Lions & Tigers & Cliche's Oh My!


Monday Q of the Wk. Here’s how it works: Each Monday I ask a thought provoking question about life and language.  Pose the same question to your blog readers on your own blog along with your answer to the question.  Then come back here and post a comment with a link to your blog post so we can all read everyone’s answers!  It’s been a lot of fun getting to know my readers and their readers and so on and so on.  This is a great time to connect with others but it’s also a fun way to build your writing and communication skills.   Grab your teens! This week’s question: Can you write a sentence or paragraph using all cliche's? I got this idea from a newsletter written by a very creative language guru, The Word Guy!  Rob Kyff is a teacher, writer and a contributor to the ArcaMax Vocabulary Newsletter.  Once a month he writes on misuse and abuse of language in a creative way and this month was no "acception"!
Here's a quick look at the current crop of overused terms. Call them "Ponzi screams." -- Energizing the "Basis." Newscasters have recently been touching all the "bases." They're continually updating us on a "daily basis," "a regular basis," "an overnight basis" and even a "need-to-know basis." Basically, I'd say we need to "No!" "basis"! -- And Speaking of "Basically" . . . Has there ever been a more overused word? It's a common sentence starter that should be a "nonstarter" (another cliche by the way). My first car, a '57 Chevy, was often a nonstarter. -- In Praise of Athlete's Feat. Alan Clem of Vermillion, S.D., notes that TV sportscasters invariably refer to the "athleticism" of top performers. Aren't they all athletic?
Can you write a sentence or paragraph using all cliche's? You can post your answers here or post this question on YOUR blog and come back here to link your blog post so all of us can read about you and YOUR readers' answers! "More power to you!"  "Don't delay!"  "What have you got to lose?"  It's time to "make lemonaid out of lemons" to the "best of your ability"!  "Run like the wind" and "get it down on paper"!  "Time will tell" who is "the cat's pajamas"!

1 comment


  • Cindy Holman

    Well there’s always “a silver lining” to a “world gone mad” – are those cliches?


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