Last weekend, my friend Chris Duffett taught me a new word
Malaphor
A malaphor is an informal term for a mixture of two
aphorisms, idioms or clichés .eg It's not rocket science plus it's not brain surgery becomes
It's Not Rocket Surgery
The term malaphor—a blend of malapropism and metaphor—was coined by Lawrence Harrison in a 1976 Washington Post article. Some examples below- see if you can split them into their component parts
- She really stuck her neck out on a limb
- A bird in the hand is worth two killed with one stone
- We could stand and talk until the cows turn blue
- It sticks out like a bear with a sore head
- She's not the sharpest needle in the haystack
- It's as easy as falling off a piece of cake
- He's between a rock and the deep blue sea
- Don't bite the hand that rocks the cradle
- Those who live in glass houses should count their eggs before they hatch
- They are as thick as two thieves in a pod
- He's burning the midnight oil from both ends
Have you come across malaphors? Can you share any good ones here?
They are all new to me, and I enjoyed learning about them. It will be a while until they easily roll off the tongue, though. ~ skye
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DeleteI never heard of them and they drive me nuts! I thought of "Time and tide come to he who waits!"
ReplyDeleteThat's a good one
DeleteThis is the first time I'm hearing about these! I always learn something new when I read your blog posts!
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