The USFL went down in smoke because of Trump
Posted: October 17, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: down in flames, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, up in smoke, USFL, words 1 CommentI am guilty of this one. I was talking to my wife about what happened when Trump convinced the USFL owners to change the schedule from the Spring to the Fall season in order to compete head to head against the NFL. This is a congruent conflation of “up in smoke” and “down in flames”, both meaning something failed or was destroyed. Flames and smoke are the culprits here. Also down and up. Directionally challenged semantically?
It’s got everything under the book
Posted: October 16, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: by the book, everything under the sun, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, under the hood, words 1 CommentThe speaker was describing all the rides and other attractions at a particular amusement park and blurted this malaphor out. It’s a nice conflation of “everything under the sun” (nearly everything one can reasonably imagine) and I believe “by the book” (strictly following the rules). However, because of the word “every”, the mix up could include “every trick in the book” (every possible way to achieve something). There may also be a malaphor thyme, here, and the speaker might have been thinking of the phrase “look under the hood” (examine the engine in a car). A shout out to Caleb Harris for hearing this one and sending it in!
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They keep kicking themselves in the foot
Posted: October 12, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Capitals, expressions, humor, kicking themselves, language, malaphor, malaphors, NBC Sports Network, Penguins, shooting themselves in the foot, wordplay, words Leave a commentDuring the second intermission of the Penguins/Capitals hockey game last night, a commentator asked why the Capitals keep “kicking themselves in the foot.” This is a nice mashup of “kick yourself (or themselves)” (annoyed with yourself for doing something) and “shooting yourself (themselves) in the foot” (to cause oneself difficulty). Shooting and kicking are the culprits of the mix up. A tip of the toque to Steve Kovacs for sharing this one.
We are breaking the air
Posted: October 11, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breaking the ice, breaking wind, clearing the air, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about meeting new people when moving to university, and uttered this nice malaphor. It is a mashup of “clearing the air” (to remove doubt from a situation) and “breaking the ice” (to do something that reduces tension or unfamiliarity). I couldn’t help think that “breaking wind” (farting) might also have been in the mix, as wind and air might have been confused. However, farting was probably not what the speaker wants to do when meeting new people, and then again, perhaps a freudian slip? Anyway, it’s a nice mix up and a big thanks to bittenbyfrost for sending this one in!
Those politicians are just a crowd of gravy diggers
Posted: September 29, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gold digger, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on the gravy train, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis one was overheard recently from malaphor follower Pat Mattimoe. Pat says “this is what happens when the gold-diggers get on the gravy train.” It’s a nice mashup of “gold digger” (a person who only pursues romantic relationships for financial gain) and “on the gravy train” (to be in a position of making lots of money without expending much effort). Both phrases involve getting lots of money. Perhaps the speaker had the monster truck jam tv commercial that always includes “Gravedigger!!”. Who knows? All I know it is an excellent malaphor. Thanks Pat!
We’ll be buttoning down the hatches
Posted: September 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: batten down the hatches, button up, expressions, humor, hurricane Irma, language, malaphor, malaphors, Weather Channel, words 1 CommentMayor Randall Henderson, Jr. Of Fort Myers, FL uttered this one on The Weather Channel as the city was bracing for hurricane Irma. It is a nice mix up of “batten down the hatches” (to prepare for a challenging situation) and “button up” (to close something, usually a space, securely). One might argue that this is just a malaprop, confusing batten with button. However, as Malaphor King, I determine that it is a malaphor. The speaker might have been confusing up with down, and he was referring to the city needing to secure itself for the impending storm, hence the idea of buttoning up something. A big thanks to Steve Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.
It’s dead as a cucumber
Posted: September 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Matthews, cool as a cucumber, dead as a door nail, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, wordplay, words Leave a commentChris Matthews from MSNBC was referring to the Graham-Cassidy Health Bill when he uttered this beauty. He immediately realized his mistake and then said “dead as a door nail” but it was too late. The malaphor is in the books. It is a mashup of “dead as a door nail” (undoubtedly dead) and “cool as a cucumber” (extremely calm and in control of your emotions). Certainly when you are dead you are pretty cool temperature-wise. Perhaps this is what Mr. Matthews was thinking. I’m glad cucumbers are dead. I still remember live tomatoes in the movie “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” A big thanks to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and passing it on quickly.
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That went over like a lead brick
Posted: September 14, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hit me like a ton of bricks, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, went over like a lead balloon, words Leave a commentThis was overheard at a meeting. It’s a nice mashup of the phrases “went over like a lead balloon” (to fail completely or go over badly) and I think “it hit me like a ton of bricks” (surprised or shocked). “Drop a brick” (to announce a surprising bit of news) might also be in the mix. And yes, lead bricks are manufactured – see http://ultraray.com/products/lead-bricks?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Ultraray&utm_term=lead%20bricks&utm_content=Lead%20Bricks
A big thank you to Jenny Hensley who dropped this one on me!
He was a sitting deer
Posted: September 12, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: deer in the headlights, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Pittsburgh Panthers, sitting duck, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered on the radio by the color commentator for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team. He was describing a Youngstown receiver who was standing still. It is a nice mashup of “sitting duck” (someone who is vulnerable to an easy attack) and “deer in the headlights” (of a paralyzed or frozen manner due to shock or bewilderment). Deers and ducks are often confused, right? Pittsburgh is deer hunter territory, so the speaker may have been thinking of upcoming deer season and an easy target. A big thanks to Mike Ameel for hearing this one and passing it on!
They sold me down the creek without a paddle
Posted: September 5, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, sold down the river, up a creek without a paddle, words Leave a commentThe contributor does not recall where she heard this one, but it’s certainly worthy of a post. This is a mashup of “they sold me down the river” (betray) and “up a creek without a paddle” (having difficulty or being in a difficult position). Creeks and rivers seem to be the culprit here. Not sure what the speaker intended here, as this is an incongruent conflation (mixing of two phrases with different meanings). I posted an earlier malaphor that is similar and is a congruent conflation (mix of two phrases with the same or similar meaning): “Up a tree without a paddle”. https://malaphors.com/2012/09/26/up-a-tree-without-a-paddle/
Interestingly, the expression “sold down the river” dates from the mid- 1800s, and alludes to slaves being sold down the Mississippi River to work as laborers on cotton plantations. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.
A big thanks to Jennifer Diello for hearing this one and passing it on.
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