Meaning: those who wait are well rewarded. Origin.
Rewrite 1: regret the wait but relishv2 the reward
Rewrite 2: patience is rewarded with prizes
Rewrite 3: no one regrets speed more than he whose reward is rushed
Rewrite 4: the longer the wait the more cherished the prize
Comment: A wise saying with few alternatives.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Christian Clichés: “Christians often use clichés among themselves and even with non-Christians, but there may be a need to give thought to the meanings of these oft-repeated phrases.” And The Christian Clichés, from a separate source. Scroll down to get to the actual list.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Cliché: the blind leading the blind
Meaning: someone leading others who have similar limitations. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: the deaf singing to the deaf
Rewrite 2: the mute pontificating to the deaf
Rewrite 3: a glutton giving a pep talk to a dietern2
Rewrite 4: an adulterer promoting monogamy to an adulteress
Comment: You might imagine all the really strange things people with limitations could try to do for others who have equal limitations.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• TV Sitcom Clichés: From “The Web's largest collection of clichés, euphemisms, sayings and figures of speech.”
Rewrite 1: the deaf singing to the deaf
Rewrite 2: the mute pontificating to the deaf
Rewrite 3: a glutton giving a pep talk to a dietern2
Rewrite 4: an adulterer promoting monogamy to an adulteress
Comment: You might imagine all the really strange things people with limitations could try to do for others who have equal limitations.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• TV Sitcom Clichés: From “The Web's largest collection of clichés, euphemisms, sayings and figures of speech.”
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Cliché: you make a better door than a window
Meaning: you’re blocking my view. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: I could see [the TV or whatever] if you’d open the door in your back
Rewrite 2: when did you grow that door in your back?
Rewrite 3: what if people were windows – think I could see through you right now?
Rewrite 4: did you just grow a foot wider, or are you actually standing in my way?
Comment: This cliché isn’t as much about writing as it is speaking to someone. Still, there are a lot more creative ways to tell someone you can’t see through them.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Big Fat List of TV Clichés: “…basically a situation used often in writing plotlines. Sometimes, such situations get used so often, it comes to the point where you actually expect it to happen.”
Rewrite 1: I could see [the TV or whatever] if you’d open the door in your back
Rewrite 2: when did you grow that door in your back?
Rewrite 3: what if people were windows – think I could see through you right now?
Rewrite 4: did you just grow a foot wider, or are you actually standing in my way?
Comment: This cliché isn’t as much about writing as it is speaking to someone. Still, there are a lot more creative ways to tell someone you can’t see through them.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Big Fat List of TV Clichés: “…basically a situation used often in writing plotlines. Sometimes, such situations get used so often, it comes to the point where you actually expect it to happen.”
Monday, November 07, 2005
Cliché: with one hand tied behind my back
(entered on/for Nov. 07, 2005)
Meaning: I’ll do this thing while giving myself a disadvantage. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: while hopping on one foot
Rewrite 2: with my good eye closed
Rewrite 3: while standing on my head
Rewrite 4: while turning one-handed cartwheels
Comment: This one can be fun to rewrite – think of something really ridiculous and then twisttiv2 it one more time, as I did in rewrites 2 and 4.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Most Annoying Workplace Clichés: “15 most annoying clichés as identified by the Accountemps survey of 150 senior executives.”
Meaning: I’ll do this thing while giving myself a disadvantage. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: while hopping on one foot
Rewrite 2: with my good eye closed
Rewrite 3: while standing on my head
Rewrite 4: while turning one-handed cartwheels
Comment: This one can be fun to rewrite – think of something really ridiculous and then twisttiv2 it one more time, as I did in rewrites 2 and 4.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Most Annoying Workplace Clichés: “15 most annoying clichés as identified by the Accountemps survey of 150 senior executives.”
Cliché: too many chefs spoil the broth
(entered for Nov. 06, 2005 at 11:55 pm EST)
Meaning: too many people involved will mess things up. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: too many artists spoil the fresco
Rewrite 2: too many generals spoil the battle
Rewrite 3: one more handyman and the walls will fall
Rewrite 4: one politician too many spoils the campaign
Comment: The must be many more examples of too much of something spoiling another thing. What would too many teachers spoil? Too many bullies2a? Too many doctors? What would be an absurd example? Have fun with it!
