That’s right. I collect ’em. I don’t know how I got started, but they’re a great way to add voice and attitude to your characters or story. I grew up in central California, a place ripe with quaint expressions. Maybe that’s where it started. Maybe they’re not worth a thousand words, but one well-chosen colloquialism by a character can convey a whole lot to the reader. Here’s a few of my favorites, gathered from real people who actually used them in their speech, including a few from my childhood that I’ve never forgotten:
- Happy as a clam at high tide
- Gotta go shake the dew off my lilly (from the boys in third grade)
- Rats nest
- (Do whatever to) it like you stole it
- Let’s not be pickin’ gnat shit out of pepper here
- Looks like a ten dollar haircut on a ten cent head
- Faster than grease though a goose
- Shallow as a saucer
- Slicker than snot
- It’ s all gravy to me
- Wanker (the translation I got was a totally useless person)
The right turn of phrase (used judiciously) can be as effective as a simile or add a bit of local color to your prose. These are a few of mine; I’ll be you’ve got some pretty interesting family and work expressions you can use, too.
