Don’t look a gift horse in the can
Posted: April 21, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: don't look a gift horse in the mouth, expressions, humor, in the can, kick the can, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis good piece of advice was unintentionally uttered by the husband of a malaphor follower. It is a mash up of “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” (receive a gift graciously and without criticism) and I think “in the can” (successfully completed and ready for consumption) or perhaps “kick the can down the road” (to postpone a definitive action). Interestingly, the saying “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” is attributed to St. Jerome and refers to the practice of looking at a horse’s teeth to determine its age. I am not sure looking in the opposite end (the can) would achieve the same purpose.
Horses seem to be common in malaphors. Ray Johnston, husband of frequent malaphor contributor Marcia Johnston, has suggested that they be called “maraphors”. Clever thinking Ray! I will add a new category on the websited entitled Maraphors. Quite a few have already been posted. A big thank you to Susan Ban for hearing this one uttered by her husband and passing it on!
Our spouses and our children are off bounds
Posted: April 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off limits, out of bounds, Ted Cruz, words Leave a comment
Nobody bats a hundred in this business
Posted: April 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: batting a thousand, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, nobody is 100% perfect, Ozzie newsome, words Leave a commentAnother excellent one from the sports world. The Baltimore Ravens held a pre-draft press conference during which GM Ozzie Newsome said that “nobody bats a hundred in this business.” This is a mash up of “nobody gets a hundred percent right” (no one is perfect) and “batting a thousand” (baseball expression – doing something extremely well and better than expected). The idiom “giving 110 percent” (going above and beyond what a person thinks he is capable) also might have been in the speaker’s mind. You can hear this malaphor at @ 15:15 at the following link:
A big thanks to Gerry Abbott for hearing this one and passing it on!
By the way, there are loads of malaphors from the sports world in my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, which can be purchased cheap on Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
It was like pulling hen’s teeth
Posted: April 16, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, like pulling teeth, malaphor, malaphors, rare as hen's teeth, words Leave a commentwww.createspace.com/5793567
He says whatever rolls off the top of his head
Posted: April 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the top of my head, roll off the tongue, words 1 CommentThis gem was picked up on a radio show. A caller said Trump “says whatever rolls off the top of his head”. This is a mash up of “off the top of one’s head” (without much thought) and “roll/trip off the tongue” (easy to say). “Heads will roll” (people will get into severe trouble) also might be in the mix, given the bombastic nature of the subject. Given the sweeping nature of the subject’s hair, the image of something “rolling off the top of the head” might also have been in the speaker’s mind. A big thanks to Donna Cosentino for hearing this one and sending it in!
If you liked this malaphor, you will LOVE the book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” that can be purchased on Amazon for a measly 6.29. This link to to get this collection of mash ups is http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205. In Canada it’s http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0692652205 and in the UK it’s http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0692652205.
It’s outside the pale
Posted: April 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beyond the pale, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, outside the norm, words 3 CommentsThis subtle gem was uttered by Hillary Clinton on the Rachel Maddow show. She was discussing Donald Trump’s position on abortion and said that “it’s outside the pale”. This is a mash up of “beyond the pale” (unacceptable) and “outside the norm” (uncommon). The perceptive Frank King heard this one and passed it on. He has the ears of a hawk!
We can’t put the genie back in the box
Posted: April 11, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, genie back in the bottle, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, open Pandora's box, words 3 CommentsDiscussing politics is not always a good idea, unless you blurt out a malaphor. One of my major malaphor contributors, Yvonne Stam, was discussing social policy with her husband and uttered this great mixed idiom. It is a mash up of “can’t put the genie back in the bottle” (not being able to revert to a situation formerly existing) and “opening Pandora’s box” (doing something that causes a lot of unexpected problems). As Yvonne notes, both involve mythical creatures that cause trouble. Also, closing Pandora’s box has a similar meaning to putting the genie back in the bottle. Both are impossible. I also think the mix up is caused by the containers themselves – putting things in boxes and bottles. Finally, back rhymes with jack so it is possible Yvonne was also conjuring up an image of a jack-in-the-box. Who knows? Bottom line is it is a terrific malaphor, and kudos again to Yvonne Stam for sending this one in!
Did this malaphor give you a chuckle? If so, my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” will have you chuckling for days. You can find it on Amazon in book or kindle at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
I’m getting wet feet
Posted: April 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting cold feet, getting your feet wet, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 2 CommentsA student was getting ready to give a presentation in front of the class, and he was a little nervous. He said “I’m getting wet feet”, a terrific combo of “getting cold feet” (lose one’s nerve) and “getting your feet wet” (to experience something for the first time). The mix up is an obvious one: both expressions have the words “feet” and “getting” in them. And of course feet can get cold when wet. A big thanks to Adam Jacob for hearing this one and passing it on!
If you loved this malaphor you’ll really love the book I recently published entitled “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available now on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205. Makes a great gift!
You need to get over your high horse
Posted: April 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get off your high horse, get over yourself, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis gem was spoken from someone with an attitude. It is a congruent conflation of “get over yourself” and “get off your high horse”, both meaning to become humble or less haughty. The appearance of “your” in both phrases contributes to the mix up. The image of jumping over the horse in gym class also might have been in the speaker’s mind. The congruent conflation (two or more blended idioms having the same definition) is perhaps the best kind of malaphor. A big thanks to Steven Russell for hearing this one and Katie Hatfield for passing it on!
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