more of What is this?

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Jun 14, 2005, at 5:10 PM, Alan Baragona wrote:

> Sunday's Doonesbury has a fine example of these blended cliches, or
> whatever they're going to be called, among a catalogue of Bushisms.
>
> "Free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no
> conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat." (Sept. 17, 2004)

looks like a substitution blend, with the "whim" of "at a whim"
substituting for the "drop" of "at the drop of a hat".

arnold