One day you might be on the other side of the stick

Posted: August 2, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bob Phillips, state director of the advocacy group Common Cause, uttered this one to The Guardian.  Here is the full quote to give you context:

“Unfortunately, the Democrats, some of them will say, ‘We can’t wait to win in 2020, take it back and gerrymander the hell out of them’,” said Phillips. “Now, that’s not what I want, but it’s out there, and it’s playing in the minds of the majority party. If you are the majority party and you don’t do reform, one day you might be on the other side of the stick.”: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/27/us-supreme-court-2020-election-gerrymandering.

This is a mashup of “other side of the coin” (opposite aspect of something) and “short end of the stick” (unequal outcome of a deal that results in a disadvantage).  Ends and sides must be the reason for this mental scramble.  A big thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one.

You won’t get the other side of the stick if you buy the book of books on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon today!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205

He got the raw end of the stick

Posted: January 19, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This gem comes from an interview with former Duke turned Maryland basketball player Rasheed Sulaimon’s mother.  She was discussing his dismissal from the team:

“He’s not the type of kid who’s like, ‘I’m not in their program, so forget about them,'” Angela Sulaimon also told the Sun. “Friendship means a lot. He was very positive toward the guys he played with. They were like brothers. It had nothing to do with the guys. A lot of them felt like Rasheed got the raw end of the stick. I felt like Rasheed was sacrificed.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bal-rasheed-sulaimon-s-mother-discusses-her-son-s-dismissal-from-duke-20151021-story.html
This is a mash up of “getting a raw deal” (unfair or bad treatment) and “getting the short end of the stick” (less desirable part).  Both phrases involve someone getting “the shaft”, so to speak.  I can see getting a raw deal or the short end of the stick but the raw end must really be bad.  This malaphor is similar to my 2/15/15 entry, “I’m getting the shaft end of the stick”, which might even be more painful.  https://malaphors.com/2015/02/15/im-getting-the-shaft-end-of-the-stick/   A big shout out to Justin Taylor who ran across this malaphor in the Baltimore Sun.

I’m getting the shaft end of the stick

Posted: February 15, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

During 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!