Plenty of hurdles to climb
Posted: May 11, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Boston Globe, clearing a hurdle, expressions, football, humor, language, malaphor, many rivers to cross, mountains to climb, New England Patriots, words 2 Comments/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bostonglobe.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VVX3U5BQCUI6VHNKZ2H5JJQG5I.jpg)
Patriots’ 2020 schedule released: Open vs. Dolphins at home; back-to-back games in Los Angeles in December
You’re making a really significant risk
Posted: May 6, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Fauci, humor, idioms, language, making a mistake, malaphor, taking a risk, Washington Posta, words 2 CommentsThis was from a headline in the Washington Post: “Fauci warns states rushing to reopen: ‘You’re making a really significant risk.” This is a mashup of “making a mistake” (to do something incorrectly) and “taking a risk” (doing something with a high probability of a negative outcome). “Taking” and “making” are mixed up here. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/01/fauci-open-states-coronavirus/
A big thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this subtle one.
It’s nerve curdling
Posted: May 4, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blood-curdling, covid-19, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, malaphors, nerve-racking, Rachel Maddow, words 2 Comments
They help put all the ducks in place
Posted: April 20, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ducks in a row, expressions, fall in place, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, words Leave a commentMy wife and I heard this one on the PBS Newshour. A person was talking about how her parents are helping her during the pandemic. This is a congruent conflation of “put your ducks in a row” and “fall in place”, both meaning to be organized or things fitting well. I supposed one needs to put the ducks in their place when arranging them in a row.
I went around his back
Posted: April 15, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, idioms, jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel, language, malaphor, went around him, went behind his back, words Leave a commentAt first blush, this sounds right but on closer inspection I think it’s a bona fide malaphor. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Aniston said this one when she was talking about auditioning for a role on the soap opera in which her Dad was a regular cast member. It’s a congruent conflation of “go behind (someone’s) back” and “go around”, both meaning to do something secretly or without your permission. This subtle mashup required someone with the ears of a hawk and that would be none other than Mike Kovacs, a regular contributor to this website. Thanks Mike!
The Captain of the aircraft carrier didn’t raise alarm bells
Posted: April 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Courtney Kubeg, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, raise the alarm, ring the bell, words Leave a comment
Trump is digging in his feet
Posted: April 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ari Melber, dig your heels in, drag your feet, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, words 1 Comment
The covid-19 thing has really thrown a wrench in us sideways
Posted: March 30, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, knock someone sideways, language, malaphor, threw me for a loop, throw a monkey wrench in the works, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis one comes from the Washington Post. It is a mashup of “throw a (monkey) wrench in the works” (to do something that prevents a plan from succeeding) and “knock (someone) sideways” (to upset, confuse, or shock). Maybe “thrown (someone) for a loop” (to confuse or shock) is also in the mix. The expression “throw a (monkey) wrench in the works” seems to be garbled a lot. I have posted several malaphors involving the expression, including “throw another kink in the fire”, “a wrench had been thrown in the bucket”, and “he really threw a monkey wrench into that fire”. https://malaphors.com/2017/11/01/throw-another-kink-in-the-wrench/, https://malaphors.com/2016/10/04/a-wrench-had-been-thrown-into-the-bucket/, https://malaphors.com/2013/02/08/he-really-threw-a-monkey-wrench-into-that-fire/
Here’s the cite:
A tip of the hat to Barry Eigen who spotted this timely malaphor.
We’re behind the ball
Posted: March 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: behind the curve, behind the eight ball, expressions, humor, James Hamblin, language, malaphor, on the ball, Reliable Sourcesj, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered by James Hamblin on the CNN show Reliable Sources. It’s a mashup of “behind the curve” (something or someone not quite able to keep up), and “behind the eight ball” (in a difficult situation or at a disadvantage). Either way I think Mr. Hamblin is right! “Behind” is found in both idioms, creating the mental hiccup. “On the ball” (alert or aware) might also be in the mix, but I doubt that the speaker was thinking that way, given the context. A big thanks to John Polk from @ClichesGoneWild for posting this one! @jameshamblin @ReliableSources
When the chips are falling apart
Posted: March 23, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, let the chips fall where they may, malaphor, when the chips are down, words Leave a commentThe submitter’s doctor has been sending daily emails with COVID-19 updates. One update contained today’s malaphor. Here’s the whole paragraph:
It’s happening. Antivirals, old drugs, and new drugs, monoclonal antibodies, filters, passive use of recovered patient serum. When the chips are falling apart, that is when we find the strength to rebuild. That is who we are.
This is a mashup of “when the chips are down” (a stuation has become difficult) and “let the chips fall where they may” (allow events to unfold naturally). Both expressions have the word “chips” in them, probably the source of the conflation. Also, “things are falling apart” (collapsing or breaking down) is probably in the mix, considering “falling apart” is part of the malaphor and it fits in context. A shout out to Barry Eigen who spotted this one. Barry also noted that in 2016 the chips in chip credit cards were falling apart. https://jennstrathman.com/chip-cards-already-falling-apart/.
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