This condo is a golden goose egg
Posted: April 4, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gold mine, goose egg, humor, kill the goose that laid the golden egg, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, wordplay, words Leave a commentThe speaker was getting ready to put his condo in DC on the market and thought that he can get a lot of money from the sale. He then referred to his condo as the “golden goose egg.” This is an incongruent conflation with opposite meanings – “kill the goose that laid the golden egg” (destroy riches through stupidity), “golden egg” (rich) and “goose egg” (zero). “Sitting on a gold mine” (having something very valuable) is probably the expression the speaker meant to say, but then that big golden goose appeared in his mind and the rest was conflation. This one is good as gold, and my thanks to Sid Sher for sending it in!
It’s the 800 pound elephant in the room
Posted: March 30, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 800 pound gorilla, elephant, elephant in the room, elephants, expressions, gorilla, gorillas, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, NPR, wordplay, words 1 CommentElephants and gorillas don’t mix, yet this malaphor is an exception. This was heard on the NPR show “to the Best of Our Knowledge”. Charles Monroe Cain was interviewing former navy pilot and drone developer Missy Cummings from Duke. He asked her about “the 800 pound elephant in the room.” This is a conflation of “the 800 pound gorilla (dominant force that cannot be ignored) and “the elephant in the room” (a truth that cannot be ignored). Bottom line is that you can’t ignore a gorilla OR an elephant. This elephant mix up thing seems pretty common – see prior postings on pink elephants and white elephants. A trumpeting thank you to eagle eared malaphor hunter Yvonne Stam for sending this one in!
I was slapped down with a little humble pie
Posted: March 27, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Buffalo Bills, eat humble pie, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, slapped down, Toronto Sun, words Leave a commentThis crazy malaphor mixes “slap (someone) down” (to rebuke or rebuff someone) and “eat humble pie” (meek admission or mea culpa). The Toronto Sun quoted Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan responding to the question of whether he feels rejuvenated coaching a different team:
“I’m back, there’s no question about it. I was slapped down with a little humble pie there (with the New York Jets). It was tough … embarrassing.” Bills coach Rex Ryan
Interesting origin to the phrase “humble pie” – The “humble pie” that we eat when we make a misjudgment or outright error was originally “umble” pie made from the intestines of other less appetizing animal parts. Servants and other lower-class people ate them, as opposed to bettercuts. “Umble” became “humble” over the years until eating that pie came to mean expressing a very meek mea culpa. A similar phrase is “eat crow,” the bird being as unpalatable a dish as one’s own words. From the Free Dictionary.
A big thank you to John Costello for sending this one in!
We have to keep our finger on the ball
Posted: March 23, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: congruent conflation, expressions, eyes on the ball, finger on the pulse, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 4 CommentsThis beauty was heard on a conference call by Gary Kelly, a faithful malaphor follower. It is a congruent conflation of “finger on the pulse” and “eyes on the ball”, both involving attention and monitoring something. The mash up also conjures up the image of Lucy keeping her finger on the football and letting go just as Charlie Brown goes to kick it. This is another malaphor mixing body parts, something that seems to happen frequently. A big thanks to Gary Kelly!
He pulled the wool out from under me
Posted: March 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, pull the rug out from under him, pull the wool over his eyes, rug, wool, words 1 CommentThis is a classic, perfectly formed malaphor, as it confuses two similar sounding idioms – “pull the wool over his eyes” (to deceive someone) and “pull the rug (out) from under him” (suddently take away help or support from someone). Both phrases have the word “pull” in them, and both have direction – over and under. Also adding to the mix is the combination of wool and rug – a wool rug. A big thanks to the sharp ears of Sam Edelmann, who heard this one and passed it on.
We are going to close some ground
Posted: February 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: closing the gap, expressions, gaining ground, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentThis very subtle malaphor was heard on a conference call. The speaker was indicating that the backlog was starting to get smaller. This is a mixture of “gaining ground” and “closing the gap”, both meaning to make progress. “Close in” might also be in the mix. From a quick internet search, this malaphor appears to be a common one. Thanks to Sandy Shultis for sending this one in!
I’m getting the shaft end of the stick
Posted: February 15, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting the shaft, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, short end of the stick, words 2 CommentsDuring a game of spades, the speaker uttered this gem in response to receiving a bad hand. This is a mash up of “getting the shaft” (to be cheated or mistreated) and “the short end of the stick” (receiving the smaller or less desirable part). I particularly like this one, as short and shaft have the same number of letters and begin with sh. Also, a shaft is also part of a stick, such as hockey sticks. Perhaps this is a hockey expression (or should be?)? I say the speaker should have two minutes in the penalty box. A tip of the toque to Adam Jacob for hearing this one and sending it in!
The fence is always greener on the other side
Posted: February 11, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, on the fence, the grass is always greener on the other side, words 3 CommentsThe speaker was talking about clubs with problems that look at other clubs and assume everything is going smoothly. This is a mash up of “the grass is always greener on the other side” (other people seem to be in a better situation than you, although that might not be the case) and maybe “on the fence” (undecided). A shout out to Daniel Mustard for sending this one in! Daniel needs to ketch up and send in more malaphors.
The jury’s still on the fence
Posted: February 8, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, jury is still out, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, on the fence, words Leave a commentThis was heard during a discussion about a type of severe acute malnutrition and whether or not it is caused by protein imbalance. This is a mash up of “the jury is still out” (a decision has not been reached yet) and “on the fence” (undecided about something). Thanks to Katie Hatfield for hearing this one in class and passing it on!
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