First off the bat

Chris Hayes from MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes utters this one at the 1:40 mark:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000530357511

This is a mashup of “first off” (first of all, before anything else) and “right off the bat” (immediately). “Right off the bat” seems to be an idiom that is mixed quite often. See, for example, https://malaphors.com/2013/05/23/right-from-the-bat/ and https://malaphors.com/2012/10/27/right-out-of-the-bat/. The mind is going batty with these malaphors. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

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I would call them at their bluff

This 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

Political 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

Hallie 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

Michael 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

LaToya 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

This was heard on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber in a discussion of the coronavirus and the White House response.  This is a mashup of “dig in (one’s) heels” (resist stubbornly) and “drag (one’s) feet” (deliberately slow or reluctant to act).  “Dig” and “drag” sound similar and feet have heels so that contributed to the mixup.  A shout out to Frank King for hearing this one.

All of the enchiladas were placed on the table

Discussing 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

This mashup was uttered by Frank Thorp V on MSNBC last Saturday.  It is a conflation of “walk a tightrope” (be in a situation where one must be extremely cautious) and “run the gauntlet” (enduring a series of problems, threats, or criticisms).  “Running” and “walking” might have led to the speaker’s confusion, or perhaps in the end the Democrats really had to run across that tightrope!  A big thanks to Frank King who heard this one and ran it in.

The Republicans run cover for Trump

Political 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.