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.
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!
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