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• From FindCliches.com: “The Web’s Largest Collection of Cliches, Euphamisms, Sayings, and Figures of Speech.”
Meaning: too many people involved will mess things up. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: too many artists spoil the fresco
Rewrite 2: too many generals spoil the battle
Rewrite 3: one more handyman and the walls will fall
Rewrite 4: one politician too many spoils the campaign
Comment: The must be many more examples of too much of something spoiling another thing. What would too many teachers spoil? Too many bullies2a? Too many doctors? What would be an absurd example? Have fun with it!
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• From FindCliches.com: “The Web’s Largest Collection of Cliches, Euphamisms, Sayings, and Figures of Speech.”
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Cliché: put that in your pipe and smoke it
Meaning: take that, examples
Rewrite 1: take a bite of that and see how easy it is to swallow
Rewrite 2: chew on that one for a while
Rewrite 3: wrestle with that for a bit
Rewrite 4: step in that and see how it feels
Comment: There’s a “do this and see how you like it” quality to this cliché, maybe even a tinge of revenge.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Adverjism: Is there a copywriter’s bible of advertising clichés as must-includes? British sourced.
Rewrite 1: take a bite of that and see how easy it is to swallow
Rewrite 2: chew on that one for a while
Rewrite 3: wrestle with that for a bit
Rewrite 4: step in that and see how it feels
Comment: There’s a “do this and see how you like it” quality to this cliché, maybe even a tinge of revenge.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Adverjism: Is there a copywriter’s bible of advertising clichés as must-includes? British sourced.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Cliché: know which side your bread is buttered on
(entered for Nov. 4, 2005)
Meaning: find a strategic advantage
Rewrite 1: know which trees give the best fruit
Rewrite 2: know which end of the ship sinks last
Rewrite 3: know your lenders and your borrowers
Rewrite 4: know the best mileage and the biggest tank
Comment: This is an exercise in comparative strategic one-upmanship*.
*also spelled as oneupmanship.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• A user’s guide to journalistic clichés: “…a cut-out-and-keep glossary of journalistic clichés.” Australian sourced by “Crikey.”
Meaning: find a strategic advantage
Rewrite 1: know which trees give the best fruit
Rewrite 2: know which end of the ship sinks last
Rewrite 3: know your lenders and your borrowers
Rewrite 4: know the best mileage and the biggest tank
Comment: This is an exercise in comparative strategic one-upmanship*.
*also spelled as oneupmanship.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• A user’s guide to journalistic clichés: “…a cut-out-and-keep glossary of journalistic clichés.” Australian sourced by “Crikey.”
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Cliché: he’s all thumbs
(entered for Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005)
Meaning: he is clumsy
Rewrite 1: he’s all toes
Rewrite 2: he has a hand full of thumbs
Rewrite 3: he has the agility of a brick glove
Comment: This one’s about awkwardness and creating the visualization of someone with physical limitations.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Top 10 Game Clichés: “After nearly 200 issues of gaming goodness, we've noticed that the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Meaning: he is clumsy
Rewrite 1: he’s all toes
Rewrite 2: he has a hand full of thumbs
Rewrite 3: he has the agility of a brick glove
Comment: This one’s about awkwardness and creating the visualization of someone with physical limitations.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Top 10 Game Clichés: “After nearly 200 issues of gaming goodness, we've noticed that the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Cliché: dot the I's and cross the T's
Meaning: make sure everything is in order or proofread for errors
Rewrite 1: check for signatures and typos
Rewrite 2: check for tools and supplies
Rewrite 3: lock the doors and pull the blinds
Rewrite 4: cross the eyes and flosstv the teeth
Comment: While I am tempted to try to find additional letter checks, the ones I can think of are already clichés, like “mind your p’s and q’s”. Same for b’s and d’s, although not as often-used. The last rewrite isn’t strictly about assuring order or that something is error-free, but it is a play on the original that used in the right way could be seen as a humorous reference.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Circle of Clichés: “Tom Payne’s guide to the words that reviewers and publishers love too much.” Scroll down to see a more compact list.
