while your business gets off its feet
Posted: November 21, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get on your feet, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off on the right foot, off the ground, words 1 CommentMalaphor hunter Yvonne Stam heard this one in her car while listening to Suze Orman’s book “the Money Class”. In the chapter on starting your own business, Orman says you need to have savings to tide you over “while your business gets off its feet”. This is a subtle mash up of “off the ground” (to get something started) and “on its feet” (to get someone back to normal). The phrase “getting off on the right foot” also comes to mind, which is probably what the speaker meant to say. Thank you Yvonne for sharing this one, but a warning to everyone: PLEASE do not malaphor hunt and drive at the same time.
I read it front to cover
Posted: November 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back to front, cover to cover, expressions, humor, Jimmy Vivino, language, malaphor, malaphors, Marc maron, neologism, words Leave a commentThis terrific mixed idiom was heard on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. Musician Jimmy Vivino was discussing his development in learning to arrange music and mentioned a book on orchestration that a teacher had given him that he read in its entirety. This is a combination of “front to back” and “cover to cover”, both meaning to have read something in its entirety. There is also a British expression, knowing “(something) back to front”, which also means to know something completely or in its entirety. How many of you have literally read a book front to cover, and decided that was enough? Liner covers do serve a useful purpose. A big thank you to Mike Kovacs, who listens and reads front to cover for malaphors.
He is shooting for the fences
Posted: November 16, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, shoot, swing, Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Helene Cooper, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Meet the Press, mixed idioms, shoot for, swinging for the fences, words 2 CommentsI heard this gem on this morning’s Meet the Press. Helene Cooper, a New York Times correspondent, was discussing President Obama’s proactive week, including his executive authority to issue an executive order regarding immigration. I believe she was wanting to say “swinging for the fences”, meaning to try and accomplish bold ideas, but mixed it with “shooting for (something)” meaning to aim for.
I was pounding the bushes
Posted: November 10, 2014 Filed under: pavement, pound | Tags: beat the bushes, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, Our Mechanical Brain, pound the pavement, words Leave a commentThis is a wonderful congruent conflation of “beating the bushes” and “pounding the pavement”, both meaning to try very hard to achieve something. As the speaker said, “you’d think the alliteration would help me keep them straight”. I was actually pounding my bushes this weekend trying to dislodge all the leaves that had dropped on them. A big thanks to Peter from the blog “Our Mechanical Brain” for producing this great malaphor and passing it on! Check his blog out at Our Mechanical Brain
We were under the opinion that….
Posted: November 7, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, of the opinion, under the impression, words 2 CommentsThis very subtle congruent conflation was heard in the episode “Deadly Disappearance” on the Series “Blood, Lies, and Alibis”. It is a mash up of “under the impression” and “of the opinion”. A big thanks to Laszlo Veres for spotting this one. He has ears like a hawk.
The humidity was off the roof
Posted: November 3, 2014 Filed under: PLACES, roof | Tags: Bobo, congruent conflations, expressions, howard stern, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the charts, through the roof, words Leave a commentThis nice congruent conflation is a mash up of “off the charts” and “through the roof”, both meaning much more than usual. It was heard on The Howard Stern show, uttered by that long-time caller to the program, Bobo. He was describing the climate in Florida. Many thanks to now Senior Vice President of Malaphors Mike Kovacs for hearing this one on the radio last week and passing it on.
Success is just cream on the cake
Posted: November 2, 2014 Filed under: cake, FOOD | Tags: congruent conflations, cream of the crop, expressions, humor, icing on the cake, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, Sting, Twenty Feet from Stardom, words 3 CommentsThis malaphor, spoken by Sting in the documentary “Twenty Feet from Stardom” (an excellent film by the way), involves the phrases “icing on the cake” (something extra on a successful endeavor) and “cream of the crop” (finest or best). I don’t believe “cream on the cake” is a British expression, but please send me your comments over the pond about this.
It is similar to a previously posted malaphor and the tag for this website, “cream of the cake.” Here is the entire quote from the movie:
“Real musicians, there’s a spiritual component to
what they do…. Success is just cream on the cake.
There’s this idea that you can just go on American
Idol and become a star, but you may bypass the
spiritual… and if you bypass that, then your success
will be wafer-thin.” Sting
Thanks to Barry Eigen for hearing this one and sending it in!
You better fiddle for your supper
Posted: October 27, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fiddle while Rome burns, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, sing for your supper, words Leave a commentThis strange advice was overheard at a bus stop by Jack Chandler. I believe this is a mash up of “fiddle while Rome burns” (to do nothing or something trivial while something disastrous is happening) and “sing for your supper” (to do something in order to receive something). Perhaps the speaker was thinking of the roaming violinist in some Italian restaurant or strolling strings at a banquet. For some reason the malaphor reminds me of that John Denver song, Thank God I’m a Country Boy:
Well I got me a fine wife, I got me ol’ fiddle
When the sun’s comin’ up I got cakes on the griddle
And life ain’t nothin’ but a funny funny riddle
Thank God I’m a country boy
Thanks to Jack Chandler for sending this one in.
It’s right under my eyes
Posted: October 25, 2014 Filed under: BODY PARTS, eye, nose | Tags: congruent conflations, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, right before your eyes, right under your nose, words 2 CommentsThis subtle, perfectly formed malaphor is a mash up of “right under my nose” and “right before my eyes”, both meaning something obvious and not hidden. This congruent conflation might also seem obviously correct but on reflection it is indeed a malaphor. It is another example of mixed up idioms involving body parts, particularly on the head for some reason. Another big thanks to the Midwest Regional Senior Malaphor Hunter, Mike Kovacs.
I got by by the squeak of my teeth
Posted: October 23, 2014 Filed under: BODY PARTS, tooth | Tags: by the skin of our teeth, congruent conflations, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, squeaked by, squeaky clean, words 2 CommentsThis is a congruent conflation of “by the skin of my teeth” and “squeaked by”, both meaning just barely. My teeth seem to squeak when I rub my fingers over them, particularly after a good dental cleaning, so I can see where the speaker might be confused. The phrase “squeaky clean” used to describe clean teeth (and other things) also comes to mind. All in all, I think this malaphor is an improvement over the idioms noted above, don’t you? A big squeaky clean thank you to Beverly Rollins Sheingorn VanDerhei (now there’s a mouthful!) for sending this one in!
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