Cliché: nice guys finish last

(entered for 02.06.06)

Meaning: the original pretty much says it. Uses and mentions.
Rewrite 1: nice guys get pushed to the back
Rewrite 2: nice guys won’t cheat to win
Rewrite 3: nice guys may not win the race but they often take the day
Rewrite 4: bullies push to lead the pack but often wimp out to lose the race

Comment: Someone in management once said this to me, but I’ve proved him wrong over the years. Nice guys often finish well ahead of last and occasionally take first.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Smizik: Hokey clichés come true for WVU: “The team that wouldn't quit, wouldn't be denied.”

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.

(Note: The following two Cliches-a-Day were entered on 02.04.06 but mysteriously disappeared on 02.07.06 when I entered the next two days' worth of cliches. My apologies. Wordsworth.)

Cliché: Kick some butt (or ass)

(entered for 02.05.06)

Meaning: beat up on someone. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: stomp someone’s behindⁿ
Rewrite 2: blast yer ass
Rewrite 3: lay a mean fist on you
Rewrite 4: fill your nostrils with knuckles^1a

Comment: The second rewrite is more colloquial, while the fourth rewrite is more lyrical. There are lots of unique ways to issue such a threat. Also, in rewrite 4, I was trying to infer hitting the nose with a fist, so the definitions I’ve linked to may not define the terms as well as I would have hoped.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés Gifts: “Gifts from the CartoonStock directory.”

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.

Cliché: hold your horses

(entered for 02.04.06)

Meaning: don’t be in such a hurry. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: slow to a gallop
Rewrite 2: this is no time for a stampede
Rewrite 3: stop the flood before it can start
Rewrite 4: put your engine on idle^iv3

Comment: It isn’t just animals that are in a hurry, so feel encouraged to vary the metaphor, be creative.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• TechRepublicBlog: “Worst clichés of 2005.”

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.