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.
Donald Trump is the white elephant in the room
Posted: November 1, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, MSNBC, Trump Leave a commentWilliam Cohen, who served as both a Republican U.S. Representative as well as a U.S Senator and Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton, said this malaphor on the MSNBC show The Beat with Ari Melber on October 23, nine days ago. It is a mashup of “elephant in the room” (obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed) and “white elephant” (a burdensome possession whose costs outweigh its value). While I have posted this one before (September 6, 2012), it is too good to pass up.
“The elephant in the room” seems to be a common expression mix-up. For example, I have posted:
“It’s the 800 pound elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2015/03/30/its-the-800-pound-elephant-in-the-room/
“I think that’s the pink elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2013/08/07/i-think-thats-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room/
In fact, I have a separate section devoted to the “elephant malaphor” in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
You hit the bottom line
Posted: January 17, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bottom line, hit the nail on the head, idioms, malaphor, mixed idioms, wordplay Leave a commentListening to the radio this morning and the DJs were discussing Trump’s wall speech and the Democratic response. One guy was making the point that both stated their positions but no minds were changed. To which the other guy replied “ you hit the bottom line”. This is a conflation of “hit the nail on the head” (exactly the right thing) and “the bottom line” (by extension, the most important aspect of something). “Hit bottom” (lowest point in a decline) might also have been in the speaker’s mind, considering the nadir in politics right now with the shutdown. A big thanks to Steve Grieme for hearing this one on his morning commute and sending it in.
You need to put your ducks in one basket
Posted: September 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: eggs in one basket, get your ducks in a row, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, word play Leave a commentThis one was overheard at a business meeting. It is a nice conflation of “get your ducks in a row” (get well-organized) and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” (don’t risk everything on one venture). Idioms containing the words eggs, ducks, or baskets seem to get commonly jumbled. Type any one of these words in the search and you will find many postings on the subjects. A big thanks to John Hatfield III for hearing this one and sending it in.
This wait is mind-racking
Posted: February 25, 2017 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mind blowing, mixed idioms, nerve-racking, words 2 CommentsThis nice word blend malaphor was heard on the t.v. show Hell’s Kitchen. Chef Ramsey was about to make his decision on the winner. As suspense was building, one of the contestants said “This wait is mind racking”. This is a mash up of “mind-blowing” (overwhelming or astounding) and “nerve-racking” (very distressing or exhausting). My guess is that the speaker was also thinking of “racking my brain” (to try very hard to think of something), something few do today thanks to Google. Kudos to John and Heather Hatfield for hearing this one and sending it into Malaphor Central!
Want to read something that will rack your mind? Check out my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon for a cheap 6.99!
It’s all a bunch of crock
Posted: October 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: a bunch of baloney, a crock, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis malaphor was uttered by actor Bill Murray in a GQ interview, discussing the recent Ghostbusters movie. Here’s the link: http://www.gq.com/story/bill-murray-dan-fierman-gq-interview. This is a congruent conflation of “a bunch of baloney (or malarkey or…)” and “a crock”, both meaning falsehoods or lies. Actually, I like this one for describing a really big lie. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for spotting this one and sending it in!
If you want to see more Hollywood malaphors, check out my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon now! I guarantee it’s not a bunch of crock.
To boil it down to a nut…
Posted: October 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, in a nutshell, John Gruber, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, The Talk Show, what it boils down to, words Leave a commentThis gem was spoken by John Gruber, in an episode of his tech podcast The Talk Show. You can hear it here, at around 2hr50sec: http://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2016/08/27/ep-165. It is a nice mash up of “in a nutshell” (concisely) and “it boils down to” (condense or summarize). Both phrases refer to the essence of something. Boiled peanuts may also have been on the speaker’s mind. In the southern states of the U.S. you can see lots of signs for these “acquired taste” snacks. A big thanks to Peter Hopkins for hearing this one and sending it in.
Like this one? Try the book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” available on Amazon! It’s the top of the notch!
She won’t cross that path
Posted: July 11, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cross that line, down that path, expressions, Howard Stern Show, humor, Jim Breuer, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentComedian Jim Breuer, during his interview on The Howard Stern Show, was talking about his daughter and her reluctance to do a certain thing. He said, “she won’t cross that path.” This is a conflation of “cross the line” (to change from being acceptable to unacceptable) and “go down that path (or road)” (to do a particular thing). Although not in context, the speaker may have been also thinking of “cross paths (with someone)” (meet someone by chance). A big thanks to Vicki Ameel Kovacs, a regular malaphor contributor and loyal follower!
The Howard Stern Show is a goldmine for malaphors, as noted in my book He Smokes Like A Fish and other Malaphors, available on Amazon for a mere 6.99! Check it out! Howard would be proud.
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