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!

I just barely scratched the tip of the iceberg

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

On the MS NOW show, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Congressman Maxwell Frost was talking about going to the Justice Department and conducting a two-hour review of the unredacted Epstein files. Frost then uttered this nice congruent conflation of “barely scratching the surface” and “tip of the iceberg”, both referring to the beginning of a much larger issue or problem. Considering there are 3 million files, I think the Congressman’s description is accurate. A big thank you to Ron MacDonald for hearing this one and sending it in!

Throwing our swag around

Posted: January 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This one comes from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sunday Jan 25, p A8.  Asked about how Trump is doing in Northeast PA, a  voter said:
“He’s done great militarily, throwing our swag around.”

This is a mashup of “throw (one’s) weight around” (to assert oneself in an authoritarian manner) and “swagger” (conduct oneself in an arrogant or pompous manner). It is almost a congruent conflation, as both idioms conjure an arrogant way of behaving. Interestingly, “swag” is promotional merchandise, and the speaker might have been thinking of that as well. A big thanks to Linda Bernstein who spotted this one and sent it in!

People are having trouble keeping their nose above water

Posted: November 21, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This was heard on CNN’s Saturday Morning Table for Five with Abby Phillip. Scott Jennings was defending Trump as usual but also acknowledging high prices, and how people are having a hard time making ends meet. He then made the above statement. This is a mashup of “keeping (one’s) head above water” (able to just manage, usually referring to finances) and I think “keeping (one’s) nose clean” (stay out of trouble). The word “trouble” probably caused the mental hiccup, with Jennings reaching for “nose” instead of “head”. He may also have been visualizing a dog swimming with the nose extended out of the water. A big thanks to Kathy Meinhardt for hearing this one and sending it in!

It threw a wrinkle into the players

Posted: September 12, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

During the long lull before the men’s final of the U.S. Open for tennis began, John McEnroe was talking about how the final was delayed because of the increased security and the closing of the dome because of rain. He said: “It threw a wrinkle into the players.” This is a mashup of “add a new wrinkle” (to bring or contribute a new unexpected aspect) and “throw a monkey wrench into the works” (an unforseen event or action that sabotages a plan). Because of the rain, he might have been thinking of wrinkly tennis players and speaking literally of wrinkles into the players. Or perhaps he was thinking of the reason for the increased security. A shout out to Barry Eigen for hearing this one and sending it in!

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