Meaning: home is where you go at the end of your day. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: home is where you put to rest the struggles of the day
Rewrite 2: home is where you can claim* all the things therein
Rewrite 3: your troubles stop at the doorstep to your home
Rewrite 4: you can “go to the office” but you can “stay at home”
*See under “Idiom”
Comment: This cliché has a nostalgic feel to it and it most often reflects the special place “home” is in all of our lives. Thus, the rewrites try to pick up on that feel.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés used in Narcotics Anonymous: Phrases from a hard life’s experiences? Push button to retrieve additional phrases.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Cliché: a chip off the old block
Meaning: someone who closely resembles another person. Origins and uses.
Rewrite 1: a chipn5b out of the old cookie
Rewrite 2: a twig off the old tree
Rewrite 3: a stone out of the solid earth
Rewrite 4: a thread out of fine cloth
Comment: My sense is that this is usually used in referring to someone who resembles someone else of quality or solid character, but it doesn’t have to. I avoided some similar “size” comparisons that could have negative connotationsn2, like “crumb” or “crust”, but using them could easily refer to someone of less character, on either side of the comparison.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Los Angeles Clichés: “Canards and clichés, L.A. through the N.Y. Times looking glass.”
Rewrite 1: a chipn5b out of the old cookie
Rewrite 2: a twig off the old tree
Rewrite 3: a stone out of the solid earth
Rewrite 4: a thread out of fine cloth
Comment: My sense is that this is usually used in referring to someone who resembles someone else of quality or solid character, but it doesn’t have to. I avoided some similar “size” comparisons that could have negative connotationsn2, like “crumb” or “crust”, but using them could easily refer to someone of less character, on either side of the comparison.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Los Angeles Clichés: “Canards and clichés, L.A. through the N.Y. Times looking glass.”
Monday, November 14, 2005
Cliché: what a zoo – or – this place is a zoo
Meaning: a place of disorder and chaos. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: this place must be run by monkeys2
Rewrite 2: this is the Chucky Cheese for adults
Rewrite 3: it’s like a fire drill run by Keystone Cops
Rewrite 4: this reminds me of a kidn3 on a sugar buzzn4b
Comment: If you’ve never been to a Chucky Cheese, you ought to get to one. Kids run wild between dozens of games and tables full of pizza and birthday cakes. It’s the perfect example of a place in chaos, just what you need to rephrase this cliché.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Grand List of Fantasy Clichés: “…like the SF list that inspired it, [this list] is intended only to list various clichés common to the fantasy genre.”
Rewrite 1: this place must be run by monkeys2
Rewrite 2: this is the Chucky Cheese for adults
Rewrite 3: it’s like a fire drill run by Keystone Cops
Rewrite 4: this reminds me of a kidn3 on a sugar buzzn4b
Comment: If you’ve never been to a Chucky Cheese, you ought to get to one. Kids run wild between dozens of games and tables full of pizza and birthday cakes. It’s the perfect example of a place in chaos, just what you need to rephrase this cliché.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Grand List of Fantasy Clichés: “…like the SF list that inspired it, [this list] is intended only to list various clichés common to the fantasy genre.”
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Cliché: take a long walk off a short pier
Meaning: leave and don’t come back, or get lost. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: take a slow walk through fast traffic
Rewrite 2: take a walk and forget where you started from
Rewrite 3: take a jogis2b through a rottweiler’s yard
Rewrite 4: have a good runn21 through a bad neighborhood
Comment 1: There is in this cliché a hint of someone who doesn’t like to whomever the comment is addressed, more as a curse than a blessingn3. It’s about leaving and being careless about where you go.
Comment 2: In rewrite 2 above, I end the sentence with a preposition (from). Before I receive a host of e-mails in complaint, you should know that the requirement* to never end a sentence with a preposition is a guideline based on a myth. So says Copy Editor, a newsletter for professional editors. Furthermore, since clichés are based on the vernacular, moving the preposition into the body of the sentence (e.g., take a walk and forget from where you came) would sound awkward and forced.
