Ovatko kliseet kuluneita sanontoja vai vanhoja kunnon kuluneita sanontoja? Jos kirjoitat äikän esseetä, kliseet pistävät helpommin silmään ja osaat toivottavasti muotoilla asiasi freesimmin. Enkkua kirjoitettaessa sanomme kuitenkin, että paljon käytetty fraasikin on parempi kuin jos ei tule mitään tapaa mieleen ilmaista haluamasi asia. Kliseetkin ovat oikeaa enkkua ja mistäpä me bloody foreignereina tiedämme, mikä fraasi enkussa ylipäätään on muka jo kulunut. Kliseelistassa on siis kaltaisillemme vieraan kielen oppijoille hyviä Legoja moneen tarpeeseen. Vakiintuneilla sanonnoilla ei tietenkään kannata ratsastaa määrättömästi, sillä tulos voi olla tällainen yökötys.
Kaikki oikeaa enkkua olevat sanonnat, fraasit ja käsitteet kannattaa kuitenkin opetella – tavoitteemmehan on aina jollain tavalla kommunikoida päässämme oleva merkitys. Studeeraa tästä alta hyvä pläjäys kliseitä. (Tässä .PDF)
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accidentally on purpose
accident waiting to happen
actions speak louder than words
act of contrition
acid test
add insult to injury
after due consideration
all intents and purposes
all in the same boat
all over bar the shouting
all things considered
almost too good to be true
angel of mercy
angry silence (classic Darby & Joan)
as a matter of fact
as luck would have it
as sure as eggs are eggs
at the end of the day
at this moment/point in time
auspicious occasion
avid reader
baby with the bath water, don’t throw out the
backseat driver
back to basics / back to the drawing board
bag and baggage
bag of tricks
ball’s in your court, the
bang your head against a brick wall
barking up the wrong tree
bat an eyelid (try wink and surprise everyone)
batten down the hatches
beavering away
beer and skittles, it’s not all
before you can say Jack Robinson
beggars can’t be choosers
be good (and if you can’t be good, be careful!)
be that as it may
between a rock and a hard place
bite the bullet
blessing in disguise
blind leading the blind
blissful ignorance
blood out of a stone, it’s like trying to get
bloody but unbowed
blow hot and cold
blot on the landscape
blow the whistle
blue rinse brigade
blushing bride
bone of contention
borrowed time
bottom line
breath of fresh air
bright eyed and bushy tailed
brought to book
brownie points
bruising battle/encounter
bumper to bumper traffic jam
by the same token
call it a day
callow youth
calm before the storm
camp as a row of tents
can of worms
captive audience
card up his sleeve
cards stacked against us
cardinal sin
cart blanche
cast of thousands
Catch 22 situation
catalogue of errors / misery / disaster / misfortune
cat among the pigeons, to put
catholic tastes
caustic comment
cautious optimism
centre of the universe
chalk and cheese, as different as
champing at the bit
chapter and verse
chapter of accidents
cheek by jowl
check’s in the post, the
cheap and cheerful
cherished belief
chew the cud / fat
chop and change
chorus of approval / disapproval
chosen few
circumstances beyond our control
cold light of day, in the
cold water on, pour
come home to roost
comes to the crunch, when it
common or garden
compulsive viewing / reading
conspicuous by his / her absence
cool as a cucumber
cool, calm and collected
copious notes (and, if made by a reporter, usually scribbled notes)
crack of dawn
crazy like a fox
créme de la créme
crisis of confidence
cross that bridge when we come to it, we’ll
cry over spilt milk
current climate, in the
cut a long story short, to
cut and dried
cut any ice, it doesn’t / won’t
cutting edge
damn with faint praise
Darby and Joan
darkest hour is just before dawn
dark secret
day in, day out
dead as a dodo
dead in the water
deadly accurate
dead of night, in the
dead to the world
deafening silence
deaf to entreaties
death’s door, at
death warmed up, like
depths of depravity
desert a sinking ship
despite misgivings
devour every word (and then there are none to hang on to)
dicing with death
dim and distant past, in the
dog eat dog
donkey’s years ago, it was
don’t call us, we’ll call you
don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched
doom and gloom merchants
dot the I’s and cross the t’s
drop of the hat, at the
dry as a bone
dyed in the wool
each and everyone
eager beaver
eagerly devour
ear to the ground
easier said than done
eat humble pie
eat your heart out
economical with the truth
empty nest / empty nesters / empty nest syndrome
enfant terrible
eternal regret / eternal shame, to my
every dog has his day
every man jack of them
everything but the kitchen sink
every little helps
every stage of the game, at
explore every avenue
face the facts / music
fact of the matter, the
fair and square
fair sex, the
fall between two stools / by the wayside
fall on deaf ears
far and wide
far be it from me
fast and furious
fast lane, in the
fate worse than death
feel-good factor, the
few and far between
field day, having a
fighting fit
final insult
fine-tooth comb, go / went through it with a
finger in every pie
finger of suspicion
firing on all cylinder
first and foremost
first things first
fish out of water
fit as a fiddle
fits and starts, in / by
flash in the pan
flat as a pancake
flat denial
flavour of the month
flog a dead horse
fly in the ointment
fond belief
food for thought
footloose and fancy free
forlorn hope
fraught with danger / peril
free, gratis and for nothing
frenzy of activity
from the sublime to the ridiculous
from the word go
fudge the issue
fullness of time, in the
funny ha ha or funny peculiar / strange?
