Here's a bloody common example of a cliche that should have been stanched:
Apart from "pool of blood" being a cliche, it is actually not possible -- under most circumstances -- to be found in a pool of blood. The stuff coagulates fairly quickly, so even if there is a great loss of blood, it does not "pool" in the ordinary sense. Take my word for it, and as they say, don't try this at home!
But I guess blood gushing into a liquid such as water (in a contained area) bloodies it, making it red within a certain timeframe. That's about the only exception I can think of -- and it's still not a pool of blood, just a bloodied pool.
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Anyway, I found this blog that gives a list of common cliches. Have you been using any of them recently?...
http://blogs.reuters.com/robert-macmillan/2011/03/12/editor-spontaneously-combusts-rene-cappons-big-list-of-cliches/
- armed to the teeth
- banker’s hours
- battle royal
- beat a hasty retreat
- beauty and the beast
- bewildering variety
- beyond the shadow of a doubt
- bite the dust
- blazing inferno
- blessed event
- blessing in disguise
- blissful ignorance
- bull in a china shop
- burn one’s bridges
- burn the midnight oil
- burning issue
- bury the hatchet
- calm before the storm
- cherished belief
- clear the decks
- club-wielding police
- colourful scene
- conspicuous by its absence
- coveted award
- crack troops
- curvaceous blonde
- dramatic new move
- dread disease
- dream come true
- drop in the bucket
- fame and fortune
- feast or famine
- fickle fortune
- gentle hint
- glaring omission
- glutton for punishment
- gory details
- grief-stricken
- Grim Reaper
- hammer out (an agreement)
- hand in glove
- happy couple
- head over heels in love
- heart of gold
- heavily armed troops
- hook, line and sinker
- iron out (problems)
- intensive investigation
- Lady Luck
- lash out
- last but not least
- last-ditch stand
- leaps and bounds
- leave no stone unturned
- light at the end of the tunnel
- lightning speed
- limp into port
- lock, stock and barrel
- long arm of the law
- man in the street
- marvels of science
- matrimonial bliss
- meager pension
- miraculous escape
- Mother Nature
- move into high gear
- never a dull moment
- Old Man Winter
- paint a grim picture
- pay the supreme penalty
- picture of health
- pillar of society
- pinpoint the cause
- police dragnet
- pool of blood
- posh resort
- powder keg
- pre-dawn darkness
- prestigious law firm
- proud heritage
- proud parents
- pursuit of excellence
- radiant bride
- red faces, red-faced
- reins of government
- rushed to the scene
- scantily clad
- scintilla of evidence
- scurried to shelter
- selling like hotcakes
- spearheading the campaign
- spirited debate
- spotlessly clean
- sprawling base, facility
- spreading like wildfire
- steaming jungle
- stick out like a sore thumb
- storm of protest
- stranger than fiction
- supreme sacrifice
- surprise move
- sweep under the rug
- sweet harmony
- sweetness and light
- tempest in a teapot
- tender mercies
- terror-stricken
- tip of the iceberg
- tower of strength
- trail of death and destruction
- true colours
- vanish in thin air
- walking encyclopedia
- wealth of information
- whirlwind campaign
- wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole
Here's another example of a wrong choice of word:
Here, "send" has been incorrectly used in place of "take". The correct phrasing should have been "Family with 7 kids bought a private bus to take (the) kids to school". This is because "take" is an action term in which you are present and involved (think also of "takeaways").
You use "send" when there is movement away from you, and you are not present thereafter, for example, you send Aunty Mia to the airport in a taxi.
But if you had gone to the airport to pick her up, you went there to bring her to your home in your car. Here, there is movement towards you (or what is yours, ie, your house).
Again, I found a blog that nicely explains the correct usage of take, bring and send as well as follow and fetch:
http://www.speaklikeastar.com/2008/10/english-language-take-bring-send-follow.html
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