Mixed Metaphor: Difference between revisions

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* Minako Aino does this all the time in ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', much to Artemis' dismay.

* In the novels for [[The Slayers]], Gourry mixed three metaphors together, one of which was a bit of an anachronism.

{{quote| '''Gourry''': "I know I'm not the smartest light bulb in the shed."}}

{{quote|'''Gourry''': "I know I'm not the smartest light bulb in the shed."}}

* ''[[The Tower of Druaga (anime)|The Tower of Druaga]]'', the captain of the army in one of the early episodes:

{{quote| ''[[Other Stock Phrases|Remember, there's no "I" in "win"!]]''}}

{{quote|''[[Other Stock Phrases|Remember, there's no "I" in "win"!]]''}}

== Comic Books ==

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* In a ''[[Simpsons]] Comics'' [[Elseworld]] story, Homer was working for the Mafia, Comic Book Guy was the local don, and Lou and Eddie were his two flunkies. CBG assigned Homer to kill Milhouse, to which Homer remarked "Don't worry, boss. This little weiner is toast". CBG replied "Good. And please don't mix metaphors. You know it makes Lou nervous".

* This exchange between a thug and The Penguin in an issue of [[Batman]]

{{quote| '''Thug''': This is a crime family. A syndicate. You're the top dog on the pyramid and we're all the little fish on the bottom rung of the totem pole.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Thug''': This is a crime family. A syndicate. You're the top dog on the pyramid and we're all the little fish on the bottom rung of the totem pole.

'''Penguin''': I understand your point, Marco. Despite the murder of several metaphors to get there. }}

** In another issue, one of his goons says, "You know what they say, a penguin never forgets."

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* Mr. Furious from ''[[Mystery Men]]'' does this a lot, often in conjunction with [[Metaphorgotten]]. "I don't need a compass to show me which way the wind shines."

* In [[The Movie]] of ''[[Master and Commander]]'', the entire final battle hinges on a tactical maneuver Captain Aubrey derives by completely mangling the notion of an insect that disguises itself as a stick to evade predators.

{{quote| '''Captain Aubrey''': Now to pull this predator in close and spring our trap.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Captain Aubrey''': Now to pull this predator in close and spring our trap.

'''Dr. Maturin''': Jack?~~ ~~

'''Dr. Maturin''': Jack?

'''Captain Aubrey''': Yes?~~ ~~

'''Captain Aubrey''': Yes?

'''Dr. Maturin''': You're the predator. }}

* Biff Tannen from the ''[[Back to The Future]]'' trilogy: "Make like a tree, and get out of here."

** Ironically, it was the 2015 Biff that corrects him, saying, "It's ''leave'', you idiot! "Make like a tree and ''leave''." You sound like a damn fool when you say that wrong."

*** And BUFORD. Honestly:

{{quote| '''Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen:''' ...I'm gonna hunt you down and shoot you down like a duck!~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen:''' ...I'm gonna hunt you down and shoot you down like a duck!

'''Henchman:''' It's dog, Buford. Shoot him down like a dog. }}

** Let's just say it's about as funny as a screen door on a battleship.

* In ''[[The Boondock Saints]],'' the bartender Doc was always doing this.

{{quote| '''Doc:''' Well, you know what they say... people in glass houses sink sh-sh-ships.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Doc:''' Well, you know what they say... people in glass houses sink sh-sh-ships.

'''Rocco:''' Hey, Doc, I've gotta buy you, like, a proverb book or something. This mix and match shit's gotta go. }}

:: Eventually the other characters start making fun of him for it, saying things like: "A penny saved is worth two in the bush" and "And don't cross the road if you can't get out of the kitchen."

* The Dude from ''[[The Big Lebowski]]''

{{quote| '''Jackie Treehorn:''' Refill?~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Jackie Treehorn:''' Refill?

'''The Dude:''' Does the pope shit in the woods? }}

* From the movie ''North:''

{{quote| A bird in the hand is always greener than the grass under the other guy's bushes.}}

{{quote|A bird in the hand is always greener than the grass under the other guy's bushes.}}

* [[Disney]]'s ''[[Pinocchio]]:''

{{quote| '''Jiminy Cricket:''' You buttered your bread. Now sleep in it!}}

{{quote|'''Jiminy Cricket:''' You buttered your bread. Now sleep in it!}}

* ''[[The Social Network]]'':

{{quote| '''Sean:''' Ah ha. The shoe's on the other...~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Sean:''' Ah ha. The shoe's on the other...

