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- A malaphor, or mixed idiom, is the result of that mistake. It occurs when two idioms are mixed together and create a new phrase or saying. Most of the time, malaphors don’t make sense – but that’s okay. They’re not supposed to.
englishanyone.com/mixing-idioms/
Mar 3, 2018 · The name for a new word created by combining and eliding two distinct words is called a neologism. However, normally that refers to a new word that makes sense when you combine two words, not an already established word that doesn't make sense in the context you intend.
- Spoonerism
- Malapropism
- Other Ways We Play with English Words
A ‘spoonerism’ is when a speaker accidentally mixes up the initial sounds or letters of two words in a phrase. The result is usually humorous.
A ‘malapropism’ is when an incorrect word is used in a sentence that sounds like the correct word but means something completely different.
Blends
One of the easiest ways to get words mixed up is to think of one word while trying to say another. This is how blends end up happening. These mistakes happen regularly in all languages and are usually easy to notice. One famous example in pop culture is from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where the main character Cady gets nervous and accidentally creates the word grool.
Portmanteaus
Sometimes, though, these blends are intentional and become official words of their own. These new words are called portmanteaus and are quite common in English. Don’t believe me? Well, think about the last time you listened to a podcast (iPod + broadcast), breathed in smog (smoke + fog), on met friends for brunch (breakfast + lunch). A relatively new blended word is for a type of food from Louisiana that has increased in popularity in recent years, especially around American Thanksgiving. Do...
The secret to using them correctly and in context is to build up your speaking confidence, and the first step in that process is to know which idioms sometimes get mixed up. Let’s take a look at 6 common mixed idioms and what you can say instead.
I would like to confirm that when you say you "mix up past and present tense" you mean that you switch tenses in your writing (e.g. your verbs are usually in past tense but you'll suddenly use present tense in the next sentence}?
Conflate is a more formal way to say "mix together," and it's typically used for texts or ideas. You probably wouldn't say you conflated the ingredients for a cake, but if you blended two different stories together to make a new one, conflate would work.
I think it would depend on the context, but often "mix up the two things" would mean you got confused and thought that they were each other. For example: "I can never remember the meanings of 'effect' and 'affect.' I always mix the two up!"
People also ask
How do you mix up two things?
Do idioms get mixed up?
What does 'got them confused/mixed up' mean?
What is a mixed idiom?
How do you get words mixed up?
What does mix up mean?
At its core, “mix up” refers to a situation where things become jumbled or confused. However, there are many different scenarios in which this can occur. For example: If you accidentally switch two people’s names when introducing them, you have mixed them up.
