Cliche of the Week 65 – Left little to the imagination

Leaving something for the imagination is better than bingeing on cliches.

Left little to the imagination is uncovered in news reports about 70 times a week. Newspapers in British tabloids favour the phrase as a sauce for entertainment titillation.

In most cases, cutting the phrase from a sentence will improve and not alter the meaning for weary and brain-tired readers.

"She (Gwyneth Paltrow) gave everyone at the Venice Film Festival an eyeful as she arrived bra-less in a pale peach Prada gown that left little to the imagination." (The Sun, September 5)

"Apart from the micro-skirts, plunging necklines and see-through overshirts which left little to the imagination, there were also more modest designs including sand-coloured tunic-style trouser suits and flowing chiffon skirts." (Republica, September 21)

 "High-class prostitute's claim for a slice of dead billionaire's fortune leaves little to the imagination." (The New Zealand Herald, September 17)

"Lady Gaga left little to the imagination as she stripped off in a series of newly released 'fashion films' to coincide with her music video for her song, You And I." (Asian News International, September 3) 

Cliche of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. The usage of cliches in the media is 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