'''Amy:''' Foot?~~ ~~

'''Amy:''' Foot?

'''Sean:''' ... table, which has turned. }}

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* [[Lampshaded]] in ''[[The Stainless Steel Rat]]'s Revenge'': Inskipp says they "must get a man to Cliaand to root out the problem at the core of the woodpile and cut the Gordian knot." Slippery Jim replies, "Other than being contained in a mixed and disgusting metaphor I think the idea is a suicidal one."

* Happens ''constantly'' in the [[Aubrey-Maturin]] books. Usually in the form of Jack mixing a metaphor, Stephen "helpfully" correcting him, and Jack becoming even more confused. To wit...

{{quote| 'Why, as to that,' said Jack, blowing on his coffee-cup and staring out of the stern-window at the harbour, 'as to that ... if you do not choose to call him a [[Boring but Practical|pragmatical clinchpoop]] and kick his breech, which you might think ungenteel, perhaps you could tell him to judge the pudding by its fruit.'

{{quote|'Why, as to that,' said Jack, blowing on his coffee-cup and staring out of the stern-window at the harbour, 'as to that ... if you do not choose to call him a [[Boring but Practical|pragmatical clinchpoop]] and kick his breech, which you might think ungenteel, perhaps you could tell him to judge the pudding by its fruit.'

'You mean, prove the tree by its eating.'

'No, no, Stephen, you are quite out: eating a tree would prove nothing.' }}

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* The Mayor on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': "This year is too important to let a loose cannon rock the boat. Loose cannon. Rock the boat. Is that a mixed metaphor? Boats did have cannons. And a loose one would cause it to rock."

* Common on ''[[Yes Minister]]'', with Bernard usually lampshading them:

{{quote| '''Jim Hacker''': If I can pull this off, it will be a feather in my cap.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Jim Hacker''': If I can pull this off, it will be a feather in my cap.

'''Bernard''': If you pull it off, it won't be in your cap any more. }}

** There was a clusterbomb of mixed metaphors in episode 4 of season 2:

{{quote| '''Sir Desmond''': If you spill the beans, you open up a whole can of worms. How can you let sleeping dogs lie, if you let the cat out of the bag? Bring in a new broom, and if you're not careful, you'll find you've thrown the baby out with the bath water. If you change horses in the middle of the stream, next thing you know you're up the creek without a paddle.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Sir Desmond''': If you spill the beans, you open up a whole can of worms. How can you let sleeping dogs lie, if you let the cat out of the bag? Bring in a new broom, and if you're not careful, you'll find you've thrown the baby out with the bath water. If you change horses in the middle of the stream, next thing you know you're up the creek without a paddle.

'''Jim Hacker''': And then the balloon goes up.~~ ~~

'''Jim Hacker''': And then the balloon goes up.

'''Sir Desmond''': Obviously. }}

** And from the sequel, ''[[Yes Prime Minister]]'':

{{quote| '''Jim Hacker''': "So they insult me and then expect me to give them more money?"~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Jim Hacker''': "So they insult me and then expect me to give them more money?"

'''Sir Humphrey''': "Yes, I must say it's a rather undignified posture. But it is what artists always do: crawling towards the government on their knees, shaking their fists."~~ ~~

'''Sir Humphrey''': "Yes, I must say it's a rather undignified posture. But it is what artists always do: crawling towards the government on their knees, shaking their fists."

'''Jim Hacker''': "Beating me over the head with their begging bowls."~~ ~~

'''Jim Hacker''': "Beating me over the head with their begging bowls."

'''Bernard Woolley''': "Oh, I am sorry to be pedantic, Prime Minister, but they can't beat you over the head if they're on their knees. Unless of course they've got very long arms." }}

* ''[[Life On Mars]]'':

{{quote| '''Gene''': Look, when a big shark dissapears from the scene, smaller fish want to climb the ladder.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Gene''': Look, when a big shark dissapears from the scene, smaller fish want to climb the ladder.