*See usage note
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Business Jargon Protest Mugs Copy Contest: “Short lines to protest the ridiculous jargon and clichés that permeate business language...”
Rewrite 1: take a slow walk through fast traffic
Rewrite 2: take a walk and forget where you started from
Rewrite 3: take a jogis2b through a rottweiler’s yard
Rewrite 4: have a good runn21 through a bad neighborhood
Comment 1: There is in this cliché a hint of someone who doesn’t like to whomever the comment is addressed, more as a curse than a blessingn3. It’s about leaving and being careless about where you go.
Comment 2: In rewrite 2 above, I end the sentence with a preposition (from). Before I receive a host of e-mails in complaint, you should know that the requirement* to never end a sentence with a preposition is a guideline based on a myth. So says Copy Editor, a newsletter for professional editors. Furthermore, since clichés are based on the vernacular, moving the preposition into the body of the sentence (e.g., take a walk and forget from where you came) would sound awkward and forced.
*See usage note
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Business Jargon Protest Mugs Copy Contest: “Short lines to protest the ridiculous jargon and clichés that permeate business language...”
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Cliché: no pain, no gain
Meaning: progress requires effort and sacrifice. Origins
Rewrite 1: no aches, no results
Rewrite 2: to break the recordsn4 you have to bust7 some buns*
Rewrite 3: learning to walk requires some rug burns** along the way
Rewrite 4: we had to burn some fingers to light the first fires
*scroll down to “buns”
**see “abrasion”
Comment: There are few direct corollaries to the original cliché. But the message can be stated just as eloquently without them.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Animé Clichés: Common character attributes an animé cartooning.
Rewrite 1: no aches, no results
Rewrite 2: to break the recordsn4 you have to bust7 some buns*
Rewrite 3: learning to walk requires some rug burns** along the way
Rewrite 4: we had to burn some fingers to light the first fires
*scroll down to “buns”
**see “abrasion”
Comment: There are few direct corollaries to the original cliché. But the message can be stated just as eloquently without them.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Animé Clichés: Common character attributes an animé cartooning.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Cliché: lock, stock, and barrel
(Entered for Nov. 11, 2005. I entered this at 11:30 pm EST on 11.11.05!)
Meaning: the whole thing. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: cup, saucer, and spoon
Rewrite 2: spoon, fork, and knife
Rewrite 3: trunk, branches, and leaves
Rewrite 4: bulb, lamp, and shade
Rewrite 5: the whole gun, including the trigger
Comment: There are lots of possibilities, but you have to be selective when naming the parts. For instance, in rewrite 4, there are other parts of a lamp, but the ones that seem to connect everything into a single whole are the bulbn3, the lamp itself, and the lampshade. And you don’t want to go overboardi in naming parts. Three parts seems like plenty, and citing more than three becomes laborious.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Movie Clichés: It’s as its title describes. And Movie Clichés: From Harris Online. And Film Clichés: “A funny list of movie clichés.”
Meaning: the whole thing. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: cup, saucer, and spoon
Rewrite 2: spoon, fork, and knife
Rewrite 3: trunk, branches, and leaves
Rewrite 4: bulb, lamp, and shade
Rewrite 5: the whole gun, including the trigger
Comment: There are lots of possibilities, but you have to be selective when naming the parts. For instance, in rewrite 4, there are other parts of a lamp, but the ones that seem to connect everything into a single whole are the bulbn3, the lamp itself, and the lampshade. And you don’t want to go overboardi in naming parts. Three parts seems like plenty, and citing more than three becomes laborious.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Movie Clichés: It’s as its title describes. And Movie Clichés: From Harris Online. And Film Clichés: “A funny list of movie clichés.”
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Cliché: good things come to he who waits
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.
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.
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."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
