They will kick the can down the bucket
Posted: October 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick the bucket, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about whether the EU would give England another extension on Brexit, and that more than likely an extension would be approved. This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (to postpone or defer a definitive action) and “kick the bucket” (to die). “Kick” is the common word here, and “cans” and “buckets” are similar objects which probably led to the mixup. I can’t help think that also the “ck” sound might have muddied the mental waters. A big thanks to Nate Shand for uttering this one and then allowing me to share it with the malaphor world.
She was bridging the fences
Posted: October 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bridge the gap, expressions, humor, malaphor, straddle the fence, words Leave a commentA University lecturer said that one of her students uttered this one. This is a mashup of “bridge the gap” (make it easier for two groups to communicate with each other) and “straddle the fence” (not to take a side when presented with two or more options). “Fences” and “bridges” are often mixed up, apparently. See, e.g., https://malaphors.com/2016/11/28/theres-a-lot-of-mending-bridges-going-on/
A big thanks to K. Carver for hearing this one and passing it on!
This is a way for them to get a piece of the slice
Posted: September 30, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Marketplace, NPR, piece of the pie, slice of the pie, words Leave a commentThis was heard on NPR’s Marketplace on 9/24. Vivian Ho, Director of the Center for Health and Biosciences at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, was talking about why retailers like Walmart are getting into the health care business. “…this is a way for them to get a piece of that slice….” This is an interesting one, as both phrases contain a word that the malaphor omits – “pie”. It is a congruent conflation of “getting a piece of the pie” and “getting a slice of the pie (or cake)”, both meaning to obtain a share of some benefit. Or maybe the speaker meant to get a really small share of something? Probably not, if it involves Walmart. You can hear the malaphor at 15:45:
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace/what-debt-does-to-the-economy/
A big thanks to David Barnes, who heard this one and shared a slice of the fun. @Marketplace @VivianHo
They have their backs up against the corner
Posted: September 27, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back against the wall, back up, backed into a corner, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trumpnro, words, Yamiche Alcindor Leave a commentMSNBC commentator Yamiche Alcindor uttered this one when talking about the White House after Pelosi’s impeachment announcement. This is a near perfect congruent conflation of “backed into a corner” and “back to the wall”, both meaning to be in a high-pressure situation with no escape. “Back up” (to obstruct) might also be in the mix, given the recent news. A big thanks to David Stephens for hearing this one and passing it on!
Let’s wipe the band-aid clean
Posted: September 25, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, rip off the bandaid, wipe the slate clean, words Leave a commentThis was uttered regarding a customer situation and the speaker was trying to highlight the need to get valuable news to the customer. It is a mashup of “wipe the slate clean” (erase past mistakes) and “rip off the band-aid” (finish a task quickly to avoid a prolonged painful episode). Or maybe the speaker wanted to recycle a band-aid? A big thanks to John Hatfield III for hearing this one and sending it in.
Like this one? Then check out my book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon.
It’s the passing of the guard
Posted: September 23, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 937 The Fan, changing of the guard, expressions, humor, malaphor, passing the torch, words 2 CommentsOn a local sports radio show called 93.7 The Fan, Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, were discussing Mason Rudolph of the Steelers taking on the quarterback role from injured Ben Rothlisberger. This is a nice congruent conflation of “changing of the guard” and “passing the torch”, both meaning to pass responsibility to someone else. The flip side of this malaphor was posted on this website a few years ago, “Changing of the torch”. https://malaphors.com/2012/11/21/its-a-changing-of-the-torch/
A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and passed it on. John suggested I post a pic of a great passing guard, so here it is: John Stockton. @937theFan
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We’re seeing them close the wagons
Posted: September 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: circle the wagons, closing ranks, espn, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Michele Steele, NPR Weekend Edition, words Leave a commentThis one was spoken by ESPN’s Michele Steele on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. She was discussing the horse racing drug scandal involving the Kentucky Derby winner, Justify. Here’s the transcript: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/14/760780871/saturday-sports-horse-racing-antonio-brown.
This is a nice congruent conflation of “closing ranks” and “circling the wagons”, both meaning to become defensive. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and striking malaphor gold! @ESPNMichele
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