All that and a bowl of chips
Posted: December 16, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Al Sharpton, all that and a bag of chips, bowl of cherries, humor, language Leave a commentAl Sharpton said this one on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. It is a nice mashup of “all that and a bag of chips” (something very special) and “bowl of cherries” (very pleasant, wonderful). This one is close to a congruent conflation as both idioms refer to something positive. Sharpton might have been thinking about that ubiquitous bowl of potato or tortilla chips parked on the cocktail table for Sunday football.
The phrase “all that and a bag of chips” appears to be new slang, with origins perhaps as recent as the 90s. The phrase is credited to Subway, where initially a bag of chips was included in the price, so you got “all that and a bag of chips.” A big shout out to Mike Kovacs who heard this one and texted it in.
I’m in hog city
Posted: December 14, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: fat city, hog heaven, humor, idioms, language, malaphors Leave a commentThe speaker was enjoying himself, and unintentionally uttered this perfectly formed congruent conflation of “in hog heaven” and “fat city”, both meaning pleasant situations (the latter usually referring to a state of wealth). “Living high off the hog” (to prosper or live very well) could also be in the mix, as it has the same meaning as “fat city”. A big thanks to Bill Belanger for blurting out this one and sending it in! Oink oink.
They are not going to let this ship go down in flames
Posted: November 28, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: go down with the ship, humor, idioms, Kasie Hunt, language, malaphors Leave a commentKasie Hunt on MSNBC’s Morning Joe was musing about Republican senators not wanting the party to go down with Trump. I believe this is a conflation of “go down with the ship” (to fall or be punished because of one’s involvement with some larger group or enterprise) and “go down in flames” (fail spectacularly). “Shot down in flames” (judged harshly and rejected) might also be in the mix given the context. “Go down” is in both phrases, so is probably the cause of the mixup. A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in!
Stem this dam
Posted: November 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: break the dam, Heidi Przybyla, humor, idioms, language, stem the tide Leave a commentHeidi Przybyla was on Nicole Wallace’s MSNBC show, Deadline White House, and was talking about members of Congress coming forward and admitting that Biden won. She said there is a “question if those coming forward are going to be enough to stem this dam for part of the country.” This appears to be an incongruent conflation (mix of two idioms with opposite meanings) of “stem the tide” (stop the course of a trend or tendency) and “break the dam” (allow information to flow). A big thanks to Bruce Ryan and Frank King for both hearing this one and sending it in.
I think that’s going to throw them for a curve
Posted: November 23, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Brad Fox, HGTV, humor, idioms, language, throw them for a loop, throw you a curve Leave a commentThis one was spoken by Brad Fox on the HGTV show “Should I Stay or Go”. The homeowners were given an unexpected choice. This is a congruent conflation of “throws (someone) a curve” and “throws (someone) for a loop”, both meaning something unexpected that upsets or confuses someone. “Throw” is the common denominator here that causes the confusion. I have previously posted its bookend, “throws you a loop”, and you can revisit that malaphor at this link – https://malaphors.com/2014/06/09/the-business-side-always-throws-you-a-loop/. A tip of the hat to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and sending it in!
That’s not what you call leading from the front foot
Posted: November 16, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, idioms, language, words Leave a commentNikema Williams (D-GA) was talking on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports about the current poor leadership. This is a mashup of “leading from the front” (to act or behave the way one advises or espouses) and “getting off on the right foot” (to have a positive or favorable start). I suppose that is better than leading from the back foot. Another big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one.
Let’s don’t kick this down the chain
Posted: November 13, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, idiom, language, words Leave a commentBill Weir on CNN said this while discussing the returns in Arizona. He was discussing the results in different counties and was attempting to say, “let’s don’t jump to any conclusions”. It is a conflation of “(move something) up the chain” (seek approval at the next level) and “kick the can down the road” (defer or postpone a definitive action). Given the context, “kick (something) around” (to discuss something) might be in play. “Up” often means “down” and vice versa in the Malaphor World. A tip of the toque to Steve Hubbard for hearing this one and sending it in.
She flipped her tune
Posted: November 12, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: changed her tune, flipped, humor, idioms, language, malaphors 2 CommentsThis is another from Naomi David. She was talking about someone changing her opinion. This is a congruent conflation of “change (one’s) tune” and “flipped”, both meaning to change or reverse course, or change sides in a controversy. “Flipped the script” (make a total reversal or radical change) might also have been on the speaker’s mind (a shout out to Verbatim for noting this). In this current political climate, she may have been thinking of states “flipping” from red to blue or vice versa. A big thanks to Naomi and to Katie Norwood for hearing this one and passing it on.
We can’t give up our guard right now
Posted: November 6, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: give up the ghost, humor, idioms, language, lower your guard Leave a commentDr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner, was interviewed on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about the coronavirus, and how we are entering the hardest point in the pandemic. This is a conflation of “lower our guard” (to become less vigilant) and “give up” (to yield or relinquish something). “Give up the ghost” (to die) might also be in the mix, given the context. Kudos to Frank King for spotting this in a CNN tweet.
He’s the guy that cracks the numbers
Posted: September 25, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bill Maher, crack the code, crunch the numbers, humor, language, malaphors, Nate Silver, words Leave a commentBill Maher said this one on his show last week, referring to Nate Silver’s analysis of the election and why people should listen to him. It is a mashup of “crunch the numbers” (performs numerous calculations) and “crack the code” (solve a difficult problem or mystery). “Crunching” and “cracking” are both similar sounding words (lots of onomatopoeia going on here), contributing to the merry mixup. A code usually involves numbers, so that might have been swirling in the speaker’s brain at the time. Another tip of the crack to Mike Kovacs who heard this one.
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