You could say clichéd expressions drive me up the wall. But please don’t. These phrases demonstrate a lack of creativity on behalf of those who use them, don’t make sense, and very often should mean another thing entirely.
For example, to have ‘a face like thunder’ is to appear angry. But think about it; a face can’t look like thunder because no one can see thunder. What the expression should really mean, therefore, is to have an invisible face. So how can you tell that that person is angry in the first place?
Some expressions, in addition to being stupid, require the user to make more effort. Take ‘keep your eyes peeled’, meaning ‘be alert’. The former has four words and syllables; the latter has two words and three syllables which are easier to say and write. And while I’m at it, why peel your eyes? Are your eyes bananas? By the way, I’m talking about bananas in the literal sense.
From sight to sound, and ‘music to my ears’, which means hearing something that is pleasing. But music is subjective. The saying should be ‘my favourite music genre to my ears.’ Or simply, ‘it sounds good.’ Staying on a melodic theme and more daftness with ‘fit as a fiddle’. There’s nothing fit about a fiddle; I’ve never seen a violin run a marathon.
Perhaps the most nonsensical of all is when you tell someone that they’ve 'got their head screwed on the right way' which ironically means that they’re sensible. This is a compliment that should only be given to a robot. The only non-mechanical being that that saying could apply to is Frankenstein’s monster. And it’s Dr Frankenstein who should really get the credit:
“You sure screwed that fella’s head on the right way, Doc.”
Finally, a penny for your thoughts on this (actually, I won’t pay you – although your opinion must be worth a lot more than a penny due to inflation): Why does time turn us into psychopaths? Think about the answer when you find yourself with time to kill.
© John E. McBride
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