I like to put another feather in our bag of tricks
Posted: February 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bag of tricks, Discovery Channel, expressions, feather in our cap, Fire in the Hole, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis little ditty was heard on the Discovery Channel’s “Fire in the Hole”, episode entitled “Pressure Cooker”. It was spoken by Matt Barnett, CEO of Texplo Explosives. This is a mash up of “feather in our cap” (achievement) and “pull out of my bag of tricks” (one’s stock of resources and stratagems). Perhaps the speaker was thinking of those doves flying out of a magician’s hat and feathers flying? A big thanks to Alan Richardson who heard and submitted this one.
It was mind shattering
Posted: February 3, 2017 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: earth shattering, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mind blowing, words expressions 2 CommentsThis word blend malaphor was heard on the Mark Madden sports show when he was interviewing NBC hockey analyst Pierre McGuire. The night before, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins had an incredible goal against the Dallas Stars where he tried to bank a shot off their goalie, got the rebound from the back side of the goalie in mid-air and scored a goal. Pierre said Sid’s play was “mind shattering.” This is a word blend of “mind blowing” and “earth shattering”, both meaning shock or surprise. This one is said often, based on Google hits, and perhaps has crept into the English lexicon, but I still believe it is a malaphor. It certainly is better than “earth blowing”. Kudos to Michael Ameel for hearing this one and passing it on!
I was painted into a wall
Posted: February 2, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back against the wall, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, painted into a corner, words Leave a commentThis is a nice congruent conflation of “painted into a corner” and “back against the wall”, both describing being in a hard-pressed situation. A wall mural painting might also have crept into the recesses of the speaker’s mind. Who knows? Many thanks to Elly Pietrucha who mistakenly uttered this one and passed it on!
That was your hip reaction
Posted: January 30, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gut reaction, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, shooting from the hip, words Leave a commentAn employee recalled a decision his employer had made and uttered this nice mash up of “shooting from the hip” (to react quickly without thinking of the consequences) and “gut reaction” (a reaction to a situation based on feelings rather than a logical analysis). Both phrases involve an instinctual reaction rather than a carefully thought out one. Also gut and hip are three letter words, and are anatomical words as well, perhaps adding to the confusion. Then again, maybe the employer is just a real “hip” guy and reacts in an informed or in the know way? Thanks to Steve Grieme, Super Malaphor Hunter, for hearing this one and sharing it!
If you had a hip reaction to this post, you might want to read the book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205 It’s a real page burner!
We didn’t want to just jam them out in a fire hose
Posted: January 28, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: drink from a fire hose, expressions, humor, jam it down your throat, language, malaphor, malaphors, Politico, Sean Spicer, Trump, words Leave a commentThis is another beauty from Sean Spicer, Trump’s Press Secretary. At a news conference in response to a question about why President Trump has not undertaken all of the “day one” actions he had promised, Spicer replied that the administration did not want to “just jam them out in a fire hose.”
There is the dialogue: “Why not pursue all those on Day One, as he promised in a contract with the voters?” Spicer said the Trump administration doesn’t want to “just jam them out in a fire hose.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-sheepish-sean-spicer-shows-a-trump-white-house-with-some-capacity-for-shame/2017/01/23/9d9729bc-e1bb-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html?utm_term=.2eb7c89ac076
This is a mash up of “jam (something) down (someone’s) throat” (to compel someone to accept something) and “drinking from a fire hose” (to be inundated by more of something than one is capable of handling). A big thanks to David Barnes for catching this one and sending it in!
She’s making money left and hand
Posted: January 26, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, left and right, making money hand over fist, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis was overheard in a conversation. It is a mash up of “left and right” (everywhere) and “hand over fist” (for money to be exchanged very rapidly). Seems like the left brain might not know what the right brain is doing. A shout out to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and passing it on!
To say Joe is excited is an under exaggeration
Posted: January 23, 2017 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, over exaggeration, overstatement, understatement, words, Yukon Men Leave a commentOn the Discovery Channel’s Yukon Men, Stan describes the excitement of son, Joey, about goose hunting: “To say Joe is excited is an under-exaggeration.” This is a nice word blend malaphor of “understatement”, “overstatement’, and “over exaggeration”. The latter is frowned on by some linguists as being redundant, but my research indicates it is a legitimate idiom, meaning wildly or excessively exaggerating. The recent kerfuffle on the audience numbers at the recent US inauguration is perhaps a good example. A big thanks to Nate Brogin for hearing this one and sending it in!
He would have been driven out of this town on a stake
Posted: January 17, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: burn someone at the stake, Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, run out of town on a rail, Sean Spicer, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, words 2 CommentsOh my. This beauty was uttered by Sean Spicer, President-Elect Trump’s Press Secretary, talking on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Here is the context:
“If my boss at the time, Reince Priebus, had gotten the debate questions, and handed them off, he would have been driven out of this town on a stake, and Donald Trump would have been vilified.” http://64.147.104.30/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/312361-spicer-questions-if-clinton-should-be-punished-for-receiving
This is a mash up of “run out of town on a rail” (punish someone by public condemnation or ridicule) and “burn someone at the stake” (to chastise or denounce someone severely). “Head on a stake” might also be in the mix.
In case the Donald is reading, he should check out my “Politics” section on my website and in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” (available on Amazon!). He will find malaphors uttered not only by himself but by other politicians, including Obama, McCain, and the unforgettable Herman Cain. @realDonaldTrump
I received this malaphor from two people at virtually the same time, a first on this website. So kudos to John Pekich and Mike Kovacs for hearing this one on the Sunday talk news shows and sending it to yours truly!
We really knocked it over the top this year!
Posted: January 17, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, knock it out of the park, language, malaphor, malaphors, over the top, words Leave a commentA speaker at a company conference was praising the company’s performance for the year. This is a nice mash up of “knock it out of the park” (do something successfully or an outstanding achievement) and “over the top” (having gained more than one’s goal). The phrase “knock it out of the park” seems to be a frequent source of malaphors. I have previously posted such gems as “we really nailed it out of the park” https://malaphors.com/2015/08/18/we-really-nailed-it-out-of-the-park/, “they blew it out of the park” https://malaphors.com/2012/10/27/they-blew-it-out-of-the-park/, and “I need to knock it out of the box” https://malaphors.com/2014/07/21/i-need-to-knock-it-out-of-the-box/. A big thanks to Rachel for hearing this one and passing it on!
They’re willing to go to the ends of the moon for you guys
Posted: January 10, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, go to the ends of the earth, humor, love you to the moon and back, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis was overheard on a conference call. It is a nice mash up of “go to the ends of the earth” (pursue to the utmost limit) and I think “love you to the moon and back” (love you forever). “Promise the moon (to someone)” (to make extravagant promises) and “ask for the moon” (make outlandish request for something) might also be in the mix. Of course, the speaker might have said this literally, upping the ante on performing a task. Going to the ends of the earth is not enough. Kudos to Anthony Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in to Malaphor Central.
You don’t need to go to the ends of the moon to get the book on malaphors. Just click to Amazon and type in the title, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors“, and you can get this cheap but amusing book today!
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