Rewrite 1: check for signatures and typos
Rewrite 2: check for tools and supplies
Rewrite 3: lock the doors and pull the blinds
Rewrite 4: cross the eyes and flosstv the teeth
Comment: While I am tempted to try to find additional letter checks, the ones I can think of are already clichés, like “mind your p’s and q’s”. Same for b’s and d’s, although not as often-used. The last rewrite isn’t strictly about assuring order or that something is error-free, but it is a play on the original that used in the right way could be seen as a humorous reference.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Circle of Clichés: “Tom Payne’s guide to the words that reviewers and publishers love too much.” Scroll down to see a more compact list.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Cliché: until the cows come home
Meaning: waiting for something to take its own sweet time
Rewrite 1: until the leaves fall from the trees
Rewrite 2: until it’s covered in bureaucratic red tape
Rewrite 3: until the spots fall off a Dalmatian
Rewrite 4: after the paint dries and the bumpers rust
Comment: None. There are lots of things that take their own sweet time from which to choose.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Phrases with Origins: “Clichés, phrases, one liners, sayings, similies, adages…”
Rewrite 1: until the leaves fall from the trees
Rewrite 2: until it’s covered in bureaucratic red tape
Rewrite 3: until the spots fall off a Dalmatian
Rewrite 4: after the paint dries and the bumpers rust
Comment: None. There are lots of things that take their own sweet time from which to choose.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Phrases with Origins: “Clichés, phrases, one liners, sayings, similies, adages…”
Monday, October 31, 2005
Cliché: cat got your tongue?
Meaning: reasons you’re so quiet or can’t speak
Rewrite 1: someone push your “mute” button?
Rewrite 2: somebody put you "on hold”?
Rewrite 3: you can’t say anything nice about somebody? Or, your mom caught you saying something bad about someone?
Rewrite 4: you’re quieter than a mime2a with laryngitis.
Comment: Rewrite 3 is stretching it, but if you don’t have to explain that his or her mother must have said, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” you’re doing well.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Modern Rules of Advertising: "Men are tired of their portrayal in advertising, according to a new book by Michael Buerk. But images of men behaving stupidly is not the only cliché which irritates writer John Camm." Mostly British but interesting anyway.
Rewrite 1: someone push your “mute” button?
Rewrite 2: somebody put you "on hold”?
Rewrite 3: you can’t say anything nice about somebody? Or, your mom caught you saying something bad about someone?
Rewrite 4: you’re quieter than a mime2a with laryngitis.
Comment: Rewrite 3 is stretching it, but if you don’t have to explain that his or her mother must have said, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” you’re doing well.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Modern Rules of Advertising: "Men are tired of their portrayal in advertising, according to a new book by Michael Buerk. But images of men behaving stupidly is not the only cliché which irritates writer John Camm." Mostly British but interesting anyway.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Cliché: eats like a horse
Meaning: voracious appetite
Rewrite 1: eats like a teenager
Rewrite 2: eats like a starved dog
Rewrite 3: has the appetite of a wolf
Rewrite 4: can consume a leg of lamb like a piranha on a cow
Comment 1: Lots of opportunity here to have fun with the image of someone or something that can’t quite get enough to eat fast enough.
Comment 2: See what the Parents’ Common Sense Encyclopedia has to say about appetites and what is normal or abnormal.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Design Clichés: “…about those symbols we use … or rather, those [that] other people use … to indicate common themes, concepts or ideas. Those symbols which have been used so often that they’ve become clichés.”
Rewrite 1: eats like a teenager
Rewrite 2: eats like a starved dog
Rewrite 3: has the appetite of a wolf
Rewrite 4: can consume a leg of lamb like a piranha on a cow
Comment 1: Lots of opportunity here to have fun with the image of someone or something that can’t quite get enough to eat fast enough.
Comment 2: See what the Parents’ Common Sense Encyclopedia has to say about appetites and what is normal or abnormal.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Design Clichés: “…about those symbols we use … or rather, those [that] other people use … to indicate common themes, concepts or ideas. Those symbols which have been used so often that they’ve become clichés.”
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Cliché: I'd lose my head if it weren't attached
Meaning: my memory is so bad… or I’m so forgetful…
Rewrite 1: I’d lose my tongue if it weren’t attached
Rewrite 2: I’d lose track of my keys if they weren’t in my hands
Rewrite 3: I’d leave my coat behind if I weren’t wearing it
Rewrite 4: I’d stop chewing if it didn’t mean food falling from my mouth
Comment 1: This cliché is really about bad memory, so I have skewed the rewrites toward that.
