He’s thrown Mitch McConnell out of the bus
Posted: January 6, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Douglas Brinkley, humor, idioms, language, throw him under the bus, throw out the window Leave a commentDouglas Brinkley, professor of history, Rice University, was being interviewed on CNN. He was asked what he thought Trump was doing to the Republican Party. Brinkley responded by saying Trump was dividing the Republican Party and “ he’s thrown Mitch McConnell out of the bus”. This is a mashup of “throw (someone) under the bus” (avoid blame by allowing someone else to take responsibility) and “go out (of) the window” (discard or toss a plan or way of thinking). “Under” and “out of” are the culprits here. The phrase “throw (someone) under the bus” has been mashed up a lot. See, for example, other variants on the website such as “he can drink anybody under the bus” – https://malaphors.com/2018/08/29/he-can-drink-anybody-under-the-bus/ and “Trump is not going to throw Paul Ryan over the bus” https://malaphors.com/2017/04/05/trump-is-not-going-to-throw-paul-ryan-over-the-bus/. By the way, he did. A big thanks to Brenda Hubbard for hearing this one!
He can drink anybody under the bus
Posted: August 29, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: drink someone under the table, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, throw him under the bus, words Leave a commentThis was overheard at the Hillstone Restaurant, Winter Park FL. A very drunk lady was talking to her friend. It is a mashup of “drink someone under the table” (to drink more alcohol than someone else) and “throw (someone) under the bus” (to exploit someone’s trust for one’s own purpose). My guess is that the speaker was thinking of a bus boy, someone who cleans tables at a restaurant. This is the connection between bus and table. Also, “under” is in both expressions, no doubt contributing to the mental mix up. A big thanks to Tom Justice for hearing this one and sending it in!
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She threw me under the wolves
Posted: November 20, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw him to the wolves, throw him under the bus, words 1 CommentThis was uttered at a disability hearing recently. It is a nice mashup of “throw (someone) under the bus” (to exploit someone’s trust for one’s own purpose or benefit) and “throw (one) to the wolves” (to sacrifice someone to ruin, especially for another’s benefit). Both expressions contain the verb “throw” and both are similar in meaning. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and sending it in.
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Trump is not going to throw Paul Ryan over the bus
Posted: April 5, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, over a cliff, overboard, Paul Ryan, throw him under the bus, words 3 CommentsOver/under is the culprit here. This was heard by a Republican pundit speaking on CNN. It is a nice mashup of “go over the cliff” (taking a drastic step) and “throw (someone) under the bus” (exploit someone’s trust for one’s own gain or purpose). “Throw (someone) overboard” (get rid of excess baggage) might also be in the mix, as well as “over the edge” (excessive or out of control). Given the statures of the persons named, it might be possible. A big thanks to Ron McDonald for hearing this one and sending it in!
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