F-word
gainful employment
gameplan
generous to a fault
gentle giant
gentleman’s agreement
gentler sex, the
girl Friday
give a dog a bad name
give him an inch and he’ll take a yard
give up the ghost
glowing tribute
glutton for punishment
goes without saying, it
goes from strength to strength
golden opportunity
good as gold
go off half-cocked
gory details, the
grasp the nettle
greatest thing since sliced bread
great unwashed, the
green with envy
grim death, like
grin and bear it
grind / ground to a halt
grist to the mill
guardian angel
hale and hearty
hand in glove with
handle with kid gloves
hand over fist
hand to mouth existence
handwriting is on the wall
hanged for a sheep as a lamb, we might as well be
happy accident / event / hunting ground / medium
happily ensconed
hard and fast rule
has what it takes
having said that
have a nice one
have got a lot on my plate, I’ve
have I got news for you?
head and shoulders above
heaping ridicule
heart and soul
heart’s in the right place, his / her
hell or high water, come
high and dry
hit or miss
hit the nail on the head
hit the panic button
hive of activity
Hobson’s choice
hold your horses
hoist with his own petard
honest truth, the
hope against hope
horns of a dilemma, on the
horses for courses
howling gale
how long is a piece of string?
how time flies
if the worst comes to the worst
if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em
if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen
if you’ve got it, flaunt it
ignorance is bliss
ill-gotten gains
ill-starred venture
impossible dream, an / the
in all conscience / honesty
in a nutshell
inch-by-inch search
in less than no time
in one ear and out the other
inordinate amount of
in the pipeline
in this day and age
iota, not one
it never rains but it pours
it’s a small world
it’s not the end of the world
it stands to reason
it will all come out in the wash
it will all end in tears
it will soon blow over
ivory tower
jack of all trades (but master of none)
jaundiced eye
jewel in the crown
Johnny-come-lately
jockey for position
jump on the bandwagon
jump the gun
just deserts
just for the record
just what the doctor ordered
keep a low profile
keep a straight face
keep your / my head above water
keep the wolf from the door
keep your chin up
keep your nose clean
keep your nose to the grindstone
kickstart
kill two birds with one stone
kill with kindness
kiss of death
knee-high to a grasshopper
knocked into a a cocked hat
knocked / knocks the spots off
know the ropes
know which side your bread’s buttered on
knuckle under
labour of love
lack-lustre performance
lap of luxury
large as life / larger than life
last but not least
laugh all the way to the bank
laugh up your sleeve
lavish praise / hospitality / ceremony
lay it on with a trowel
leading light
leave / left in a lurch
leave no stone unturned (or as the bird hater said, leave no tern unstoned)
let bygones be bygones
let’s get this show on the road
let sleeping dogs lie
let well alone
lick his / their wounds
level playing field
light at the end of the tunnel
like a house on fire, get on
little / none the wiser
little woman
live and let live
local difficulty, a little
lock, stock and barrel
long arm of the law
long hot summer
long time no see
loose end, at a
lost cause
lost in admiration
lost in contemplation
love you and leave you, I must
made of sterner stuff
make / made a killing
make a mountain out of a molehill
make an offer I can’t refuse
make ends meet
make hay while the sun shines
make no bones about it
make my day
make or break
make / making short work of it
make / making the best of a bad job
make / making tracks
man after my own heart, a
make / making waves
manna from heaven
man of straw / man of the world
man to man
many hands make light work
mark my words
matter of life and death
method in his madness
Midas touch, the
millstone around your neck
mind boggles, the
mixed blessing (and a variation, it was not an unmixed blessing)
model of its kind / propriety
moment of truth
moot point
more haste, less speed
more in sorrow than in anger
more than meets the eye
more the merrier, the
mortgaged to the hilt
movers and shakers
move the goalposts
much-needed reforms
much of a muchness
muddy the waters
mutton dressed as lamb
nail in his coffin, put / drive a
name of the game, the
nearest and dearest
necessity is the mother of invention
neck and neck
needle in a haystack
needless to say
neither here nor there
new lease of life
nick of time, in the
nine-day / day’s wonder
nip it in the bud / nipped in the bud
nitty-gritty
no expense spared
no names, no pack drill
no news is good news
no peace / rest for the wicked
no problem
no skin off my nose
no spring chicken
nothing to write home about
nothing ventured, nothing gained
not just a pretty face
not out of the woods yet
not to be sneezed at
not to put too fine a point on it
now or never
odd man out
odds and ends
off the beaten track
off the cuff
old as the hills
older and wiser
once bitten, twice shy
once in a blue moon
one fell swoop, in
one in a million
only time will tell
on the ball
on the level
on the spur of the moment
on the tip of my tongue
out of sight, out of mind
out of the blue
out on a limb
over and done with
over my dead body
over the top
own goal, score an
own worst enemy
packed in like sardines
painstaking investigation
pale into insignificance
palpable nonsense
paper over the cracks
par for the course
