You hit the nail on the point
Posted: January 3, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis malaphor was overheard in a Zoom meeting where the contributor’s boss was talking to a consultant who is helping the company increase sales. This is a mashup of “hit the nail on the head” (precisely correct or accurate) and “to the point” or “on point” (focused on or related to the crux of a particular topic). “Hitting the nail on the head” seems to get messed up a lot. For example, I have posted other variations such as “You hit the nail on the button” https://malaphors.com/2022/05/02/you-hit-the-nail-on-the-button/ and “You put your finger on the nail” https://malaphors.com/2020/01/02/you-put-your-finger-on-the-nail/.
A big thanks to frequent malaphor contributor Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!
2024 Malaphor of the Year!!
Posted: December 29, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, idioms, language, malaphor of the year, malaphors, mixed idioms, words, writing 2 CommentsIt’s that time again and I know everyone has been anticipating this moment. It is NOW time to reveal this year’s Malaphor of the Year. But before I unveil this masterpiece, here are the winners of past years:
2015 – I have a pulse to the ground (submitted by Paula Garrety)
2016 – Let’s give them a round of hand! (submitted by Martin Pietrucha)
2017 – Welcome to my shoes (submitted by Steve Kovacs)
2018 – Whatever turns your boat (submitted by John Kooser)
2019 – My old car shit the bucket (submitted by John Fischer)
2020 – You’re a one-horse pony (submitted by Bruce Ryan and Ron MacDonald)
2021 – The new President says he wants to turn over a new page (submitted by Frank King)
2022 – Backseat Quarterback (submitted by Chuck Hatsis)
2023 – His cards of lies are about to crumble (submitted by Mike Kovacs)
Before I reveal the winner, I want to give a shout out to the runners-up:
#5 Tying themselves in pretzels (May 2024 – submitted by Mike Kovacs). This conflation of “tying”, “twisting”, “knots”, and “pretzels” is a malaphor masterpiece.
#4 He’s a wet toast (December 2024 – submitted by Bruce Ryan). A beautifully descriptive mashup.
#3 They’re like a fish up a tree (February 2024 – submitted by Martin Pietrucha). This conflation describing professional soccer players attempting to play with both legs is a perfect description, improving the underlying idioms..
#2 I’m gonna want to pick your ear on this (September 2024 – submitted by Andy Jacobs). A beautiful visual and conflation had to be my runner-up of the year.
But the winner this year is She was giving me the cold finger, submitted by Jim Weil (September 2024). This new conflated phrase might be the ultimate snub. It is a mashup of “give (one) the finger” (to treat one poorly or display contempt for someone) and “give someone the cold shoulder” (to snub someone).
Happy New Year everyone!
He’s a wet toast
Posted: December 27, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, toast, words 1 CommentA discussion on Christmas Eve describing a friend gives us this nice malaphor. It is a blend of “wet blanket” (discouraging enjoyment or enthusiasm) and “milquetoast” (lacking vigor, wishy washy), both referring to someone who is boring and dull. It’s not quite a congruent conflation but definitely an excellent description! A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in.
This is the last malaphor posted for 2024. Stay tuned for what everyone has been waiting for — Malaphor of the Year!
Hopefully it will be the final straw in his coffin
Posted: December 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, Trump, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about the latest lie from Trump. This is a mash up of “the last straw” and “another nail in the coffin” (both meaning the final problem that will lead to a collapse or end). This one is similar to a previous post – “the last straw in his coffin” https://malaphors.com/2012/11/22/the-last-straw-in-the-coffin/
A shout out to Beverly Rollins Sheingorn VanDerhei for uttering this one unintentionally and sending it in.
The cat is already out of the barn
Posted: December 18, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cats, expressions, horses, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking to his wife about school shootings and said that they are too late to rectify due to lax gun laws. He then blurted out this nice mashup of “the horse is out of the barn” (it’s too late to prevent something from happening) and “the cat is out of the bag” (allow a secret to be known). Too bad he didn’t add that the train has left the station. “Out of” is the common thread here, and cats certainly hang out in barns. A big thank you to Chuck Hatsis for admitting he said this one and sending it in to Malaphor Central.
They’ve kicked this one down the can many times
Posted: December 16, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, KDKA, Larry Richert, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentLarry Richert, Pittsburgh radio talk show host of the “KDKA Morning Show with Larry Richert”, was talking about the budget talks and another continuing resolution due date. Regarding Congress actually voting to pass a budget, Richert said “they’ve kicked this one down the can so many times.” This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (defer or postpone a definitive action) and “down the line” (in the future). Both phrases involve something done in the future, hence the mental mixup.
A tip of the toque to Katie Minnock for hearing this one and sending it in!
Even when he’s lying out of his teeth
Posted: December 11, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ben Wikler, expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, The Daily Show, Trump, words Leave a commentBen Wikler, the current chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, was on The Daily Show and speaking about how Trump’s habit of speaking before he thinks appeals to so many voters. Wikler added, “even when he’s (Trump) lying”. You can catch this on the December 9, 2024 show at the 32:31 mark.
This is a congruent conflation of “lying through (one’s) teeth” and “talking out of (one’s) ass”, both describing one who lies brazenly. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this beauty and sending it in. This malaphor was also submitted a few years ago by Lou Pugliese in a different context – https://malaphors.com/2019/03/11/shes-lying-out-of-her-teeth/
Democracy is hanging by a string
Posted: December 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All In With Chris Hayes, expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis one was heard on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast, episode 241k, at 1:28:
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000679274189
This is a mashup of “hanging by a thread” (something is in a dangerous state and likely to fail) and I think “have (someone) on the string” (to keep someone awaiting a decision). Threads and strings are similar so it seems logical that something would be hanging by a string, but to date it’s not an actual idiom. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!
It will be a smooth breeze
Posted: November 22, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, John Shumway, KDKA, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentPittsburgh traffic report on KDKA: John Shumway was talking about an accident which was backing up traffic, but that once you got by the accident driving “will be a smooth breeze”. This is a congruent conflation of “smooth sailing” and “a breeze”, both meaning easy progress without difficulty or impediment.
A big thanks to Dan Geier for hearing this one and sending it in!
There are lots of stakes
Posted: November 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All In With Chris Hayes, blended idioms, expressions, humor, malaphors, Melanie Zanona, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentMelanie Zanona, a Capitol Hill reporter, said this malaphor on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast when she was discussing the issue of whether the House Ethics Committee should release the report on Matt Gaetz. You can hear it at 20:15: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000677135164
This is a mashup of “a lot at stake” (taking a big risk) and “stakes are high” (risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous). A big thank you to veteran malaphor spotter Frank King for noticing this one and sending it in.
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