I’m afraid that he’s jumping into the frying pan with both feet
Posted: March 10, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, jump in with both feet, jumping to conclusions, language, malaphor, malaphors, out of the frying pan and into the fire, Washington Post, words Leave a comment“He’s got a lot of controversial stuff going on and rather than thinking it through, I’m afraid that he’s jumping into the frying pan with both feet.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/these-iowans-voted-for-trump-many-of-them-are-already-disappointed/2017/02/26/18f86b86-fa8d-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html?utm_term=.6d88c9bfc441. This is a mashup of “out of the frying pan and into the fire” (from a bad situation to a worse situation) and “jump in with both feet” (to become involved quickly and completely). “Jumping to conclusions” (to decide something without having all the facts) was also on the speaker’s mind, I think. It is an excellent mixed idiom, as the two combined mean to get into a bad situation quickly, which is what the speaker I believe was thinking. And the mental image of one jumping into a hot frying pan with both feet certainly would create a bad situation! Kudos to Linda Bernstein and Barry Eigen for spotting this one and sending it in!
My mood swings can change at a flip of a dime
Posted: March 9, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, flip flop, flip of a coin, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, turn on a dime, words Leave a commentA person was discussing his mood swings. This is a nice congruent conflation of “flip-flop” and “turn on a dime”, both meaning to change direction quickly. “Flip (or toss) of a coin” (randomly) might also be in the mix given the words “of a”, and the mental image of someone flipping a dime might have entered in the speaker’s head. As I have mentioned in previous posts, dimes seem to show up a lot in malaphors, possibly due to their use in various expressions – “turn on a dime, “stop on a dime”, “dropped the dime”, “get off the dime”, “nickel and dimed”, etc. Some previous posts include “I fall asleep at the drop of a dime” (https://malaphors.com/2014/06/26/i-fall-asleep-at-the-drop-of-a-dime/) and “you had to figure out what to do on a dime’s notice” (https://malaphors.com/2014/05/20/you-had-to-figure-out-what-you-were-going-to-do-on-a-dimes-notice/). A tip of the toque to Martha Fenimore for hearing this one and sending it in!
She’s older than sliced bread
Posted: March 7, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: best thing since sliced bread, Betty White, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, older than dirt, words 1 CommentThis beauty was uttered by the contributor’s daughter. It is a mash up of “the greatest thing since sliced bread” (an excellent new invention) and I believe “older than dirt” (really old). Certainly sliced bread, when allowed to sit for awhile, gets old and moldy so I can see where the speaker may have conjured up that image when thinking of a really old person. Interestingly, this mixed idiom has been used to describe America’s sweetheart, Betty White. See picture below. A big thanks to Ron McDonald for hearing this one and sending it on!
I hear both ends of the coin
Posted: March 6, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: both sides of the same coin, both sides of the story, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis great malaphor was heard on Chicago’s public radio station, WBEZ. You can hear it here at around 5min 25sec: https://www.wbez.org/?utm_source=link&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Web-Share&replayer_show_id=17b65e7d-75ab-46fd-8603-58a8a2ac1ae5. It is a mashup of “two sides of the same coin” (different but closely related features of one idea) and “hear both sides of the story” (listen impartially and to different views). Sides and ends are mixed up for this speaker. A tip of the toque to Peter Hopkins for hearing this one and sending it in!
I have no horse in this fight
Posted: March 4, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, horses, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, no dog in the hunt, no dog in this fight, no horse in this race, words Leave a commentThis is a perfectly formed malaphor, combining similar meaning and sounding expressions. It was said in a meeting when asked to resolve a disagreement. It is a congruent conflation of “no horse in this race” and “no dog in this fight”, both meaning to not have an investment in the outcome of something. “No dog in this hunt” is another similar expression. Horses and dogs can get confusing, particularly when they are fighting. Speaking of horses, they are often the subject of malaphors. Why? Horses are used in many idioms, it seems. The Idiom Dictionary (part of the Free Dictionary) lists over 150 of them. If you type in “horse” on this website, you will find at least 10 malaphors involving horses, including such beauties (black?) as “I’m cursing like a race horse”, “Now that’s a horse of a different story”, “You can’t beat that with a dead horse”, and “Hold your horses on”. There must be a lot of naysayers out there. A big thanks to John Polk for hearing this one and passing it on! Check out John’s great Twitter feed- @Clichesgonewild.
Want to see more horse (and elephant) malaphors? Check out my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” available on Amazon for a mere 6.99!!
Keep your fingers wet
Posted: March 3, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, finger in the pie, get your feet wet, humor, keep your finger on the pulse, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentHusband and wife are discussing plans after she retires. He says that since she knows a lot of people she should keep her fingers wet. This is a nice mash up of “get (one’s) feet wet” (start a new activity or job) and “have a finger in the pie” (to be involved in something). “Finger on the pulse” (continuing to monitor something) may also be in the mix, as the discussion concerned continuing to stay in touch. I think “pie” is probably the one, though, as putting fingers in a pie does make them wet. A big thanks to Barbara Artuso for hearing this one and passing it on!
I’m getting a little punch-happy
Posted: March 2, 2017 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: books, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, punch-drunk, slap-happy, words Leave a commentThis one was said at the end of a long day of meetings. It’s a nice word blend congruent conflation of “punch-drunk” and “slap-happy”, both meaning to be dazed or giddy. I really like this one, as it also can describe being drunk, as in drinking too much punch at a party. Certainly a few artillery punches will make one very happy…. for awhile. A shout out to Nate Shand for hearing this one and passing it on!
It’s for all the bananas
Posted: March 1, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, for all the marbles, go bananas, humor, language, lost your marbles, malaphor, malaphors, top banana, words Leave a commentThis was spoken by my sister-in-law recently. It is a nice mash up of “for all the marbles” (all the winnings or rewards) and “go bananas” (to go mildly crazy). My guess is that she was also thinking of “lost (one’s) marbles”, also meaning to go crazy. So the thought process went something like this, perhaps: marbles → crazy → bananas. Then again, a “top banana” is also the winner so maybe that was in the mix as well? Whatever the deconstruction, it is an excellent malaphor and hats off to Mercy Mamalis for uttering it!
This wait is mind-racking
Posted: February 25, 2017 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mind blowing, mixed idioms, nerve-racking, words 2 CommentsThis nice word blend malaphor was heard on the t.v. show Hell’s Kitchen. Chef Ramsey was about to make his decision on the winner. As suspense was building, one of the contestants said “This wait is mind racking”. This is a mash up of “mind-blowing” (overwhelming or astounding) and “nerve-racking” (very distressing or exhausting). My guess is that the speaker was also thinking of “racking my brain” (to try very hard to think of something), something few do today thanks to Google. Kudos to John and Heather Hatfield for hearing this one and sending it into Malaphor Central!
Want to read something that will rack your mind? Check out my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon for a cheap 6.99!
Republicans are on the horns of a bull in a china shop
Posted: February 24, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bull in a china shop, expressions, horns of a dilemma, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Gerson, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis malaphor was written by Michael Gerson in a Washington Post column. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-best-fortnight-in-a-decade-for-conservatives-uh-oh/2017/02/06/93e2f1aa-ec9a-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?utm_term=.fe5334ede362
It is a nice mash up of “on the horns of a dilemma” (unable to decide between two things because either could bring bad results) and “bull in a china shop” (clumsily destructive). Mr. Gerson was discussing how Republicans are in a difficult situation, where if they criticize Trump, they could receive massive retaliation. While malaphors are usually unintentional slip ups, this one clearly was not. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for seeing this one and passing it on!
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