tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170493012024-03-07T17:46:55.402-05:00How to Slay a ClichéClichés: Overused phrases once discarded as tired and trite – rewrite or recast them and their essence becomes useful again. I show you how and encourage you to try some of your own!Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.comBlogger412125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-15611287778840596882013-05-22T10:07:00.004-04:002013-05-22T10:07:57.524-04:00cliché: lower the boom<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: Various: To punch out; to chastise or punish.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: After his cheeky remark, I
lowered the boom, delivering my own one-two verbal punch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b>: Sailing (beam securing sails to
masts, which when swung across the deck may hit someone or knock them
overboard); also Theater (beam for staging that might fall or be lowered
quickly to knock someone down).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/24/messages/564.html" target="_blank">Definitions and origins</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lower
the beam</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">let
loose the boom</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">exercise
the boom</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">give
chase with the tackle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">unleash
the scaffolding</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">rock
the rigging</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Discussion</b>: There are lots of ways to
say "wrecking ball" with either sailing or thespian jargon, but you need to be
careful not to be obscure. In the end, I deleted a couple that though they
applied probably wouldn’t have been clear.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span>Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-8029071422133903252013-05-16T09:27:00.000-04:002013-05-16T09:57:31.263-04:00cliché: behind the eight ball (8 ball)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Put at a
disadvantage or unfavorable position (<a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/behind+the+eight+ball" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: With nothing but difficult options before him, Bill found himself
behind the eight ball.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Billiards and the
game of Eight Ball, perhaps Eight-ball Croquet. First use is in the 1929 <i>Sheboygan Press</i> about baseball.
(<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/behind-the-eight-ball.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">behind the hate ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">behind the black ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">behind the odd ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">behind the mid-ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">behind the killer ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">menaced by the eight ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">intimidated by the eight ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">gamed by the eight ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">galled by the eight ball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">on the unlucky side of the eight ball</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: I tried to play on the
variety of ways you might think of facing an eight ball in a game of billiards.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Update</b>: I had struggled with rewriting this cliche for some reason. As I was promoting his page on social media, an entirely new angle hit me - other game metaphors:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">caught between the chutes and the ladders</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">caught at the bottom of a Sorry! slide</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-20667897800206562692013-05-01T08:47:00.002-04:002013-05-01T08:47:47.832-04:00cliché: the bee’s knees<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: Excellent quality (or the small things in life that count)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: Those miniature gold bar earrings are the bee’s knees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Various and undecided. Bee’s knees carry the awesome
pollen. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-bees-knees.html" target="_blank">Sources</a>.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the cow’s udders</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the sheep’s locks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the bird’s peeps</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the hummingbird’s wings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the puppy's cuddle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the striker’s toes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the punter’s feet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the penitent’s knees</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: I suggest there are few
things so small that provide so much gold as the bee’s knees, but there are
lots of things we probably don’t consider that proportionally provide an equal
amount of good. That’s what I took into consideration in rewriting this cliché.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-83673209345227042882013-04-30T08:07:00.002-04:002013-04-30T08:07:58.199-04:00cliché: beauty is only skin deep<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Meaning</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">: Appearances can be
deceptive; physical beauty is superficial (<a href="http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/beauty+is+only+skin+deep.html" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: Her
words not so gracious as her appearance, we learned her beauty is only skin deep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">: First use attributed to
Sir Thomas Overbury, 1613, 1856. (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/59200.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:</span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beauty
is a blemish of the skin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beauty
doesn’t reach to the bone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beauty
is a tattoo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">grace
is an outer garment only</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">once
the skin breaks the beauty bleeds away</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">glamour
is but a mask</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">loveliness
is a linen few care to turn down</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Once again, we break this
idiom down into its essential meaning to create its rewrites.</span></div>
<br />Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-21750489562098948712013-04-29T08:11:00.000-04:002013-04-29T08:11:10.332-04:00cliché: beauty is in the eye of the beholder<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Beauty (or ugliness) is
subjective (<a href="http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/beauty+is+in+the+eye+of+the+beholder.html" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Example</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: She says he’s
handsome, I say he’s average; such is our notion of beauty, which is in the eye
of the beholder.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: In various forms, 3<sup>rd</sup>
century BC Greek, 16<sup>th</sup> century AD Shakespeare and Lyly, but not in
