Playing the risky Mix ’n Match word game

Ah, bloopers. We may pretend not to notice them in the office, at the church or on the train – but we take them away with us and share them over and over with our friends and colleagues. Because there’s just nothing like someone else’s little mess up to brighten your day. Here are a few we’ve spotted (or heard) recently.

Have you ever found two phrases you like so much, you can’t resist marrying them so they become one? Then you might end up with something like: ”This strategy gives us an open foot!” This bizarre phrase takes Get a foot in the door and mixes it with An open door policy. Far from positive, it sounds like an emergency room situation! 

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And speaking of marriage, it’s hard to focus on kissing the bride when the priest gets two m-words mixed up and asks if you will join each other in holy mandatory. You might be hoping for romantic matrimony, but what you agree to is a lifelong...obligation. Well, mandatory might be appropriate. It depends on who you ask...

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Now, we all like to be praised for being good hosts and entertaining our guests. But when someone said they’d been to a ”funny party,” we asked what was wrong with the host. And then we remembered that fun and funny often get mixed up. Funny means humorous – but in many contexts, it means...well, weird. A funny-looking person isn’t a comedian, it’s someone who looks a bit strange. And a funny party is an odd party.

(So, what’s fun but not funny? Shopping trips, cars, computer games, even presidential debates. Basically, anything that’s entertaining but not exactly stand-up comedy.)

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Finally, picture this scenario: A leading Danish company decides to publish an ad in an English-language newspaper. It wants to personalize its corporate image with a picture of a friendly-looking woman. The text bubble next to hear reads (something like): ”I love my colleagues. They’ve been a challenge to me, and I’ve been a challenge to them.” The English reader has a good chuckle at this on the train to work because, let’s face it, the lady in the ad just admitted to being a difficult person to work with...and has insulted her co-workers.