Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Cliché: drive me to drink

(entered for 05.03.06)

Meaning: make me take extreme or dangerous measures
Rewrite 1: force me to do drugs
Rewrite 2: drive me to mainline vitamins
Rewrite 3: make me pinch snuff
Rewrite 4: push me to scarf Pop-Tarts and Tic-Tacs

Comment: The last one is for the really little kids. They’ll appreciate the effort.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I
googled “clichés”:
April 05, 2006: “Better investing through clichés.”

Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.

Check out the searchable
alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.

Cliché: get in on the ground floor

(entered for 5.02.06)

Meaning: get in at the very beginning or while the getting in is still good
Rewrite 1: get on while the elevator’s still taking passengers
Rewrite 2: take the stairs at the first floor
Rewrite 3: use the door while the handle still works
Rewrite 4: plant your garden before the ground dries up

Comment: Somehow these all seem silly, but then so does the concept of getting into something “on the ground floor” these days.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I
googled “clichés”:
ClicheSite.com: “The largest collection of clichés, phrases, and sayings with definitions and explanations.

Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.

Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.

Cliché: don’t rain on my parade

(entered for 05.01.06)

Meaning: don’t spoil my celebration
Rewrite 1: don’t sprinkler my yard party
Rewrite 2: don’t sneeze on my cake
Rewrite 3: don’t heckle my thank you speech
Rewrite 4: don’t close the gate as my guests arrive

Comment: I don’t suppose “sprinkler” is a verb, but there also isn’t a very easy way to say, “Don’t turn on the oscillating sprinkler, drag out the hose, and stretch it among the lawn chairs while we party in the yard.”

More reading about clichés
What I found when I
googled “clichés”:
Ephems of BLB: “Political discourse in this country has surely never been more infested with clichés.”

Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.

Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.

Cliché: you do the math

(entered for 04.30.06)

Meaning: you figure it out or do the work. Relatively new.
Rewrite 1: you do the algebra
Rewrite 2: you do the logic
Rewrite 3: you work the gears
Rewrite 4: you add the ones and tens

Comment: I hate this one so much, I hesitate to suggest alternatives – but here goes anyway.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I
googled “clichés”:
Herbert’s Peak Clichés or New Energy Storm: Nuclear energy lecture, Purdue University (see attachment).

Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.

Check out the searchable
alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.