Trump continues to play straight out of Putin’s pocket
Posted: July 25, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Joe Scarborough, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, playbook, pocket, Trump, words Leave a commentThis terrific mashup was spoken by Joe Scarborough on his show, “Morning Joe”, on July 17, 2018. It is a conflation of “a page out of (someone’s) playbook” (to behave or act like someone else) and “in (someone’s) pocket” (under someone’s direct control or influence). This mix up has its own unique connotation: someone who is directed by someone else and is following that person’s command or orders. A big thanks to James Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in.
Trump held Michael Cohen at arm’s distance
Posted: July 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: at arm's length, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, keep at a distance, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Cohen, MSNBC, Stephanie Rhule, Trump, words Leave a commentThis ditty was uttered on July 20 by Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s “Velshi and Ruhle”. It is a nice congruent conflation of “at arm’s length” and “keep at a distance”, both meaning to keep someone from becoming too close. Perhaps a “distance” is farther than an “arm”? I imagine that fits in this context. A big thanks to Frank King, the Mental Health Comedian, for hearing this one and sending it in.
Everyone runs for the fences
Posted: July 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Fox News, head for the hills, humor, language, malaphor, Martha MacCallum, swing for the fences, Trump, words Leave a commentMartha MacCallum on Fox News said this nicely formed malaphor. It is a mashup of “run (or head) for the hills” (depart quickly) and “swing for the fences” (to act or perform with maximum intensity). In baseball, you swing and then run, and that is possibly the mental image the speaker had when she uttered this one. Also, the word “for” is common in both phrases. A big thanks to Ralph Aikman for hearing this one and sending it in.
They really had to think on their toes
Posted: July 21, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: be on your toes, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, think on your feet, words 4 CommentsThis malaphor comes courtesy of a local Birmingham Alabama news story about firemen rescuing people caught in a flash flood. A fireman said: “ The firefighters really had to think on their toes due to the changing conditions. “ This is an excellent example of a congruent conflation, mixing “think on (one’s) feet” and “be on your toes”, both meaning to be alert and react quickly. Obviously the mix here is “toes” and “feet”. A big thanks to David Stephens who was on his toes for this one.
He’s turning over a new lease on life
Posted: July 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: a new lease on life, expressions, humor, idioms, malaphor, malaphors, turning over a new leaf, words Leave a commentThis perfectly formed malaphor is a mashup of “turning over a new leaf” (to change one’s behavior, usually in a positive way) and “a new lease on life” (a new chance for happiness, usually after a hardship). “New” is common to both idioms, and the words “lease” and “leaf” are similar sounding. Both I think contributed to the mental mix up. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for sharing this one with the malaphor world.
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I’m trying to keep an open book
Posted: July 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: an open book, expressions, humor, keep an open mind, language, malaphor, words 1 CommentA physician asked someone about doing a fellowship. The response was this nice malaphor. It is a mashup of “keep an open mind” (to avoid making a judgment about something before considering it) and “I’m an open book” (a person’s life with no secrets). “Open” is the source of the mix up here. A big thanks to Jesse Garwood for sharing this one and admitting saying it!
He cleared muster
Posted: July 17, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Matthews, cleared for approval, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, malaphor, MSNBC, pass muster, Rachel Maddow, Trump, words Leave a comment“The Master” strikes again. Chris Matthews uttered this beauty on the Rachel Maddow show on July 9, 2018, referring to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. It is a congruent conflation of “passed muster” and “cleared for approval”, both meaning to be accepted as adequate. Pass/clear is the mixup here. Anyone who visits this site regularly knows Mr. Matthews is a malaphor goldmine. A big thanks to “Eagle-Ear” Frank King, the Mental Health Comedian, for hearing this one and sending it in.
We really kicked their clocks
Posted: July 16, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cleaned their clocks, congruent conflation, kicked their butts, malaphor, words Leave a commentA few guys were reminiscing about their days as soccer coaches, and one reflected on how good his team was, uttering this nice malaphor. It is a congruent conflation of “kicked their butts” and “cleaned their clocks”, both meaning to win easily. The words “kick” and “clock” have full consonance, and so the speaker might have grabbed both in the idiom soup we call English. A big thanks to John Kooser for sending this one in, and admitting that he said it.
He’s keeping it under his vest
Posted: July 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: close to the chest, Cohen, Emily Jane Fox, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, Trump, under wraps, words 1 CommentThis was heard on the Rachel Maddow show. Vanity Fair reporter Emily Jane Fox was talking about Michael Cohen, and what he may have on Trump. She then uttered this beauty. It is a congruent conflation of “close to the chest” and “under wraps” (to keep one’s plans secret from others). The vest/chest rhyme and close/under words probably contributed to the mix up. A big thanks to “Eagle-Ear” Frank King for hearing yet another one on MSNBC, your malaphor channel.
He passed every hurdle to receive asylum
Posted: July 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Hayes, clear every hurdle, expressions, malaphor, MSNBC, pass every test, words Leave a commentThis was heard on the MSNBC Chris Hayes show. It is a nice congruent conflation of “cleared every hurdle” and “passed every test”. A big thanks to “Eagle-Ear” Frank King for hearing this one. He also mentioned that you don’t get credit for passing a hurdle, or for clearing a test. Word.
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