It was trial by error
Posted: October 23, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Murder She Wrote, trial and error, trial by fire, words 2 CommentsContinuing with the legal theme, this is a mental hiccup of “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success) and “trial by fire” (a test of one’s abilities to do well under pressure). The obvious culprit here is the word “trial” used in both phrases. My fellow lawyers would say this malaphor should certainly be appealed. Incidentally, this was the title of a Murder She Wrote episode (season 2, episode 13 to be exact). Kudos to Caleb Harris who heard this from his girlfriend’s lips and immediately sent this to the website. Caleb knows these gems are fleeting moments that are quickly forgotten unless written down.
It’s trial by error
Posted: November 27, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, Murder She Wrote, television, trial and error, trial by fire, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis might be another “freudian slip malaphor” (see “I have nothing to hide but the truth”), when considering it was spoken by a physician. This is a mash up of “trial by fire” (ability to perform under pressure) and “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success). It’s also the title of a “Murder She Wrote” and a “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” episode. Who knew? Thanks to Barry Eigen for sending in this gem.
Malaphors 
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