English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003
Replace Cliches with Fresh Expressions
Chapter 14 Words and Expressions to Avoid
Part 5 Struttin Your Stuff with Style
As you read this section, be sure to roll out the red carpet, keep your eyes peeled, your fingers crossed, and your head above water and you may be able to keep up with the Joneses.
But that’s only if you’re on the ball, beam, go, level, and up-and-up, rather than on the fly, fence, ropes, rocks, or lam. Or you can just go fry an egg.
The previous paragraph was chock-full of cliches, descriptive phrases that have lost their effectiveness through overuse. If you have heard the same words and phrases over and over, so has your reader. Replace cliches with fresh, new descriptions. If you can’t think of a way to rewrite the phrase to make it new, delete it completely.
Remember, if you have a tough row to hoe, be a tough nut to crack and tough it out. Truth will win out and you can turn over a new leaf, turn the tables, other cheek, or the corner. Under a cloud? Not up to par, scratch, or snuff? Use your head; it’s all water over the dam. After all: the world is your oyster; you can bet your bottom dollar!