Even the playing field
Posted: March 5, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: books, even the odds, expressions, humor, Jenna Bush Hager, level the playing field, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis subtle congruent conflation was uttered by Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show. It is a mashup of “level the playing field” and “even the odds”, both meaning to make a situation or activity more fair and balanced. This one is heard often, as the two expressions have the same meaning and contain words that are synonyms – even and level. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in. Frank has the ears of a hawk when it comes to malaphors. By the way, check out Frank’s website, http://www.themhcomedian.com/frank-king-speaking/.
She’s the bread earner
Posted: March 3, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breadwinner, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, wage earner, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about a couple and their finances. It is a nice congruent conflation of “breadwinner” and “wage earner”, both referring to the person whose earnings are the primary support for his/her dependents. Of course, “bread” is slang for money, so bread earner makes a lot of sense (cents?) to me. A big thanks to Elaine Hatfield for sharing this one.
Looking for a mechanic that won’t try to pull the fleece over my head
Posted: March 1, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fleeced, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pull the wool over my eyes, words 3 CommentsThis was posted on a neighborhood site in Baltimore looking for recommendations. It is a congruent conflation of “fleece” and “pull the wool over my eyes”, both meaning to cheat or deceive. Lots going on here in the recesses of the brain. Fleece as a noun is a lightweight jacket, so the idea of pulling it over one’s head makes sense. A fleece is also the woollen coat of a domestic sheep, so the speaker might have been thinking of wool and fleece at the same time. Using the word as a noun but thinking of it as a verb makes this a very interesting malaphor. Also, eyes are part of the head so the mixing of these body parts were clearly in the speaker’s brain. A big thanks to Larry Mason for spotting this one and sharing it.
This may not be the cross I want to die on
Posted: February 28, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fall on my sword, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, not the hill I want to die on, words 2 CommentsThere was a discussion about due process errors in a law office, and this was uttered by someone who didn’t think they were worth fighting for. It is a congruent conflation of the military expressions “not the hill to die on” and “fall on (one’s) sword”, both meaning something so important it must be dealt with. While the word “sword” does not appear in the malaphor, my guess is that the speaker was thinking of a sword when he said “cross”, as the sword looks like a cross. Also there might be some Christian symbolism of dying on a cross wrapped up in this one. A big thanks to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and passing it on.
trillion dollar deficits as long as the eye can see
Posted: February 26, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: as far as the eye can see, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, Morning Joe, words Leave a commentThis subtle mashup was uttered by Jim VandeHei, CEO of Axios, on the Morning Joe show. It is a conflation of “as far as the eye can see” (extending to the farthest possible point) and “as long as” (considering the fact as). A big thanks to Frank King, frequent malaphor contributor, for hearing this one.
I need to clear my chest
Posted: February 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clear the air, expressions, get it off my chest, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, my 600 lb. life, TLC, words Leave a commentThis one was heard on the TLC t.v. show, “My 600 lb. Life”. In context, it is a congruent conflation of “clear the air” and “get it off my chest”, both meaning to discuss or otherwise confront a troubling situation. Certainly weighing 600 pounds could be a troubling situation. Of course, taken literally, one may want to try a steam shower or an inhaler for really nasty chest congestion. A big thank you to regular malaphor contributor Mike Kovacs!
She needs to pull a trick out of her hat
Posted: February 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cross country ski, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pull a rabbit out of my hat, trick up my sleeve, Winter Olympics, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by the play by play commentator for the women’s cross country skiing race at this year’s Winter Olympics. It is a nice mash up of “trick up her sleeve” (secret advantage) and “pull a rabbit out of her hat” (to do something surprising or seemingly impossible). Both idioms concern the element of surprise, and both involve tricks or magic. A big thanks to Jake Holdcroft for hearing this one and passing it on!
By the nick of their teeth
Posted: February 17, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: by the skin of my teeth, expressions, humor, in the nick of time, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis is a nice congruent conflation of “in the nick of time” and “by the skin of their teeth” (just barely). “Skin” and “nick” are both four letter words with a “k” and an “n”. Kudos to Curioussteph for uttering this one unintentionally and sending it in.
To add salt to injury
Posted: February 16, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: add insult to injury, eggcorn, eggcorns, idioms, malaphor, malaphors, rub salt in the wound, words 1 CommentThis mixup was found in the following newspaper:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/commentary-what-can-a-chief-commuter-engagement-officer-do-to-9928296
It is a congruent conflation of “to rub salt in the wound’ and “to add insult to injury”, both meaning to deliberately make someone’s misfortune or unhappiness worse. “Wound” and “injury” are similar meaning words, probably creating the mental mashup. Now if the writer had written “add-in salt to injury” that would be an eggcorn. An eggcorn is a similar sounding phrase spelled differently. Because of the similar sounding words, this is a very common malaphor, with over 2,300,000 hits, according to Google. A big thanks to Eve for spotting this one.
They make you jump through too much red tape
Posted: February 15, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, idioms, jumping through hoops, malaphor, malaphors, red tape, words Leave a commentThe speaker was referring to insurance companies. This is a nice mix of “jump through hoops” (to complete or face many challenges to achieve something) and “red tape” (bureaucratic rules that are overly strict or tedious). Both expressions refer to a series of challenges or events, contributing to the confusion. “Cutting through red tape” is what the speaker really wants. A big thanks to John Kooser for uttering this one and sending it in.
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