its current form until the 19<sup>th</sup> century AD. (<a href="http://source./">Source.</a>) </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in
beauty, the beholder sets the gauge</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beauty
is subject to the jaundiced eye</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">glamour
is an astigmatism true to the beholder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fairness
favors the beholder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">loveliness
is the gift of the onlooker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">charm
is an artifact of the beguiled</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">grace
is a spectator event</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">elegance
is a biased view</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: This rewrite took me a while. The trick here
is to decide what to call “beauty” and then how to acknowledge its reception. </span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-88296681504312876402013-04-25T07:11:00.002-04:002013-04-25T07:11:27.129-04:00cliché: beat the bushes<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: seek something diligently;
also, work hard to achieve something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Example</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Sales department knows, when
earnings are down you beat the bushes for leads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Origins</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: From hunting practice of
flushing birds from hiding by hitting bushes with a stick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/beat+the+bushes" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;" target="_blank">Source</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> for meaning and origins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beat the flora</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beat the shrubs</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">thrash the chaparral</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">whack the vegetation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">jostle the low hanging fruit</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wake the early birds</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: I’ve attempted to address
both the original wording and the nuances of meanings. See what you can do.</span></div>
<br />
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-84776784071885920482013-04-24T09:05:00.002-04:002013-04-24T09:05:59.094-04:00cliché: beat around the bush<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: addressing an issue in a
round-about way (<a href="http://www.idiomeanings.com/idioms/beat-around-the-bush/" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: When
asked for details, she hemmed and hawed then beat around the bush.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Hunting during medieval
times, flushing wild game out of the bushes at the risk of also flushing out
more dangerous game. (<a href="http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/your-english/phrase-of-the-week/phrase-of-the-week-to-beat-about-the-bush/145676.article" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beat around
the tall grass</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">send the
lads into the bushes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">make
noises from the treetops</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">walk the
edges of the crowd</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">drive
around the traffic jam</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">get to the
heart by way of the lungs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">cross the river at the creek</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: The key to this rewrite
isn’t so much to duplicate the original as it is to restate its intent, which
is to avoid the danger or inconvenience by taking other means.</span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-54279274215772431412013-04-23T06:25:00.000-04:002013-04-23T06:25:02.056-04:00cliché: be there or be square<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: direction to conform
or be out of step with the cool people (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Be+there+or+be+square" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: Dude, everybody who’s anybody will be at the party – be there or be
square!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Its roots evolved over the last couple of
centuries, but the cliché takes root in 1940s-50s with jazz as a reference to
the square as something that followed an established order turned into one that
was confined by that order and not “with it” or “cool.” (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/36/messages/396.html" target="_blank">Source 1</a>. <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_the_phrase_be_there_or_be_square" target="_blank">Source 2</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be there or be contraire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be there or lose your cool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be there or be drool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be there or be outta here</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be there or never be here</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">be one of us or never be one of us</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">come along to get along</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: There is a lot of room to
work with here for a rewrite. There is the rhyme, coolness, conformity,
inclusion – this cliché is rich with opportunity for rework.</span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-88641778429519956902013-04-18T06:59:00.001-04:002013-04-18T06:59:18.925-04:00cliché: bats in the belfry<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: crazy or eccentric behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: Swerving across three lanes of busy traffic, he must have been
navigating with bats in his belfry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: 1900s American authors of various genre.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bats-in-the-belfry.html" target="_blank">Definition and Origins Source</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bats
in the tower</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">squirrels
in the attic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">spiders
in the crown</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">monkeys
in the museum</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">gremlins
in the observatory</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> This
is about erratic behavior, so a rewrite should be about erratic-acting animals
in tall or stable places.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-42459345908998817242013-04-12T09:32:00.003-04:002013-04-12T09:32:35.539-04:00cliché: banging your head against a brick wall<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: repetitively doing
something that will result in no positive effect (<a href="http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/be-banging-your-head-against-a-brick-wall" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: My son
had already made up his mind, and trying to change his decision was like
banging my head against a brick wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b>: Could not find one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hitting
your head against a cement wall</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">yelling at
