It’s like throwing a wrench in a china shop
Posted: August 7, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bull in a china shop, humor, language, malaphor, throw a monkey wrench in the works, words 1 CommentThis one was heard on a podcast discussing the volatile nature of today’s political environment. It is a conflation of “throw a (monkey) wrench in(to) the works” (to disrupt or cause problems) and “like a bull in a china shop” (to be aggressive or clumsy in a situation that requires care and delicacy). As the submitter says, both phrases cause chaos. Certainly throwing a wrench in a china shop will cause damage much like that of a bull. A tip of the hat to Verbatim for hearing this one and sharing it.
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The covid-19 thing has really thrown a wrench in us sideways
Posted: March 30, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, knock someone sideways, language, malaphor, threw me for a loop, throw a monkey wrench in the works, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis one comes from the Washington Post. It is a mashup of “throw a (monkey) wrench in the works” (to do something that prevents a plan from succeeding) and “knock (someone) sideways” (to upset, confuse, or shock). Maybe “thrown (someone) for a loop” (to confuse or shock) is also in the mix. The expression “throw a (monkey) wrench in the works” seems to be garbled a lot. I have posted several malaphors involving the expression, including “throw another kink in the fire”, “a wrench had been thrown in the bucket”, and “he really threw a monkey wrench into that fire”. https://malaphors.com/2017/11/01/throw-another-kink-in-the-wrench/, https://malaphors.com/2016/10/04/a-wrench-had-been-thrown-into-the-bucket/, https://malaphors.com/2013/02/08/he-really-threw-a-monkey-wrench-into-that-fire/
Here’s the cite:
A tip of the hat to Barry Eigen who spotted this timely malaphor.
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