Monday, October 26, 2009

The Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches

Cliches cause writers problems. The debate on whether a cliche is ever appropriate in a manuscript often appears on various writer's sites. The conclusion of the debate weighs heavily on not using them except in character dialogue. The writer then faces the task of identifying less common ones.

Our local library conducts a sale each Spring of books removed from their collection and ones donated by community members. As a Friends of the Library volunteer, I help set up the display and see the books that are available.

I was delighted to spot The Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches. The alphabetical arrangement of cliches along with a definition provides 534 pages of useful information for the writer.

An extra bonus was a recipe for "Coffee Steak Marinade" tucked inside. All for the "awesome" price of one dollar. "awesome: Slang for "wonderful," "terrific," originating in the second half of the twentieth century and used widely by youngsters. It transferred the original meaning of awe-inspiring, dating from the seventeenth century. A New Yorker cartoon caption had it (Dec. 19, 1983): "Third Grade? Third grade is awesome!"

Visit your local library book sale. I've purchased several writing reference books there.

1 comment:

  1. All for a dollar and a recipe, too? Clever review, Sue. Enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete

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