a brick wall</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sparring
with a brick wall</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">having a
staring contest with a masonry wall</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: I was
really surprised that I couldn’t find an origin for this one, but I suspect it’s
buried in some English garden. The meaning is apparent, without an origin.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-79451226049299592072013-04-09T10:02:00.000-04:002013-04-09T10:02:26.989-04:00cliché: a basket case<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: One who is of a hopeless
or useless physical or mental state (<a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/basket+case" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: He was
so upset by the accident, he had become a mental basket case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: World War I, describing a
soldier who returned from war having lost both arms and both legs. (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/56500.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.) <i>Offensive slang</i>. (<a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/basket+case" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">N/A</span></li>
</ul>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: I’m going to take the
unusual step of suggesting we not rewrite this cliché but because of its
offensive nature we discard it. Offensive why? Because it treats the physically
or mentally disabled as “hopeless” and “useless” instead of as honored and
hopeful members of society. Even in its original use, officials used the term
to deny that such individuals even existed. I suggest we deny the offense and not describe
anyone in these or similar terms.</span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-60986663886011202092013-04-08T12:37:00.000-04:002013-04-08T12:37:15.330-04:00cliché: a barn burner<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: something that causes a lot of interest or excitement (<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barn%20burner" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Example</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: The championship game between
the top two contenders was a real barn burner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: American 1835-45, reference to burning down a
barn to get rid of rats and the attention it causes. (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/barn+burner" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a barn
razer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a tower
toppler</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a bridge
dropper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a roof
collapser</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a sky blazer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a river
blocker</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: While these don’t all have the same origins as a
barn burning, they likely would all get public attention and acclaim.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-44018306273918863382013-04-05T06:55:00.004-04:002013-04-05T06:55:50.019-04:00cliché: baptism by fire<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(also,
baptism of fire)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: an ordeal, especially of martyrdom; soldier’s
first battle experiences (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/baptism-of-fire.html" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Example</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: On his
first day, the customer service rep faced a first rate consumer rage call, an
epic baptism of fire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: First used in French to reference a soldier’s
experience in battle, 1822. Also Biblical references. (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/baptism-of-fire.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">baptism by
conflagration</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">blessing by
bayonet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">passion by
ambush</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ecstasy by
battle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">immersion by
Armageddon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">purification
by scrabble</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: There
are a couple of different ways to go with this idiom. Be inventive.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-4006921603150031912013-03-29T07:36:00.003-04:002013-03-29T07:36:42.278-04:00cliché: bank on it<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: do with certainty
(<a href="http://www.idiomquest.com/learn/idiom/bank-on-it/" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Example</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Her recipe for cherry pie is a winner, you may bank on it.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: Late 1800s; alludes to banks as a place of safe
storage for money. (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bank%20on" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">deposit on it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">invest with it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">secure a loan with it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bet your house on it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">build a career on it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">give a blind date a second call over it</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: This rewrite is about
being so confident in something that you can move ahead as you would in other
interactions of life with confidence.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-2211001744892020002013-03-23T12:49:00.000-04:002013-03-23T12:49:04.987-04:00cliché: the whole ball of wax<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: everything inclusive
(<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/whole+ball+of+wax" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example:</b> The book contains everything you want to know about the topic, the whole
ball of wax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Uncertain, but first recorded in 9<sup>th</sup>
edition of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1953. Associated with advertising
usage. May also have origins in old English estate law as a way to assign
inheritance. (<a href="http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=243022" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the whole block of beeswax</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the whole wad of gum</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the entire lump of coal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the bursting cache of trash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the rich roll of cash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the full load of laundry</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">entire wall with cracks, dents, and all</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: With no clear origins on
which to draw for inspiration, I’ll break it down into parts – “ball of wax”,
“whole ball”, “ball”, “wax”, etc. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">All you ever might want to know about wax from <a href="http://www.candlecauldron.com/waxandwicks.html" target="_blank">Candle Cauldron</a> and <a href="http://www.rotblattsculpture.com/Articles/waxanoverview.html" target="_blank">Rotblatt Sculpture</a>.</span></div>
<br />
