I would call them at their bluff
Posted: February 10, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: call one's bluff, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, MSNBC Leave a commentThis one was heard on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, uttered by Joe himself. He was talking about the 10 GOP Senators who were in the Oval Office proposing a counteroffer to Biden’s 1.9 trillion COVID relief bill and was suggesting that President Biden “call them at their bluff”. This is a conflation of “call (one’s) bluff” (challenge someone to act on their threat or prove that their claim is true, when one believes they are making a false claim) and “take (one) at (one’s) word” (accept what one says without further verifying). A big thank you to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and promptly sending it in!
Unless it’s razor close
Posted: October 19, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: David Plouffe, Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC, razor-thin, too close to call Leave a commentPolitical pundit David Plouffe on MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell was talking about voters in swing states, and votes coming in on Election Day. He said that “…unless it’s razor close, we are going to know…” who the winner is on election night. This is a mashup of “razor- thin” (very thin) and “too close to call” (a margin too narrow to make a decision). Both describe narrow measurements. The speaker may have been thinking of his razor giving himself a close shave. Whatever. It’s a great malaphor, and a big thanks to Frank King for hearing it and passing it on.
All of that goes out of the water
Posted: October 14, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blown out of the water, Hallie Jackson, MSNBC, out the window Leave a commentHallie Jackson, NBC correspondent, said this one on MSNBC, referring to political messaging in the time of a pandemic. It is a conflation of “goes out the window” (disregarded or forgotten) and I believe “blown out of the water” (destroy something or someone completely). “Blows” and “goes” rhyme, and both phrases refer to getting rid of something. A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in!
That hits home like a ton of bricks
Posted: August 28, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, hits home, humor, language, like a ton of bricksro, malaphors, Michael Steele, MSNBC, words Leave a commentMichael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and political pundit, said this one on Nicole Wallace’s show, Deadline: White House. Mr. Steele was talking about the Jason Blake shooting and his experience as a father talking to his sons about what to do if stopped by police. This is a congruent conflation of “hits home” and “hit (one) like a ton of bricks”, both expressions meaning to receive information that has a sudden or signifcant impact on one. A big thank you to Mike Kovacs for hearing this subtle and neatly formed malaphor and sending it in.
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We turned the curve
Posted: July 1, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ahead of the curve, Chris Hayes, expressions, flattened the curve, humor, Latoya Cantrell, malaphor, MSNBC, turned the corner, words Leave a commentLaToya Cantrell, mayor of New Orleans, was discussing police actions and public safety on the MSNBC show, “All In with Chris Hayes”. This is a mashup of “turned the corner” (begun to have improvement or success after a difficult or troubling period) and “ahead of the curve” (better than average). Both idioms are about success or improvement. Although the topic was not about the pandemic, “flatten the curve” (slowing down the spread of a disease) was probably on the speaker’s mind as well. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one. You can hear this malaphor at approximately 16 minutes into the show:
Trump is digging in his feet
Posted: April 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ari Melber, dig your heels in, drag your feet, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, words 1 Comment
All of the enchiladas were placed on the table
Posted: February 10, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, Michael Steele, MSNBC, put your cards on the table, the whole enchilada, words Leave a commentDiscussing the unfairness of the Iowa Caucuses, former RNC Chairman, Michael Steele on MSNBC uttered this malaphor. It is a mashup of “the whole enchilada” (everything) and “lay (one’s) cards on the table” (to be very candid about one’s position). My guess is that the speaker was hungry. A big thanks to Ron MacDonald for hearing this one and sending it in.
A little bit of a tightrope that the Democrats have to run
Posted: February 1, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Frank Thorp V, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, run the gauntlet, Trump, walk a tightrope, words Leave a comment
The Republicans run cover for Trump
Posted: December 5, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Charlie Sykes, give cover, Hardball, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, run point, Trump Leave a commentPolitical pundit Charlie Sykes uttered this one on MSNBC’s Hardball (hosted by the Malaphor King, Chris Matthews – see website for the many contributions). This is a mashup of “run point” (take the lead) and “give cover” (protect from attack). Perhaps Mr. Sykes was thinking (or hoping) about “running for cover”, but there is no indication any Republican is doing that at this point. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sharing it.
Get them off the stick AND on their back heel
Posted: September 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: flat on my back, get on the stick off the dime, Jennifer Rubin, MSNBC, on my heels, Trump 1 CommentThat’s right, a malaphor two-fer, from the lips of Jennifer Rubin, heard on MSNBC the other night. Here is what she said:
On Republicans, “how many points will the Dow have to drop to …get them off the stick?” This is a nice congruent conflation of “get on the stick” and “get off the dime”, both meaning to organize oneself and start preparing for something.
On Trump’s opponents, “he’s always thrived on chaos, …he thinks it puts his opponents on their back heel.” This is a mashup of “back on his heels” (to put into a state of unease or surprise) and “flat on (one’s) back” (lacking the strength to get up).
A big, big thanks to Frank King for hearing these gems and passing them on!
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