Trump sees a window and he’s taking it
Posted: November 16, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, John Cassidy, language, Lawfare, malaphor, malaphors, sees an opening, Susan Hennessey, Trump, window of opportunity, words Leave a comment
The President is using his bully pit to create questions on our elections
Posted: November 16, 2018 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: bully pulpit, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, Maria Teresa Kumar, MSNBC, pit bull, Trump, words 1 CommentThis gem was uttered by Maria Teresa Kumar on MSNBC’s Last Word on November 12, 2018. Is it a malaphor? I think it is a malaphor word blend of “bully pulpit” (a public position that allows a person to share his views with a large audience) and “pit bull” (an aggressive and tenacious person). The latter defines the subject and the former was the intended idiom to be used. A big thank you to James Kozlowski for hearing this one and sharing it.
It’s better than a kick in the eye with a sharp stick
Posted: November 7, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: a kick in the pants, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, humor, language, malaphor, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis is a mashup of the phrases “better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick” (better than nothing) and “kick in the pants” (message or gesture that acts as motivation for the recipient). Kicking and poking are confused here. Or maybe the speaker was saying just do something to get motivated? A big thanks to Eric for sending this one in!
We’re going to leave nothing uncovered
Posted: October 29, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, leave no stone unturned, leave nothing to chance, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one comes from Donald Trump, explaining how he’s going to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. It is a great mash up of “leave no stone unturned” (to look for something in every possible place) and “leave nothing to chance” (to allow nothing to be settled by chance) or perhaps also “uncover the truth.” The added bonus here is that his mash up manages to mean exactly the opposite of what he intended.
Here is the link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/politics/trump-saudi-king-tweet/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0oO6TcAWywTPU6JF2RHzKe-sT4Om1yrgqoQe3HHCvX73Xayfp44icHKSI
A big thanks to David Barnes for spotting this one and sending it in.
He’s barking up the wrong horse
Posted: October 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: backing the wrong horse, barking up the wrong tree, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one was almost uttered and then held back, apparently realizing it was wrong. It is a nice mashup of “barking up the wrong tree” (to attempt a futile course of action) and “backing the wrong horse” (to support a person in an effort that fails). Both phrases involve failure, and “barking” and “backing” sound and look similar, hence the mix up. Also, the word “wrong” is in each idiom, contributing to the mental hiccup. As I have posted previously, idioms involving horses for some reason are frequently mixed up, causing malaphors. Go to the Malaphors web page and search “horse”. You will find a treasure trove of malaphors. As Kramer would say, “Giddyup!” A big thanks to John Kooser for almost belching out this one.
She was threading that line in the Trump Administration
Posted: October 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Kathleen Parker, language, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, Nikki Haley, thread the needle, toe the line, Trump, words 1 CommentKathleen Parker from the Washington Post uttered this one on MSNBC (the malaphor channel), talking about Nikki Haley. It is a conflation of “toeing the line” (adhering to the rules of something) and “threading the needle” (pass something through a narrow space between two things). Both idioms make sense in context, and perhaps Ms. Parker’s malaphor is really an economical way of expressing two ideas at once. A big thanks to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and passing it on.
I want to thank you for giving me the down low
Posted: October 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alex Witt, down and dirty, expressions, humor, language, lowdown, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, words Leave a commentAlex Witt on MSNBC’s Live with Alex Witt uttered this on Saturday, October 13. It is a nice mashup of “get the lowdown” (receiving specific facts or information on a situation) and “get the down and dirty” (receive uninhibited and direct news). At first I thought he might have just inverted the phrase “the lowdown” but in context he was thinking of “down and dirty” as well. A big thanks to Frank King who always gives the down low.
We can break history
Posted: September 28, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ABC news, break the record, break wind, Donald Trump Jr., humor, language, make history, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, words Leave a commentThis is one of my favorites. Donald Trump Jr. uttered this one when discussing the upcoming midterm elections. He told ABC news, “So our people, the MAGA people, they have to turn out. They have to get out and vote. And I think we can break history.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-jr-father-trusts-smaller-group-aides-white/story?id=57735562
This is a mash up of “make history” (to do something historically significant) and I think “break a record” (to do something at a higher or greater degree than the greatest extent currently known). Both expressions refer to achieving something never before achieved so it is close to a congruent conflation. “Break with tradition” (to do something in a new way) might also be in the mix. I am tempted to say “break wind” (to expel gas, fart) was also on the speaker’s mind but that is just a guess. A big thanks to Jack Chandler for spotting this gem.
He knows where all the skeletons are buried
Posted: September 25, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: David Gura, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, skeletons in the closet, where all the bodies are buried, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by a guest on MSNBC’s Live with David Gura on Saturday September 15. It is a nice conflation of “skeletons in the closet” (embarrassing or shameful secrets) and “knows where all the bodies are buried” (know everything about someone, especially secret things that they might not want revealed). Bodies become skeletons when buried and rotting in the ground; hence the mash up. Also both expressions involve secrets. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and dishing it up.
Floods of laughter
Posted: September 24, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, flood of tears, gales of laughter, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 3 CommentsThis one was uttered by a work colleague talking about an Andy Kaufman bit that had an audience in “floods of laughter”. It is a mash up of “flood of tears” (crying a lot) and “gales of laughter” (laughing a lot). Not sure if the speaker is from the UK but if so “shakes with laughter” (uncontrollable laughter) might also be in the mix. Certainly gales (strong winds) can be associated with flooding caused by a hurricane. I would much prefer a flood of laughter, however. A big thanks to Matt Whittaker for hearing this one and sending it in.
Malaphors 
Recent Comments