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-24375091311675322942013-03-22T11:02:00.000-04:002013-03-22T11:02:26.002-04:00cliché: a bald faced liar<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: undisguised or brazen liar
(<a href="http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/07/lie-detection.html" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Example</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: The bald faced liar, it
was as if his lie was his show of contempt.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origin</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: 1640-1650 but with no
explanation. Self-explanatory with expression? (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bald-faced" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bare faced
liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">open faced
liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wide faced
liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">plain
faced liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">blunt mugged
liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">simple looking
liar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wide-eyed
liar</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">: Sometimes confused with bold faced liar, though
they have slightly different meanings.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-56695102459267591422013-03-20T09:27:00.000-04:002013-03-20T09:27:06.100-04:00cliché: bait and switch<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: sales technique or ploy of
offering something of higher value then encouraging the other person to accept
something of lesser value (<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bait%20and%20switch" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: First he
offered me free tickets to the movies, then he pulled a bait and switch and
offered me full-price tickets to the opera. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origin</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: Bait used since 1300, switch used since 1890s but
pairing of two dates from 1920s. (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bait+and+switch?qsrc=2446" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">carrot and
stick</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">dangle and
tangle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">deal and
steal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">promise
and pretense</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">: The original was pretty descriptive, but with a
little imagination we can re-establish some of the feeling of having the deal
ripped away from you. I also recognize that “carrot and stick” can be a cliché,
but it’s usually a metaphor for reward and punishment, not for breaking a deal,
so I think we can reuse it here effectively.</span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-68156427323100001212013-03-15T08:11:00.000-04:002013-03-15T08:11:36.818-04:00cliché: bag and baggage<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: all one’s possessions (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bag+and+baggage" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>:
They reproduced the entire household, bag and baggage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b>: Precedes
contemporary English, as found in Rymer’s <i>Foedera</i>,
1422. Earliest English is 1525, Shakespeare in 1600. (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bag-and-baggage.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">bags and
boxes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">cabinets
and drawers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">nooks,
crannies, and corners</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">house and
storage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">house,
basement, and garage</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Discussion</b>: The idea in this
idiom is to express where someone carries or masses their belongings.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-55022527448257122642013-03-13T09:22:00.000-04:002013-03-13T09:22:31.637-04:00cliché: bad to the bone<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: thoroughly bad (<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bad_to_the_bone" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: The thief stole even their last roll of toilet paper; he was bad to the bone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b>: “to the bone” = as completely as possible, based on trimming all the meat from a bone, leaving no waste. (Source: <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ytJNRDL0zDgC&pg=PA38&lpg=PA38&dq=origins+of+%22to+the+bone%22&source=bl&ots=WKJ5sTtH93&sig=bbdImJP16w1zrvo4dJv3eCYBnOk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=F3VAUf31B8mOygG7voHACQ&ved=0CGUQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=origins%20of%20%22to%20the%20bone%22&f=false" target="_blank">Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms, page 38</a>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">crummy to the core</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bastard to the bone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">mean to the marrow</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">rotten to the root</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bad to the board foot</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: The meaningful root to explore turned out to be “to the bone.” When I researched the full idiom, I kept getting pushed to the 1980’s song by Thoroughgood, yet found nothing of value on the idiom’s origins. When I researched the root, an idiom in its own right, that’s when I found this source. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried to retain the minor alliterative nature of the idiom. There are surely many other ways to rewrite this cliché without that stricture.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-52221067494261701152013-03-11T11:03:00.001-04:002013-03-11T11:03:36.013-04:00cliché: a bad seed<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meaning</b>: someone or something that is a bad influence or produces bad results (<a href="http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bad-seed" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Example</b>: Always getting into mischief, the youth was the bad seed of a troubled family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b>: Biblical references to the effect of sewing seed in fields. (<a href="http://www.ehow.com/about_4596781_what-principle-sowing-reaping.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rewrites</b>:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a flawed seed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a wayward seed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a seed of no good character</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a withered planting</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a pit with no future</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a fruitless fount</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">an ill-gained grain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">an unproductive kernel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a profitless pip</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Some definitions prescribe a genetic element as the source of poor production, but the usage I’m familiar with makes no such association, unless it’s simply understood.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-69760642168536577242013-03-06T09:02:00.000-05:002013-03-06T09:02:24.042-05:00cliché: a bad hair day<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Meaning</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">: literally
