Shudder in its tracks
Posted: June 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ars Technica, expressions, freeze in its tracks, humor, malaphor, malaphors, shudder to think, stop dead in its tracks, words Leave a commentThis was found in the Ars Technica website, a site covering news and opinions in technology, science, and politics. Here is the full quote:
“That ruthlessly efficient system helped bubonic plague kill nearly 25 million people and made the ancient world shudder in its tracks during the Justinian plague of 541–542.” https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/4000-year-old-genomes-point-to-origins-of-bubonic-plague/
It is a conflation of “shudder to think” (afraid to think about something as it may be unpleasant) and “stop/freeze/halt (someone or something)(dead) in its tracks” (suddenly stop because something has frightened or surprised you). Considering the context, the author might have been thinking about death and the word “dead” may have been floating around in the head, spewing out “in its tracks”. A big thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one. Barry said the malaphor also reminded him of the expression “shaking (shivering) in their boots”. Me too!
I hope my omelet is not bone cold
Posted: June 18, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chilled to the bone, dry as a bone, expressions, humor, malaphor, stone cold, words Leave a commentNot sure if the speaker thought his omelet would be dry or cold or both, but this is a nice mashup of “stone cold” (unfeeling) and “dry as a bone” (completely dry). I think “chill(ed) to the bone” (very cold) is also in the mix, as bones often get cold, particularly when scared. A big thanks to John Ries for unintentionally saying this one and Kevin Hatfield for spotting the malaphor.
Trying to lighten the elephant in the room
Posted: June 16, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: elephant in the room, expressions, humor, lightening the mood, malaphor, words 2 CommentsThis is a great image and a terrific malaphor. It was uttered unintentionally by someone describing an awkward date. She tried to engage in small talk, and related the following to a friend:
“I said, ‘I love the mountains so much, especially at night,’ trying to lighten the elephant in the room.”
This is a mashup of “the elephant in the room” (obvious problem no one wants to discuss) and “lighten the mood” (trying to cheer everyone up). “The elephant in the room” seems to be a common expression mix-up. For example, I have posted:
“It’s the 800 pound elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2015/03/30/its-the-800-pound-elephant-in-the-room/
“I think that’s the pink elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2013/08/07/i-think-thats-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room/
“The white elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2012/09/06/the-white-elephant-in-the-room/
In fact, I have a separate section devoted to the “elephant malaphor” in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
A tip of the hat to Sydney Bergeson for hearing this one and sending it in!
Narc out
Posted: June 14, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, humor, malaphor, Manafort, MSNBC, narc on, Rachel Maddow, rat out, Trump Leave a commentAnother gem from Rachel Maddow, the “Mistress of Malaphors”. She uttered this on her Friday, June 8, 2018 show, discussing the indictment of Konstantin Kilimnik and his past relations with the International Republican Institute:
Well, now those new felony charges today have been filed. Instead of
facing 23 felony charges, Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign chairman, is
now facing 25 felony charges. What ended up being the big surprise here
today is that Paul Manafort wasn`t just charged alone, the superseding
indictment wasn`t just for him, he was charged alongside Konstantin
Kilimnik, Kostya from the GRU, the guy who back in the day in Moscow was
suspected of narcing out this American pro-democracy outfit that the FSB
denounced as an enemy of the state after they somehow got a hold of the
internal workings of that organization.http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/rachel-maddow-show/2018-06-08
This is a congruent conflation of “narc on” and “rat out”, both meaning to give authorities information on a crime, or to inform on someone. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in.
Transparency is a two way sword
Posted: June 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, David Axelrod, double edged sword, expressions, humor, James Clapper, malaphor, The Axe Files, Trump, two way street, words Leave a commentThis gem was uttered by James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, on CNN’s The Axe Files with David Axelrod. It is a mashup of “double-edged sword” (something that can be both beneficial and problematic) and “two-way street” (a situation where both sides must put forth an equal amount of effort to get a desired result). The reason for the mixup is obvious: “double” means “two”. Also, the two expressions are close in meaning. A big thanks to James Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in.
Did you like this mental hiccup? Check out my book on Malaphors on Amazon. It’s called “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” and is only $6.99! That’s five cents a malaphor. Cheap laughs, right?
Lay down the gauntlet
Posted: June 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, expressions, humor, language, lay down the law, Maggie Haberman, malaphor, throw down the gauntlet, words Leave a commentThis was spoken on June 6 by New York Times’ reporter Maggie Haberman, appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics. It is a subtle mashup of “throw down the gauntlet” (to issue a challenge) and “lay down the law” (to give a directive or order sternly). I suppose one could lay down the gauntlet but throwing it seems much more appropriate. This expression alludes to the medieval practice of a knight throwing down his gauntlet, or metal glove, as a challenge to combat. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s. A big thanks once again to Frank King for hearing this one and throwing it my way. @MaggieNYT
She bought the Kool Aid
Posted: June 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: buy into it, drink the Kool Aid, expressions, humor, Jim Jones, Jonestown, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentA friend and his wife were watching t.v. The wife uttered this, discussing someone who believed what they heard. It is a congruent conflation of “drinking the Kool Aid” and “buy into it”, both meaning to go along or believe in an idea because of peer pressure. The former expression derives from the November 1978 Jonestown deaths, in which over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, who were followers of Jim Jones, died, many of whom committed suicide by drinking a mixture of a powdered soft-drink flavoring agent laced with cyanide and prescription drugs Valium, Phenergan, and chloral hydrate, while the rest of the members, including 89 infants and elderly, were killed by forced ingestion of the poison. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and passing it on!
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