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word salad

psychology : unintelligible, extremely disorganized speech or writing manifested as a symptom of a mental disorder (such as schizophrenia)

Word salad is a term used to describe a confused or meaningless mixture of words and phrases when speaking.

Examples 

Never mind that this is the sort of word salad only a company insider could digest. 

—

Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, 10 June 2022

That word salad is the sound of a mouth moving and words evaporating in a puff of dust. 

—

Will Leitch, Daily Intelligencer, 30 May 2018

To throw someone under the bus 

To throw someone under the bus is to criticize, blame, or punish them, especially in order to avoid blame or gain an advantage. People so thrown are typically in a vulnerable position. 

Examples

I’m not going to throw my friend under the bus for something he did 25 years ago.

Arlena: Hey! I didn’t want to go to Arnold’s party, so I told him you were too tired to go and that you asked me to also not go.

Nyima: Don’t blame me for you not wanting to go! You always throw me under the bus like that. I’m going to go to the party and tell him I have no idea what you were talking about.

Know thyself

These were the words inscribed almost as a warning in the pronaos of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. It was Plato who actually transmitted this phrase via his dialogues. Indeed, he suggested the importance of looking inwards before making any decisions or taking any steps forward.

From https://exploringyourmind.com/the-origin-of-the-famous-saying-know-thyself/#google_vignette

mend fences

to improve or repair a relationship that has been damaged by an argument or disagreement

She mended fences with her father.

She and her father are trying to mend their fences.

After the election, he spent a lot of time mending political fences.

His work ethic was inspired by his father, who taught him to mend fences and bale hay — to honor manual labor. 

—

Penelope Green, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023

wait for the other shoe to drop

To wait for the next, seemingly unavoidable (and typically negative) thing to happen.

Origin This expression alludes to a person awakened by a neighbor who loudly dropped one shoe on the floor and is waiting for the second shoe to be dropped. [Early 1900s]

Examples

Mom said that Dad would punish us when he got home from work, so now we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop before we make any decisions

think on (one’s) feet

To be able to think clearly in times of stress, especially when forming a solution to a pressing problem.

Examples

Thank goodness you were able to think on your feet and find another way to stop the pipe from leaking. The whole basement would have flooded otherwise.

Being a parent means thinking on your feet and adapting as you go along.

From the free dictionary

stand in (someone’s) shoes

To see or understand things from someone else’s position or perspective; to empathize with someone.

I used to resent my dad for the placid way he was with our domineering mother, but once I grew up a bit and stood in his shoes for a while, I came to have a greater appreciation for what he must have been going through.

If you encounter a bully, try standing in their shoes—they’re probably deeply unhappy and redirect that feeling onto others.

From the free dictionary