You need to get your ass together
Posted: August 27, 2015 Filed under: ass, BODY PARTS, Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get off your ass, get your act together, get your shit together, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThis is a mash up of “get your act/shit together” (get organized) and “get off your ass” (stop loafing and get to work). Both idioms direct someone to get moving, invoking a congruent conflation. Also ass and act are three letter words that have a similar sound. Finally, the lower half of the body is at work here in both phrases. Many thanks to Robyn Pietrucha for blurting this one out and passing it along!
I had to pick up the flak
Posted: August 24, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, pick up the pace, pick up the slack, taking flak, words 1 CommentThis was mentioned by a plaintiff who said she had a hard boss. At first blush, it seems like just the misuse of a word (flak instead of slack), but I believe it is also a malaphor, mixing “pick up the slack” (do the work of someone else) and “taking flak” (receiving strong criticism). “Pick up the pace” (increase the rate that something is done) might actually be the phrase the speaker intended, based on the context. Muchas gracias to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and passing it on!
You know, I was burning the bridges at both ends
Posted: August 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: burn one's bridges, burning the candle at both ends, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis was overheard when a woman was chatting to her friends about how hard she had been working lately. It is a mash up of “burning the candle at both ends” (extreme effort without rest) and “to burn one’s bridges” (make decisions that cannot be changed in the future). The verb burn seems to be the cause of the conflation. This mized idiom is similar to a previous postinh involving burning bridges – see https://malaphors.com/2013/01/17/well-burn-that-bridge-when-we-come-to-it/. A big thanks to Mr.Tonk for sending this one in!
We really nailed it out of the park
Posted: August 18, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, HGTV, hit it out of the park, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, nailed it, words 1 CommentThis wonderful malaphor was heard by the Chief Judge of Malaphors (CJM), Yvonne. It was said on the penultimate episode of HGTV’s Beach Flip when contestant Martha blurts out “we really nailed it out of the park.” This is a congruent conflation of two sports metaphors – “nailed it” and “hit it out of the park”, both meaning to do something successfully or an outstanding achievement. The malaphor is similar to another one heard on HGTV – “they blew it out of the park.” https://malaphors.com/?s=park Interestingly, that one was also heard by Yvonne, CJM. Keep watching those reality shows, Yvonne!
That’s what you get for bottlenecking
Posted: August 13, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bottleneck, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, rubbernecking, words Leave a commentThere was an accident on the highway and the traffic was moving slowly. Suddenly everyone witnessed another car accident on the other side of the highway. Sister Sarah then uttered this wonderful malaphor, a mash up of “rubbernecking” (staring at something of interest) and “bottleneck” (a narrow or obstructed section, as in a highway). Please, do not bottleneck while driving. Thanks to Dan Geier for hearing this one and passing it on!
Trump’s comment about Megyn Kelly possibly a malaphor?
Posted: August 10, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, looking daggers at me, malaphor, malaphors, Megyn Kelly, out for blood, smoke coming out of her ears, Trump, words Leave a commentAt the outset, this is not a political forum and I am not making any political statement. I am merely suggesting that the Donald might have been confusing his idioms and so I am focusing solely on language here.
Here is the now famous comment:
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes,” Trump said during an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon on Friday night. “Blood coming out of her wherever.” He later said that he was suggesting that blood was coming out of Kelly’s ears and nose, indicating anger.
This may be a mix of “out for blood” and “looking daggers at me”, both indicating anger and both consistent with the context. “Smoke coming out of her ears” might also have been in the subconscious, as that expression also describes someone angry, often depicted literally in cartoons. This is probably a better explanation than his follow up regarding noses and ears, both not describing anger as far as I know (as an aside, since he said he “could see blood coming out..”, the seemingly unanimous conclusion of “wherever” doesn’t seem to be consistent, since that is not something one “could see” in the way one might be able to “see” another person’s eyes).
I posted a Trump malaphor recently (see the July 21, 2015 malaphor – https://malaphors.com/2015/07/21/i-have-a-pulse-to-the-ground/) so he does jumble his expressions.
It blew our socks off
Posted: July 30, 2015 Filed under: socks, Uncategorized | Tags: blow your mind, expressions, humor, knocked your socks off, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis descriptive malaphor is a congruent conflation of “blew our minds” and “knocked our socks off” (surprised someone thoroughly). It was uttered by scientists when they saw a picture of Charon, Pluto’s largest moon. In my limited research, I found that this actually might be a legitimate phrase in England. But, since this is a U.S. blog, I am treating it as a malaphor. After all, I am the malaphor king. A big planetary thank you to Mike Kovacs, who has now been elevated (or demoted?) to Malaphor Science Correspondent.
Keep your mouth down
Posted: July 27, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, expressions, humor, keep it down, keep your mouth shut, language, malaphor, malaphors, The Watch, words 1 CommentThis is a great congruent conflation of “keep your mouth shut” and “keep it down”, both meaning to keep quiet. “Keep” is the shared word that adds to the confusion. It was heard on the movie “The Watch”. Here’s the context (heroes talking to the skeptical police):
There’s aliens in the store.
Oh yeah? Aliens. Where?
It was right over there until you scared it. Now keep your mouth down.
http://www.subzin.com/quotes/M5919500d3/The+Watch/Now%2C+keep+your+mouth+down.
A big thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one and passing it on!
At the drop of a whim
Posted: July 25, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: at the drop of a hat, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on a whim, words 1 CommentThis beauty was heard on TMZ. It is a mash up of “at the drop of a hat” (doing something immediately) and “on a whim” (impulse). Both expressions indicate doing something quickly without thinking, making it a congruent conflation. Both expressions begin with prepositions indicating location, adding to the confusion. Perhaps the thinker was also thinking of the brim (rhyming with whim) of a hat. A big thanks to Vicki Kovacs for hearing this one and passing it on!
I have a pulse to the ground
Posted: July 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, ear to the ground, expressions, finger on the pulse, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, New York times, words Leave a commentThis timely malaphor was recently uttered by Donald Trump. An article in the July 20, 2015 New York Times quotes The Donald:
“I have a pulse to the ground,” he added. “I think I know what’s wrong with the country, and I think I’ve been able to portray that in a way that people agree with.”
This is a conflation of “have my finger on the pulse” (to be familiar with the most recent developments) and “have my ear to the ground” (to watch and listen carefully to what is happening around you). Lots going on with this one. Fingers go into ears, etc. This one is similar to the March 23, 2015 entry, “keep your finger on the ball”. https://malaphors.com/?s=pulse A big thank you to Paula Garrety for seeing this one and passing it on!
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