Chris Pash's Blog, page 3

Cliche of the Week 110 – Hangs in the Balance

The result could go either way with the future of sport, politics and justice hanging in the balance.

Most contests hang in the balance before they are decided and from the point of view of a participant, there are two possible results: a win or a loss.

“Boston Cricket Club’s top-flight future may hang in the balance . . . but if the Mayflower men are going down, then they’ll go down fighting.” (Boston Standard, Lincolnshire, September 14)

“While a decision about (boxer Mike) Tyson’s visa is yet to be made, the event hangs in the balance.” (New Zealand Herald, September 14)

“With no end in sight to the Nagri land acquisition row, the fate of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ranchi, and National Law University hangs in the balance.” (The Times of India, September 12)

“Judith Gibson Fynney, who has begun a Facebook campaign seeking justice for the vulnerable teenager, said his life hangs in the balance.” (The Irish News, September 11)

“A stable peace is preserved only if diplomacy works, and the entire project of nuclear non-proliferation hangs in the balance. If Obama fails, the world will have turned a disastrous corner back toward war.” (The Boston Globe, September 10)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 109 – Face the Music

It’s time to face the music and accept the consequences of our word choices.

Face the music, often appearing in stories about sport or politics, is a favourite of news pages in Britain and the US as well as Asia, it seems.

In Malaysia, a college student exposed his buttocks and stomped on a photograph of the Prime Minister. “The student returned to his hometown to hide after the incident, before his parents brought him back to the city on Tuesday to face the music.” (New Straits Times, September 7)

Employment: “One particularly tricky situation is where an employee is asked to attend a disciplinary meeting for poor performance or misconduct and resigns prior to the meeting rather than `face the music’.” (Waikato Times, September 3)

Corporate: “It is standard practice for the company to write a large cheque to avoid a corporate indictment of the type that destroyed Arthur Andersen, and leave individual employees to face the music.” (The Times, July 17)

Police in New Delhi enforce anti-smoking laws: “Civic bodies — NDMC and MCD — also assured the court they have not provided licences to restaurants to run `hookah’ bars and if any are selling tobacco, they must face the music.” (The Times of India, August 31)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 108 – Bolt from the Blue

When dreams come true they sometimes come as a bolt from the blue despite the years of hard work.

These unheralded moments aren’t as common as many journalistic cliches but appear more often in sport and are mostly reported in British news pages and those in India.

“But it was like a bolt from the blue in the swimming world last night when the schoolgirl (Bethany Firth) silenced any naysayers of the Paralympics.” (Irish Daily Mail, September 1)

“Mr (Steve) Morgan’s move is not a bolt from the blue after he returned to the board of the Flintshire-based firm three years ago to revive its fortunes.” (The Independent, September 1)

“Although it was not completely a bolt from the blue, it was a dream come true all the same.” (The Scotsman, July 31)

“(Trainer Kim) Bailey, who has had winners at both tracks, said the news had come as a `bolt from the blue’.”

(Gloucestershire Echo, July 28)

“These findings did not come as a bolt from the blue.” (Vancouver Sun, July 27)

“The Nationalist Congress Party chief hurled a bolt from the blue first at UPA and then at his real target-Maharashtra.” (Deccan Herald, July 25)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 107 – Vicious Circle

Vicious circles are widening as a helpless world awaits a solution to weak growth, slow demand and deficits.

News reports mainly from Britain and the US show about 600 vicious circles a month, many bubbling from a fiscally challenged Europe.

“The result is a vicious circle: as ethnic identities return, ethnic differences become more pronounced, and all sides fall back on stereotypes and the stigmatisation of the adversary through language or actions intended to dehumanise, thereby justifying hostile actions.” (The New York Times, August 27)

“Washington officials seem to believe borrowing is the way to sustain the federal government — and the economy as a whole — until the private sector improves. But it’s a vicious circle that contributes to the long-term funk.” (The Daytona Beach News Journal, August 22)

“Most (Indian industrialists) have cut back on investment, creating a vicious circle that reduces growth further. Lower growth is not in their interests.” (The Economist, August 18)

“It is a vicious circle: fertility problems lead to stress and stress exacerbates fertility problems.” (The Irish Times, August 14)

“Unaware consumers could find themselves stuck in a vicious circle of credit rejection.” (Manchester Evening News, August 5)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 106 – Push the Envelope

Push the envelope beyond Earth’s boundaries and seek a paradigm shift in the way we define progress in the world.

News pages in North America and Britain lead in using “push the envelope” to describe a leap beyond existing standards.

“The argument is powerful, and its advocates are correct that presidents and other executive-branch officials often push the envelope during a crisis. Yet pushing the envelope isn’t the same thing as flouting the law.” (The Wall Street Journal, August 22)

“It’s testimony to Scott that he was able to refresh his style over three decades — each film feels perfectly of its time, neither stuck in the past nor unwisely pushing the envelope.” (The Guardian, August 20)

“He is now pushing the envelope even further by seeking permission from the central government to send a team of experts there to study development possibilities and environmental issues.” (Associated Press, August 21)

“But while it’s exciting, we could be pushing the envelope too far just for publicity.” (The Times of India, August 20)

“In his previous attempts to push the envelope, he’s suffered setbacks and pain whenever he tries to run.” (The Providence Journal, August 18)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 105 – Paradigm Shift

The world as a community, after a brief nationalistic outbreak for the Olympics, has resumed its relentless pursuit of paradigm shifts.

