We are not out of the clear
Posted: January 25, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, in the clear, Kamala Harris, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, out of the woods, Rachel Maddow, Trump, words Leave a commentThis dandy conflation comes straight from the mouth of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. She was discussing Russian interference in the U.S. Presidential election and explained that “we are not out of the clear”. This is congruent conflation of “out of the woods” and “in the clear”, both meaning to be free from danger or suspicion of wrongdoing. This malaphor was repeated by MSNBC on its twitter feed: Sen. Kamala Harris: “We’re not out of the clear in terms of 2018 election cycle” https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/952057691974881280
Many followers caught this one, including Beatrice Zablocki, Sam Edelmann, and Frank King. I guess this one was very clear.
We can’t keep kicking this issue down the can
Posted: January 24, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bernie Sanders, expressions, kick the can down the road, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, words 1 CommentI know it’s similar to other posts regarding malaphors on the idiom, “kick the can down the road”, but this one was again uttered in the political world and I can’t pass it up. This time it is Bernie Sanders, appearing on the Andrea Mitchell show on MSNBC, talking about the DACA impasse between Congress and the president. A big thanks to Mike Browning for spotting this one.
We’ve jumped over the last hoop
Posted: January 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 30 Nights, clear a hurdle, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentHoops and hurdles seem to confound folks, given the many malaphors posted involving these words. This one was uttered by a film producer exclaiming that the last legal step was completed in order to distribute a film. It is a nice congruent conflation of “jumping through hoops” and “clearing a hurdle”, both meaning to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal. This one is similar to “we still have a lot of hurdles to jump through (https://malaphors.com/2013/08/05/we-still-have-a-lot-of-hurdles-to-jump-through/) and “we have so many hurdles to cross” (https://malaphors.com/2014/02/15/we-have-so-many-hurdles-to-cross/) And who can forget “he bent over hoops for me” (https://malaphors.com/2016/02/19/he-bent-over-hoops-for-me/). By the way, the speaker was Tom W. Metz III, who is currently producing his first full length picture, 30 Nights! Check it out @30NightsMovie. A big thanks to Lou Pugliese for hearing this one and sharing it.
They are kicking the can down the table
Posted: January 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chuck Schumer, cnn, come to the table, expressions, humor, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, words Leave a commentSimilar to the last post, this is another “kick the can down the road” malaphor. Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, said this one on CNN. He was explaining why he did not want to pass a CR. This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (to postpone or defer an action) and I think “come to the table”(to meet to negotiate a particular issue or situation). My guess is that Schumer combined these two thoughts as he is currently negotiating a deal to stop the government shutdown. New Yorkers talk faster than their thoughts. A big thanks to Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one.
That issue always seems to get kicked down the can
Posted: January 20, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Harris Faulkner, humor, kick at the can, kick the can down the road, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 Comment
You are lemmings to the slaughter
Posted: January 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, lambs to slaughter, language, like lemmings, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentSometimes comments on Facebook produce great malaphors. This one is no exception. It was uttered by an anti-vaxxer accusing everyone of not knowing or wanting to know the “truth”. It is a mashup of “lambs (or pigs) to the slaughter” (innocently and helplessly, without realizing the danger) and “like lemmings” (doing things without fear or thought). Both idioms concern large numbers usually, and both refer to people who really aren’t thinking but merely following. I suppose when lemmings jump over the cliff they are going to their “slaughter”. A big thanks to Cassandra Anne who spotted this one on her facebook feed.
Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog
Posted: January 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, dropped like a hot potato, dumped, expressions, Fire and Fury, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Wolff, Steve Bannon, whipped like a dog, words Leave a comment#3 in the “Fire and Fury” malaphor series. This one comes courtesy of the President of the U.S. Donald Trump, in one of his twitters responding to the book, “Fire and Fury”. He says:
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/949498795074736129
“Dumped like a dog” is a conflation of “dropped like a hot potato” (to abandon someone or something suddenly), “dumped” (to reject), and “like a whipped dog” (ashamed because you have been defeated). The latter seems particularly appropriate given the context. Of course, dogs do take “dumps” which may have been in the speaker’s mind. A big thanks to David Barnes for sniffing this one out.
At the same token
Posted: January 8, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: at the same time, by the same token, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, Tommy Wisneau, washington wizards, words Leave a commentThis subtle malaphor was uttered in a Washington Wizards post-game analysis show. It is a congruent conflation of “by the same token” and “at the same time” (introducing parallel or closely contrasting information). This one seems to be fairly common, given the number of internet hits. One I particularly like is from Tommy Wiseau, director and star of the cult movie, “The Room”. In an interview he stated:
“I tried to eat vegan, to be honest with you, and I tried to all different styles, it doesn’t work for me. At the same token. I think the world has been changed. The perfect example would be, how do you raise the chicken, which direction are you going, as a farmer. I think it’s something, what I personally didn’t know about. I mean just a few, I came by it by doing some research and I say “Wow, that’s something that never crossed my mind.”
http://splitsider.com/2015/04/tommy-wiseau-discusses-americans-chickens-and-questions-he-hates/
A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and passing it on.
It’s as plain as a hair on your face
Posted: January 7, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, Fire and Fury, it's as plain as the nose on your face, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Wolff, not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin, Steve Bannon, words Leave a commentThis is the second in the “Fire and Fury” malaphor series. Steve Bannon, quoted in Michael Wolff’s book, was talking about how Mueller’s investigation is about money laundering:
“You realize where this is going,” he is quoted as saying. “This is all about money laundering. Mueller chose [senior prosecutor Andrew] Weissmann first and he is a money-laundering guy. Their path to fucking Trump goes right through Paul Manafort, Don Jr and Jared Kushner … It’s as plain as a hair on your face.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-russia-steve-bannon-michael-wolff
This is a mashup of “it’s as plain as the nose on your face” (very obvious or noticeable) and “not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin” (never; no way). I suppose a hair on one’s face is also noticeable, depending on the location. A big thanks to Tom Justice and Ron MacDonald for both spotting this malaphor and sending it in!
She is dumb as a brick
Posted: January 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dumb as a rock, Fire and Fury, Ivanka Trump, Jethro Tull, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Wolff, Steve Bannon, thick as a brick Leave a commentSteve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, called Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter and top White House adviser, “dumb as a brick” in journalist Michael Wolff’s new book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed a manuscript of the book on Wednesday. https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/01/03/steve-bannon-says-ivanka-trump-is-dumb-as-a-brick/23323301/
This is a nice congruent conflation of “thick as a brick” and “dumb as a rock (or post)”, both meaning someone incredibly stupid. Perhaps the person doing the name calling should reflect on his own intelligence, considering his bungling of idioms.
The phrase reminds me of the title of Jethro Tull’s fifth album, “Thick as a Brick”, released in 1972. It is considered today as one of the classics of progressive rock. Perhaps Bannon was listening to this album when he uttered his remark.
A big shout out to Mike Kovacs for spotting this timely beauty.
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