Meaning: dead like an inanimate object
Rewrite 1: dead as a paperweight
Rewrite 2: dead as a drill bit
Rewrite 3: dead as a casket
Rewrite 4: alive as an icecycle
Comment: The first two rewrites courtesy of John Shoemaker, a writer and editor in the Greater New York City Area via LinkedIn, the professional networking site, with permission.
John was one of several who responded to a question I posed on LinkedIn, “Do clichés bother you?” Most who answered were very tolerant of clichés and those who use them. Most responders were writers or editors or both. None thought using clichés were the best first option of a writer, but most thought there was a place for using clichés.
What I have attempted to show in this Web log is that as writers and editors we are all better off avoiding clichés, although it is certain there are times when we can’t avoid them or when using them can be an advantage. Better is learning to rewrite or recast the original idea, which I do in each case by example. I think my colleagues agree in principle with that. In that case, the advantage is usually yours.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Cliché: go with the flow
Meaning: be one with the flood
Rewrite 1: move with the crowd
Rewrite 2: wander the path
Rewrite 3: follow the lights
Rewrite 4: stay in the ruts
Comment: This could almost be a plea to not "rock the boat," but its roots are in the 1960s, and it was really a suggestion to go along or play along with whatever was happening at the moment rather than plan and scheme or resist the temptation to play.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: move with the crowd
Rewrite 2: wander the path
Rewrite 3: follow the lights
Rewrite 4: stay in the ruts
Comment: This could almost be a plea to not "rock the boat," but its roots are in the 1960s, and it was really a suggestion to go along or play along with whatever was happening at the moment rather than plan and scheme or resist the temptation to play.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Cliché: like a fish out of water
Meaning: something or someone out of their comfort zone
Rewrite 1: like a bird out of the nest
Rewrite 2: like a cow out of the pasture
Rewrite 3: like a horse out of the barn
Rewrite 4: like a dude out of beer
Comment: The last one’s pushing the allusion, but I wanted to take you beyond the animal metaphor.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: like a bird out of the nest
Rewrite 2: like a cow out of the pasture
Rewrite 3: like a horse out of the barn
Rewrite 4: like a dude out of beer
Comment: The last one’s pushing the allusion, but I wanted to take you beyond the animal metaphor.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Cliché: eat my hat
Meaning: as in, if the sun don’t shine tomorrow I’ll eat my hat
Rewrite 1: eat my socks
Rewrite 2: eat the mower
Rewrite 3: eat the potato peelings
Rewrite 4: wear Dad's toupé
Comment: I tried to vary the last one so it shows the same sense of confidence that it won’t happen and the absurdity of the event if it does.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: eat my socks
Rewrite 2: eat the mower
Rewrite 3: eat the potato peelings
Rewrite 4: wear Dad's toupé
Comment: I tried to vary the last one so it shows the same sense of confidence that it won’t happen and the absurdity of the event if it does.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Cliché: dropping like flies
Meaning: falling fast and copiously
Rewrite 1: dropping like failed pick-up lines
Rewrite 2: dropping like missed opportunities
Rewrite 3: dropping like names in Hollywood
Rewrite 4: falling like autumn leaves
Comment: You could probably have more fun with this one … falling like love at a freshman dance?
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: dropping like failed pick-up lines
Rewrite 2: dropping like missed opportunities
Rewrite 3: dropping like names in Hollywood
Rewrite 4: falling like autumn leaves
Comment: You could probably have more fun with this one … falling like love at a freshman dance?
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Cliché: can’t see the forest for the trees
Meaning: can’t see the whole for observing the details
Rewrite 1: can’t see the garden for the flowers
Rewrite 2: can’t see the street for the traffic
Rewrite 3: can’t see the home for the house plan
Rewrite 4: missing the curve for the plot points
Comment: I threw you a curve with the last rewrite.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: can’t see the garden for the flowers
Rewrite 2: can’t see the street for the traffic
Rewrite 3: can’t see the home for the house plan
Rewrite 4: missing the curve for the plot points
Comment: I threw you a curve with the last rewrite.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of my cliché rewrites with the archive list at the right.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Cliché: behind the times
Meaning: not aware of current trends or recent news
Rewrite 1: two fads back
Rewrite 2: last year’s fashion statement!
