Trite Expressions
Words and phrases which may once have been striking and effective, or
witty and felicitous, but which have become worn out by oft-repeated
use, should be avoided. The following hackneyed phrases will serve to
illustrate: "The staff of life," "gave up the ship," "counterfeit
presentment," "the hymeneal altar," "bold as a lion," "throw cold
water upon," "the rose upon the cheek," "lords of creation," "the
weaker sex," "the better half," "the rising generation," "tripping the
light fantastic toe," "the cup that cheers but does not inebriate,"
"in the arms of Morpheus," "the debt of nature," "the bourne whence no
traveler returns," "to shuffle off this mortal coil," "the devouring
element," "a brow of alabaster."
Pet Words
Avoid pet words, whether individual, provincial, or national in their
use. Few persons are entirely free from the overuse of certain words.
Young people largely employ such words as delightful, delicious,
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exquisite, and other expressive adjectives, which constitute a kind of
society slang.
Overworked Expressions
Words and phrases are often taken up by writers and speakers,
repeated, and again taken up by others, and thus their use enlarges in
ever-widening circles until the expressions become threadbare.
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