They’re not holding any punches
Posted: July 29, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ayman Mohyeldin, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, not holding back, not pulling any punches, Trump, words Leave a commentAyman Mohyeldin on MSNBC uttered this one when he was talking about Trey Gowdy and Republicans criticizing Democrats and Mueller’s testimony. It is a congruent conflation of “not holding back” and “not pulling any punches”, both meaning to act without restraint or limitations. The congruent conflation to me is the purest form of a malaphor. The speaker is thinking of the correct idiom but there are other idioms that mean the same thing swirling in the brain. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this subtle but classic malaphor. @AymanM
He put his lead foot in his mouth
Posted: July 15, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Joe Biden, language, lead foot, malaphor, put his foot in his mouth, words Leave a commentThe speaker was discussing Biden’s recent bragging about working with segregationists and uttered this malaphor. It is a mashup of “to put (one’s) foot in “one’s” mouth” (unintentionally say something foolish) and “have a lead foot” (tend to speed when driving). “Go over like a lead balloon” (utter failure) might also be in the mix, as it seems to fit in context. This one reminds me of the famous malaphor uttered by Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic Convention, when she referred to George H.W. Bush as someone who “was born with a silver foot in his mouth”. Check that one out in my website at https://malaphors.com/politics/. A big thanks to John Kooser for uttering this one and unabashedly submitting it!
Paul Ryan shamelessly ran cover for Trump
Posted: July 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Eric Lutzro co, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, provide cover, run for cover, run interference, Trump, Vanity Fair, words 1 CommentThis appears in the very first line of Eric Lutz’s piece in Vanity Fair on Paul Ryan’s interview with Politico’s Tim Alberta. It is a congruent conflation of “run interference” and “provide cover” (take an action to avoid problems, on behalf of another individual). “Run for cover” might also have been in the writer’s mind, located in the “freudian slip” area. A big thanks to Frank King who spotted this one!
Joe Biden needs to get out and shake the flesh
Posted: June 17, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Joe Biden, Joe Crowley, language, malaphor, MSNBC, press the flesh, shake hands, Trump, words Leave a commentThis one conjures up a scary/humorous image. Former House Rep Joe Crowley (D-NY) (who was unseated by AOC) said this beaut on MSNBC today. He was asked if he had any advice for the Biden campaign and this was his answer. It is a congruent conflation of “press the flesh” and “shake hands and kiss babies”, both meaning to go out and meet as many people as possible. Mike Kovacs, Chief Operating Officer for Malaphor Central, heard this one and sent it in immediately. Mike noted that there are several cheap jokes embedded in this malaphor. Crowley lost to AOC, who as many will remember shook the flesh in a great dance video. Also, Mike queried whether Biden at his age could shake the flesh considering the loss of elasticity, but I believe that actually works to Joe’s advantage.
That’s why I think the President was so steamed off this morning
Posted: May 28, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, Nancy Pelosi, pissed off, steamed, Trump, words Leave a commentThis beauty was uttered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, referring to Trump’s reaction to her comments about him engaging in a cover-up. Here is the context:
“This is why I think the president was so steamed off this morning, because the fact is in plain sight, in the public domain, this president is obstructing justice and he’s engaged in a cover-up, and that could be an impeachable offense,” the San Francisco Democrat said at a progressive conference.
This is a nice congruent conflation of “pissed off” and “steamed (up)”, both meaning to be angry. My guess is that Speaker Pelosi was thinking “pissed” but quickly realized that would not be a prudent thing to say in public. Just guessing. I will note for the record that “steamed off” is a phrase, but it normally means to leave or depart in an angry or animated manner. A big tip of the hat to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one!
His experience as a POW drove tears into my eyes
Posted: May 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: brought me to tears, expressions, Hal Kushner, humor, language, malaphor, moved me to tears, Vietnam, words Leave a commentThis was in response to a picture of me and Hal Kushner on my Facebook page. Tears for Hal Kushner, the Vietnam hero who is featured in Ken Burns’ Vietnam War series. It is a congruent conflation of “moved (drove) me to tears” and “brought tears to my eyes”, both meaning to evoke a strong emotion. If you don’t know about Dr. Kushner and his amazing story, watch the Burns series or check him out on google or YouTube. A big thanks to my friend Rainer Reichelt for unintentionally writing this nice malaphor and driving tears into my eyes with laughter!
You can get it for a song and dance
Posted: May 17, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: for a song, humor, language, malaphors, song and dance, words Leave a commentMaybe this means to get a low price after an elaborate request? In any event, this phrase is a nice mix of “for a song” (for a very low price) and “a song and dance” (an elaborate story or effort to explain something). Kudos to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it along.
Joe Biden can’t count all the chickens before they roost
Posted: May 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chickens, expressions, hatch, humor, Joe Biden, language, malaphor, MSNBC, roost, Trump, words, Zerlina Maxwell Leave a commentZerlina Maxwell said this on MSNBC’s Hardball recently. She was speaking about Biden and that since 21 Dems are running (and counting), he can’t be sure he will get the nomination. Ms. Maxwell actually uttered this same malaphor last year when she was talking about Democrats avoiding calls for impeaching Trump. Here was my post:
Zerlina Maxwell on MSNBC’s “Live with Katie Tur” uttered this beauty when she was talking about Democrats avoiding calls for impeaching Trump. This is a barnyard mashup of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” (don’t make future plans before they happen) and “chickens come home to roost” (you have to face the consequences of your mistakes). “Chickens” of course are the culprit here, contributing to the mental yolk. These fowl phrases seem to get mixed up a lot – see “Never count your eggs before they hatch (July 9, 2012 post) , and “Might the roosters be guarding the henhouse?” (August 2, 2014 post). I was eggcited when several people laid this one on me. First was the ubiquitous Mike Kovacs, followed quickly by James Kozlowski and Bob Maxwell (no relation). Malaphor spotters are everywhere it seems.
https://malaphors.com/2018/08/27/they-dont-want-to-count-their-chickens-before-they-roost/
Zerlina, if you are following, please keep them coming. We need to egg this process forward. This is a favorite of mine. The latest barnyard mashup was brought to you compliments of Beatrice Zablocki (“my ol’ pal”).
He always said 1990 was the year he hit the rocks
Posted: May 13, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: hit a new low, hit rock bottom, hit the skids, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, Susanne Craig, Trump, words Leave a commentThis one comes from New York Times reporter Susanne Craig, appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, discussing her reporting on Donald Trump’s business losses during 1984-1994. It is a congruent conflation of “hit rock bottom” and “hit the skids”, both referring to a period of trouble or decline. Both contain the word “hit”, contributing to the mixup. “Hit a new low” might also be in the mix. A big thanks to Vicki Ameel Kovacs for hearing this one. Vicki can spot a malaphor a mile away.
He’s a pillar of salt
Posted: May 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, language, malaphors, pillar of strength, salt of the earth, words Leave a commentThis one comes from Cape Town, South Africa. One of the contestants on the tv show “The Bachelor South Africa” was describing her dad. It is a mix of “pillar of strength” (a supportive or emotionally strong person) and “salt of the earth” (a genuine and morally sound person). Both idioms describe a person of good character, probably creating the confusion. Also, as the contibutor of this malaphor said, the speaker may have been thinking of that Biblical pillar of salt, Lot’s wife. A big thanks to Erika Bornman who heard this beauty and sent it in all the way from Cape Town, South Africa.
Did you like this one? Check out the salty book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
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