an untidy-hair day; also a disagreeable day. (<a href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/bad-hair-day" target="_blank">definitions</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Example</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">:
Nothing was going well, it struck me I was having a bad hair day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">: Literal
use of words, became popular saying 1990-1995. (<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bad+hair+day">Source</a>.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rewrites</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a pillow hair day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a convertible-air hair day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a knobby sweater day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a chipped tooth day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">an open zipper day</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Many of these define bad hair, others define a bad
day.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-29165541774493828462013-02-28T07:47:00.000-05:002013-02-28T07:47:21.442-05:00cliché: a bum rap<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaning</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">:
unfair blame or criticism (<a href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/bum-rap" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Example</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">:
The website got a bum rap for being difficult to reach, which was the result of
a DOS attack. (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+bum+rap" target="_blank">examples</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Origins</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: bum
as an adjective means of poor quality or useless, 19<sup>th</sup> century; rap
as a term for criminal charge comes circa 1865 (<a href="http://www.wordreference.com/definition/bum%20rap" target="_blank">History1</a>. <a href="http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/comments/rap_sheet/" target="_blank">History 2</a>.) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rewrites</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">bum blame</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">bum slam</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">twisted rap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">lame critique</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">cheap lip</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">stretched bitch</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: I have gone from very close to the original to very
far from it but still encasing the meaning. This one took some work with a
thesaurus.</span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-31941941411767771382013-02-27T08:38:00.002-05:002013-02-27T08:38:56.717-05:00cliché: bad blood<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaning:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">
animosity between people (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bad+blood" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Example:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> A
good fence often keeps bad blood between neighbors from escalating into a good
war.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Origins:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Blood and emotions; among first uses, <i>Essays of Elia</i> by Charles Lamb in 1823.
(<a href="http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/76777/bad-blood-usage" target="_blank">Source</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">foul blood</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">tainted blood</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bile in the blood</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">vein hatred</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ill tempered muscle</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fury in the guts</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> I have tried to rework both the concept of emotion
and where that emotion resides. </span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-23731013620118620972013-02-25T13:46:00.000-05:002013-02-25T13:46:31.880-05:00cliché: back to the drawing board<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaning:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> restart
from the beginning (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/back+to+the+drawing+board" target="_blank">definition</a>).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Example:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
When the project failed, the boss said, “back to the drawing board, team.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Origins:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> <i>New Yorker</i> magazine cartoon in 1941. (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/back-to-the-drawing-board.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">back to the drafting table (sketch
book)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">start over with clean paper</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fresh doodle-pad, lads</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lets refresh with a mental reboot</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sharpen the wits and freshen the creative
juices</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">go out the door and come back in
like this idea never happened</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discussion:</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
How might we rewrite this to reflect the switch over to generating ideas on
computer screens?</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17049301.post-84670588635045273022013-02-22T14:42:00.002-05:002013-02-22T14:42:52.786-05:00cliché: back to square one<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Meaning:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> return to the beginning; start again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Example:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> If this experiment doesn’t yield the answer,
we’ll have to go back to square one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Origins:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Various possibilities: English football
broadcasts, board games, or hopscotch.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (<a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/back%20to%20square%20one.html" target="_blank">Definitions and origins</a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (<a href="http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/back+to+square+one" target="_blank">Examples</a>.)</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rewrites:</span></span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">revisit square one</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">back to “Start”</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">back to launch</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">time to reboot</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">reset to zero</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> I mainly worked with the board game scenario,
since that seems to me to be the most apt metaphor.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
Booksville Bookclubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698980513799974139noreply@blogger.com0