part and parcel
pass muster
past its / her sell-by date
patter of tiny feet
pay through your nose
pecking order
picture of health
piece de resistance
pie in the sky
pinpoint accuracy
plain as a pikestaff
plain as the nose on your face
play your cards right
pleased as Punch
point of no return
poisoned chalice
pound of flesh
powers that be, the
practice makes perfect
press on regardless
pride and joy
pride of place
proof of the pudding
pull out all the stops
pure as the driven snow
put on hold / the back burner
put two and two together
put up or shut up
put your best foot forward
put your foot down
put your money where your mouth is
put your nose out of joint
quality of life
quantum leap
queer the pitch
quick and the dead
quid pro quo
quiet before the storm, the
race against time
rack and ruin, going to
raining cats and dogs ( and hailing taxes)
rat race, the
read my lips
red rag to a bull, like a
reinventing the wheel
reliable source (the reporter’s friend)
resounding silence
right as rain
rings a bell
rings true
risk life and limb
rock the boat, don’t
Rome wasn’t built in a day
rose by any other name, a
rotten apple in a barrel, one
rough diamond, a
ruffled feathers
ruled with a rod of iron
run it up the flagpole (and see who salutes)
run of the mill
run to seed
safe and sound
sailing close to the wind
sale of the century
salt of the earth
saved by the bell
search high and low
second to none
seething cauldron
see eye to eye
see how the land lies
see the wood for the trees, can’t
sell like hot cakes
serial gossiper / meddler / bullshit artist etc.
serious money
set in stone / concrete
shape or form, in any
share and share alike
ships that pass in the night
shoot yourself in the foot / shot himself in the foot
short and sweet
shoe across the bows
sick and tired
sick as a parrot
sight for sore eyes
signed, sealed and delivered
silent majority, the
sitting duck
sixes and sevens
six of one and half a dozen of the other
skating on thin ice
skin of his teeth, by
slaving over a hot stove all day, I’ve been
slowly but surely
smell a rat
snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (and, of course, vice versa!)
so far so good
solid as a rock
so near and yet so far
sorely needed
sour grapes
splendid isolation
square peg in a round hole
straight and narrow, stick to the
straight from the shoulder
strange as it may seem / strange to relate
strike while the iron’s hot
suffer fools gladly, he / she doesn’t
suffer in silence
survival of the fittest
sugar the pill
sweetness and light, all
swept off his feet
swings and roundabouts
tail between his legs, he went off with his
take it with a grain of salt
take the bull by the horns
take the rough with the smooth
tarred with the same brush
teach your mother / grandmother to suck eggs
technological wizardry
teething troubles
tender loving care (TLC)
tender mercies
terra firma
thankful for small mercies, be
that’s life
that’s the way the cookie crumbles
there but for the grace of God go I
thereby hangs a tale
there’s no such thing as a free lunch
this day and age
throw in the towel
thunderous applause
tighten our / your belts
time flies
time heals everything / all ills
time waits for no man
tip of the iceberg, the
tired and emotional
tireless campaigner / crusader
tissue of lies
to all intents and purposes
tomorrow is another day
too little, too late
to my dying day
too awful / terrible / horrible to contemplate
too many cooks (spoil the broth)
too numerous to mention
torrential rain
towering inferno
tower of strength
trials and tribulations
turn a deaf ear
turn over a new leaf
twenty-twenty hindsight
twinkling of an eye, in a
twisted him around her little finger
two’s company, three’s a crowd
ultra-sophisticated
unacceptable face of capitalism (or any other institution you want to knock)
unavoidable delay
unalloyed delight
unconscionable time, taking an / unconscionable liar
under a cloud
under the weather
unequal task
university of life
unkindest cut of all
unsung heroes
untimely end
untold wealth
unvarnished truth
up to scratch / not up to scratch
upper crust
vanish into thin air
variety is the spice of life
vested interest
vicious circle
vote with their feet
wages of sin (is death)
waited on hand and foot
walking on air / eggs
walking on broken glass
warts and all
waste not, want not
water under the bridge
wealth of experience / material / knowledge
wedded bliss
weighed in the balance and found wanting
well-earned rest
wheels within wheels
when the cat’s away the mice will play
when the going gets tough (the tough get going)
whiter than white
winter of discontent
with all due respect
with bated breath
with malice aforethought
without a shadow of a doubt
without fear of contradiction
woman scorned, hell hath no fury like a
wonders will never cease
word to the wise, a
work my fingers to the bone, I
world’s your oyster, the
writing’s on the wall, the
wrong end of the stick, you’ve got the
yawning gulf
year in, year out
you can bet your bottom dollar / last penny
you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink
you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
you can’t win ‘em all
you could have knocked me down with a feather
you get what you pay for
you pays your money and takes your choice
your guess is as good as mine
you’re breaking my heart
you’re only young once / you only live once (YOLO)
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