Try a cliché

According to Wikipedia, a cliché is a saying, expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.

‘Put that in your pipe and smoke it’ is frequently used as exclamation, this cliché which originated from the United States (where else) and was used when someone wanted to belittle another. It is used when delivering information that is contrary to the belief or understanding of the other party.

Now I know someone who often comes up with ideas to brainstorm and uses this cliché to communicate that I should ponder on the idea. At first I thought that perhaps it was an amusing attempt to relate it to the fact that I am a smoker. Nevertheless, it was witty and I caught on and started using it myself, not realising the original meaning behind it. So now that I know what those Americans really intended the phrase for, I don’t think I will be using it anytime soon. In today’s world there are so many other things in life which are more important than coming up with clever phrases or clichés. I mean who takes the time out to think up these things. There are things like disease, poverty, crime, famine, corruption…now put THAT in your pipe and smoke it...