A NEWSPAPER DICTIONARY
Appropriate Exercises.—What the celebration opened with.
Good-Natured Crowd.—People out on election night.
Firm, Clear Tones.—What the bride uttered the responses in.
Heart of the Business Section.—District threatened by fire. (See under control.)
Land Office Business.—What the charity bazaar did. (See pretty girls.)
Luscious Bivalve.—What the pearl was found in. (See poor shoemaker.)
Musical Circles.—What the hostess is prominent in. (See artistic interpretation.)
Pool of Blood.—What the body was lying in.
Sensational Failure.—A Wall street bankruptcy.
Trojans.—What the men were working like.
Undercurrent of Excitement.—Something that ran through the audience. (See tense moment.)
Well-Known Southern Family.—What the bridegroom is a member of.
Avoid such phrases as:
- burly Negro
- smoking revolver
- cheered to the echo
- in durance vile
- herculean efforts
- it goes without saying
- limps into port
- daring robber
- denizens of the deep
- finny tribe
- knights of the grip
- like rats in a trap
- speculation is rife
- for 10 long years
- severed his connection (say he quit)
- solon
- probe
- city father
- leave no stone unturned
- whipped out a gun
- old Sol
- fair Luna
- Dan Cupid
- Dame Fashion
- milady
- Jupiter Pluvius
- affixed his signature
- vast concourse
- edifice was consumed
- infuriated animal
- summoned a physician
- busy marts of trade
- breakneck speed
- high dudgeon
- fragrant Havana
- divine passion
- city bastile
- bolt from a clear sky
- facile pen
- breathless silence
- crisp bill
- grim reaper
- dusky damsel
- tonsorial parlor
- vale of tears
- immaculate linen
- minions of the law
- rash act
- never in the history of
- sad rites
- tidy sum
- light collation
- pale as death
- totally destroyed
- news leaked out
- rooted to the spot
- war to the knife
- fair sex
- white as a sheet
- to the bitter end
- well-known clubman
- pillar of the church
- large and enthusiastic audience
- natty suit
- giant pachyderm
- swathed in bandages
- tiny tots
- checkered career
- angry mob
- dull, sickening thud
- foeman worthy of his steel
- great beyond
- downy couch
- toothsome viands
Study of a thesaurus—there is one in the library—will enlarge the vocabulary and help the writer to rid himself of these trite phrases. How fresh words may give life to a piece of writing is shown in the chapter in this book on the use of adjectives.