We were 3 sheets passing in the night
Posted: October 25, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, three sheets to the wind, two ships passing in the night, words 1 CommentA neighbor’s elderly aunt said this beauty, referring to an inebriated group. This is a mash up of “three sheets to the wind” (drunk) and “two ships passing in the night” (people who are rarely in the same place at the same time). The speaker apparently got her numbers mixed up. She also could have been thinking about the group “passing out” and thus mixed the phrases. Anyway, sounds kinky. A big thanks to John Polk, who is also a big fan of wordplay. You can follow him on Twitter – @ClichesGoneWild.
He was always under his mother’s apron strings
Posted: October 24, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, tied to his mother's apron strings, under her thumb, words 1 CommentThis one was uttered by a nurse relating a story about someone. It is a mash up of “tied to (one’s) mother’s apron strings” (dominated or dependent on one’s mother) and “under (someone’s) thumb” (dominated by someone). Both expressions relate to domination, causing the confusion. The speaker might have also conjured up the image of a child under his mother’s apron in the kitchen. A big thanks to Steve Grieme for hearing this one and passing it on!
Did you like this one? Check out the book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
They are ramroading this through the legislature
Posted: October 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, portmanteau, railroad, ramrod, words Leave a commentThis is an excellent word blend congruent conflation of “ramrodding” and “railroading”, both meaning to force passage or acceptance of something, such as a law or bill. This mental mix up stems from two words that sound very similar and with the same meaning. Perhaps “ramroading” is a really BIG effort to push a bill through the legislature!
As I have stated in previous blog posts, the word blend is a special kind of malaphor, not to be confused with a portmanteau. The portmanteau is a combination of two words intentionally to create a new word, such as “smog”, which is a blend of “fog” and “smoke”. A word blend is an unintentional mix of two words, creating a malaphor. My favorite example is “Buckminster Palace”, a blend of Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace (with maybe Buckminster Fuller thrown in for good measure). By the way, if you google that one you come up with multiple hits, making it a popular malaphor.
A big thanks to Andy Manatos for hearing this one and passing it on!
Did you like this word blend? I have a whole chapter devoted to these mental hiccups in my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon now! Ramroad a friend to get one today!
I just want to get under your feathers
Posted: October 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting under your skin, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, ruffle your feathers, words Leave a commentThis was a comment from a Facebook “friend”. It’s a nice congruent conflation of “getting under your skin” and “ruffling your feathers”, both meaning to irritate or annoy someone. This seems to happen a lot on Facebook, even among “friends”. Props to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs, the reigning Malaphor Queen, who saw this one and passed it on.
To boil it down to a nut…
Posted: October 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, in a nutshell, John Gruber, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, The Talk Show, what it boils down to, words Leave a commentThis gem was spoken by John Gruber, in an episode of his tech podcast The Talk Show. You can hear it here, at around 2hr50sec: http://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2016/08/27/ep-165. It is a nice mash up of “in a nutshell” (concisely) and “it boils down to” (condense or summarize). Both phrases refer to the essence of something. Boiled peanuts may also have been on the speaker’s mind. In the southern states of the U.S. you can see lots of signs for these “acquired taste” snacks. A big thanks to Peter Hopkins for hearing this one and sending it in.
Like this one? Try the book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” available on Amazon! It’s the top of the notch!
Put their nose to the wire
Posted: October 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: down to the wire, expressions, hold their feet to the fire, hold their noses, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, put your nose to the grindstone, words Leave a commentAt a recent settlement conference the speaker meant to say, “hold their feet to the fire” but instead heard herself saying, “put their nose to the wire”. So where to start on this multi-mixed idiom blend? First, wire rhymes with fire so that must have been in the speaker’s mind. Second, since it was a settlement agreement, perhaps “hold their noses” (to attempt to avoid something unpleasant) was on her mind. As time is usually of the essence in a case, “down to the wire” (until the last possible moment) may also have been swirling around her brain. “Put your nose to the grindstone” (to keep busy doing work) was probably also bubbling to the surface, considering the tenacious nature of settlement conferences. Finally, horses win often by a nose at the wire so that image could also have been in the thought process. A big thanks to Polly McGilvray for saying and sharing this multi-faceted malaphor!
It’s the carrot at the end of the tunnel
Posted: October 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: carrot and stick approach, expressions, humor, language, light at the end of the tunnel, malaphor, malaphors, words 3 CommentsTwo guys were told that part of their pay would be made when their work was successfully delivered. They were told to consider it “the carrot at the end of the tunnel”. This is a nice mash up of “light at the end of the tunnel” (the end of a difficult period or job) and “carrot on a stick” (reward that is promised as an incentive to complete a task). This malaphor is probably caused by carrots and sticks having similar shapes. And maybe Bugs Bunny sitting in a tunnel pulling carrots underground? A big thanks to Bob Newstadt for hearing this one and passing it on. An additional shout out to his quick-witted friend Nax Paul Mendler for responding to the speaker with, “don’t you mean the light at the end of the stick?”
If you enjoyed this mixed idiom, you will love my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, now available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
A wrench had been thrown into the bucket
Posted: October 4, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick the bucket, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw a monkey wrench into the works, words Leave a commentIn the context of a plan that was derailed, a coworker said that “a wrench had been thrown into the bucket.” I think this is a mash up of “throw a monkey wrench into the works” (disrupt a plan) and “kick the bucket” (to die). I think the latter is in the mix because the speaker was discussing a plan that was essentially dead as a result of the derailment. Anyone have any other ideas? A big thanks to Tom Winkleman for hearing this one and passing it on!
Microsoft continues to cloudy the water
Posted: October 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cloud the issue, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, muddy the waters, words Leave a commentThe exact quote is “Microsoft continues to cloudy the water around their licensing schemes.” This was heard on a corporate training video discussing a technology where software use is either licensed via a traditional shrink-wrapped license or via a Service Provider Licensing Arrangement. It is a congruent conflation of “cloud the issue” and “muddy the waters”, both meaning to make something unclear. Certainly muddy water is cloudy, and hence the mix up. And as pointed out by the Magellan of Malaphors Mike Kovacs, who heard this beauty, readers should note the transmogrification of the word “cloud” to fit this malaphor. Score for Mike and extra points for using the word transmogrification in a sentence and for using the word correctly. This is like getting fouled on a three point shot that goes in and having the other team called for a technical.
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