It keeps you on the edge of your toes
Posted: April 11, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, toes, words Leave a commentA few people were watching the trailer for the new movie, F1, with Brad Pitt, and one remarked that the movie looks like “it keeps you on the edge of your toes”. This is a mashup of “on (someone’s) toes” (alert and active) and “on the edge of (one’s) seat” (excited, nervous). Both are very close in meaning. Maybe ballet talk? A big thank you to Kristen Ann for uttering this one and Anthony Kovacs for sending it in!
He doesn’t want to appear to be pushing on anyone’s toes
Posted: January 12, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, push, toes | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, language, linguistics, malaphors, mixed idioms, pushover, stepping on toes, toes, wordplay, words Leave a commentI can’t remember the context of this odd malaphor but it could be a mash up of “stepping on someone’s toes” (offend someone) and possibly “push the envelope” (to go further beyond the accepted limits). However, I think “pushover” (a person easily taken advantage of) or “pushy” (overly forward) is probably what the speaker was thinking of as he might be describing himself as both not offending his audience and taking advantage of them.
Malaphors 
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