The fish stinks from the head
Posted: August 26, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Barbara Boxer, Chris Hayes, expressions, humor, idioms, malaphor, MSNBC, stinks to high heaven, the fish rots from the head down, Trump, words 3 CommentsSenator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) uttered this on the Chris Hayes show (Ali Velshi filling in) the other night, referring to Trump. She said, “The Italians have an expression ‘the fish stinks from the head’.” Well, actually, the expression is “the fish rots from the head down”, meaning bad leaders damage an organization, and her comment mixes the idiom “stink to high heaven”, meaning to be or seem extremely corrupt or disreputable. Rotting sure gives off a stink so it is understandable that the speaker got confused. Another big thank you to Frank King, our MSNBC Malaphor Reporter.
My anxiety is out of the roof
Posted: August 24, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, out of this world, through the roof, words Leave a commentThis was overheard in a disability hearing. It is a nice mashup of “through the roof” (to rise to a very high level) and “out of this world” (extraordinary). The word “roof” seems to be the cause of a lot of idiom jumbles. Check out other “roof malaphors” in the search engine. One I vividly recall is “the shit hit the roof”. https://malaphors.com/2014/09/20/the-shit-hit-the-roof/. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for sharing this one.
If you liked this one, you’ll love my book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. It’s out of the roof!
Stormy McDaniels
Posted: August 23, 2018 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: humor, Karen McDougal, Larry Noble, malaphor, PBS Newshour, portmanteau, Stormy Daniels, Trump, words 2 CommentsLarry Noble, a campaign finance expert and former general counsel for the Federal Election Commission, uttered this word blend on the PBS News Hour last night. It is a mash up of Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, the two women who alleged to have affairs with Donald Trump before the 2016 election. Malaphors can be word blends as well as idiom blends, such as this one or Buckminster Palace, a blend of Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace (with perhaps a dash of Buckminster Fuller).
President Donald Trump listens as Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
They would throw him to the fishes
Posted: August 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Don McGahn, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, Steve Cohen, swimming with the fishes, thrown to the wolves, Trump, words Leave a commentRepresentative Steve Cohen (D – TN) was talking on MSNBC about the New York Times report that White House counsel Don McGahn has been cooperating with the Mueller investigation team for the past year. Cohen was speculating that McGahn felt at risk of Trump using him as a fall guy in the obstruction of justice probe, and so uttered this beauty. It is a mashup of “thrown to the wolves” (to sacrifice someone in order to protect others) and “swimming (or sleeping) with the fishes” (a gangster cliche meaning to be murdered). Both idioms refer to a person who gets hurt; hence, the mix up. Cohen may also have been thinking about the mafia way of doing business and the White House way of doing business. A big thanks to chief malaphor hunter Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.
The deck is tilted against Trump
Posted: August 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, expressions, Fox, humor, malaphor, stacked deck, tilt the scales, Trump, words Leave a commentA very perceptive follower noticed at the bottom of the screen on Fox News a chyron read: “…in Mueller investigation deck tilted against Trump.” This is a congruent conflation of “deck is stacked” and “the scales (balance) are tilted”, both meaning that one side has gained advantage. You can’t tilt a deck of cards (unless you’re Penn Jillette). A shout out to Eagle-Eared, and in this case, Eagle-Eyed, Frank King for spotting this one.
I’m just waiting for the next ball to drop
Posted: August 12, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: drop the ball, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, wait for the other shoe to drop, words Leave a commentThis was uttered in an interview. It is a mash up of “wait for the other shoe to drop” (wait for the next seemingly unavoidable thing to happen” and “drop the ball” (make a mistake). The speaker may have been thinking of the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square, and waiting for it to drop to usher in the new year. Or perhaps the Road Runner cartoon where the anvil eventually drop on his head. “Drop” is the culprit here, appearing in both idioms. This malaphor seems very appropriate these days in the U.S. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and dropped it on me.
I’ve just spent the last thirty years busting my arse off
Posted: August 9, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: busted my ass, congruent conflation, expressions, Gordon Ramsay, humor, malaphor, words, worked my arse off Leave a commentThis mix up can be heard by Gordon Ramsay on his Masterclass trailer. It is a congruent conflation of “worked my arse off” and “busted my ass”, both meaning to work very hard at something. The former idiom is heard primarily in the UK, while the latter is heard mostly in the US. This malaphor, then, is perhaps an “across the pond” blend? Maybe Ramsay spent too much time in Hollywood. The posterior seems to be popular in malaphors. To see more, type “ass” in the search engine on the website. You’ll see such classics as “he was drunk out of his ass” and “you need to get your ass together”. https://malaphors.com/2015/08/27/you-need-to-get-your-ass-together/ https://malaphors.com/2018/06/28/he-was-drunk-out-of-his-ass/
A big thanks to Ben Glass who heard this one and sent it in. You can hear the malaphor by clicking this link: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gordon-ramsay-teaches-cooking
Now we get into the heat of the meat
Posted: August 7, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cohen, expressions, heart of the matter, humor, in the heat of the moment, language, malaphor, meat of the matter, Stephen Colbert, Trump, words Leave a commentStephen Colbert, in his 7/25/18 monologue, uttered this one when discussing the Cohen tape on the Trump payoff of the McDougall matter. Here’s the link to the video:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6q7km5
It is a mashup of “in the heat of the moment” (doing something without thinking) and “the meat of the matter” (the most important or essential element of an issue or problem). “Heart of the matter” (same definition as “meat of the matter”) might also be in play, as “heart” and “heat” are similar in sound and looks. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and sending it in.
I set the die that day
Posted: August 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: die is cast, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, Sean Spicer, set the tone, Trump, words 2 CommentsSean Spicer, during an interview with the BBC, regretted his poor performance in discussing the size of the Trump inauguration crowd on his first day as Press Secretary. he then uttered this classic. It is a mashup of “set the tone” (establish the manner in which something will be conducted) and “the die is cast” (a course of action is finalized). My guess is that the speaker was thinking of die casting, the process used to produce metal parts. Given the amount of lies from Mr. Spicer’s boss’s lips in the past two years, I think he definitely set the die.
“My Ol’ Pal” has a slightly different take. She says: “When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, he was said to have stated “The die is cast,” meaning that he had decided the fate of Rome. Perhaps Sean Spicer was thinking that he had determined the future of the administration’s falsifications with his pronouncement about the size of the crowd at the inauguration.” Indeed. For the quote, see 3:55 mark at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06fkvhp
It’s sometimes not up to Hoyle
Posted: July 26, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: according to Hoyle, expressions, Hoyle, humor, malaphor, up to snuff, words Leave a comment
Malaphors 
Recent Comments