They put me through hoops and ladders
Posted: August 19, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chutes and Ladders, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, language, malaphors, put me through the ringer, words Leave a comment
He’s walking on thin water
Posted: August 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: deep water, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, walk on water, walking on thin ice, words 1 CommentThe speaker was talking about someone who needed to be careful. This is a mashup of “walking on thin ice” (to proceed with caution or great care) and I think “in deep water” (an overwheming situation) because of the context. However, “walk on water” (do something extraordinary or impossible) certainly should not be ruled out, as it is scrambled in the malaphor. A shout out to David Stephens who heard this one. David said that he recently slipped on a wet floor and broke his toe so this malaphor really resonated with him.
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Paul Ryan shamelessly ran cover for Trump
Posted: July 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Eric Lutzro co, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, provide cover, run for cover, run interference, Trump, Vanity Fair, words 1 CommentThis appears in the very first line of Eric Lutz’s piece in Vanity Fair on Paul Ryan’s interview with Politico’s Tim Alberta. It is a congruent conflation of “run interference” and “provide cover” (take an action to avoid problems, on behalf of another individual). “Run for cover” might also have been in the writer’s mind, located in the “freudian slip” area. A big thanks to Frank King who spotted this one!
You need to pull the cord
Posted: June 18, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cut the cord, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, pull the plug, words 2 CommentsI unintentionally blurted this one out to someone who was thinking of getting rid of his cable service. It is a mash up of “pull the plug” (to force something to end) and “cut the cord” (discontinue cable service). Both expressions involve discontinuing something, hence the mix up. This one also comes free with a public service message: always pull the plug, not the cord! Now do you see how useful and helpful this website is?
Baseball trades are like flipping the dice
Posted: June 10, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 93.7 the Fan, congruent conflation, expressions, flipping a coin, malaphor, malaphors, Pirates, rolling the dice, words Leave a commentThis is a perfect malaphor, compliments from the sports world. Jack Zduriencik uttered this one on the Pittsburgh Pirates pre-game show on 93.7 The Fan. It is a congruent conflation of “flipping a coin” and “rolling the dice”, both meaning to rely on chance or purely at random. Coins and dice are both used in games of chance, such as craps. Of course if you flip the dice in a craps game, chances are you’ll be ejected. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this gem.
Pelosi has all these Chairs on a tight rope
Posted: June 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Daily Kos, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Nancy Pelosi, on a tight leash, walking a tightrope, words Leave a commentThis one was found on the website The Daily Kos. The writer was discussing how Nancy Pelosi controls the various House Subcommittees. This is a nice blend of “walking a tightrope” (to do something with extreme care and precision) and “on a tight leash” (under someone’s strict control). Both phrases have the word “tight” in them and “ropes” and “leashes” are similar items. Also, both phrases entail exactness and control. Here is the link to the malaphor: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/5/1862845/-NY-Offers-Chairman-Neal-Trump-s-Tax-Returns-Neal-Says-No-Thanks-Unbelievable
A tip of the hat to Barry Eigen who spotted this hidden creature in the word forest.
I was surprised he fell south so fast
Posted: May 31, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 93.7 the Fan, expressions, fall apart, go south, humor, malaphors, Ron Cook, words Leave a commentAnother from sports talk radio. A sports columnist, Ron Cook, was commenting on Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove’s recent poor outings and did not expect them after his excellent start of the season. It is a congruent conflation of “fall apart” and “go south”, both meaning to depreciate or drop in value. If you fall south then does that mean you rise north? A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and passed it on.
That’s why I think the President was so steamed off this morning
Posted: May 28, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, Nancy Pelosi, pissed off, steamed, Trump, words Leave a commentThis beauty was uttered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, referring to Trump’s reaction to her comments about him engaging in a cover-up. Here is the context:
“This is why I think the president was so steamed off this morning, because the fact is in plain sight, in the public domain, this president is obstructing justice and he’s engaged in a cover-up, and that could be an impeachable offense,” the San Francisco Democrat said at a progressive conference.
This is a nice congruent conflation of “pissed off” and “steamed (up)”, both meaning to be angry. My guess is that Speaker Pelosi was thinking “pissed” but quickly realized that would not be a prudent thing to say in public. Just guessing. I will note for the record that “steamed off” is a phrase, but it normally means to leave or depart in an angry or animated manner. A big tip of the hat to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one!
We’re firing on all wheels now!
Posted: May 26, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, firing on all cylinders, humor, malaphors, put the wheels in motion, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by a server at a restaurant after everyone ordered their food. It is a mashup of “firing on all cylinders” (to operate at the greatest possible speed or efficiency”) and I think “put the wheels in motion” (get something started) given the context. Wheels and cylinders are parts of a car, and probably that contributed to the mental mixup. A big thanks to Steve Grieme who heard this one and sent it in.
You can get it for a song and dance
Posted: May 17, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: for a song, humor, language, malaphors, song and dance, words Leave a commentMaybe this means to get a low price after an elaborate request? In any event, this phrase is a nice mix of “for a song” (for a very low price) and “a song and dance” (an elaborate story or effort to explain something). Kudos to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it along.
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