You’re going to separate the cream from the crop
Posted: November 30, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: conflation, cream of the crop, expressions, humor, idiom, malaphor, malaphors, separate the men from the boys, separate the wheat from the chaff, words Leave a commentSports commentators say the darndest things, and this marvelous mashup was said on an NFL pregame show. It is a conflation of “the cream of the crop” (the best of a particular group) and “separate the wheat from the chaff” (to separate the good from the inferior). Because the subject was football, the commentator might also have been thinking of the phrase “separate the men from the boys” (to distinguish the experienced participants from the inexperienced). Kudos to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in!
I think she’s going to drive me into a wall
Posted: November 28, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: drive me insane, drive me up a wall, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by the submitter’s daughter, complaining about a co-worker. It’s a nice congruent conflation of “drive (someone) insane” and “drive (someone) up a wall”, both meaning to irritate or annoy someone to the point of distraction. The speaker may have been thinking “insane” but the “in” led to “into”. Just a theory. A big thanks to Steve Grieme for hearing this one!
She did not fall far from the turnip truck
Posted: November 27, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fell off the turnip truck, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, the apple does not fall far from the tree, words Leave a commentThis excellent mashup was overheard from a flight attendant. It is a nice malaphor reflecting “just fell off the turnip truck” (ignorant or unsophisticated) and “the apple does not fall far from the tree” (someone is displaying traits or behaving in the same way as their relatives (usually parents)). It actually might be a whole new phrase, describing someone displaying ignorance that is inherited. Incidentally, the “turnip truck” idiom seems to be often garbled. I have posted two other malaphors messing with this phrase: “Does he think I just fell from the turnip tree?” https://malaphors.com/2014/07/29/does-he-think-i-just-fell-from-the-turnip-tree/ and “I wasn’t born off the turnip truck” https://malaphors.com/2013/12/07/i-wasnt-born-off-the-turnip-truck/. I guess when things start falling they can come from anywhere and land anywhere. A big thanks to Jody Compton for hearing this one and passing it on.
Did you like this one? There are many more just like this in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. It makes a nice stocking stuffer!
They really swept her under the bus
Posted: November 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cristin Milioti, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, swept under the rug, thrown under the bus, words Leave a commentTwo friends were talking about someone who was betrayed. It is a nice mashup of “swept under the rug” (to deny or conceal from public view knowledge of something that is embarrassing or damaging to one’s reputation) and “thrown under the bus” (to exploit someone’s trust for someone’s own purpose). “Under” is the common culprit here, in addition to the three letter words “bus” and “rug”. This seems to be the latest in the bus malaphor series. In addition to this one, I have posted such similar malaphors as “she threw me under the wolves (https://malaphors.com/2017/11/20/she-threw-me-under-the-wolves/), “Trump is not going to throw Paul Ryan over the bus” (https://malaphors.com/2017/04/05/trump-is-not-going-to-throw-paul-ryan-over-the-bus/), and “he really sold him under the bus” (https://malaphors.com/2013/05/16/he-really-sold-him-under-the-bus/), the latter a classic uttered Cristin Milioti. Not sure what’s so hard about uttering “thrown under the bus” but the phrase seems to conjure up a lot of other idioms in the brain’s recesses….A big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this and passing it on.
Our hard work is finally starting to pay fruit
Posted: November 22, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bear fruit, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pay off, words Leave a commentThis subtle gem was overheard at a meeting. It is a congruent conflation of “pay off” and “bear fruit”, both meaning to yield positive benefits or results. Those cherries sure start to add up after working hard. A big thanks to Joel Ringer who heard this one and passed it on.
She threw me under the wolves
Posted: November 20, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw him to the wolves, throw him under the bus, words 1 CommentThis was uttered at a disability hearing recently. It is a nice mashup of “throw (someone) under the bus” (to exploit someone’s trust for one’s own purpose or benefit) and “throw (one) to the wolves” (to sacrifice someone to ruin, especially for another’s benefit). Both expressions contain the verb “throw” and both are similar in meaning. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and sending it in.
You won’t be thrown under the wolves but be incessantly thanked if you include my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” in your loved ones’ stockings this Christmas! Just check it out on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205. Forget about the toothbrush and give them a laugh or two instead!
We laid it all on the field
Posted: November 18, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chip and Joanna Gaines, expressions, Fixer Upper, humor, laid it on the line, language, left it all on the field, Magnolia Market, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one was found on the “Fixer Upper” blog called Magnolia market, courtesy of Chip and Joanna Gaines. Here’s the site with the malaphor:
https://magnoliamarket.com/our-last-season/
This is a nice combo of “laid it on the line” (made something very clear) and “left it all on the field” (to commit wholly to something). Left and laid all the culprits here, I suspect. Also there are lines on most sports fields so that might have contributed to this mental hiccup. A big thanks to Jean Welch for spotting this one!
Anybody worth their weight in salt
Posted: November 16, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All Things Considered, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, NPR, words, worth one's salt, worth one's weight in gold 2 CommentsThis beauty was uttered on NPR’s All Things Considered yesterday. The discussion centered around sexual harassment, and what Human Resources divisions should do about it. The speaker said, “Anybody worth their weight in salt would take allegations of sexual harassment seriously”. This is a mashup of “worth one’s weight in gold” (very valuable, useful, or important) and “worth one’s salt” (deserving respect, especially because you do your job well). This malaphor is a great one as the two expressions are very similar in sound and in meaning. The word “weight” is the only distinguishing factor. Regarding the salt idiom, it is believed that it refers to the fact that in Roman times soldiers were given an allowance of salt as part of their pay. The Latin word salarium (= the money given to Roman soldiers to buy salt) is the origin of the word ‘salary’. A big thanks to loyal malaphor follower Paul Nance for hearing this one and sharing it.
Pick your life up by the bootstraps
Posted: November 15, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, humor, language, make something of your life, malaphor, malaphors, pick yourself up, pull youself up by the bootstraps, words Leave a commentThis was unintentionally uttered by Caroline Carleton. I think it is a triple congruent conflation of “pull yourself up by the boot straps”, “make something of your life”, and “pick yourself up”, all meaning to improve by one’s own efforts. This might be the first congruent conflation trifecta posted. “Pulling oneself up by the bootstraps” refers to pulling on high boots by means of the straps or loops attached to them at the top. Origin of the expression is early 1900s. A big thanks to Caroline Carleton for sharing this one.
It’s coming down the horizon
Posted: November 13, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: coming down the pike, congruent conflation, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on the horizon, words Leave a commentThis was overheard at a meeting. It’s a perfectly formed congruent conflation of “on the horizon” and “coming down the pike”, both meaning in the future or about to materialize. Many thanks to Susan Edwards for hearing this gem and passing it on.
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