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:
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.
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:
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.
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!
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:
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
“Four veteran Homeland Security agents who helped execute the Trump administration’s arrests of pro-Palestinian foreign academics for deportation testified Tuesday that the orders they received were both highly unusual and described by senior officials as urgent,” Politico reports.
Said agent Darren McCormack, who arrested Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil: “Somebody at a higher level than the people I was speaking to had an interest in him.”
Said agent Brian Cunningham, who arrested Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk: “There were a lot of hands in the fishbowl.”
This is a conflation of “life in a fishbowl” (a place having no privacy) and “too many hands in the pot” (a situation where too many people are involved in a project). Not sure but maybe the agent was averse to saying the word “pot”? A big thanks to John Costello for spotting this one and sending it in!
Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said Monday he is trusting the Trump administration to handle the files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein:
“Honestly, I’m done talking about Epstein for the time being. I’m going to trust my friends in the administration, I’m going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it, ball’s in their hands,” he continued.
This is a congruent conflation of “the ball’s in your court” and “in your hands”, both meaning under one’s control or in possession. Certainly you catch a ball with your hands so the mind sees “ball” and attaches that word to “hand”. in all likelihood. “Out of our hands” may also be in the mix, although the meaning is the complete opposite to what the speaker was trying to convey. Given the context, a Freudian slip?
Kudos to Mike Kovacs for spotting this one and sending it in!
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