# Mixed Metaphors **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 30, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876 "2008-09-30T16:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/1 "2008-09-30T16:45:22Z")
I love a good mixed metaphor. Unfortunately I can’t really think of too many at the moment. In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10259325#post10259325), **eleanorigby** came out smokin’ with: “She’s **dead meat in the water**.” Love it. I’m using it. My current personal favorite, and I do use it all the time mostly to see if the person I’m speaking to is paying attention: “We don’t need to worry about that right now, so why don’t **we just burn that bridge when we cross it.** ” Your favorite Mixed Metaphors? ---
**Author:** ![Carnacki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Carnacki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnacki)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/2 "2008-09-30T17:59:34Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Your favorite Mixed Metaphors? Isn’t that kind of like closing elevator doors after the horse has flown the coop? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/3 "2008-09-30T18:14:45Z")
If the shoe fits, wear it on the other foot. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/4 "2008-09-30T18:20:42Z")
“Plain as the pikestaff on the end of your nose” my ex. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/5 "2008-09-30T18:24:05Z")
Six of one half a baker’s dozen or the other. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/6 "2008-09-30T18:26:34Z")
My neighbor used to profess being “pleased as pink punch”, all the while not realizing she’d mixed the punch a little herself. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/7 "2008-09-30T18:26:42Z")
My coworker today said she had a friend who told her to “take the bullet by the horns”. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/8 "2008-09-30T18:33:30Z")
It’s not rocket surgery. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/9 "2008-09-30T19:23:58Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > My current personal favorite, and I do use it all the time mostly to see if the person I’m speaking to is paying attention: > > “We don’t need to worry about that right now, so why don’t **we just burn that bridge when we cross it.** ” I usually go with “We’ll cross that bridge when we find it”, not a mixed metaphor but a tribute to Duran Duran. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/10 "2008-10-01T07:04:18Z")
“the light at the end of the rainbow” - interviewee on an episode of _Unsolved Mysteries_ ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/11 "2008-10-01T12:16:35Z")
Mitch Benn has a few -\> [Between the Devil and a Hard Place](http://www.mitchbenn.com/music-stuff/#) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/12 "2008-10-01T13:14:11Z")
My father would talk of someone “featherbedding his own nest.” I carefully pointed out the correct terms and their different meanings, and he responded positively to the information. And continued to use the above phrase.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/13 "2008-10-01T13:19:36Z")
In Blood Bowl (a boardgame in which different fantasy races compete in football,) every kickoff you roll for a random event. Two events are Cheering Fans and Brilliant Coaches, which give one player a bonus. I have memorized the chart but can never remember which is which so I always call it Cheering Coaches or Brilliant Fans. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/14 "2008-10-01T13:48:43Z")
I have a friend who does this regularly. I think on purpose. I’ve called him on it a few times and he tells me that I’m the only one who has ever pointed it out. His favorite is: Six of one, a dime a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/15 "2008-10-01T13:57:49Z")
Born with a silver foot in his mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/16 "2008-10-01T18:24:57Z")
“If we hit that bull’s eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.” - Zapp Brannigan ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/17 "2008-10-01T19:43:43Z")
That’s a Pandora’s kettle of worms of another colour. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/18 "2008-10-01T19:53:36Z")
Close the barn door after the cat is out of the bag. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/19 "2008-10-01T20:07:12Z")
He who looks before he leaps is lost. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876/20 "2008-10-01T20:07:40Z")
Hey, you’re preaching to the head of a pin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixed-metaphors/465876.md?page=2)