Rewrite 3: so last hour
Rewrite 4: yesterday’s dateline
Comment: These smack of the put down, but “behind the times” doesn’t have to be a cruel comment.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: two fads back
Rewrite 2: last year’s fashion statement!
Rewrite 3: so last hour
Rewrite 4: yesterday’s dateline
Comment: These smack of the put down, but “behind the times” doesn’t have to be a cruel comment.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Cliché: the icing on the cake
Meaning: something added to something good to make it even better
Rewrite 1: the sprinkles on the sundae
Rewrite 2: the chocolate on the strawberries
Rewrite 3: the bonus with the paid holiday
Rewrite 4: the personalized autograph in the first edition classic
Comment: It’s hard to keep it simple the more extravagant you go.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: the sprinkles on the sundae
Rewrite 2: the chocolate on the strawberries
Rewrite 3: the bonus with the paid holiday
Rewrite 4: the personalized autograph in the first edition classic
Comment: It’s hard to keep it simple the more extravagant you go.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Cliché: as easy as falling off a log
Meaning: little to no effort required
Rewrite 1: as easy as tripping on a crack
Rewrite 2: as simple as crossing a "t" or dotting an "i"
Rewrite 3: as smooth as pushing a ball down a hill
Rewrite 4: as natural as running with the wind
Comment: As usual I tried to vary both the example and the meaning of the root word, in this case “easy.” Additional root words I could have used include graceful, painless, and effortless, although they are more cumbersome.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: as easy as tripping on a crack
Rewrite 2: as simple as crossing a "t" or dotting an "i"
Rewrite 3: as smooth as pushing a ball down a hill
Rewrite 4: as natural as running with the wind
Comment: As usual I tried to vary both the example and the meaning of the root word, in this case “easy.” Additional root words I could have used include graceful, painless, and effortless, although they are more cumbersome.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Back After a Long, Unplanned Absence
What a road I have traveled since I last posted! I apologize to anyone who has visited and seen how long it's been since I last made an entry.
I suffered a series of health set-backs, the last of which -- prostate cancer surgery -- I am still recovering from. As a result, I wasn't able to give any time to rewriting cliches. I am trying to begin again.
In addition, just before the health set-backs, I lost most of my research as a result of the faulty diskettes on which I had stored my data, because I had to totally erase my hard drive and reload all my software and data. Only afterward did I discover that my data was lost! So I have had to begin gathering material again. I have also since started storing data on X-drive as my external drive. Fool me once...but only once!
So, if you have been a fan of the site and wondered where I have been... or if you have stumbled onto the site and would like more of what I have produced, let me assure you I am working on it again.
I am a freelance writer and editor and rely on that freelance work for a living, so I am doing this blog as I have time and energy. Recovering from prostate surgery at age 57 takes a long, long time. But I want to get this site back in gear, even if it isn't on a daily basis as it once was.
Thank you for your patience.
Alan
I suffered a series of health set-backs, the last of which -- prostate cancer surgery -- I am still recovering from. As a result, I wasn't able to give any time to rewriting cliches. I am trying to begin again.
In addition, just before the health set-backs, I lost most of my research as a result of the faulty diskettes on which I had stored my data, because I had to totally erase my hard drive and reload all my software and data. Only afterward did I discover that my data was lost! So I have had to begin gathering material again. I have also since started storing data on X-drive as my external drive. Fool me once...but only once!
So, if you have been a fan of the site and wondered where I have been... or if you have stumbled onto the site and would like more of what I have produced, let me assure you I am working on it again.
I am a freelance writer and editor and rely on that freelance work for a living, so I am doing this blog as I have time and energy. Recovering from prostate surgery at age 57 takes a long, long time. But I want to get this site back in gear, even if it isn't on a daily basis as it once was.
Thank you for your patience.
