagine living in a mind frame like that?
Posted: June 29, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, frame of mind, humor, language, malaphor, mindset, words Leave a commentThe speaker was commenting on another person’s political statement that was based on a lie rather than fact. It is a rare, three-way malaphor, combining “frame of mind” (mental or emotional attitude or mood), “mindset” (a person’s attitudes or opinions formed from earlier experiences), and “living in a world of (one’s) own” (consumed by one’s thoughts or imagination). A big thanks to David Barnes for hearing and spotting this unicorn in the malaphor wilds.
There is a silver lining at the end of the tunnel
Posted: June 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: every cloud has a silver lining, expressions, humor, idioms, language, light at the end of the tunnel, malaphor, words 1 CommentAt first blush, this looked more like a mixed metaphor than a malaphor, but on close inspection it is indeed a mashup of two idioms. This one comes from the local news in Baltimore: a Baltimore City official was giving an update on trash/garbage pickup problems, and trashmen were off work as a result of the coronavirus. Here is the quote:
“This last week has been extremely difficult for everyone involved, but there is a silver lining at the end of that tunnel,” Chalmers said. “The Eastern District will be back up and running tomorrow. If you can’t hear the sigh of relief in my voice, I’m glad that they’re coming back.”
It is a mix of “every cloud has a silver lining” (every bad situation holds the possibility of something good) and “light at the end of the tunnel” (a period of hardship is nearing its end). Both expressions involve a bad situation turning better, so this malaphor perhaps means a doubly bad situation made doubly better? Or maybe the official was thinking of silver linings for the trashcans. A big thanks to Fred Martin for hearing this one and sending it in!
Things kind of petered off
Posted: June 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, petered out, tapered off, words Leave a commentThis unfortunately comes from a sad passage in an article about Covid-19 deaths, but it’s a malaphor nonetheless. Here’s the sentence: “And then things kind of petered off a little bit in those areas, and now we’re kind of seeing it getting closer and wondering when we’re gonna have to deal with this. But again, we’re preparing for it as best as we can in the hospitals that I’m working for.” This is a congruent conflation of “petered out” and “tapered off”, both meaning to diminish gradually and then stop. Here’s the link to the article: https://link.esquire.com/view/5976491c487ccd1f468b4eedc874i.3ql/6cadebe4
A special thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one, and for his wise counsel about not posting a descriptive picture of this malaphor.
The ball’s on them
Posted: June 5, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ball's in your court, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, onus is on them, words Leave a commentUttered by an engineer at a conference call. This is a nice congruent conflation of ” the ball’s in your court” and “the onus is on them”, both meaning under one’s control or responsibility. I suppose if the ball is not only in your court but actually ON you then you might have a heightened responsibility. Malaphors are like that sometime; they improve our established idioms. This one is similar to a previous post, “The ball’s in your hand now”. https://malaphors.com/2018/07/04/the-balls-in-your-hand-now/
A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.
The ball’s on you to discover more malaphors by getting my book, “He Smokes LIke a Fish and Other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. Just click on the link here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205. Also stay tuned for my upcoming malaphor book dedicated to those mashups uttered by politicians and pundits over the past four years. It is top of the notch!
I’m still getting the ropes
Posted: June 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting the hang of it, humor, idioms, language, learning the ropes, malaphor, words Leave a commentA dentist said this one as he explained all the new things he has to do because of the virus. This is a congruent conflation of “I’m still getting the hang of it” and “I’m still learning the ropes”, both meaning to learn how to do a particular job or task. So, as we begin to reopen the country, make sure and get a few ropes. A big thanks to Barry Eigen for hearing this one and sending it in.
It serves the trick
Posted: June 1, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: does the trick, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, serves the purpose, words Leave a commentThe speaker was assessing the suitability of some household item for another purpose. This is a congruent conflation of “does the trick” and “serves the (a) purpose”, both meaning to achieve a desired result. Might also be a bridge game malaphor. A big thanks to Chief Malaphor Hunter Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one.
Breadearner
Posted: May 29, 2020 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: breadwinner, expressions, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, wage earner, words Leave a commentMy wife said this one when discussing a spouse who was earning most of the money in the household. It is a word blend malaphor of “breadwinner” (a person who earns money to support a family) and “wage earner” (a person who works for a salary). Check out my word blends I have posted over the years. Just type word blend in the Search feature on the website. Also, I have a chapter devoted to these special malaphors in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon for cheap!
Rolling with the flow
Posted: May 25, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Charlie Richow, expressions, go with the flow, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, rolling with the punches, words Leave a commentThe speaker was remarking that one of the strengths in her workplace was that her fellow workers are always rolling with the flow. This is a congruent conflation of “rolling with the punches” and “going with the flow”, both expressions meaning to be able to deal with a series of difficult situations. This malaphor is also the title of a nice Charlie Rich song, “Rollin’ with the Flow”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAQ96MAtGn8
A big thanks to Elly Pietrucha for sending this one in!
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