Does that name ring a distant chord?
Posted: December 17, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Countdown with Keith Olbermann, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, Vince Shlomi, words 1 CommentKeith Olbermann, on his podcast, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, was talking about Vince Shlomi, also known as Vince Offer. He asked his audience if the name rang a distant chord. You can hear this at 37:04:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/countdown-with-keith-olbermann/id1633301179?i=1000740161415
This is a mashup of “strikes a chord” (affects someone’s emotions) and “rings a bell” (sounds familiar). “Chord”, “bell”, and “ring” are all music related and hence the mixup. Props to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!
New Malaphor Book!!
Posted: December 14, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: backseat quarterback, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentComing real soon! The third and maybe best malaphor book is about to hit the streets. This one is a real page burner and you’ll want to read it from front to cover. New illustrations from that dental artist Cheryl Rosato! And a review of all the Malaphors of the Year for the past 10 years. Stay tuned!
We are flying without a net
Posted: December 8, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 5 CommentsThis was heard in a conversation about medical treatment without data to rely on. It is a mix of “flying blind” (working on intuition or guesswork instead of data) and “working without a net” (to take action that is risky or otherwise does not provide safety). Almost a congruent conflation but not quite, but both idioms involve working without any certainty. The speaker may have been thinking of flying acrobats with no net underneath. A big thanks to Tom Justice for sending this one in!
A thorn in my butt
Posted: December 5, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 3 CommentsThis was overheard in a work conversation: “this has been a thorn in my butt for years now.” It is a congruent conflation of “thorn in my side” and “pain in the butt”, both meaning something or someone is a source of annoyance or trouble. “A thorn in my paw” might also be in play here. Mixing body parts with thorns seems like a common thing – see past malaphors “thorn in the eye”, “thorn in the heel”, “thorn in the foot”. https://malaphors.com/2023/09/15/defense-has-been-a-thorn-in-the-seahawks-heel-today/ https://malaphors.com/2022/01/22/hes-definitely-a-thorn-in-their-eye/ https://malaphors.com/2013/03/21/its-a-thorn-in-the-foot/ A big thank you to Donna Doblick for sharing this one.
Did you enjoy this one? Why not get a malaphor book (or two) as stocking stuffers this holiday season? They fit in a standard stocking and are cheap – Get them on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
We received the red glove treatment
Posted: December 1, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentI unintentionally said this over the weekend after being entertained for Thanksgiving. It’s a congruent conflation of “white glove service” and “roll out the red carpet”, both meaning to receive premium service and treatment. There was no infra red therapy involved.
I’m not going out of my day to pull stuff up for you guys
Posted: November 24, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis one was seen on X, formerly known as Twitter. It’s a congruent conflation of “not going out of my way” and “not taking time out of my day”, both meaning to not make a special effort to do something. A big thank you to Kris for spotting this subtle one and sending it in.
People are having trouble keeping their nose above water
Posted: November 21, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, words, malaphors, mixed idioms, language, humor, cnn, Trump, Abby Phillip, Scott Jennings Leave a commentThis was heard on CNN’s Saturday Morning Table for Five with Abby Phillip. Scott Jennings was defending Trump as usual but also acknowledging high prices, and how people are having a hard time making ends meet. He then made the above statement. This is a mashup of “keeping (one’s) head above water” (able to just manage, usually referring to finances) and I think “keeping (one’s) nose clean” (stay out of trouble). The word “trouble” probably caused the mental hiccup, with Jennings reaching for “nose” instead of “head”. He may also have been visualizing a dog swimming with the nose extended out of the water. A big thanks to Kathy Meinhardt for hearing this one and sending it in!
Turned back the fountain of time
Posted: November 14, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hockey, humor, illegal curve, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis malaphor was uttered by Drew Mindell of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show at 29:25 of https://www.youtube.com/live/J_4e-wKHKWc?si=SxMlLjTYBThPGEW6&t=1764
It is a congruent conflation of “fountain of youth” and “turn back the hands of time/clock”, both meaning to restore one’s youth. A big thanks to Will for spotting this one and sending it in.
Healthy as a whistle
Posted: November 10, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, whistle, words 2 CommentsThis one was overheard at a dentist’s office. It is a mashup of “clean as a whistle (completely, entirely, or very neat) and “healthy as a horse” (someone in excellent physical shape and very strong/energetic). This one is another in “whistle” malaphors. What is it with mixing idioms with the word “whistle”? Other posts include “sharp as a whistle”, “security is tight as a whistle”, and “all those hoops and whistles”. https://malaphors.com/2025/02/05/sharp-as-a-whistle/ https://malaphors.com/2022/03/14/security-is-tight-as-a-whistle/ https://malaphors.com/2023/05/01/i-have-to-jump-through-all-those-bells-and-whistles/
Kudos to Lou Pugliese for hearing this one and sending it in.
He will win on his Dad’s coat strings!
Posted: November 5, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Corey O'Connor, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, Pittsburgh, words Leave a commentThis one was a Facebook post. The poster was responding to Corey O’Connor’s bid for mayor of Pittsburgh. He is the son of former mayor Bob O’Connor. This is a blend of “on the coattails of (someone)” (benefiting from someone else’s success as a means to achieve one’s own success) and “play/tug on (one’s) heartstrings” (elicit strong feelings of sympathy or fondness). The poster may have been not only thinking of the mayor connection but also of Bob’s untimely death because of cancer cutting short his term in office as mayor. A big thanks to Dan Simon for spotting this one in the Facebook comments wild (by the way, Corey did win!).
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