Alan
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Cliché: drive me to drink
(entered for 05.03.06)
Meaning: make me take extreme or dangerous measures
Rewrite 1: force me to do drugs
Rewrite 2: drive me to mainline vitamins
Rewrite 3: make me pinch snuff
Rewrite 4: push me to scarf Pop-Tarts and Tic-Tacs
Comment: The last one is for the really little kids. They’ll appreciate the effort.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• April 05, 2006: “Better investing through clichés.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: make me take extreme or dangerous measures
Rewrite 1: force me to do drugs
Rewrite 2: drive me to mainline vitamins
Rewrite 3: make me pinch snuff
Rewrite 4: push me to scarf Pop-Tarts and Tic-Tacs
Comment: The last one is for the really little kids. They’ll appreciate the effort.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• April 05, 2006: “Better investing through clichés.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Cliché: get in on the ground floor
(entered for 5.02.06)
Meaning: get in at the very beginning or while the getting in is still good
Rewrite 1: get on while the elevator’s still taking passengers
Rewrite 2: take the stairs at the first floor
Rewrite 3: use the door while the handle still works
Rewrite 4: plant your garden before the ground dries up
Comment: Somehow these all seem silly, but then so does the concept of getting into something “on the ground floor” these days.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• ClicheSite.com: “The largest collection of clichés, phrases, and sayings with definitions and explanations.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: get in at the very beginning or while the getting in is still good
Rewrite 1: get on while the elevator’s still taking passengers
Rewrite 2: take the stairs at the first floor
Rewrite 3: use the door while the handle still works
Rewrite 4: plant your garden before the ground dries up
Comment: Somehow these all seem silly, but then so does the concept of getting into something “on the ground floor” these days.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• ClicheSite.com: “The largest collection of clichés, phrases, and sayings with definitions and explanations.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Cliché: don’t rain on my parade
(entered for 05.01.06)
Meaning: don’t spoil my celebration
Rewrite 1: don’t sprinkler my yard party
Rewrite 2: don’t sneeze on my cake
Rewrite 3: don’t heckle my thank you speech
Rewrite 4: don’t close the gate as my guests arrive
Comment: I don’t suppose “sprinkler” is a verb, but there also isn’t a very easy way to say, “Don’t turn on the oscillating sprinkler, drag out the hose, and stretch it among the lawn chairs while we party in the yard.”
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Ephems of BLB: “Political discourse in this country has surely never been more infested with clichés.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: don’t spoil my celebration
Rewrite 1: don’t sprinkler my yard party
Rewrite 2: don’t sneeze on my cake
Rewrite 3: don’t heckle my thank you speech
Rewrite 4: don’t close the gate as my guests arrive
Comment: I don’t suppose “sprinkler” is a verb, but there also isn’t a very easy way to say, “Don’t turn on the oscillating sprinkler, drag out the hose, and stretch it among the lawn chairs while we party in the yard.”
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Ephems of BLB: “Political discourse in this country has surely never been more infested with clichés.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Cliché: you do the math
(entered for 04.30.06)
Meaning: you figure it out or do the work. Relatively new.
Rewrite 1: you do the algebra
Rewrite 2: you do the logic
Rewrite 3: you work the gears
Rewrite 4: you add the ones and tens
Comment: I hate this one so much, I hesitate to suggest alternatives – but here goes anyway.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Herbert’s Peak Clichés or New Energy Storm: Nuclear energy lecture, Purdue University (see attachment).
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: you figure it out or do the work. Relatively new.
Rewrite 1: you do the algebra
Rewrite 2: you do the logic
Rewrite 3: you work the gears
Rewrite 4: you add the ones and tens
Comment: I hate this one so much, I hesitate to suggest alternatives – but here goes anyway.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Herbert’s Peak Clichés or New Energy Storm: Nuclear energy lecture, Purdue University (see attachment).
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Cliché: a watched pot never boils
(entered for 04.29.06)
Meaning: watching something won’t make it happen faster. Idiom and uses.
Rewrite 1: a watched phone never rings
Rewrite 2: a waited job never finishes
Rewrite 3: the hair on my head never grows
Rewrite 4: paint on the wall never fades
Comment: Of course it does – it just doesn’t seem to.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Big Fat List of TV Clichés: “The title says it all.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: watching something won’t make it happen faster. Idiom and uses.
Rewrite 1: a watched phone never rings
Rewrite 2: a waited job never finishes
Rewrite 3: the hair on my head never grows
Rewrite 4: paint on the wall never fades
Comment: Of course it does – it just doesn’t seem to.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• The Big Fat List of TV Clichés: “The title says it all.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Cliché: six of one, half dozen of another
(entered for 04.28.06)
Meaning: different name, same thing. Uses.
Rewrite 1: six inches of one, half a foot of another
Rewrite 2: break it in half or divide it into two
Rewrite 3: half off here, 50 percent off there
Rewrite 4: a river, a stream, it’s all water to me
Comment: It’s a nit, but it really bugs me when an ad says “Save 50% off.” You can’t “save 50% off”! You save save 50%, or you can get 50% off, but you can’t do both!
