Banned for Life

• Hatin' on the hackneyed

  Banned for Life is devoted to those expressions so gratingly overused that they should be forever banned from the nation's news reports.

  George Orwell put it best:

  "Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print."

  # # #

  These are my most-loathed expressions:

  • " 'Tis the Season" at Christmas.
  • Campaign "war chests."
  • Downpours that "couldn't dampen the spirits" of all those upon whom the rain fell.
  • "Play in Peoria" in any story or headline relating to the central Illinois town of my birth.
  • "The good news is .... the bad news is...."

  This site is about what not to write if you write news for a living. It's not about annoying expressions that crop up in everyday conversations.

  If Katie Couric's saying it, please tell me about it. If it's your annoying brother-in-law, grit your teeth and be thankful half of all marriages end in divorce.

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• Also at tommangan.net

  | Here's my home page.

  | Two-Heel Drive is my hiking blog.

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