I finally got the monkey off my shoulders
Posted: June 3, 2013 Filed under: back, monkey, shoulders | Tags: back, blended idioms, expressions, humor, Indianapolis 500, Indy 500, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, monkey, monkey off my back, shoulders, Tony Kanaan, wieight off my shoulders, words 1 Comment
The former logo of Mike and Mike in the Morning until May 4, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a mash up of “monkey off my back” and “a weight off my shoulders”, both meaning to get rid of a big problem. Kudos to Mike Browning who heard this gem on the Mike & Mike talk show last week. Tony Kanaan was talking about finally
winning the Indy 500, and said that the victory finally got “the monkey
off my shoulders.” Malaphors occur frequently when there are two similar meaning idioms referring to body parts, particularly in close proximity.
It was like a ton of bricks was lifted from my shoulders
Posted: August 15, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, bricks, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, shoulders, weight, words Leave a commentThis mash up involves the idioms “hit like a ton of bricks” (surprise or shock) and “weight was lifted from my shoulders” (relieved of a responsibility), both referring to weight, but one indicates weight off and the other on. The speaker appears to be thinking the word “weight” but somehow “ton of bricks” replaces that thought and the malaphor is born.
Malaphors 
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