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Tired Clichés: Toronto performance by TJ Dawe.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: different name, same thing. Uses.
Rewrite 1: six inches of one, half a foot of another
Rewrite 2: break it in half or divide it into two
Rewrite 3: half off here, 50 percent off there
Rewrite 4: a river, a stream, it’s all water to me
Comment: It’s a nit, but it really bugs me when an ad says “Save 50% off.” You can’t “save 50% off”! You save save 50%, or you can get 50% off, but you can’t do both!
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Tired Clichés: Toronto performance by TJ Dawe.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Cliché: nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof
Meaning: dancing around nervously
Rewrite 1: nervous as a dog on a short leash
Rewrite 2: nervous as a canary in a cage full of cats
Rewrite 3: teeth chattering like nervous skeletons
Rewrite 4: toes tapping nervously like boys before recess
Comment: Different kinds of nervousness, different ways of showing it.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
•JRRShop: Eccentric software ZK rhymes and clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: nervous as a dog on a short leash
Rewrite 2: nervous as a canary in a cage full of cats
Rewrite 3: teeth chattering like nervous skeletons
Rewrite 4: toes tapping nervously like boys before recess
Comment: Different kinds of nervousness, different ways of showing it.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
•JRRShop: Eccentric software ZK rhymes and clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Cliché: joined at the hip
(entered for 04.26.06)
Meaning: exceedingly close friendship or working relationship. Idiom.
Rewrite 1: coupled at the keyboard
Rewrite 2: attached by the phone line
Rewrite 3: connected at the coffee cup
Rewrite 4: wed at the water cooler
Comment: Alliteration isn’t necessary here, but it aids in the lyrical quality of the metaphor.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Brain Bender: Mixed up clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: exceedingly close friendship or working relationship. Idiom.
Rewrite 1: coupled at the keyboard
Rewrite 2: attached by the phone line
Rewrite 3: connected at the coffee cup
Rewrite 4: wed at the water cooler
Comment: Alliteration isn’t necessary here, but it aids in the lyrical quality of the metaphor.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Brain Bender: Mixed up clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Cliché: even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while
(entered for 04.25.06)
Meaning: even the disadvantaged excels on occasion. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: even a deaf pig answers the dinner bell occasionally.
Rewrite 2: even a color-blind man matches socks once in a while.
Rewrite 3: even a man who can’t smell can give beautiful roses.
Rewrite 4: A geek and his girl aren’t forever doomed lovers.
Comment: Rewrite 4 is a stretch, but it can still work in the right circumstance.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Facts on File: Dictionary of clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Meaning: even the disadvantaged excels on occasion. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: even a deaf pig answers the dinner bell occasionally.
Rewrite 2: even a color-blind man matches socks once in a while.
Rewrite 3: even a man who can’t smell can give beautiful roses.
Rewrite 4: A geek and his girl aren’t forever doomed lovers.
Comment: Rewrite 4 is a stretch, but it can still work in the right circumstance.
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Facts on File: Dictionary of clichés.
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Cliché: clear as a bell
Meaning: pure sound or clear meaning. Idiom.
Rewrite 1: clear as a pristine glacial lake
Rewrite 2: clear as crisp2 alpine air
Rewrite 3: clear as the sight between towering peaksn2a
Rewrite 4: clarity of a cloudless sky
Comment: I would have liked to see something more about clarity of sound or taste. Perhaps something more like “clarity of a French claret…”
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés Gifts: “…gifts from the CartoonStock directory - the world's largest on-line collection of cartoon gifts.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
Rewrite 1: clear as a pristine glacial lake
Rewrite 2: clear as crisp2 alpine air
Rewrite 3: clear as the sight between towering peaksn2a
Rewrite 4: clarity of a cloudless sky
Comment: I would have liked to see something more about clarity of sound or taste. Perhaps something more like “clarity of a French claret…”
More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Clichés Gifts: “…gifts from the CartoonStock directory - the world's largest on-line collection of cartoon gifts.”
Note: By providing links to other websites I am only showing you what is out there about clichés – I am not endorsing any content or opinion expressed there.
Check out the searchable alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available in the archive list at the right.
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