Throw another kink in the wrench
Posted: November 1, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, iron out the kinks, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw a wrench into the works, words Leave a commentThis hodgepodge was referring to trying to schedule employees for their time off. It is a mashup of “throw a (monkey) wrench into the works” (disrupt or foil a plan) and “iron out the kinks” (fixing small problems that are present in a project). The idiom “throw a monkey wrench into the works” seems to be a difficult one for many to say correctly. It has been the subject of prior malaphors, e.g., “a wrench had been thrown in the bucket” https://malaphors.com/2016/10/04/a-wrench-had-been-thrown-into-the-bucket/ and “he really threw a monkey wrench into that fire” https://malaphors.com/2013/02/08/he-really-threw-a-monkey-wrench-into-that-fire/. Not sure why, but my guess it’s a rather archaic saying. A big thanks to Dori Shand Riley for hearing this one!
It’s like putting the wolf in charge of the hen house
Posted: October 30, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chuck Schumer, expressions, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, malaphors, the fox guarding the hen house, Tom Marino, Trump, wolf in sheep's clothing, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by Chuck Schumer when discussing Trump’s nominee, Tom Marino, as Drug Czar. Schumer said Marino’s confirmation would be “like putting the wolf in charge of the hen house”. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/10/17/Drug-czar-nominee-Marino-withdraws-from-consideration-Trump-says/9001508246201/
This is a mashup of “the fox guarding the hen house” (assigning the duty of guarding valuable information or resources to someone who is likely to exploit that opportunity) and “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” (a person or thing that appears harmless but is actually dangerous). Now certainly you wouldn’t want a wolf in charge of the hen house either, but the correct idiom only indicts the fox. A big thanks to Steve Grieme for catching this one and sending it on.
That’s nothing to sneeze home about
Posted: October 29, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, nothing to sneeze at, nothing to write home about, words 2 CommentsHere’s the background for this one: “I was playing a board game with my friend Edil (unsure what game) a couple of days ago. Something significant happened in the game that took me and him by surprise. We both said, simultaneously, “Well, that’s nothing to sneeze home about”. Neither of us had ever used that phrase before, and we looked at each other in utter amazement.” Not sure what you call a malaphor that two speak at once. Must be like seeing a double rainbow. Remarkable. This is a nice mashup of “nothing to sneeze at” (not something that should be ignored) and “nothing to write home about” (not especially remarkable or noteworthy). I think the common word “nothing” must have set off this nice malaphor by TWO PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME! A big thank you to Miiko Valkonen for hearing, saying, and sharing this one.
They pledged to pull out all the steps
Posted: October 27, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, pull out all the stops, take steps, thehill.com, words Leave a commentThis one comes from the website thehill.com. Here’s the quote: “Environmentalist[s] and Democrats have pledged to pull out all the steps to save the Clean Power Plan, which they say is the most significant U.S. policy to reduce carbon emissions that has ever been put into place.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/354531-epa-to-begin-repealing-obamas-landmark-climate-rule-tuesday
This is a mashup of “pull out all the stops” (use all the resources at one’s disposal) and “take steps” (take the necessary action to achieve something). Obviously steps and stops are confused here. So if the steps are pulled out will the Republican efforts to repeal this policy slide down and disappear? A big thanks to Barry Eigen, Senior Malaphor Hunter, for spotting this one and sending it in.
You should start over and get a fresh slate
Posted: October 26, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clean slate, expressions, fresh start, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentSome malaphorous advice from a classmate. It is an excellent congruent conflation of “fresh start” and “clean slate”, both meaning an opportunity to start fresh despite past problems or mistakes. The words “clean” and “fresh” are similar in meaning and probably caused the confusion. “Start” and “slate” have similar sounds. A big thanks to Jesse G. for hearing this one and passing it on!
My anxiety is through the charts
Posted: October 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, humor books, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the charts, through the roof, words Leave a commentA disability applicant was being interviewed and uttered this nice congruent conflation of “through the roof” and “off the charts”, both meaning much more than usual. This malaphor is the cousin to a previous posting, “the humidity was off the roof”. https://malaphors.com/2014/11/03/the-humidity-was-off-the-roof/ A tip of the hat to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it on.
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It is finally sinking through
Posted: October 24, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, getting through, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, sinking in, Twitter, words Leave a commentOur Twitter-in Chief, Donald Trump, gave us this beauty in a recent twitter. “It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred.”https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/922072236592435200?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_daily202 It is a congruent conflation of “sinking in” and “getting through”, both meaning to make someone understand something. The prepositions “in” and “through” are probably the culprits here. However, Jack MaCack has a different theory he shared on Twitter as a response: “I think by using the phrase “sinking through” he was channeling the current state of his diaper.”
In any event, Trump seems to be a malaphor goldmine, based on the frequency of past posts. Let’s hope he keeps ’em coming! As soon as this tweet was released over the weekend, I heard immediately from two Malaphor Hunter regulars – Justin Taylor and Barry Eigen. Kudos to both of them for spotting this subtle mashup.
It was trial by error
Posted: October 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Murder She Wrote, trial and error, trial by fire, words 2 CommentsContinuing with the legal theme, this is a mental hiccup of “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success) and “trial by fire” (a test of one’s abilities to do well under pressure). The obvious culprit here is the word “trial” used in both phrases. My fellow lawyers would say this malaphor should certainly be appealed. Incidentally, this was the title of a Murder She Wrote episode (season 2, episode 13 to be exact). Kudos to Caleb Harris who heard this from his girlfriend’s lips and immediately sent this to the website. Caleb knows these gems are fleeting moments that are quickly forgotten unless written down.
Ignorance of the law is nine-tenths of the law
Posted: October 22, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, ignorance of the law is no excuse, language, malaphor, malaphors, possession is nine-tenths of the law, words 2 CommentsMany lawyers would agree with this malaphor. It is a mashup of the following two sayings: “ignorance of the law is no excuse” (even if you don’t know that something is illegal, you can still be punished for doing it) and “possession is nine-tenths of the law” (if you actually possess something, you have a stronger legal claim to owning it than someone who merely says it belongs to him or her). A big thanks to Desiree Lees for hearing this one and sending it here!
Ask someone a simple question and they jump down your ass on Facebook
Posted: October 19, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get off of my ass, humor, jump down his throat, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 2 CommentsThis beauty was uttered in response to an article someone shared on Facebook that had a virus attached. “Good grief… ask someone a simple question and they jump down your ass on Facebook. Just asked if they read article cause I got virus when I opened article.. … Some people need manners!” I couldn’t agree more. This is a mashup of “jumping down (someone’s) throat” (reprimand or strongly criticize) and “get off my ass” (leave me alone or stop following me). nagging, harassing, badgering). Body parts are often confused, leading to malaphors such as this one. The throat and ass have previously been confused – see https://malaphors.com/2016/07/29/remember-when-he-put-his-foot-through-his-ass/. Also, the shoulder and ass – https://malaphors.com/2013/05/09/youve-got-a-chip-up-your-ass/. Directions also are frequently confused. Up and down seems to be another issue in this malaphor – “up your ass” and “down your throat”. Anyway, a nice indictment of social media and a great malaphor. A big thanks to Julie Milne for sending this one in and to her friend Jennifer for saying it!
Like this one? Check out the book of malaphors “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” available on Amazon. The link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
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