'''Sam''': You're using mixed metaphors~~ ~~

'''Sam''': You're using mixed metaphors

'''Gene''': Right, whatever, the smaller fish want to enter the hunting grounds. }}

* After {{spoiler|Chris'}} death in the sixth season of ''[[The Sopranos]]'', Tony has to dispel a rumor that ''he'' killed him ({{spoiler|he did so as a mercy killing after a car crash}}). He starts off by saying, "Okay, we gotta deal with the 500-pound [[Elephant in the Living Room|elephant in the room]]..."

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** People forget that the Fourth Doctor did it too (just never in such a high concentration). "While there's life, there's six of one, half a dozen of the other."

* Michael Scott of [[The Office]] does this just about [[Once an Episode]].

{{quote| "Ryan is now at corporate where he is a little fish in a big pond. Here, I am still top dog. So which is better... being a dog, or a fish?"}}

{{quote|"Ryan is now at corporate where he is a little fish in a big pond. Here, I am still top dog. So which is better... being a dog, or a fish?"}}

* Serena on ''[[Gossip Girl]]'' talks about how her mother ''adapts'' to each new husband:

{{quote| '''Serena''': The second he starts to call the shots these gloves come off and the nails come out. I just mixed metaphors, didn't I?}}

{{quote|'''Serena''': The second he starts to call the shots these gloves come off and the nails come out. I just mixed metaphors, didn't I?}}

* One of [[El Chapulin Colorado]]'s trademark gags: every time he tries to cite a famous saying he gets it mixed with another one, and ends up saying "...Well, you get the idea."

* [[Lampshaded]] on ''[[Mad Men]]'' when Bert Cooper calls Don in to tell him they can't fire Pete Campbell because his family is too old and important. He starts off about how New York City is like a fine watch full of tiny, precise parts and always ticking away. Don says it sounds more like a bomb. Cooper says that if they fire Pete word will get around to the Dykeman-Campbells' million connections around the city and the agency will lose some of its establishment cred, and when Don objects to this kind of nepotism, Cooper tells him, "You'll have to have a stronger stomach if you want to be back in the kitchen seeing how the sausage is made." Don, after a beat: "I thought it was a big watch."

* In ''[[The Thin Blue Line]]'' episode "Night Shift", Inspector Grim informs everyone that he is looking for:

{{quote| A fat cat, spinning his web with his tentacles in every pie.}}

{{quote|A fat cat, spinning his web with his tentacles in every pie.}}

* Shawn Micallef does this in ''[[Talkin Bout Your Generation]]'': "And next up, something that will literally blow the socks off your mind."

* On ''[[True Blood]]'' Jason is famous for these "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, it's still a tree isn't it!"

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* This was part of what made [[Elton John]]'s Princess Diana version of "Candle in the Wind" so notorious. She's a candle, but she's also a rose and a golden child, capable of leaving footprints on England's green hills, plus equipped with wings of compassion. Cause of death was wind, rain, and/or the fading of the sunset.

* Kathy Mattea's "Clown in Your Rodeo" completely derails its rodeo metaphors in the second verse:

{{quote| Hand me my feather duster~~ ~~

{{quote|Hand me my feather duster

I'm cleaning house out of the gate~~ ~~

I'm cleaning house out of the gate

Before my heart starts caving in }}

* [[Kenny Chesney]]'s "Better as a Memory" has a verse that starts out with "Goodbyes are like a roulette wheel" and ends with "You're left holding a losing hand".

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* Inspired a song by [[Mitch Benn]] on ''[[The Now Show]]'' after he heard a spokesman described global warming by saying the world was "standing on the precipice of a runaway train". [http://www.mitchbenn.com/music-stuff/80/the_devil_and_a_hard_place.html Listen to it here.]

{{quote| And now I've got a snowball's chance in a handcart~~ ~~

{{quote|And now I've got a snowball's chance in a handcart

And it's a different kettle of ball games... }}

* In an episode of ''Unnatural Acts'', Jeremy takes various mixed medicines, [[Lemon Wacky Hello|with predictably spaced-out results.]] His speech pattern changes to reflect this, with mixed metaphors being one of the symptoms.

{{quote| '''Jeremy:''' Blast! I knew I shouldn't have tried to rub elbows with the small potatoes when I should be chewing the cud with the big fish!}}

{{quote|'''Jeremy:''' Blast! I knew I shouldn't have tried to rub elbows with the small potatoes when I should be chewing the cud with the big fish!}}

* In ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue|Hamish And Dougal]]'', Dougal taunts the Laird with "Hah! So you don't like it when the boots are down and the chips are on the other foot!"

