A friend was accidentally given some incorrect information for something he was trying to look up. This caused him to waste time researching in the wrong direction. When he realized he had been given the wrong info, he commented that he was sent on a "false goose chase". This is a mashup of "wild goose chase" (a hopeless pursuit of something unattainable) and I think, because of the failure to secure the correct information, "false start" (an unsuccessful attempt to begin something).

This one was said by my wife during the movie, "The Best Years of Our Lives". She was commenting on Captain Fred Derry's (Dana Andrews) wife, Marie (Virginia Mayo). We immediately cried out "malaphor!" This is a single word blend type, mixing "gold digger" (a person who forms a relationship with another to extract money) and "money grubber" (someone who obsessively accumulates and protects their money). Props to Elaine Hatfield for contributing this one!

This one was spotted in comicbook.com, in the article "New Star Trek Show Finally Completes The Redemption Of The Next Generation’s Most Hated Character". paragraph: “…our greatest officers… who went on to become legendary.” Finally, Wil Wheaton’s Wesley is getting his dues, and while it may seem like empty fan service, there’s a good discussion to be had around his inclusion…

Aaron Smith Levin, ex-Scientologist, who runs the YouTube channel "Growing Up In Scientology", was commenting on the comments of another ex-Scientologist. This is a congruent conflation of "dropped a bomb" and "spilled the tea", both meaning to reveal something that is unknown and unexpected. Props to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!

It’s that time again and I know everyone has been anticipating this moment. It is NOW time to reveal this year’s Malaphor of the Year. But before I unveil this masterpiece, here are the winners of past years: 2015 – I have a pulse to the ground (submitted by Paula Garrety) 2016 – Let’s give them a round of hand!

Instead of a weekend malaphor, I am unabashedly promoting my new malaphor book, "Backseat Quarterback: Malaphors From the Sports World". It is available on Amazon NOW for a cheap $10.99 (Kindle version 4.99)! If you have Prime, it can arrive before Christmas! Click on the cover picture below. Every bathroom library deserves this gem.  And what better way to celebrate the Super Bowl than ordering this sports filled idiom mashup book? 

Keith Olbermann, on his podcast, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, was talking about Vince Shlomi, also known as Vince Offer. He asked his audience if the name rang a distant chord. You can hear this at 37:04:   This is a mashup of "strikes a chord" (affects someone's emotions) and "rings a bell" (sounds familiar). "Chord", "bell", and "ring" are all music related and hence the mixup. Props to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

Coming real soon! The third and maybe best malaphor book is about to hit the streets. This one is a real page burner and you'll want to read it from front to cover. New illustrations from that dental artist Cheryl Rosato! And a review of all the Malaphors of the Year for the past 10 years. Stay tuned!

In a conversation, the contributor told a friend a crazy piece of trivia he had never heard before, and he was shocked. This is a congruent conflation of "blew my mind" and "blew me away", both meaning to surprise someone thoroughly. This one reminds me of a previous malaphor I posted, "it blew our socks off". Some may remember the tagline to a Burger King seven inch burger, "It will blow your mind away".

This was heard in a conversation about medical treatment without data to rely on. It is a mix of "flying blind" (working on intuition or guesswork instead of data) and "working without a net" (to take action that is risky or otherwise does not provide safety). Almost a congruent conflation but not quite, but both idioms involve working without any certainty. The speaker may have been thinking of flying acrobats with no net underneath. A big thanks to Tom Justice for sending this one in!

This was overheard in a work conversation: "this has been a thorn in my butt for years now." It is a congruent conflation of "thorn in my side" and "pain in the butt", both meaning something or someone is a source of annoyance or trouble. "A thorn in my paw" might also be in play here. Mixing body parts with thorns seems like a common thing - see past malaphors "thorn in the eye", "thorn in the heel", "thorn in the foot".

I unintentionally said this over the weekend after being entertained for Thanksgiving. It's a congruent conflation of "white glove service" and "roll out the red carpet", both meaning to receive premium service and treatment. There was no infra red therapy involved.

