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- Burning the Midnight Oil From Both Ends. “I’m so stressed that I’m burning the midnight oil from both ends.” This is a mixup of the two idioms, “burning the midnight oil” and “burning the candle at both ends.”
- Heavy Is the Goose That Lays the Golden Egg. “George just got promoted to management, I hope he’s ready for it. Heavy is the goose that lays the golden egg.”
- Walking a Thin Line. “That decision seems a little risky! He’s walking a thin line.” This malaphor is a combination of “walking on thin ice” and “walking a fine line.”
- I Can Read Him Like the Back of My Book. “He couldn’t hide anything from me. I can read him like the back of my book!” This malaphor mixes up two very common idioms: “know him like the back of my hand” and “read him like a book.”
“Let's burn that bridge when we come to it” – is this sort of idiom mixing considered a pun, and if so, does it have a specific name?
Jan 16, 2017 · Your brain tries to rapidly retrieve the name from the family folder, but it may end up retrieving a related name instead, says Neil Mulligan, a cognitive scientist at UNC Chapel Hill.
- Michelle Trudeau
- Jack of all trades, master of none. A figure of speech used in reference to a person who has dabbled in many skills, rather than gaining expertise by focusing on one.
- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. People say this to warn someone that they will not be an interesting person by working all the time. If you talk about females it changes to “all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl”.
- Jack the Lad. A very confident young man who doesn’t take life seriously and doesn’t care much about other people. Her first boyfriend was a bit of a Jack the Lad.
- Johnny-on-the-spot. Someone who is ready to do something, especially help someone, immediately. We found our business threatened by this Johnny-come-lately.
To confuse or erroneously swap multiple things with one other. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "get" and "mixed up." I put little name tags on the cups so that people don't accidentally get their drinks mixed up. Mom always gets my socks mixed up with yours when she does the laundry.
Jan 31, 2024 · The phenomenon of mixing up names isn’t new. Historical anecdotes are replete with tales of people, from scholars to kings, accidentally swapping names. Initially, these mix-ups were often...
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Personal Names Idioms. The English language is a curious beast, weaving meaning not just from words but also from the names we hold dear. Idioms that feature proper names add a layer of personality, humor, and cultural reference to our speech.