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* Zapp Brannigan of ''[[Futurama]]'': "Once we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate."

** Also from "Future Stock".

{{quote| '''That Guy:''' [[There Are Two Kinds of People in the World|There are two kinds of people]] - sheep and sharks.... I am proud to be the shepherd of this herd of sharks.}}

{{quote|'''That Guy:''' [[There Are Two Kinds of People in the World|There are two kinds of people]] - sheep and sharks.... I am proud to be the shepherd of this herd of sharks.}}

* Abe Linclon on [[Clone High]] had a few.

{{quote| Combining this trope with [[Double Entendre]]: ""It's everything I've been wadding up in the sad chamber of my heart, and now I'm shooting that wad. Thirty-five millimeter.""}}

{{quote|Combining this trope with [[Double Entendre]]: ""It's everything I've been wadding up in the sad chamber of my heart, and now I'm shooting that wad. Thirty-five millimeter.""}}

** Also:

{{quote| '''Abe:''' You sold us all a bill of goods, and those goods turned out to be bad. Then you sold me up the river.~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Abe:''' You sold us all a bill of goods, and those goods turned out to be bad. Then you sold me up the river.

'''Joan:''' That may be, but I sent you up that river with my heart as a paddle!~~ ~~

'''Joan:''' That may be, but I sent you up that river with my heart as a paddle!

'''Abe:''' But you took that paddle and smacked me in the face, and I wear my heart on my sleeve, so when I wiped my face, I got heart all over it." }}

* And of course, [[Memetic Mutation|this]] [[Youtube Poop|classic]] courtesy of [[Super Mario Bros Super Show|Mama Luigi]]:

{{quote| "Well like they say in Brooklyn, early to bed early to get the worm... or is it the bagel?"}}

{{quote|"Well like they say in Brooklyn, early to bed early to get the worm... or is it the bagel?"}}

* From ''[[Dan Vs.]]'' "The Dentist,":

{{quote| '''Dan''': [The dentist]'s a long term strategist! He's playing fourth-dimensional chess, and we're his ball of string!~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Dan''': [The dentist]'s a long term strategist! He's playing fourth-dimensional chess, and we're his ball of string!

'''Chris''': I think you're mixing up games.~~ ~~

'''Chris''': I think you're mixing up games.

'''Dan''': Go fish! I'm in horrible pain! }}

* From an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'':

{{quote| '''Homer''': They ran away like schoolgirls with their tails between their legs!}}

{{quote|'''Homer''': They ran away like schoolgirls with their tails between their legs!}}

* In ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force]]'': Rath's food is accidentally blown away by Octagon Vreedle, prompting Rath to say "A man's food is his castle!" (Octagon calls him out on it, using the page title).

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* A few years ago, this quote from a participant in a symposium about AIDS: "We are sitting on a volcano and running toward disaster!" Here, the translator may be to blame. Or else they were doing that russian sitting dance...

* From a Newt Gingrich press release:

{{quote| The literati sent out their minions to do their bidding. Washington cannot tolerate threats from outsiders who might disrupt their comfortable world. The firefight started when the cowardly sensed weakness. They fired timidly at first, then the sheep not wanting to be dropped from the establishment’s cocktail party invite list unloaded their entire clip, firing without taking aim their distortions and falsehoods. Now they are left exposed by their bylines and handles. But surely they had killed him off. This is the way it always worked. A lesser person could not have survived the first few minutes of the onslaught. But out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia emerged Gingrich, once again ready to lead those who won’t be intimated by the political elite and are ready to take on the challenges America faces.}}

{{quote|The literati sent out their minions to do their bidding. Washington cannot tolerate threats from outsiders who might disrupt their comfortable world. The firefight started when the cowardly sensed weakness. They fired timidly at first, then the sheep not wanting to be dropped from the establishment’s cocktail party invite list unloaded their entire clip, firing without taking aim their distortions and falsehoods. Now they are left exposed by their bylines and handles. But surely they had killed him off. This is the way it always worked. A lesser person could not have survived the first few minutes of the onslaught. But out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia emerged Gingrich, once again ready to lead those who won’t be intimated by the political elite and are ready to take on the challenges America faces.}}