cliché: knuckle down

Meaning: get busy/work harder (example 1, example 2)


Rewrite 1: fist press
Rewrite 2: full body face press
Rewrite 3: full court grapple
Rewrite 4: muscle pin it
Rewrite 5: gang tackle it


Comment: I think in this instance, "knuckle down" means to bear down upon or bear your weight on something. I've attempted to wrestle this one with as many grappling metaphors as I could manhandle without getting sweaty and pulling a sciatic nerve.
___


Visit my Facebook page: E-Messenger Internet Consulting

cliché: know where you stand

Meaning: certain of your position (example)


Rewrite 1: know where your feet meet the peet
Rewrite 2: be one with your position
Rewrite 3: be certain of your soundings
Rewrite 4: stand firm with your roots
Rewrite 5: know where the wind can't blow you, the river can't move you, and the cattle can't run you over


Comment: This one, which took a few days to work on, can be both about current position and how you see things, so I tried to reflect both.
___


Have any clichés you're wondering about that I haven't attempted yet? Let me know and I'll give it a try. Give me a shout out on Twitter and Facebook.

cliché: knock out, a

Meaning: a beautiful woman (example)


Rewrite 1: a beauty brain freeze
Rewrite 2: an EMP (Eyes Might Pop-out)
Rewrite 3: a power outage
Rewrite 4: a lines-down and lights-out
Rewrite 5: an E-EFFEN-5!
Rewrite 6: a femme fatality


Comment: It was hard to write something that knocks you out without being a negative, which the original clearly is not.


Where to find me online:
Social Media: Twitter (@a_copywriter), Facebook (E-Messenger), Google+ (E-Messenger)
Web: www.e-messenger-consulting.com
Blogs: Penman, Booksville, Alan Eggleston

cliché: kiss and tell

Meaning: do in private then tell in public (example 1, example 2)


Rewrite 1: kiss and tweet
Rewrite 2: bed and blab
Rewrite 3: grab and brag
Rewrite 4: see and shill
Rewrite 5: expose-say!
Rewrite 6: blab-e-ography


Comment: This often describes an elicit affair or activity so many of these are kanted that way, but I also tried to add some that tilt toward other secret knowledge made public.
___


Follow me on Twitter: @a_copywriter


Like me on Facebook: E-Messenger Internet Consulting


Join me on Google+: E-Messenger Internet Consulting

Cliché: kick the bucket

Meaning: to die (example)


Rewrite 1: kick over the chair
Rewrite 2: knock over the bucket
Rewrite 3: choke on the rope
Rewrite 4: trip into the tight loop of a noose
Rewrite 5: lose the wiggle-room battle with a noose


Comment: This idiom originates from a reference to suicide - tying a rope to a tree, hanging one's self by the rope, standing on a bucket, and then kicking the bucket out from beneath one's self. I've made these rewrites mostly based on that reference.


Follow me on Twitter: @a_copywriter


Check out "When is a Cliché Not a Cliché" on Blame it on the Muse (blog)

Cliché: keep your fingers crossed

Meaning: hope for your wanted outcome (example)


Rewrite 1: keep your fingers x'd
Rewrite 2: keep your fingers locked
Rewrite 3: keep your fingers tied
Rewrite 4: keep your knuckles knotted
Rewrite 5: keep your digits tangled


Comment: A variant is "cross your fingers," so you could also play with that in this rewrite.


Give me a high-five on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Twisted words and phrases
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: keep an eye on you

Meaning: constantly watch or monitor you (example)


Rewrite 1: keep a lens focused on you
Rewrite 2: know where you are even when you don't know where you are
Rewrite 3: know you better than yesterday's most embarrassing memory
Rewrite 4: be on you like spot on a dog
Rewrite 5: stay on you like lint on a suit


Comment: This idiom can be about being on the watch for an up-and-coming new star or on the lookout for a troublemaker, or someone in between. I've taken the latter because it seemed more fun. What can you do with this one?


Eye me on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Speaking brilliantly of parts
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: keep it down

Meaning: be quiet! (example)


Rewrite 1: tap it down
Rewrite 2: keep it low
Rewrite 3: keep it under a decible
Rewrite 4: put a silencer on it
Rewrite 5: soundproof it
Rewrite 6: mute it


Comment: "It" is noise, "down" is volume. Stow it, buddy. Any creative way to say it is better than "Keep it down."


Visit me on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Writing in idioms
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: just around the bend

Meaning: around the next curve in the road (example)


Rewrite: beyond the dip in the road
Rewrite: up past the light and to the right
Rewrite: next stop past the turnpike
Rewrite: just yonder a bit
Rewrite: up the road a piece


Comment: This is often a visual cue in absence of measured distance, so almost any noticable change in landscape will do. The last two are more nebulous but probably reasonable alternatives.


Come say hello on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Speaking plain American
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: jockeying for position

Meaning: racing/competing for position (example 1, example2)


Rewrite 1: jockeying for show, place, or win
Rewrite 2: dancing for last couple standing
Rewrite 3: elbowing for a place in the line
Rewrite 4: fighting over bargains at the sale
Rewrite 5: toe-stretching for tallest


Comment: This really boils down to competition, and there are many ways to win. How would you reword it?


Give me a shout on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Write like a good sport
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Meaning: the longest, most arduous task still has a beginning (example)


Rewrite: a walk of a thousand steps begins with the first footfall
Rewrite: a cross-country drive begins as a drive down the street
Rewrite: a day at the shoppe begins by stepping out of the house
Rewrite: a read of a thousand pages begins with a single word
Rewrite: a lengthy shopping list still begins with the first item
Rewrite: cleaning a big mess begins by mopping the first spill


Comment: Part of preserving the essence of this Chinese proverb is repeating its sensibility and rhythm.


