It’s tough when there’s bone in the matter

Posted: April 3, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was a response to someone who was griping about a situation she didn’t like, even as she recognized the pettiness of her complaint.   It is a mash of “bone to pick” (grounds for a complaint or dispute) and “truth in (of) the matter” (used when you want to show you are being honest).  Perhaps the speaker was thinking about the marrow in the bone, the “matter” inside the bone.  A big thanks to curioussteph for uttering this one, realizing it was a malaphor, and sending it in.

If you want to get to the matter of malaphors, look no further than my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.  No bones to pick there!

So many horses are throwing their hats into the ring right now

Posted: March 30, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Interesting visual.  This malaphor was seen on Golf.com.  It is a mix of “throw one’s hat in the ring” (indicate one is going to be a candidate) and I think “no horse in this race” (not invested or affected in the outcome of something).  This is a true incongruent conflation, as the idioms have opposite meanings.  “Workhorse” (a person who works tirelessly) may also have been in the mix as the writer was talking about professional golfers who are true workhorses.  The writer may also have been thinking of horses in a circus going around a ring.  A shout out to Larry Mason who spotted this one and sent it in.

It’s going to be a rocky ride

Posted: March 28, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was uttered by Andrea Mitchell on her MSNBC show,  Andrea Mitchell Reports.  It is a congruent conflation of “rocky road” and “bumpy ride”, both describing a difficult period of time.  This is a particularly fun one, as there is a homonym mash up included – “road” and “rode”.  A tip of the hat to Vicki Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

Elvis and Costello

Posted: March 25, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A father and daughter were watching clips of the old Jack Benny Show.  The daughter remarked that she liked “Elvis and Costello” better.  This is a mashup of the singer Elvis Costello and the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.  Is it a malaphor?  It certainly is a mix of two items, albeit not idioms.  I declare, as Malaphor King, that it is one, and a really funny one at that.  Who’s on First?  Peace, Love, and Understanding.  A shout out to John Kooser for hearing this one and sending it in.

Even-headed

Posted: March 23, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
On the MSNBC show The Beat with Ari Melber, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D – CT) decried the loss of H.R. McMaster by saying that there are now “fewer even-headed, mature individuals in this administration”.  This is a mashup of “even-handed” (impartial or equitable)  and “level (or calm)-headed” (calm and practical).  This is almost a perfect malaphor.  The words “even” and “level” both relate to equity, and “hand” and “head” are body parts and similar sounding words.  Was this perhaps a Freudian slip, with the speaker thinking that the current Trump administration has some “odd heads” in it?  A shout out to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and sending it in!

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

Posted: March 19, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When asked if he wanted another beer, the speaker uttered the above response.  It is often said intentionally, as in the movie The Big Lebowski.  The Dude responds with this line when Jackie Treehorn offers him another White Russian.  It is a congruent conflation of “does a bear shit in the woods?” and “is the Pope Catholic?”, both expressions that describe the obvious.  There are many expressions in this vein, and I call that “idiom overload”,  when there are just too many sayings swirling around in the head that have the same meaning.  Another example of idiom overload is the many expressions describing one who is not very intelligent (e.g., “not the sharpest tool in the shed”, “not the brightest bulb in the chandelier”, etc).  Many thanks to Erin Powers for hearing this one and sending it in.

I don’t have a dog in this race

Posted: March 17, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments
This nice, subtle malaphor was heard on Bill Simmons’ sports podcast.  Simmons was talking with another NFL commentator about how every off season different teams/franchises make terrible decisions related to overpaying quarterbacks in free agency (such as Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Kirk Cousins signing w/the Broncos, Cardinals, Vikings respectively this week).  He’s a Patriots fan, so he concluded by saying he doesn’t “have a dog in this race” (doesn’t care about any of these teams or quarterbacks personally), but just thinks it’s maddening to see teams making the same mistakes year after year.  This is a congruent conflation of “don’t have a dog in the hunt” and “don’t have a horse in this race”, both meaning to not have a vested interest in something.  The speaker might be a fan of dog races, hence the mix up.  In any event, this is a classic malaphor.  Many thanks to Justin Taylor for hearing this one and passing it on.
Any vested interest in seeing more malaphors?  Check out my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon today for a cheap $6.99.   Unless you don’t have a dog in this race…..

She can’t pull it through

Posted: March 15, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was overheard in a discussion about Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.  The speaker was saying that while Tonya may have known of the planned attack,  she didn’t think she could “pull it through”.  This is a mashup of “pull it off” and “go through with it”, both meaning to be able to accomplish something.  A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and passed it on.

He’s not the brightest fish in the shed

Posted: March 10, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In the continuing series on malaphors describing those who are not very intelligent, I give you this “three way malaphor”.  It is a tri-mashup of “not the sharpest tool in the shed” and “not the brightest bulb in the chandelier”, both describing someone who is not very smart, combined with “not the only fish in the sea” (plenty of other suitable persons).  I have posted multiple variations of this subject in the past, including “not the brightest knife in the drawer”, “not the brightest bulb in the shed”, and “not the sharpest bulb in the shed”.  It just shows that we may want to look in the mirror every once in awhile.  A big thanks to Kimberly Gorgichuk for hearing this one and passing it on.

The two hats should never cross

Posted: March 9, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one is from a tweet posted by Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell.  A reader wrote to him:

“Back when I was a pre-K teacher, I was also a responsible gun-owner. Never had a shooting, but if I had, I couldn’t have managed 20 kids AND a gun. The two hats should never cross.”

This is a mashup of “wearing two hats” (to hold or function in one position or role) and “crossing paths” (to meet someone by chance and not by choice).  A tip of the hat to Tom Justice for seeing this one and sending it in.

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