Comment 2: Before you jump all over me for using “weren’t” instead of “wasn’t”, consider that it is proper English to use “weren’t” in the subjunctive or hypothetical case.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Clichés: self-explanatory. If you’re into RPGs (role-playing games), you’ll know what this is about.
Rewrite 1: I’d lose my tongue if it weren’t attached
Rewrite 2: I’d lose track of my keys if they weren’t in my hands
Rewrite 3: I’d leave my coat behind if I weren’t wearing it
Rewrite 4: I’d stop chewing if it didn’t mean food falling from my mouth
Comment 1: This cliché is really about bad memory, so I have skewed the rewrites toward that.
Comment 2: Before you jump all over me for using “weren’t” instead of “wasn’t”, consider that it is proper English to use “weren’t” in the subjunctive or hypothetical case.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Clichés: self-explanatory. If you’re into RPGs (role-playing games), you’ll know what this is about.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Cliché: out of the woods
Meaning: out of danger or in the clear
Rewrite 1: out of the thicket
Rewrite 2: out of the weed patchn5
Rewrite 3: clear of the mines
Rewrite 4: in the middle of an angry crowd
Comment: Decide first whether you want to express being out of some kind of danger or in the clear. Although “out of the woods” can express either, other metaphors can’t.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Film Sound Clichés: "Film sound stereotypes and common logic flaws."
Rewrite 1: out of the thicket
Rewrite 2: out of the weed patchn5
Rewrite 3: clear of the mines
Rewrite 4: in the middle of an angry crowd
Comment: Decide first whether you want to express being out of some kind of danger or in the clear. Although “out of the woods” can express either, other metaphors can’t.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Film Sound Clichés: "Film sound stereotypes and common logic flaws."
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Cliché: a quick buck
Meaning: easy money or easy earnings (could also be barter items)
Rewrite 1: a quick dime (or other monetary unit)
Rewrite 2: a meal in a minute
Rewrite 3: get some no-sweat sweets
Rewrite 4: fast bucks
Comment: There are a lot of possibilities here. Children might think in terms of candy or other treats, movies, toys, etc. Adults might think in terms of time off, promotions, hobby time, etc.
Rewrite 1: a quick dime (or other monetary unit)
Rewrite 2: a meal in a minute
Rewrite 3: get some no-sweat sweets
Rewrite 4: fast bucks
Comment: There are a lot of possibilities here. Children might think in terms of candy or other treats, movies, toys, etc. Adults might think in terms of time off, promotions, hobby time, etc.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Cliché: wipe the slate clean
Meaning: start over
Rewrite 1: start over with a sheet of clean paper
Rewrite 2: begin with a fresh coat of paint
Rewrite 3: rake away the garbage and start over
Rewrite 4: forget the mess and try again
Comment: Let's start with a new set of words and get on with it. There are lots of ways to say it.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Tokyo on one Cliché a Day, by Seth Stevenson, a regular contributor to Slate.com, who spent two months in Tokyo on a media fellowship.
Rewrite 1: start over with a sheet of clean paper
Rewrite 2: begin with a fresh coat of paint
Rewrite 3: rake away the garbage and start over
Rewrite 4: forget the mess and try again
Comment: Let's start with a new set of words and get on with it. There are lots of ways to say it.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Tokyo on one Cliché a Day, by Seth Stevenson, a regular contributor to Slate.com, who spent two months in Tokyo on a media fellowship.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Cliché: back in the saddle
Meaning: in charge or active again
Rewrite 1: back to leading the horse to the trough
Rewrite 2: pushing the buttonsn2 again
Rewrite 3: carrying the keys again
Rewrite 4: back to counting beans*
*Reference: See "bean counters"
Comment: The quickest rewrites reminded me of other similar clichés (like “walking the beat again”), so I had to be careful not to fall into the trap of accepting the first things that came to mind. I had to work at it, but I think these all work.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Avoid this list of cliché leads in news stories via ACES/cliché leads at copydesk.org.
