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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I've just had occasion to read this again, as you'd kindly linked to it in the online classroom of the course you're currently teaching at CityLit - I laughed the whole way through! I don't know how you managed to avoid non-cliché at all - it's absolutely brilliant! 🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Thanks, Rebecca. It was as easy as falling off a log, a piece of cake even, because I specialise in cliché-speak.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

🤣

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Rebecca sent me over here this morning. I missed this one. It really takes the cake! I find sometimes, I can use a cliché in my writing IF I change one word in it to freshen it up ( eg thinking outside the ropes, taking it to a whole 'nother floor, a finger in every custard).

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Haha. Well that's a reasonable approach. It just goes to show, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

oooof!

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😁

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Camila Hamel's avatar

Sometimes you remember a bit of slang from childhood.

In my part of Queens, when something was uproariously funny you would say it was a 'pisser'. What a pisser! (which this is)

I can't believe I remember this. haha.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I still use that expression sometimes. And speaking of "piss": When we say "He was really pissed", we mean he was really angry. I was surprised to learn that the same statement in the UK, means that he was drunk. As far as the British expression "taking the piss" goes, I still can't interpret that...?

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Camila Hamel's avatar

For angry they like 'fuming'. And as for pissed, I remember hearing an explanation about that which sort of makes sense if you imagine very drunk people pissing a lot and perhaps even on themselves. (Pissed) The British say piss off, where we'd say fuck off. Taking the piss is a weird one, something like pulling someone's leg. I just saw some stories about that in Reddit, but I don't know if they can be credited.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

👍🏻🩷

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Terry Freedman's avatar

= taking the Mickey, making fun of

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Making fun of!? Great! So is the person who is the butt of the joke taking the piss or is it the person laughing at him who is taking the piss? ( These are important issues!)

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Oh, I've heard that. I thought it meant "horrible". In the UK, it's a not very nice name for a not very nice person. So much for a common language!

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Camila Hamel's avatar

I’ve lived in Europe for some time, but I still remember one of my first lessons in ex-pat life (brought on by a conversation with two girls from the Midlands): my mother tongue can also be a foreign language. I had to say “Come again?” every five minutes. LOL

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😂

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Donna McArthur's avatar

I love this so much that I've got no words! You drop one thing after another and it keeps getting better and better until the piano line at the end. Brilliant. I think we need more of these please!

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Thanks very much, Donna! I stupidly forgot to include an index of all the versions so far: https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/experiments-in-style?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Hope you enjoy those as well 😃

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Donna McArthur's avatar

I look forward to checking out the other versions.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Stone the crows, Dr Tel, I flipping loved this! Laughing like a drain! 🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😂 I forgot that one and that one!

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Sheesh, well, everything happens for a reason! 🤣 Including ALL of the clichés is a Sisyphean task - so instead of doing that, I suggest you sit down and put your feet up before you blow a gasket. 😉😁🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

PS did you like the joke at the end? The old ones are the best I always say!

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Yes, it was very Terry, Terry! 🤣🎵🎹

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😂🎹🎸🎷🎶🎧🎵📢📯 I've declared an emoji war 🤓

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Oh my giddy aunt, Terry, no way Jose can I keep up with this game of soldiers... 🙄

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Terry Freedman's avatar

OMG Chortle!

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