He really rubs him up the wrong tree

Posted: September 28, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: ACTION, rub, THINGS, tree | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This is a blend of “rub the wrong way”  (irritate someone) and “barking up the wrong tree” (wrong about the reason for something), resulting in perhaps embarrassment to the speaker.  A rubber tree image or thought might also be in the mix.   A special thanks to Allen Muir for sending this one in!

Every tree has a silver lining

Posted: February 19, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: alley, COLORS, PLACES, silver, THINGS, tree | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The speaker was obviously meaning to say “every cloud has a silver lining”, but where did the tree come from?  Possibly he was thinking of a silver maple, those messy trees that every yard seems to have.  Or, as my “ol pal” suggests, the word “sliver” instead of “silver” floated up in the brain soup, suggesting wood.   “Barking up the wrong tree” also might have been in the mix, even though the meaning is not remotely close to the intended meaning.  Any other suggestions out there?   Thanks to Art for sending this one to the site.

Up a tree without a paddle

Posted: September 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: THINGS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one is a mash up of “up a tree” and “up a creek without a paddle”, both meaning having difficulty or being in a difficult situation.   The confusion is obvious:  both idioms have similar meanings, both contain the word “up”, and there is assonance in the words “tree” and “creek”.   I suppose in a flood you actually might be up a tree without a paddle!