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That presupposes the actual existence of hell, which I don't think should be taken for granted. I might go so far as to say, I sure as hell don't like that phrase!
it probably wouldn't count as a cliche, but one of my main peeves is "went missing"...
if a person "went missing," seems to me that means he/she had some doing in it himself/herself...
if an object "went missing," sounds like it must have grown feet in order to do it
it probably wouldn't count as a cliche, but one of my main peeves is "went missing"...
if a person "went missing," seems to me that means he/she had some doing in it himself/herself...
if an object "went missing," sounds like it must have grown feet in order to do it
I think I posted about that somewhere else, but it's one of my pet peeves, too, and it seems to have taken on a life of its own.
The only time I used to hear that something had "gone missing" or "went missing" was on TV when they were interviewing people from certain parts of the country where it was apparently a regional phrase. Now it's invaded New Jersey, because my daughter says it and it drives me NUTS.
Hello, this is such an interesting thread. I'm not a native English speaker, and I'm still learning, so I find this thread particularly useful.
The thing is, we (I mean those English learners) loveeeeee to use cliche a lot, because they make use sound more "native", more "professional", and I think it helps to express an idea/concept better.
So, whenever you post a cliche, would you please write out how YOU would express that idea otherwise? I would really love to learn.
"I'm fixin' to ________..." Is something broken for you to be fixing it?
"Why bless his/her/your lil ole' heart!" - This cliche is used frequently in the South with the understanding that the speaker actually means the opposite of "blessing" anyone's heart.
"Y'all come back nah, y'heah??" 'Nuff said. I'm also sick of people using "Y'all"; most of the people I know who use "Y'all" do know how to speak without using it, as they never use it professionally, so if they know how to not use it, then it's just a hackneyed word and unnecessary.
"Damn Yankee." Unless you're talking about the baseball team, understand that the Civil War is over and wall Americans are Yankees; the Brits have known this for years.
You need to. As in, "You need to go to the store and pick up some orange juice." Don't you feel just a small twinge of resentment when someone climbs up on that soapbox and tells you what you need to do?
You need to. As in, "You need to go to the store and pick up some orange juice." Don't you feel just a small twinge of resentment when someone climbs up on that soapbox and tells you what you need to do?
I first heard that when I visited friends in Dallas 30 years ago. Eventually it migrated up here.
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I would really love to learn.
