A lot of these reporters are not cowing to Trump

Posted: July 31, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one was heard on the Friday, July 24, 2026 All in with Chris Hayes podcast. It appears at the 45:00 minute mark:

Jen Psaki was talking about the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the fact that the awardees and attendees are not afraid of Trump. This is a conflation of “kowtowing” (obeying someone in power) and “cowering” (shrinking in fear). Both words fit the context, and “cowing” is a nice blend of the two. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

They kill them like they’re candy

Posted: July 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

During a press briefing addressing the ongoing military conflict and humanitarian crisis involving Iran, Trump was asked about the actions of the Iranian regime. He used a malaphor to highlight the random, widespread slaughter of civilians and protesters by hardline authorities earlier in the year:

“Young kids. They kill ’em. They kill ’em like they’re … like they’re … uhh … candy. It’s crazy what they do. They treat them so badly. They’re just killing people at random and nobody talks about it.” https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/kill-them-uh-candy-trump-161044395.html

This is a mashup of “killing them with kindness” (responding to someone’s hostility with politeness and warmth) and “like taking candy from a baby” (a task that is extremely easy and takes little effort). A shout out to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!

Packed to the brim

Posted: June 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Seen in The New Republic:

“President Trump, who definitely has not read all of the media coverage of the weak attendance at his rally on the National Mall on Wednesday night, insists that the event was “packed to the brim.”

This is a congruent conflation of “filled to the brim” and “packed to the gills/rafters”, both referring to something that is completely full. Another shout out to Frank King for spotting this beauty.

The economy has hit tank bottom

Posted: June 22, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This one was heard on the YouTube program “MeidasTouch with Ben Meiselas”. He said this during a discussion of the current state of the U.S. economy. It is a congruent conflation of “tanked” and “hit rock bottom”, both meaning something is going down to the absolute worst level. Hats off to frequent malaphor contributor Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

You can’t walk down that fence

Posted: May 18, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rep. Adam Smith (D – Washington) was on the podcast The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell discussing Trump’s approach to dealing with Iran, where he says he wants to negotiate but then also advocates for eliminating the country. Smith then said, “you can’t walk down that fence”, mixing “straddle the fence” (support both sides of an issue) and “walk the line” (remain neutral rather than committing to a position). Many thanks to frequent contributor Frank King, the Mental Health Comedian, for hearing this one and sending it in!

They may want to look over their back

Posted: May 11, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This one was heard on the May 6, 2026 podcast All In with Chris Hayes. Hayes was talking about the recent raid of Virginia state senator Louise Lucas’ office and the need for others to be mindful of possible investigations. You can hear it around 18:20 left in the show:

This is a congruent conflation of “watch (one’s) back” and “look over (one’s) shoulder”, both meaning to be aware of being attacked unexpectedly. Kudos to the ever vigilent Frank King for another great malaphor. Thanks Frank!

Sweating at the seams

Posted: April 17, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In this YouTube video, commentator Adam Mockler is describing a Republican congressman who went on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopolous. Mockler describes the guy as nervous, and “sweating at the seams”. The malaphor appears around 38 seconds into the video:

https://youtu.be/EddBseDn9Ok

This is a conflation of “sweating like a pig” (sweat profusely) and “bursting at the seams” (very full to overflowing). If perspiration appeared on his jacket or shirt, perhaps this isn’t a malaphor after all. A big thank you once again to Mike Kovacs for spotting this one and sending it in.

Illegal orders leave thousands of soldiers hanging in the lurch

Posted: April 15, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This one was heard on the podcast, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. Lt. General Mark Hertling was talking about Trump’s statement of ending a civilization (genocide) and bombing civilian targets. The malaphor is heard around 40:50:

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-word-with-lawrence-odonnell/id1316084734?i=1000760168344

This is a congruent conflation of “left in the lurch” and “hanging/twisting in the wind”, both meaning to be left without assistance in a difficult situation. A big thanks to Frank King for spotting this one.

All the cards are in the air

Posted: April 10, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In a Heather Cox Richardson YouTube video entitled “America’s Reputation and Recent Administration Firings”, Ms. Richardson discusses the many issues the Trump administation has created and is facing and says “all the cards are in the air”. You can hear this at approx 11:28 of the video:

This is a conflation of “keep balls in the air” (deal with many different things at the same time) and “put one’s cards on the table” (be completely honest about one’s intentions). “Up in the air” (unresolved) is probably also in the mix given the context. A big shout out to Mike Kovacs for spotting this one and sending it in!

Crazy as a fox

Posted: April 3, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This one is subtle, but nevertheless a good malaphor. Heard on the podcast, All In with Chris Hayes, Miles Keller says this at approx 12:45 in the podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000754959229

This is a mashup of “crazy like a fox” (someone who acts foolish but is actually very clever) and “crazy as a loon/bedbug” (someone who is completely mad). Keller was describing Trump and his so-called strategies overseas. He meant the latter. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

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