One day you might be on the other side of the stick
Posted: August 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bob Phillips, Common Cause, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, other side of the coin, short end of the stick, The Guardian, words Leave a commentBob 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 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Baltimore Sun, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Rasheed Sulaimon, raw deal, short end of the stick, words Leave a commentThis gem comes from an interview with former Duke turned Maryland basketball player Rasheed Sulaimon’s mother. She was discussing his dismissal from the team:
I’m getting the shaft end of the stick
Posted: February 15, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting the shaft, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, short end of the stick, words 2 CommentsDuring 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!
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