I think I have put in my stripes
Posted: July 7, 2014 Filed under: stripes | Tags: blended idioms, congruent conflations, earned my stripes, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, put in my time, retirement, words Leave a commentSubtlety makes the best malaphor. When spoken, you pause and consider if the phrase was correct. It is a passing thought, because you will quickly forget it. Today’s malaphor fits that bill. The speaker was explaining why he should retire. It is a mash up of “earned my stripes” and “put in my time”, both meaning hard work that deserves an award. Kudos to Ed Brady for sending me this congruent conflation!
I don’t want to be a bandwagon fan
Posted: July 4, 2014 Filed under: fans | Tags: bandwagon., blended idioms, expressions, fair-weather fans, humor, jump on the bandwagon, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis malaphor is a mash up of “fair-weather fan” (someone who supports a team only when it is winning) and “jump on the bandwagon” (joining something only when it is popular). It is a congruent conflation as both phrases concern a person who is being supportive of something or someone only because it is the popular thing to do. This malaphor has evolved into an accepted phrase, apparently, as it can be found in Urban Dictionary and has been used by several people (e.g., Cuba Gooding Jr.). Thanks to Katie Hatfield for uttering this one unintentionally and then recognizing it as malaphor worthy.
http://www.tmz.com/2014/06/12/cuba-gooding-jr-i-hate-bandwagon-fans-and-l-a-is-packed-with-em/
He’s three sheets in the bag
Posted: June 30, 2014 Filed under: bag, sheets | Tags: congruent conflations, drunk, expressions, half in the bag, intoxicated, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, three sheets to the wind, words 6 CommentsCouldn’t wait until next week to post this beauty. This is another congruent conflation (mixed idioms with the same or similar meaning), combining “three sheets to the wind” and “half in the bag”, both describing someone who is intoxicated. The confusion might also lie in sheets sometimes being in laundry bags? Then again, the speaker, Lisa Davies O’Donnell, might have just had a few too many… Thanks Lisa for contributing to the malaphor library!
He’s pooping on your parade
Posted: June 29, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, party pooper, raining on your parade, words Leave a commentThis alliterative congruent conflation is a mix of “party pooper” and “raining on your parade”, both meaning to spoil something. I suppose raining and pooping could also be part of the confusion, both being action verbs and, well, you know…. The mash up was spoken by that Mistress of Malaphors, Naomi David.
I fall asleep at the drop of a dime
Posted: June 26, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, CLOTHING, dime, hat, sleep, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, congruent conflation, drop of a hat, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, stop on a dime, words 6 CommentsThis wonderful congruent conflation is a mash up of “at the drop of a hat” and “stop on a dime”, both meaning an action done instantly. Drop and stop are four letter words that rhyme, adding to the befuddlement. This beauty was heard at a court hearing. Kudos to Sam Edelmann for sending this one into Malaphor central!
I slept like a dog last night
Posted: June 18, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, dog, sleep | Tags: blended idioms, dogs, expressions, humor, language, let sleeping dogs lie, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, out like a log, slept like a baby, words 1 CommentDogs sleep pretty soundly, but this is definitely a malaphor. It is a mash up of “slept like a log (or baby)” (restful sleep) and “let sleeping dogs lie” (do not instigate trouble). Nice mix up as it involves assonance (log, dog, and lie, like) and similar words in the phrases (sleep, dog). This beauty was uttered by John Costello, one of my roving malaphor reporters!
He was trying to woo her over
Posted: June 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, pull the wool over ones eyes, win her over, woo her, words 1 CommentThis is a mash up of “woo her” (to seek the affection of someone) and “win her over” (to succeed in making someone favorable to something). Perhaps “pull the wool over her eyes” (to deceive someone) is also in the muddled brain mix. This is one I uttered a couple of days ago that my wife caught. As with all good malaphors, they are quickly forgotten, so I wrote it down immediately.
The business side always throws you a loop
Posted: June 9, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Andre Miller, blended idioms, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, throws you a curve, throws you for a loop, washington wizards, words Leave a commentSometimes it’s those nasty little prepositions that cause the mix up. In this case, backup point guard Andre Miller, talking about his desire to return to the Washington Wizards, said this nice congruent conflation. See http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2080250-andre-miller-38-says-he-has-a-lot-more-years-left-before-retiring-from-nba It is a mash up of “throws you for a loop” and “throws you a curve,” both meaning something unexpected that upsets or confuses someone. I also think the imagery of someone tossing a life preserver into the water is in play here. A big thanks to Mike Browning for spotting this subtle but excellent malaphor!
It’s like the cherry on top of the cake
Posted: June 5, 2014 Filed under: cake, cherry, FOOD | Tags: Animal Planet, blended idioms, cherry on top, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, icing on the cake, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idiom, treehouse masters, words 5 CommentsThis one was heard on the Animal Planet tv show, Treehouse Masters. Daryl, the foreman, was referring to a door on the treehouse that looked like a sarcophagus. It is a congruent conflation of “icing on the cake” and “cherry on top”, both meaning an extra enhancement to something. There are certainly cherries that appear on the top of some cakes, but not as common as sundaes. In fact there is a Quebec idiom, “la cerise sur le sundae”, also with the same meaning but the cherry is on the sundae, not cake. A shout out to my high school buddy, Marti Fenimore, for sending this one in!
I don’t know what kinda gun she’s been smoking
Posted: June 3, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, guns, smoke, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, smoking gun, what has she been smoking?, words Leave a commentOkay. Yes, this was actually unintentionally said on the Maury show last week. Husband was being accused of kissing his wife’s girlfriend and having an affair behind her back. The husband denied the accusation and said this malaphor about his wife to Maury. This is a mash up of “smoking gun” (indisputable sign of guilt) and “what have you been smoking?” (rhetorical question implying that the person is acting strange). There may be a freudian element here, as the husband might be admitting guilt through the use of a malaphor. Or maybe I am reading into this more than I should. A big thank you to John Hatfield for hearing this one!
Malaphors 
Recent Comments