So many horses are throwing their hats into the ring right now

Posted: March 30, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Interesting visual.  This malaphor was seen on Golf.com.  It is a mix of “throw one’s hat in the ring” (indicate one is going to be a candidate) and I think “no horse in this race” (not invested or affected in the outcome of something).  This is a true incongruent conflation, as the idioms have opposite meanings.  “Workhorse” (a person who works tirelessly) may also have been in the mix as the writer was talking about professional golfers who are true workhorses.  The writer may also have been thinking of horses in a circus going around a ring.  A shout out to Larry Mason who spotted this one and sent it in.

It’s going to be a rocky ride

Posted: March 28, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was uttered by Andrea Mitchell on her MSNBC show,  Andrea Mitchell Reports.  It is a congruent conflation of “rocky road” and “bumpy ride”, both describing a difficult period of time.  This is a particularly fun one, as there is a homonym mash up included – “road” and “rode”.  A tip of the hat to Vicki Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

Elvis and Costello

Posted: March 25, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A father and daughter were watching clips of the old Jack Benny Show.  The daughter remarked that she liked “Elvis and Costello” better.  This is a mashup of the singer Elvis Costello and the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.  Is it a malaphor?  It certainly is a mix of two items, albeit not idioms.  I declare, as Malaphor King, that it is one, and a really funny one at that.  Who’s on First?  Peace, Love, and Understanding.  A shout out to John Kooser for hearing this one and sending it in.

Even-headed

Posted: March 23, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
On the MSNBC show The Beat with Ari Melber, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D – CT) decried the loss of H.R. McMaster by saying that there are now “fewer even-headed, mature individuals in this administration”.  This is a mashup of “even-handed” (impartial or equitable)  and “level (or calm)-headed” (calm and practical).  This is almost a perfect malaphor.  The words “even” and “level” both relate to equity, and “hand” and “head” are body parts and similar sounding words.  Was this perhaps a Freudian slip, with the speaker thinking that the current Trump administration has some “odd heads” in it?  A shout out to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and sending it in!

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

Posted: March 19, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When asked if he wanted another beer, the speaker uttered the above response.  It is often said intentionally, as in the movie The Big Lebowski.  The Dude responds with this line when Jackie Treehorn offers him another White Russian.  It is a congruent conflation of “does a bear shit in the woods?” and “is the Pope Catholic?”, both expressions that describe the obvious.  There are many expressions in this vein, and I call that “idiom overload”,  when there are just too many sayings swirling around in the head that have the same meaning.  Another example of idiom overload is the many expressions describing one who is not very intelligent (e.g., “not the sharpest tool in the shed”, “not the brightest bulb in the chandelier”, etc).  Many thanks to Erin Powers for hearing this one and sending it in.

I don’t have a dog in this race

Posted: March 17, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments
This nice, subtle malaphor was heard on Bill Simmons’ sports podcast.  Simmons was talking with another NFL commentator about how every off season different teams/franchises make terrible decisions related to overpaying quarterbacks in free agency (such as Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Kirk Cousins signing w/the Broncos, Cardinals, Vikings respectively this week).  He’s a Patriots fan, so he concluded by saying he doesn’t “have a dog in this race” (doesn’t care about any of these teams or quarterbacks personally), but just thinks it’s maddening to see teams making the same mistakes year after year.  This is a congruent conflation of “don’t have a dog in the hunt” and “don’t have a horse in this race”, both meaning to not have a vested interest in something.  The speaker might be a fan of dog races, hence the mix up.  In any event, this is a classic malaphor.  Many thanks to Justin Taylor for hearing this one and passing it on.
Any vested interest in seeing more malaphors?  Check out my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon today for a cheap $6.99.   Unless you don’t have a dog in this race…..

I put my motivation on the back seat

Posted: March 8, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This jumble was spoken by someone who was relating that she had no been motivated in the past but was now ready to move forward.  It is a mashup of “on the back burner” (postponed or suspended) and “take a back seat” (occupy an inferior position; allow another to be in control).  Both idioms contain the word “back”, causing I suspect the confusion.  Not sure I have left my motivation on the back seat of the car, but certainly my wallet and sunglasses.  A big thanks to Lynn Hannula Johnson for hearing this one and sending it in.

She’s the bread earner

Posted: March 3, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The speaker was talking about a couple and their finances.  It is a nice congruent conflation of “breadwinner” and “wage earner”, both referring to the person whose earnings are the primary support for his/her dependents.  Of course, “bread” is slang for money, so bread earner makes a lot of sense (cents?) to me.  A big thanks to Elaine Hatfield for sharing this one.

Looking for a mechanic that won’t try to pull the fleece over my head

Posted: March 1, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

This was posted on a neighborhood site in Baltimore looking for recommendations.  It is a congruent conflation of “fleece” and “pull the wool over my eyes”, both meaning to cheat or deceive.  Lots going on here in the recesses of the brain.  Fleece as a noun is a lightweight jacket, so the idea of pulling it over one’s head makes sense.  A fleece is also the woollen coat of a domestic sheep, so the speaker might have been thinking of wool and fleece at the same time.  Using the word as a noun but thinking of it as a verb makes this a very interesting malaphor.  Also, eyes are part of the head so the mixing of these body parts were clearly in the speaker’s brain.  A big thanks to Larry Mason for spotting this one and sharing it.

This may not be the cross I want to die on

Posted: February 28, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

There was a discussion about due process errors in a law office, and this was uttered by someone who didn’t think they were worth fighting for.  It is a congruent conflation of the military expressions “not the hill to die on” and “fall on (one’s) sword”, both meaning something so important it must be dealt with.  While the word “sword” does not appear in the malaphor, my guess is that the speaker was thinking of a sword when he said “cross”, as the sword looks like a cross.  Also there might be some Christian symbolism of dying on a cross wrapped up in this one.  A big thanks to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and passing it on.

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