Rewrite 1: back to leading the horse to the trough
Rewrite 2: pushing the buttonsn2 again
Rewrite 3: carrying the keys again
Rewrite 4: back to counting beans*
*Reference: See "bean counters"
Comment: The quickest rewrites reminded me of other similar clichés (like “walking the beat again”), so I had to be careful not to fall into the trap of accepting the first things that came to mind. I had to work at it, but I think these all work.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Avoid this list of cliché leads in news stories via ACES/cliché leads at copydesk.org.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Cliché: fell through the cracks
Meaning: mysteriously lost
Rewrite 1: fell into a sinkhole
Rewrite 2: slipped under the filing cabinet
Rewrite 3: warpediv2* into another dimension
Rewrite 4: inadvertently picked up by the elf doing my filing
*Here I mean “warped” in the sense as used in science fiction, in which spaceships can move into other dimensions by manipulating the fabric of space.
Comment: Although this cliché usually means that something – a piece of paper, a project file, or a project itself – has gone unnoticed or has accidentally left a place where you would see it to deal with it, it can also be a sarcastic response that says it was accidentally lost but means was actually intentionally set aside. This is a rarer use.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés in photography on, on Eschew Cliché by Mike Johnston, in The Luminous Landscape, a video journal by Michael Reichmann. Eschew Cliché is available on photo.net.
Rewrite 1: fell into a sinkhole
Rewrite 2: slipped under the filing cabinet
Rewrite 3: warpediv2* into another dimension
Rewrite 4: inadvertently picked up by the elf doing my filing
*Here I mean “warped” in the sense as used in science fiction, in which spaceships can move into other dimensions by manipulating the fabric of space.
Comment: Although this cliché usually means that something – a piece of paper, a project file, or a project itself – has gone unnoticed or has accidentally left a place where you would see it to deal with it, it can also be a sarcastic response that says it was accidentally lost but means was actually intentionally set aside. This is a rarer use.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés in photography on, on Eschew Cliché by Mike Johnston, in The Luminous Landscape, a video journal by Michael Reichmann. Eschew Cliché is available on photo.net.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Cliché: jump down your throat
Meaning: seriously get on your case
Rewrite 1: jump on your back
Rewrite 2: swing at your head like a piñata
Rewrite 3: beat on you like a hammer on an anvil
Rewrite 4: throw your head like a bowling ball
Comment: This one was harder to rewrite than I thought it would be. There are probably lots of parts of the body to "jump on" when you want to show your anger, but most such metaphors sound as much like physical abuse as examples of how far you’re willing to go to show someone you’re serious about something.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Cliché Challenge by The Progressive Review tracks the number of references on Google.com for various clichés.
Rewrite 1: jump on your back
Rewrite 2: swing at your head like a piñata
Rewrite 3: beat on you like a hammer on an anvil
Rewrite 4: throw your head like a bowling ball
Comment: This one was harder to rewrite than I thought it would be. There are probably lots of parts of the body to "jump on" when you want to show your anger, but most such metaphors sound as much like physical abuse as examples of how far you’re willing to go to show someone you’re serious about something.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Cliché Challenge by The Progressive Review tracks the number of references on Google.com for various clichés.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Cliché: see the glass as half empty
Meaning: having a negative view of life
Rewrite 1: see a storm cloud without a silver lining
Rewrite 2: see a rain shower as a hurricane
Rewrite 3: view a promotion as piling on* more work
Rewrite 4: think of winning the lottery as increasing your tax burden
Comment: This cliché provides lots of opportunities to be creative. There are lots of situations you can see from either a negative or a positive point of view. You can also flip the concept by seeing the glass as half full and have some fun with that as a rewrite: See a hurricane as a chance to blow autumn leaves out of your yard or a flat tire as an opportunity to flex some muscles.
Rewrite 1: see a storm cloud without a silver lining
Rewrite 2: see a rain shower as a hurricane
Rewrite 3: view a promotion as piling on* more work
Rewrite 4: think of winning the lottery as increasing your tax burden
Comment: This cliché provides lots of opportunities to be creative. There are lots of situations you can see from either a negative or a positive point of view. You can also flip the concept by seeing the glass as half full and have some fun with that as a rewrite: See a hurricane as a chance to blow autumn leaves out of your yard or a flat tire as an opportunity to flex some muscles.
*Piling on: consider this also in the context of the sports idiom in football in which multiple (way more than necessary) defensive players jump on the player in possession of the ball.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”
• Consider The Political Cliché Site for words on candidates, how to run a campaign, and more. Part of The Sports Cliché site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
