The English language is thick with idioms, and we use them in conversations every day. But as writers, we need to avoid the well-worn ones, unless it’s a key to a character’s dialogue, or we risking looking unimaginative.

Putting twists on old idioms is a lot of fun. Take “shoot yourself in the foot.” If I have a character, who’s a fashionista, inadvertently damage herself, another characters can say, “She just shot herself in the Choo.”

When I was a teenager, my younger sister invented two ways to freshen “whatever floats your boat.” She started with “whatever cranks your tank” and then added “whatever skins your skunk.” I love the second one and might have a rural characters use it.

Your turn. What new spin can you put on old idioms?