Colloquialism
Hello. It has been a while.
I have noticed lately that I have started using cliches, banalities, colloquialisms or balderdashes more often. In the past I always thought of these phrases as unoriginal, but recently I have started to realize that they are simply a way of making a complex idea understood using relatively few words. For example, I keep hearing the following phrase, “Do more with less!” (I am pretty sure that the exclamation point is always included in this phrase.) This is not a phrase that I will be using in the near future for the following reason. It is not true. What this phrase actually means is that you need to do more work but that you will not get paid for it. Basically, you are (here comes a very derogatory cliche) being Jewed.
Aside: Being ‘Jewed’… this phrase kind of amuses me, mostly because of what I imagine is its origin. I imagine that it comes from the middle ages when Jews lived in Catholic communities. These communities saw that the Jewish communities were not tithing (tithing supported many social programs: burial of dead, housing of orphans, keeping town records, e&c.) and assumed that they hoarding money. This was not helped by the Catholic rule against collecting interest, which the Jewish community took advantage of by becoming moneylenders. Here seems like a good time to make a token reference to Shylock… :p
Anyways, my point is Jebus was the name of Jerusalem prior to the invasion of the Jews so “Help me Jebus!” makes no sense. Also, the following are things I have been saying lately:
- I can’t remember any… Fuck off.
Z.Monkey
Your site is very good!
Congratulations!
betting
Comment by Anonymous — Tuesday, September 6, 2005 @ 11:58 pm
yes, congratulations!
click here!
I don’t think a cliche is a way of making a complex idea understood using few words .. wouldn’t that be a slogan? Either way, cliche only serves to remove emotion from a statement or make it vague when you’re too lazy to describe something in your own words. If it automatically pops into your head, doesn’t that mean you’re speaking without thinking?
Is “being Jewed” actually a cliche? I prefer “Heebed,” personally, because Adam Contardo used to say it all the time and he was one silly bastard. Also, I did not like Merchant of Venice, beause there was not enough dying.
Comment by Dan — Wednesday, September 7, 2005 @ 7:46 am
Ah, you were like, “take his flesh, take his fleeeeesssh… damn it!”
I think that cliches may make use of some general cultural knowledge that everyone should know, or at least your target audience should. I think that if you use a cliche appropriately it can convey information effectively.
Bad example, do not say “it is as useful as tits on a bull” to me because I have an ungodly fear of anything that has to do with farms… mostly because of crazy sayings like that.
And thanks. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Comment by Z. Monkey — Wednesday, September 7, 2005 @ 9:48 am