Hello friends and family!

At the bottom of this post are the winners of the “Most Overused Cliché Contest,” Round 1, as determined by my Facebook friends’ entries. I posted the top three because, surprisingly, there was little repetition. So, many would be tied for fourth and fifth place, if I posted them all.

Two surprises arose. First, I learned of many cliches’ that are underused, and maybe should be brought back into regular use. They are clever. For example, my friend Carlene posted the following one (among three clever ones):

“If I tell you a chicken dips snuff, ya better look under the wing for the can!”

So, should we have a contest for “The Most Clever Cliché?” If you agree, post your candidate on my Facebook page.

Another surprise was the number of Spanish clichés I received. Here is a sample:

“Si, como no!”

“Pues, ni modo!”

“A ver como nos va.”

Should we have a contest for “The Best Spanish Cliché?” (No profanity allowed, though; No se permite usar maldiciones.) If you agree, post your favorite on my Facebook page. By the way, I have a story about the middle one above, which I will write about in a future post.

Finally, I have a challenge for you clever ones. (I think that’s all of you.) Below is a Spanish saying that my father used in our large household.

“Me están llenando la bolsa de piedritas!”

Which of you can translate this to English, and provide an example of how and when you would use it? You may have to ask someone who grew up in a previous generation. Caution; this might be tricky!

Here are the winners from the first round, in order:

• “Better late than never!”
• “At the end of the day . . .”
• “No offense, but . . .”

Does God have a humorous side? Expect a future chapter on this topic. I welcome your participation, and may post your views on my blog.

Manuel Melgoza