I slept like a dog last night
Posted: June 18, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, dog, sleep | Tags: blended idioms, dogs, expressions, humor, language, let sleeping dogs lie, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, out like a log, slept like a baby, words 1 CommentDogs sleep pretty soundly, but this is definitely a malaphor. It is a mash up of “slept like a log (or baby)” (restful sleep) and “let sleeping dogs lie” (do not instigate trouble). Nice mix up as it involves assonance (log, dog, and lie, like) and similar words in the phrases (sleep, dog). This beauty was uttered by John Costello, one of my roving malaphor reporters!
He was trying to woo her over
Posted: June 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, pull the wool over ones eyes, win her over, woo her, words 1 CommentThis is a mash up of “woo her” (to seek the affection of someone) and “win her over” (to succeed in making someone favorable to something). Perhaps “pull the wool over her eyes” (to deceive someone) is also in the muddled brain mix. This is one I uttered a couple of days ago that my wife caught. As with all good malaphors, they are quickly forgotten, so I wrote it down immediately.
The business side always throws you a loop
Posted: June 9, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Andre Miller, blended idioms, congruent conflation, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, throws you a curve, throws you for a loop, washington wizards, words Leave a commentSometimes it’s those nasty little prepositions that cause the mix up. In this case, backup point guard Andre Miller, talking about his desire to return to the Washington Wizards, said this nice congruent conflation. See http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2080250-andre-miller-38-says-he-has-a-lot-more-years-left-before-retiring-from-nba It is a mash up of “throws you for a loop” and “throws you a curve,” both meaning something unexpected that upsets or confuses someone. I also think the imagery of someone tossing a life preserver into the water is in play here. A big thanks to Mike Browning for spotting this subtle but excellent malaphor!
I don’t know what kinda gun she’s been smoking
Posted: June 3, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, guns, smoke, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, smoking gun, what has she been smoking?, words Leave a commentOkay. Yes, this was actually unintentionally said on the Maury show last week. Husband was being accused of kissing his wife’s girlfriend and having an affair behind her back. The husband denied the accusation and said this malaphor about his wife to Maury. This is a mash up of “smoking gun” (indisputable sign of guilt) and “what have you been smoking?” (rhetorical question implying that the person is acting strange). There may be a freudian element here, as the husband might be admitting guilt through the use of a malaphor. Or maybe I am reading into this more than I should. A big thank you to John Hatfield for hearing this one!
Don’t wake up a sleeping dog
Posted: May 29, 2014 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, dog, sleep | Tags: blended idioms, don't wake a sleeping giant, expressions, humor, language, let sleeping dogs lie, malaphor, malaphors, miami heat, mixed idioms, sun-sentinel, words 11 CommentsIt’s cold as hell outside
Posted: May 24, 2014 Filed under: hell | Tags: blended idioms, cold as shit, expressions, hot as hell, humor, it will be a cold day in hell, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, oxymorons, phrases, words Leave a commentThis is a jumble of several phrases, including “hot as hell”, “cold as shit”, and “it will be a cold day in hell when…” (unlikely event). This oxymoron malaphor is fairly common, considering the above expressions and the mixing of temperatures in the brain. Thanks to Sid Sher for sending this in and admitting he said it!
You had to figure out what you were going to do on a dime’s notice
Posted: May 20, 2014 Filed under: dime | Tags: blended idioms, cnn, congruent conflations, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, on a moment's notice, prepared to turn on a dime, words 7 CommentsSteve Grieme, one of the best malaphor spotters around, heard a beauty on CNN last week. A guy was videotaping some of the raging wildfires in Southern California. In response to a reporter’s question about people fleeing from their homes, he said, “Fight of flight. You had to figure out what you were going to do on a dimes notice”. This is a congruent conflation of “moment’s notice” and “be prepared to turn on a dime”, both meaning to act quickly. Thanks Steve!
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1405/17/cnr.03.html
It’s not an air shut case
Posted: May 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: air-tight case, blended idioms, congruent conflations, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, open-and-shut case, words Leave a commentThis wonderful mix up was heard at a training seminar. The instructor was indicating that discrimination lawsuits are not always straightforward and then proceeded to combine “air-tight case” and “open-and-shut case”, both meaning straightforward situations without complications. The speaker may also have been thinking of air lock doors that seal out air completely, found in airplane exit doors. This is a great example of a congruent conflation, mixing two closely defined phrases. A big shout out to Bill Shaffer for sending this one in to Malaphor HQ!
Let’s float a carrot
Posted: May 3, 2014 Filed under: carrot, float | Tags: blended idioms, dangle a carrot, expressions, float an offer, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis was heard on a conference call in reference to a price proposal that would be presented to a customer. It is a mash up of “float an offer or idea” (present something informally to see if people are interested) and “dangle a carrot” (encourage someone with an incentive). By the way, carrots do float (I think). This beauty was heard by my chief roving malaphor reporter Mike Kovacs. Of course I thank him profusely.
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