Cliché: if the shoe fits, wear it

(entered for 01.29.06)

Meaning: if the situation applies to you, accept it. Origins and uses.
Rewrite 1: if the shoe fits, wear socks of the same size
Rewrite 2: if you look like a dog, come running when they call
Rewrite 3: if “a” = “b,” and “b” = you, you must be “a” as well
Rewrite 4: You share something in common with a fool. Does that make you a fool, too?

Comment: In rewrite 4, I’ve challenged the conclusions of the original cliché. It’s another way of looking at how to repurpose a cliché.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Use of Clichés in the Modern English Curriculum and Pedagogy: “…if I didn’t get all my clichés out of my essays there was hell to pay…”

Check out the new alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right. To search the page using Internet Explorer, just go to “Edit” in the top menu bar, select “Find”, then enter the cliché or a word from it.