EYDER PERALTA, HOST:
You've likely heard of a Freudian slip. But what about a Floridian slip? Mike O'Brien has. In fact, he's heard many malapropisms over his career at the Ford Motor Company. And as The Wall Street Journal reported, he spent the last 10 years of his 32 there documenting them. Mike O'Brien joins us now. Hey there, Mike.
MIKE O'BRIEN: Hey, Eyder, glad to be here.
PERALTA: So, Mike, you worked at Ford as a senior director, which is a job that I imagine included too many meetings.
(LAUGHTER)
PERALTA: Tell us about the whiteboards you left after you retired.
O'BRIEN: When people would misuse a phrase, say something like a tale of two stories, there was enough of those that they were starting to get good, and we started writing them up on a whiteboard. And what I never envisioned was that there would eventually be five full whiteboards and part of a sixth.
PERALTA: So we're talking about more than 2000 words for more than 250 people. Can you give us a few examples?
O'BRIEN: Yes. So there are some that are just, like, you - one word that is wrong in a regular idiom or phrase or something, like we need to figure out what their secret sausage is.
PERALTA: (Laughter) I like that one.
O'BRIEN: Yeah. And then there's - you know, there were - somebody was trying to say how they knew everything about this and they said, I know it like the back of my head.
PERALTA: (Laughter).
O'BRIEN: Those are the types of things that...
PERALTA: Yeah.
O'BRIEN: ...Once the ball got rolling - the board words - they were just - they were coming left, right and center because they happen all the time. I have to admit, I had the third most that were on the board. So I'm not a guy in a glass house throwing rocks. It's something that we all do.
PERALTA: I'll ask you about one in particular - even a blind nut finds a squirrel. You remember how that came up?
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Yeah, it was (laughter) - it was one of those where, you know, we were on a somewhat of an impossible task, and somebody just said, look, we'll figure this out. I mean, even a blind nut finds a squirrel. And then there's that awkward five-second pause where people process, like, did I just hear that right? And then everybody starts laughing, and the person is momentarily embarrassed. But I should note that everybody knew it was only for fun. We worked a lot of hours when this first started, and so this was a perfect way for us just to blow off a little steam.
PERALTA: Where does the tradition stand now, now that you've retired? Has someone still working in your old office taken up the Sharpie?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I will not reveal the name...
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: ...In order to protect his identity, but I did pass the torch to two of my most enthusiastic supporters and contributors and people who had been there very close to the beginning. They are continuing to not only record them, but also they're texting me some of the better ones just to keep me laughing during my retirement.
(LAUGHTER)
PERALTA: What was the last one you added to the board before retiring?
O'BRIEN: Oh, I was so happy because, with 2,239 words on the board, they're not all knee slappers. Somebody had to be there or be in the - our department or know the person. But the last one was, I thought, perfect for that, which is, they think we dropped the ball on this, but it couldn't be further from the opposite...
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: ...Which is great. It couldn't be further from the opposite, I think, was a great one to end on.
PERALTA: I'm still actually trying to wrap my mind around that one.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: So am I, and it's been a couple weeks now.
(LAUGHTER)
PERALTA: That's former Ford executive Mike O'Brien. Mike, thank you so much for speaking to us.
O'BRIEN: It's been my pleasure. Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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