Do the science
Posted: November 1, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, do the math, expressions, howard stern, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentMalaphor follower Mike K. heard this one on the Howard Stern show a few days ago. A 9/11 conspiracist, taking about the unlikelihood of the “third tower” collapsing at 5pm on 9/11, said “Do the science…” This is probably a mix up of “do the math” (figure it out) and “down to a science” (exactly), but then the caller might be just mixing up his school courses.
Right out of the bat
Posted: October 27, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: baseball, blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, off the bat, out of the box, words 2 CommentsThis is a mixture of “right out of the box” and “right off the bat”, both baseball metaphors and both meaning “first thing.” Thanks to John C. for passing this one along!
They blew it out of the park
Posted: October 27, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, hit one out of the park, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 2 CommentsHeard on HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins by faithful follower Yvonne: “they blew it out of the park” for an excellent new kitchen. This is a mash up of “hit it out of the park” and “blew it out of the water” (both meaning outstanding achievement). Wow, what a kitchen!
Rome wasn’t burned in a day
Posted: October 25, 2012 Filed under: PLACES, TIME | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, Rome, Rome wasn't built in a day, words 1 CommentA terrific mash-up of “Rome wasn’t built in a day” (involved projects take time) and “Nero fiddled while Rome burned”. The book, “Is Paris Burning?” also could have been on the speaker’s mind, as well as “don’t burn your bridges”.
This is a delicate balance that Facebook has to juggle
Posted: October 23, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, delicate balance, expressions, facebook, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis was heard on Good Morning America last week. Not sure this is a true malaphor as it seems to be combining two complete idioms but not mixing them, but it was too good to pass up. Thanks to Barry for sending this one to me.
I didn’t want to throw a wet towel on it
Posted: October 18, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, throw in the towel, wet blanket, words Leave a commentThis is a mash up of “I don’t want to be a wet blanket” (a downer or a party pooper) and “throw in the towel” (resign or give up). In context, the speaker wanted to stop the activity (walking) but didn’t want to ruin the fun for others so kept walking. The malaphor cleverly combines the two thoughts. (heard at the Australia Zoo – Beerwah, Queensland).
He wears it on his shoulder
Posted: October 17, 2012 Filed under: BODY PARTS, CLOTHING | Tags: blended idioms, chip on your shouder, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, wear it on your sleeve, words Leave a commentHeard near Brisbane, Australia. This is a blend of wearing it on your sleeve (showing your emotions) and chip on your shoulder (grudge shown openly). Malaphors are everywhere…
If you can’t beat ’em, lick ’em
Posted: October 11, 2012 Filed under: ACTION | Tags: beat, blended idioms, expressions, lick, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentHeard this one down under from my nephew, Erik. Not sure if it is an Aussie malaphor, but it shows malaphors are a world wide sensation.
Up a tree without a paddle
Posted: September 26, 2012 Filed under: THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, creek, difficult situation, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, paddle, tree, up a creek without a paddle, up a tree, words Leave a commentThis one is a mash up of “up a tree” and “up a creek without a paddle”, both meaning having difficulty or being in a difficult situation. The confusion is obvious: both idioms have similar meanings, both contain the word “up”, and there is assonance in the words “tree” and “creek”. I suppose in a flood you actually might be up a tree without a paddle!
that’s a hard row to climb
Posted: September 25, 2012 Filed under: ACTION | Tags: blended idoms, challenge, expressions, hard row to hoe, malaphors, mixed idioms, uphill climb, words Leave a commentI think this is a mash up of “hard row to hoe” and “it’s an uphill climb”, both meaning a difficult situation to deal with. The speaker may also have been thinking “road” instead of “row” and perhaps meant to say a “hard road ahead” or a “rocky road”, again meaning a challenging situation. Farmers sometimes do terrace farming on hill sides, so the speaker may have been thinking rows to hoe uphill. Who knows what lurks in the mind of the malaphor speaker?
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