Metaphor cliches

How to avoid cliché in writing

Shift imagery to refresh your metaphor

I was delighted when personal finance writer Tom Saler submitted this analogy in a blog post on investing in emerging markets:

Emerging markets are more volatile than developed markets in the same way that teenagers are more volatile than adults.

… Read the full article

How to resurrect a dead metaphor

Revive or reimagine a cliché

Call it a cliché makeover.

Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, breathes new life into old, worn-out phrases in a letter to shareholders.… Read the full article

How to avoid clichés in your message

Turn hackneyed phrases into fresh, exciting metaphors

Academics call clichés dead language.

Writers should avoid clichés in writing as they do with other types of lazy writing.… Read the full article

What’s in a buzzword? Nothing.

If you’re writing about vertically integrated digital-media companies, stop typing

Oh, how I miss the late, great Jargonator, the Gable Group’s tool to help PR pros cut buzzwords from their releases.… Read the full article

How to avoid dead metaphors

Don’t let zombies eat your readers’ brains

Like humans, metaphors have life spans. They’re born; they live full, productive lives; they grow old; they die. They’d even stay dead, if we’d let them.… Read the full article

Avoid clichés by using metaphor

Replace dead language with vibrant figures of speech

In 1832, French printers noted the sound metal plates made when they were cast from the original and then used to make copies:

Click.