The shit hit the roof
Posted: September 20, 2014 Filed under: PLACES, roof | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, hit the roof, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, shit hit the fan, words 1 CommentWell, maybe in the Hitchcock movie “The Birds”, but in this case, the speaker was trying to say “the shit hit the fan” (when expected trouble materializes) and instead mixed it with “hit the roof” (get angry), creating a juicy (s0rry, wrong description), nice malaphor. Thanks to Katie Hatfield for her malaphor contribution.
It blows the roof off my doors
Posted: September 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blow the doors off, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, through the roof, words 3 CommentsThis seems to be a mash up of “blows the doors off” (very fast) and “hit the roof” (very angry). My ol’ pal says maybe “blows his lid”, which also means very angry. The context, however, was something exceeding expectations. which would indicate “go through the roof” (prices go exceedingly high) might be in play. A big thank you to Paul Brendel by way of Kevin Hatfield for reporting this one.
I’m biting my words
Posted: September 13, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, bite, BODY PARTS, tongue | Tags: bite my tongue, eat my words, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentPrecisely. That’s what we all do when we utter malaphors. This one is a mash up of “eating my words” (admission that what you said was wrong) and “biting my tongue” (stop yourself from speaking). The speaker, Kevin Hatfield, was attempting to say eating my words but perhaps felt he bit off more than he could chew. Biting and eating are part of the confusion, both actions by the mouth. “My” is also shared, adding to the mix up. Thanks to Kevin Hatfield for blurting this one out!
I was taken to the wolves
Posted: September 8, 2014 Filed under: wolves | Tags: expressions, humor, Jon Hein, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, taken to the cleaners, thrwon to the wolves, words Leave a commentI don’t make these up, folks. This wonderful malaphor is a mash up of “thrown to the wolves” (put someone in a situation where there is nothing to protect them) and “taken to the cleaners” (swindle someone). The words “taken” and “thrown”, both verbs and both starting with a “t”, may have been the root of the confusion. This mix up was said by Jon Hein, creator of the Jump the Shark website (now part of tvguide.com) and host of The Wrap Up Show on the Howard Stern channel on Sirius XM satellite radio. He was referring to a time that he was put in a compromising position. Interestingly, Jon Hein grew up in Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon). A fellow Pittsburgher and senior malaphor reporter, Mike Kovacs, heard this one and messaged it in. Thanks again, Mike!
You’ll end up chasing red herrings
Posted: September 6, 2014 Filed under: herring | Tags: chasing your tail, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, red herring, words 3 CommentsThis is a mash up of “chasing your tail” (busy but not achieving anything) and ” a red herring” (something that misleads or detracts from what is important). This was advice from a Judge to an attorney to have short deadlines to complete writing assignments, otherwise peripheral issues might be focused on that don’t really matter. The combination of the phrases creates a nice new one, meaning wasting time on non essential issues. So don’t sweat the small stuff, people. Interestingly, the origin of the phrase “red herring” supposedly comes from the training of hounds to follow scents. Red herrings would have a strong scent, and would be tied to the tails of hounds to make them concentrate on the actual scent that they were supposed to follow. A big thank you to John Costello for sending this one in.
I’m fuming at the mouth
Posted: September 2, 2014 Filed under: mouth | Tags: congruent conflation, expressions, foaming at the mouth, fuming, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, running on fumes, words 2 CommentsThis is a congruent conflation of “fuming over (someone or something)” and “foaming at the mouth”, both meaning to be extraordinarily angry. The context makes sense: the speaker was trying to make a left turn against oncoming traffic and said, “”I’ll call you back in a minute. I’m fuming at the mouth trying to make this left turn”. “Running on fumes” also may be in the mix, as car fumes might certainly have been on her mind as well. A big thanks to Joseph Newcomer for sending this one in!
You’re too smart for your own britches
Posted: August 30, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, too big for your britches, too smart for your own good, words 2 CommentsThis wonderful congruent conflation is a mash up of “you’re too smart for your own good” and “too big for your britches”, both describing a haughty person. This is a fairly common malaphor, evidenced by the amount of internet hits using this phrase. Contributing to the confusion is the use of the word “too”. Thanks to Sheva Gunnery for hearing this subtle mix up and passing it on!
Why don’t we call and chew his brain?
Posted: August 26, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chew the fat, expressions, humor, Justin Verlander, language, malaphor, malaphors, Matt harvey, mixed idioms, pick his brain, The Walking Dead, words, zombies Leave a commentNo, this is not a line from The Walking Dead (although maybe it is…). It is a nicely formed malaphor, shared by that malaphor hunter, John Costello. John was speaking to his wife about calling a handyman and this was her response. It is a mash up of “chew the fat” (to chat) and ” pick his brain” (talking with someone to get information about something). I particularly like this one as it conjures up an image that was not intended. This malaphor was also spoken by the pitcher Matt Harvey last year:
Harvey said he did not get a chance to chat with Justin Verlander when the ace made the visit to Port St. Lucie. But Terry Collins , who is close with Tigers manager Jim Leyland, indicated he’d like to make a conversation happen.
“Hopefully I’ll chew his brain a little bit down the road,” Harvey said. “I just sat back and watched.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/61768/harvey-studied-verlander-before-facing-fish
They made this up out of whole air
Posted: August 25, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, dateline id, expressions, hot air, humor, into thin air, language, make something out of whole cloth, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 2 CommentsThis is a mash up of “make something out of whole cloth” (fabricate a lie) and “into thin air” (vanish without a trace). Thin and whole both describe size, which might contribute to the crossed wires. “Hot air” (not sincere with no practical results) might also be in the mix, as the speaker of this malaphor was a lawyer. Specifically, it was heard on “Dateline ID” with Lester Holt. A a defense attorney criticized the prosecution’s description of the accused as a Jekyll-Hyde personality, and then uttered this malaphor. A big thanks to my “ol’ pal”, Beatrice Zablocki for sending this one in.
You’ve been a busy camper
Posted: August 19, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: busy as a beaver, expressions, happy camper, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 2 CommentsThis was seen on a Facebook post. It’s a nice mash up of “busy as a beaver” (very busy) and “happy camper” (happy person). The words beaver and camper have the same number of letters and similar sounds that probably added to the confusion. Of course, maybe the person really meant to describe a very busy happy person! Thanks to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for sending this one in.
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