In 2013, I was part way through my M.Ed degree and enrolled in EDUC 5030 Curriculum, Teaching & Learning. I was fortunate enough to have two stellar profs one of which was the one-and-only Dr. Jack Miller a.k.a. 70 year old ultra marathon runner, ex military, and avid square dancer, but I’ll save the J.M. biography for another day… this story is about the “other” instructor.
This “other” instructor, Dr. Patrick Keeney, said something so poignant that it shattered the very cultural foundations that this English minor (me!) clings to.
He said (and I’m paraphrasing here for dramatic effect) “Our mindless use of idioms has created a culture without an ounce of creative thought. The English language is a beautiful expression of thought that we have let collect dust and die in an abandoned mine shaft.”
Let me give you some examples of idiomatic phrases that we use on a regular basis,
“Let the cat out of the bag”
Now, we are educated, clever, and witty individuals. Do we really need to recycle old, tired, expressions when we could be expressing our creative selves through language??!
In order to save our wonderous language, I’m challenging you to come up with a new, unique, never-before-articulated idiom! 3…2…1… Go!
