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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.”
- Examples
- Metaphors and Malaphors
- Examples from Richard Lederer
The following are some examples of malaphors. 1. Blends at the phrase level: "You hit the nail right on the nose." (A combination of "You hit the nail right on the head" and "That’s right on the nose.”) "She really stuck her neck out on a limb." ("Stuck her neck out" and "went out on a limb") . . . "I can’t make these split-minute decisions." (spli...
Below, find some malaphors that areclose, mixed-up cousins of mixed metaphors. 1. "Malaphors aren't quite malapropisms and aren't quite mixed metaphors but the best are as memorable as either. Whatever you want to call these, I hope you'll agree: each one is a pearl worth its weight in gold. - I can read him like the back of my book. - The sacred c...
Have fun with these "accidental assaults" on the English language according to Richard Lederer. 1. It's time to swallow the bullet. It's as easy as falling off a piece of cake. Let dead dogs sleep. That guy's out to butter his own nest. He's between a rock and the deep blue sea. (Richard Lederer, Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaul...
- Richard Nordquist
- A blessing in disguise. Meaning: Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good. Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to start my own business.
- A dime a dozen. Meaning: Very common and easy to find. Example: Those souvenir keychains are a dime a dozen at the tourist shops.
- All ears. Meaning: Fully listening and paying attention. Example: Go ahead, I’m all ears. Tell me what’s been on your mind.
- All in the same boat. Meaning: In the same situation or predicament. Example: Everybody on staff got a pay cut – we’re all in the same boat.
- mixed up (adj.) , mix-up (n.) If you are mixed up about something, it means that you are confused. “Whenever we change the clocks for daylight savings time, I get mixed up and can’t figure out what time it is.”
- to be all Greek to someone. To be all Greek to someone is an expression we use to explain that someone doesn’t understand anything, usually because the topic is beyond their comprehension.
- clear as mud. If something is clear as mud, it means that it is very confusing and hard to understand. “The assembly instructions that came with this bookshelf are clear as mud.
- to throw someone off/to be thrown off. If something throws you off, it confuses you or causes you to lose your concentration, get something wrong, or be misled.
Jun 21, 2022 · A well-crafted metaphor uses consistent imagery ("hitting the nail on the head”); when you start mixing imagery ("hitting the nail on the nose"), you can create a type of malapropism known as a mixed metaphor.
Oct 8, 2024 · Idioms are phrases or expressions that convey a figurative meaning that differs from the literal meaning of the words used. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines an idiom as “a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words.”
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Sep 28, 2022 · To Mix (Something) Up or To Be Mixed Up. We say that a person mixed something up when they confuse something for something else. “I am sorry, I mixed up the drinks. I thought this one was Root Beer and that one was Doctor Pepper.” A person can also be mixed up, meaning that they are confused, or lost.