Join with me on Twitter: @a_copywriter
____
More Chinese wisdom
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: jump on the bandwagon

Meaning: get with what is popular (example)


Rewrite: leap onto the stage
Rewrite: get your name on the winner's list
Rewrite: get all military in the march
Rewrite: take the top spot in the parade
Rewrite: show your groove on the holiday float


Comment: Part of this idiom is about support, part of it is about grabbing your moment in the spotlight. 


Next time you're on Twitter, say "Hey!" @a_copywriter
___
Writing with wit
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: jump in with both feet

Meaning: do something quickly and completely (example)


Rewrite: leap in with both feet
Rewrite: jump in with all fours
Rewrite: commit without counting toes
Rewrite: leave no toe behind
Rewrite: plant both heels firmly into it


Comment: I tried to keep the foot metaphor alive in the idiom. How would you rewrite this?


Say hello on Twitter: @a_copywriter
____
More on idioms
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: jack of all trades and a master of none, a

Meaning: average talent with no special skills


Rewrite 1: a mean hauler of sails who can't tie off a knot
Rewrite 2: he can swing a mean hammer but can't hit a nail
Rewrite 3: all tool belt and no tools
Rewrite 4: good at coloring inside the box but can't stay in the lines
Rewrite 5: Mr. Handy, Mr. Thumbs


Comment: A "jack" was an average seaman while a "master" was a highly skilled craftsman on a ship, so this idiom originates with the early sea service. A jack might be good at doing general duties on ship, but he wouldn't be rated a master until he could do extraordinary work. I started by trying to rewrite these to give some sense of those skills or lack of said, then generalized from there.


Join my on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Sounding like a sea dog
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: it's a game of inches

Meaning: a sport or effort with minimal gains or losses


Rewrite 1: it's a game of small advances
Rewrite 2: it's a game of not-quite-theres
Rewrite 3: it's a contest of minor gains
Rewrite 4: it's a match of major disappointments
Rewrite 5: it's a sport of near misses


More possible rewrites:


Rewrite 6: a game of barely movable objects
Rewrite 7: a game of well planted heels
Rewrite 8: a game of well defended options
Rewrite 9: a game of steel-staked positions
Rewrite 10: a game of hard fought lines
Rewrite 11: a contest of won'ts
Rewrite 12: a match between wills


Comment: This was a tough rewrite for me, trying to find new ways to recast the "inches" in a meaningful way. In the end, I decided to redefine the end-product and not the measurement. In the send batch of rewrites, I wrote about less sports-related efforts. Where would you have taken this?


Join me on Twitter: @a_copywriter
____
Speaking of sports
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: in the bag

Meaning: achieved; achievement certain (example)


Rewrite 1: bagged it, dude!
Rewrite 2: tagged, dragged, and bagged
Rewrite 3: locked in
Rewrite 4: glued and screwed
Rewrite 5: water tight


Comment: I went from hunting metaphors to security and craftsmanship metaphors. Let's see what you can do with it.


Next time you're on Twitter say hello: @a_copywriter
___


(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: it's a lemon

Meaning: useless; doesn't work (example)


Rewrite 1: squeeze it, you might get lemonade
Rewrite 2: two more and you can make a meringue pie
Rewrite 3: it has a hint of citrus
Rewrite 4: this thing's so sour it's turning lemon yellow
Rewrite 5: if this isn't a lemon, it's the most yellow lime I've ever seen


Comment: Rather than paralleling the "it's a ..." construction, I tried to work with ways of expressing a lemony quality to say the same thing. 




Come say, "Hey!" on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Speaking of Lemony Things
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: it takes two to tango

Meaning: conflict or other relations requires two (example 1, example 2)


Rewrite 1: it takes two to duet
Rewrite 2: it takes two to tangle
Rewrite 3: it takes two to shake hands
Rewrite 4: it takes two to share
Rewrite 5: it takes two sides to go to war


Comment: Some of my examples oversimplify relationships for the sake of providing an example, but you can easily modify the example or the statement to suit the situation.


Say hello next time you're on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Idioms for younger writers
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: isn't all it's cracked up to be

Meaning: it's disappointing (example)


Rewrite 1: isn't the egg the goose gaggled over
Rewrite 2: isn't the omellette the chef's commotion stirred up
Rewrite 3: isn't the pile-up the four-mile backup promised
Rewrite 4: isn't the gift all the wrapping presents
Rewrite 5: isn't the raise the boss's praises implied




Comment: "Cracked up" means "praise" in its original though seldom-used form, but it's difficult to find another way to repeat that, so I went for other things that "crack up" that might create a similar intention. Thus, the egg references and the pile up. Can you think of another way to bring back the original sense of praise in this idiom?


Say hellow on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___


Playing devil's advocate this once
(commission may be paid on purchase)

Cliché: it's no use crying over spilled milk

Meaning: don't sweat the little things you can't change (example)


Rewrite 1: no use crying over burnt toast
Rewrite 2: no use moaning over crumbled crackers
Rewrite 3: no use stressing over 404 error page returns
Rewrite 4: no use pouting over pennies down sewer drains
Rewrite 5: no use mourning chipped fingernails


Comment: I tried to retain the flavor of life's little disappointments, which is what the original intones.


Do follow me on Twitter: @a_copywriter
___
Picking up more idioms
(commission may be paid on purchase)