This one was seen on X, formerly known as Twitter. It's a congruent conflation of "not going out of my way" and "not taking time out of my day", both meaning to not make a special effort to do something. A big thank you to Kris for spotting this subtle one and sending 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).

This malaphor was uttered by Drew Mindell of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show at 29:25 of  It is a congruent conflation of "fountain of youth" and "turn back the hands of time/clock", both meaning to restore one's youth. A big thanks to Will for spotting this one and sending it in.

This one was overheard at a dentist's office. It is a mashup of "clean as a whistle (completely, entirely, or very neat) and "healthy as a horse" (someone in excellent physical shape and very strong/energetic). This one is another in "whistle" malaphors. What is it with mixing idioms with the word "whistle"? Other posts include "sharp as a whistle", "security is tight as a whistle", and "all those hoops and whistles". Kudos to Lou Pugliese for hearing this one and sending it in.

This one was a Facebook post. The poster was responding to Corey O'Connor's bid for mayor of Pittsburgh. He is the son of former mayor Bob O'Connor. This is a blend of "on the coattails of (someone)" (benefiting from someone else's success as a means to achieve one's own success) and "play/tug on (one's) heartstrings" (elicit strong feelings of sympathy or fondness).

Fox News anchor Kayleigh McEnany was discussing rising grocery prices, and noted that budget meal Hamburger Helper was making a comeback. She said, "one tried and true brand is making a big comeback as consumers tighten their wallets - Hamburger Helper." This is an incongruent conflation (mix of two idioms with opposite meanings) of "tighten (one's) belt" (live more frugally) and "lighten (one's) wallet" (spend money, usually more than expected).

There was a discussion on Reddit about the hiring process of a research data specialist job and an exam to weed out those that don't qualify. One reddit commenter posted: "It could also just be a test to weed out anyone who doesn’t know their grain of salt." This is a triple mashup of "know their stuff" (have knowledge of a subject)," "worth their salt" (competent at the profession specified)," and "take it with a grain of salt" (be skeptical). A big thanks to Gabriel for spotting this one and sending it in!

Andrew Fillipponi on Pittsburgh sports talk radio 93.7 The Fan was talking about the Steelers defense and said there are too many players that are "over their hill". This is a congruent conflation of "over the hill" and "past their prime", both meaning to be too old. A shout out to John Kooser for hearing this subtle malaphor and sending it in.

This was spoken by a Walgreens pharmacy clerk after she was informed the doctor's office had authorized the refill. It was the third time in a week that this was attempted to be straightened out, and after saying "something's gotta give" and she uttered the aforesaid. This is a mashup of "Rome wasn't built in a day" (significant accomplishments take time and effort) and "it didn't happen overnight" (develop slowly over time with hard work). A big thanks to Tom Justice for hearing this one and sending it in.

On a tour of the Frick mansion (Clayton) in Pittsburgh, I overheard this single word blend from someone asking a question about George Westinghouse's relationship with Frick. Instead of Westinghouse the person said Washingtonhouse, a blend of George Washington and George Westinghouse. I have posted a few word blends of people and places before. Favorites include Buckminster Palace, Wegners, Stormy McDaniels, and Strunk and Wagnalls.

Magician, Comic, and Podcast host Matt Donnelly (Penn's Sunday School) said this one on a recent episode when he was encouraging a guest to give more details on a story that he was telling. This is a congruent conflation of "dive in" and "sink (one's) teeth into", both meaning to undertake an endeavor energetically. A big shout out goes to Frozen Cusser for hearing this one and sending it in.

This one was overheard in a conversation between a waitress and a customer. Perhaps one might overlook this jumbled phrase if one was not familiar with syfy, but our contributor, Dave Nemcsik recognized the malaphor. It is a mashup of "a disturbance in the Force" (said by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope) and "a glitch in the Matrix" (discussed in The Matrix). Kudos to Dave Nemcsik for hearing this one and sending it in!

This was spotted on Quora Digest: "Why doesn’t Russia simply invade Ukraine on a massive scale as in World War II and crush Ukraine in one Titanic campaign? "Putin is in a tough pickle. Technically, he cannot declare war on Ukraine to use the entire might of the Russian military. There is something about Russian laws and the people possibly going into revolution mode.