The doors are closing in
Posted: November 16, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: doors are closing, Gregory Meeks, humor, idioms, language, malaphors, The Last Word, Trump, walls are closing in Leave a comment
Quid pro quo is one of these things to muddy the works
Posted: November 11, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gum up the works, humor, Jim Himes, language, malaphor, malaphors, Meet the Press, muddy the waters, Trump, words Leave a commentThis gem was uttered by Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) yesterday on Meet the Press, talking about the Trump impeachment inquiry. It is a mashup of “muddy the waters” (to make a situation less clear) and “gum up the works” (to interfere with the proper functioning of something). Both expressions refer to degrading something, and “works” and “waters” might have been jumbled by the phrase “water works”? A big shout out to Bruce Ryan who heard this one and passed it on. @jahimes @MeetThePress
You can hear this malaphor just about at the beginning of the video:
The book is running away from the charts
Posted: November 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the charts, ran away with, words Leave a commentA TV host was interviewing an author, and commenting on the author’s successful book (on the NY Times bestseller list). This seems to be a mashup of “run away with” (win handily) and “off the charts” (spectacular). Both phrases refer to something or someone having success, hence the mixup in context. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
Speaking of books running away from the charts, check out my malaphor book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. They’re selling like butter! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
He would do fine if he keeps his eyes on the wheel
Posted: October 18, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, eyes on the ball, eyes on the prize, humor, malaphor, malaphors, put your shoulder to the wheel s, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered by a witness in a trial. It is a conflation of “keep your eyes on the ball” (stay focused) and I think “put your shoulder to the wheel” (work hard, put an effort into something). Certainly one has to keep their eyes open when driving, but don’t stare at the wheel or you will be in big trouble. Perhaps the speaker was thinking “eyes on the prize”, and the big Wheel of Fortune bubbled up in his brain. Not sure. A big thanks to Tom Justice who heard this one and passed it on.
They will kick the can down the bucket
Posted: October 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick the bucket, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about whether the EU would give England another extension on Brexit, and that more than likely an extension would be approved. This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (to postpone or defer a definitive action) and “kick the bucket” (to die). “Kick” is the common word here, and “cans” and “buckets” are similar objects which probably led to the mixup. I can’t help think that also the “ck” sound might have muddied the mental waters. A big thanks to Nate Shand for uttering this one and then allowing me to share it with the malaphor world.
This is a way for them to get a piece of the slice
Posted: September 30, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Marketplace, NPR, piece of the pie, slice of the pie, words Leave a commentThis was heard on NPR’s Marketplace on 9/24. Vivian Ho, Director of the Center for Health and Biosciences at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, was talking about why retailers like Walmart are getting into the health care business. “…this is a way for them to get a piece of that slice….” This is an interesting one, as both phrases contain a word that the malaphor omits – “pie”. It is a congruent conflation of “getting a piece of the pie” and “getting a slice of the pie (or cake)”, both meaning to obtain a share of some benefit. Or maybe the speaker meant to get a really small share of something? Probably not, if it involves Walmart. You can hear the malaphor at 15:45:
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace/what-debt-does-to-the-economy/
A big thanks to David Barnes, who heard this one and shared a slice of the fun. @Marketplace @VivianHo
They have their backs up against the corner
Posted: September 27, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back against the wall, back up, backed into a corner, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trumpnro, words, Yamiche Alcindor Leave a commentMSNBC commentator Yamiche Alcindor uttered this one when talking about the White House after Pelosi’s impeachment announcement. This is a near perfect congruent conflation of “backed into a corner” and “back to the wall”, both meaning to be in a high-pressure situation with no escape. “Back up” (to obstruct) might also be in the mix, given the recent news. A big thanks to David Stephens for hearing this one and passing it on!
Let’s wipe the band-aid clean
Posted: September 25, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, rip off the bandaid, wipe the slate clean, words Leave a commentThis was uttered regarding a customer situation and the speaker was trying to highlight the need to get valuable news to the customer. It is a mashup of “wipe the slate clean” (erase past mistakes) and “rip off the band-aid” (finish a task quickly to avoid a prolonged painful episode). Or maybe the speaker wanted to recycle a band-aid? A big thanks to John Hatfield III for hearing this one and sending it in.
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We’re seeing them close the wagons
Posted: September 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: circle the wagons, closing ranks, espn, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Michele Steele, NPR Weekend Edition, words Leave a commentThis one was spoken by ESPN’s Michele Steele on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. She was discussing the horse racing drug scandal involving the Kentucky Derby winner, Justify. Here’s the transcript: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/14/760780871/saturday-sports-horse-racing-antonio-brown.
This is a nice congruent conflation of “closing ranks” and “circling the wagons”, both meaning to become defensive. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and striking malaphor gold! @ESPNMichele
The Democrat Party is literally groveling at the mouth
Posted: September 18, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Daily Caller, expressions, foaming at the mouth, groveling in, humor, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one comes from the Daily Caller. It is a mashup of “foaming at the mouth” (extremely angry) and “groveling in (something)” (to interact with someone in an overtly agreeable manner). So did the writer mean that the Party was angry or overtly agreeable? My guess it was the former. As an aside, this is also another example of using the word “literally” incorrectly. If it’s literal, then it happens. A big thanks to Ralph Aikman for spotting this one.
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