He’s grabbed it by the horn
Posted: April 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bill Barr, expressions, grab 'em by the pussy, grab the bull by the horns, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Mueller Report, Trump, words Leave a commentThis amazing malaphor was uttered by Donald Trump, on his reaction to Bill Barr’s performance as Attorney General and how Barr has handled the Mueller Report.
“Attorney General Barr is going to be giving a press conference and maybe I’ll do one after that, we’ll see. But he’s been a fantastic attorney general. He’s grabbed it by the horns,” Trump said.
https://www.abc-7.com/story/40326997/democrats-outraged-as-trump-team-shapes-mueller-report-rollout
It is a mashup of “grab the bull by the horns” (take control of a difficult situation) and Trump’s own expression, “grab ’em by the p***y” (stating that since he is rich and powerful he can do anything he wants with women). Given the speaker, it is probably a good bet that the latter expression was floating in his mind when he uttered this malaphor. Perhaps the word “horns” triggered the mix up? A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this gem and realizing it was a genuine malaphor. Excellent work, Mike. Keep those ears open.
He’s got nothing to hang his head on
Posted: April 11, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hang your hat on, hang your head, humor, Kyle Guy, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentUniversity of Virginia basketball guard Kyle Guy was remarking on the 42 point performance of Carsen Edwards of Purdue, even though Purdue lost. This is a brilliant mashup of “hang (one’s) head” (express shame or contrition) and “hang (one’s) hat on (something)” (depend or rely on something). “Hang” is in both expressions and “head” and “hat” are similar sounding and visually close. A big thanks to Tom Justice for hearing this one. Wahoowa!
There are people waiting around the wings
Posted: April 6, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: around the corner, Heather McGee, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, Trump, waiting in the wings Leave a commentThis one was uttered by Heather McGee on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace. She was referring to people wanting to challenge Donald Trump in 2020. It is a mashup of “waiting in the wings” (stand ready to do something at the appropriate time) and I think “just around the corner” (very soon, imminent). As followers of this website know, MSNBC is known as The Malaphor Channel. Malaphors tend to be spoken when someone is filling up airspace, such as political pundits, sports radio shows, and athletes being interviewed. A big thanks to Guy Moody for spotting this subtle one.
The swallows are coming home to roost
Posted: March 29, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chickens come home to roost, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, the swallows come home to Capistrano, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about a group of people getting what they deserved based on their actions. It is a conflation of “chickens coming home to roost” (facing the consequences of your actions) and the song “When the swallows come back to Capistrano”. This one reminds me of one of my favorite malaphors that I previously posted and which appears in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
Alabama State Representative John Rogers, in response to questions about his protests outside a hospital that is about to be closed, said “We’ll be here until the cows come home from Capistrano”. Here’s the link: http://blog.al.com/archiblog/2012/11/why_not_give_rep_john_rogers_w.html
Those swallows (or cows or chickens) from Capistrano sure get around. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one.
It sticks under my skin
Posted: March 27, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: gets under my skin, humor, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, MSNBC, Noah Rothman, sticks in my craw, Trump Leave a commentNoah Rothman uttered this nice malaphor on the MSNBC show, “Morning Joe”, on March 21. He was referring to Trump’s comments about McCain and Obamacare. It is a congruent conflation (two idioms mixed with the same meaning) of “sticks in (one’s) craw” and “gets under (someone’s) skin”, both referring to something that is irritating or bothersome to someone.
So what’s a craw?
A craw is the crop of a bird or insect, the transferred sense of the word to refer to a person’s gullet (Free Dictionary). Perhaps Mr. Rothman is a Frank Sinatra fan, thinking of the song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one!
Hang your heads high
Posted: March 22, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hang your head, hold your head up high, humor, language, malaphor, Old Dominion, words Leave a commentThis one jumped to the front of the queue, as it is very timely. The speaker was discussing a recent NCAA mens’ basketball tournament game, and uttered this beauty about the Old Dominion University’s basketball game where they lost to Purdue in the first round. The speaker tweeted:
Hang your heads high @ODUMensHoops. You all made us proud this season. #MonarchMadness. https://twitter.com/Brackintology/status/1108947588697317377
This is a nice incongruent conflation of “hang (one’s) head” (express shame or contrition) and “hold (one’s) head (up) high” (to display confidence and pride). Perhaps the team is proud and ashame at the same time? The mixup originates with the two similar sounding words, “hang” and “hold”. A big thanks to Tom Justice who saw this one and sent it here to Malaphor Central.
He’s like a kid in a china shop
Posted: March 18, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bull in a china shop, expressions, humor, kid in a candy shop, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 2 CommentsI heard this one from a neighbor. She was talking about her husband’s love of gadgets, and that he recently received a new tool that he was crazy about. This is an incongruent conflation of “like a kid in a candy shop” (so excited about something that they behave in a child-like way) and “like a bull in a china shop” (clumsily destructive). The mixup derives from the similar sounding words “china” and “candy”, the word “shop” used in both phrases, and that the two phrases are equal in words and structure (“like a blank in a blank shop”).
Right out of the get-go
Posted: March 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, from the get-go, Getgo, Giant Eagle, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, out of the gate, words Leave a commentThis was heard on a podcast. It is a nice congruent conflation of “from the get-go” and “right out of the gate” (immediately, right from the start). Lots of alliteration in this one, contibuting to the mashup. This is not a malaphor in Pittsburgh, however. It means “just finished getting gas”. A big thanks to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for hearing this one!
It’s a collusion witch hoax
Posted: March 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, hoax, humor, language, malaphor, Trump, witch hunt, words Leave a commentThis one is self-evident – spoken by Trump to the press on March 8 after the Manafort sentencing. This is a conflation of “witch hunt” (an attempt to blame and punish people who hold unpopular views and opinions, often under the guise of some other investigation) and “hoax” (to trick into believing as genuine something false). Maybe it was used intentionally as shorthand talk, like “Tim Apple”. A big thanks to Frank King for spotting this timely one.
That should give us a foot up
Posted: March 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get a leg up, humor, language, malaphor, start out on the right foot, words 3 CommentsOverheard at a meeting. It is a congruent conflation of “get a leg up” and “a foot in the door”, both meaning to receive support or an advantage. “Start off on the right foot” (to have a favorable or positive start) may also be in the mix. I suppose getting a foot up is just a little advantage? Kudos to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and passing it on.
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