The phrase “paradigm shift” came from the world of science but now appears to be used any time new gadgets said to fundamentally change the way we work and live are released.

The phrase more often appears in news stories about technology companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft, and with product releases.

“It’s tempting to get caught up in paradigm-shift apocalypticism, but a closer inspection reveals that fanfic (fan fiction) is not new at all.” (The Guardian, August 14)

“The biggest paradigm shift of our era may be the demise of the traditional pension plan.” (The Wall Street Journal, August 12)

“And today he is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in how we view people with prosthetic enhancements to the human body.” (Washington Post, August 10)

“Analysts are expecting something more revolutionary in the near future, particularly concerning artificial intelligence and user interface as Apple’s debut in the TV market signals another paradigm shift.” (The Korea Herald, August 12)

“Apple with its iPad and iOS introduced a paradigm shift in mobile computing.” (The Times of India, July 22)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 104 – Historic

The excitement gripping London during the Olympics is only surpassed by the number of historic moments each day.

Major news outlets have been increasingly using historic, now running at about 200 times daily, as the Olympics get more gripping, up to 40 times each news cycle.

“Even the fury about empty seats is proof of the enthusiasm that almost immediately gripped the nation,” (The Independent, August 6).

“The boxing moves into the quarter-final stage with plenty of British interest, including lightweight Natasha Jonas’s next fight following her historic first win,” (The Independent, August 6).

“Nervous tension gripped the stadium as the fans held their breath for the seemingly endless seconds on the blocks,” (Agence France-Presse, August 6).

Table tennis: “Still, it was an historic finish for the Singapore men, who placed amongst the top eight at the Olympics for the first time,” (The Straits Times, August 6).

Sailing: “The trio must now hold their nerve in the final series of the match-racing to win an historic gold medal in the class,” (The Daily Telegraph, August 6).

Badminton: “Defending champion Lin Dan beats great rival Lee Chong Wei in a gripping men’s final,” (The Times of India, August 6).

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 103 – Pinnacle of Career

Against overwhelming odds the Olympics kicked off with a fairytale ceremony marking the pinnacle of an athletic life and a roller-coaster of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

An Olympic Games is an intense time for sports writers with many tempting avenues for the use of cliche.

“(Leisel) Jones, winding down her pinnacle swimming career at her fourth Olympics, said that she was overwhelmed by the public support she had received.” (Agence France-Presse, July 29)

“It’s been a roller-coaster career for (Canadian Emilie) Heymans.” (Waterloo Region Record, July 30)

“Astonishing as her (Monique Gladding) story of recovery may be, she is not the only member of Team GB’s diving team who has battled overwhelming odds to win their place.” (The Guardian, July 26)

“Of all the honours that an American woman can win at an Olympics, the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics all-around is the one that most completes the fairytale.” (The Forth Worth Star-Telegram, July 30)

“The US Olympic swimming trials are like a Fiona Apple album: an emotional roller-coaster with soaring arrangements that drown out the melancholic stories.” (New York Times, June 27)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 102 – Low-Hanging Fruit

Getting the fruit from branches closer to the ground is the easy option in sales, business, politics and writing.

Low-hanging fruit is popular in the commercial world where it is used to identify the quickest business to acquire. The harder climb to the top of the tree of life takes longer.

The phrase has successfully crossed into journalism via the business pages where it appears up to 400 times a month across the world.

“With the low hanging fruit gone, the gains to productivity from the likes of the Internet are relatively smaller.” (Wall Street Journal, July 25)

“This year, the incumbent is again the favorite, but such low-hanging fruit may not seem so easy to find.” (Barron’s, July 9)

“Billions and billions of dollars of low-hanging fruit are listed in these reports.” (The Telegraph, Nashua, USA, July 8)

“There is plenty of low-hanging fruit that even minimally competent governance should have been able to deliver.” (Dhaka Courier, July 7)

“But that also means finding a way to pay for it and a bloated public sector is the low-hanging fruit.” (The Advertiser, South Australia, July 7)

“Misspelled street signs are the low-hanging fruit of feature journalism.” (New York Times, July 6)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.

Cliche of the Week 101 – Stand out from the Crowd

If you want to stand out from the crowd try omitting clichés from property stories, restaurant reviews, fashion raves and lifestyle stories.

Standing out from the crowd is the domain of those who tell others how to look cool in clothing, travel, a new home or where to eat.

What to wear to the gym: “Particularly good this season is the bold colour palette (right) – that’ll surely make you stand out from the crowd in your yoga class.” (Sunday Telegraph, NSW, July 15)

Corporate: “Strong branding is crucial to stand out from the crowd and that has been a core element of the company’s marketing plans.” (The Daily Express, July 16)

Food: “So yes, Le Thai has good food, but that’s not what makes it stand out from the crowd. Le Thai is perfect for downtown, perfect for this point in the life of our fabulous city, and we hope it’s only a portent of more to come.” (The Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 13)

Music: “After standing in line for a chance to stand out from the crowd, a dozen highly talented singers whose homes are all found along the Country Music Highway will go head-to-head Saturday.” (The Daily Independent, USA, June 11)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.