It’s petering down
Posted: November 19, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Heidi Przybyla, humor, idioms, language, malaphors, Morning Joe, MSNBC, petering out, Trump, winding down, words Leave a commentNo, this was not said in an erectile dysfunction commercial, but rather by Heidi Przybyla on MSNBC’s Morning Joe the other day. She was talking about the Mueller investigation. It is a congruent conflation of “petering out” and “winding down”, both meaning to slowly come to a conclusion or end. Another tip of the hat to Frank King for spotting this one. He has the ears of a hawk.
Not to put too fine a brush on it
Posted: October 25, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, Joe Scarborough, language, malaphors, Morning Joe, MSNBC, not to put too fine a point, paint with a broad brush, words 1 CommentHeard on Morning Joe by Joe himself. It is a mashup of “put too fine a point on it” (to belabor or exaggerate the importance of some point or detail), and “paint (something) with a broad brush” (describe something in general or vague terms). Brushes can indeed be fine, hence the mixup. A big thanks to Frank King for spotting yet another malaphor in the wilds of MSNBC.
Trump continues to play straight out of Putin’s pocket
Posted: July 25, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Joe Scarborough, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, playbook, pocket, Trump, words Leave a commentThis terrific mashup was spoken by Joe Scarborough on his show, “Morning Joe”, on July 17, 2018. It is a conflation of “a page out of (someone’s) playbook” (to behave or act like someone else) and “in (someone’s) pocket” (under someone’s direct control or influence). This mix up has its own unique connotation: someone who is directed by someone else and is following that person’s command or orders. A big thanks to James Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in.
It definitely has my radar up
Posted: May 24, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: have my antennae up, humor, language, malaphor, Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe, on my radar, Trump, words expressions Leave a commentThis was heard on Morning Joe on May 17, uttered by Mika Brzezinski discussing the missing SARS reports and Ronan Farrow’s story. It is a nice mashup of “on my radar (screen)” (considered important) and “has my antenna up” (curiosity or interest). “Have my back (or dander) up” (get someone angry) might also be in the mix, but I doubt it considering the context (although the whole Cohen affair might be ticking her off). A big thanks to that Malaphor Extraordinaire, Frank King, for hearing this one. He certainly has the ears of a hawk.
Trump will do anything to avoid that rock being peeled back
Posted: April 16, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donny Deutsch, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Michael Cohen, Morning Joe, onion peeled back, Trump, turn over every stone, words 1 CommentThis gem was uttered by Donny Deutsch, American ad executive and television personality, on “Morning Joe”. He was referring to potential documents by Trump’s personal lawyer that could reveal past business dealings. It is a congruent conflation of “rock being turned over” and “onion being peeled back”, both meaning to uncover something that is concealed. This was uttered around Easter, so perhaps Mr. Deutsch had the resurrection image in his mind. Certainly the similar phrases “peeling back” and turning over” added to the confusion. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this and sending it in.
trillion dollar deficits as long as the eye can see
Posted: February 26, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: as far as the eye can see, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, Morning Joe, words Leave a commentThis subtle mashup was uttered by Jim VandeHei, CEO of Axios, on the Morning Joe show. It is a conflation of “as far as the eye can see” (extending to the farthest possible point) and “as long as” (considering the fact as). A big thanks to Frank King, frequent malaphor contributor, for hearing this one.
Who is the person who can get this ship back on track?
Posted: May 22, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back on track, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe, right the ship, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered by Mika Brzezinski on the MSNBC talk show, “Morning Joe”. She was talking about the Trump Presidency. It is a nice congruent conflation of “right the ship” and “get back on track”, both meaning to get something back on schedule or to return to normal. A big thanks to Susan Kestner for hearing this one and sending it on!
Recent Comments