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.


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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.


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Cliche: keep your hair on

Meaning: be calm, don't over-react (example)


Rewrite 1: keep your wig on
Rewrite 2: keep your curls on
Rewrite 3: keep your fringe covered
Rewrite 4: keep your calm on
Rewrite 5: keep your cool on
Rewrite 6: don't lose your wig to your worries




Comment: Although this rewrite focuses more on hair and hair substitutes, there are surely more ways to rewrite this cliche. How else might you you say it conveying the same sense?


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Cliche: keep your eyes open (peeled)

Meaning: be alert or watchful (example)


Rewrite 1: keep your sense of sight on the sense of action
Rewrite 2: be wide-eyed and super-detailed
Rewrite 3: watch with every eye you have
Rewrite 4: make sure the "eyes" have it
Rewrite 5: keep your senses on high alert




Comment: Making a direct translation into other idioms or metaphors for this cliche was difficult so I had to stretch it a little, but I think I accomplished my goal. Good luck on your attempts.


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An eye on poetry
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Cliche: Keep your chin up!

Meaning: remain upbeat (example)


Rewrite 1: Chin into the wind!
Rewrite 2: Chin above the water!
Rewrite 3: Make your chin your prow through troubled waters.
Rewrite 4: Eyes open, nose parallel to the ground, and chin leading forward!
Rewrite 5: Lead with the chin for the win!

Comment: Although I usually try to vary the subjects of my metaphors, in this case I thought I'd maintain the chin as the single focus and vary the idioms around it. How else might you rewrite this cliche?

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Growing idiomatically
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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?


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More on idioms
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Cliché: it isn't rocket science

Meaning: it isn't so advanced (example)


Rewrite 1: it isn't particle physics
Rewrite 2: it isn't quantum computing
Rewrite 3: it isn't galactic entanglement
Rewrite 4: it isn't advanced calculus
Rewrite 5: it isn't superstructure engineering


Comment: This is about using the complex to imply the simple. It doesn't have to be science - what about advanced crochet technique or organizational chart engineering?


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Spruce up your idioms
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Cliché: in the clear

Meaning: blameless or innocent (example 1)(example 2)


Rewrite 1: passed clean suspect inspection
Rewrite 2: traveling barrier-free
Rewrite 3: the fog surrounding you has lifted
Rewrite 4: the dark cloud hovering over you just rained out
Rewrite 5: the trash talk has shifted to somebody else


Comment: There is an other use for this idiom related to cashflow, but all the references I found online were to blamelessness.


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