25 Linguistic diffidence can take various forms.One is what we call euphemism.This is the tendency to call a spade "a certain garden implement"or women's underwear "unmentionables."It is stronger in some eras than others and in some people than others but it always operates more or less in subjects that are touchy or taboo:death,sex,madness,and so on.Thus we shrink from saying "He died last night"but say instead "passed away,""left us,""joined his Maker,""went to his reward."Or we try to take off the tension with a lighter cliche:"kicked the bucket,""cashed in his chips,""handed in his dinner pail."We have found all sorts of ways to avoid saying mad: "mentally ill,""touched,""not quite right upstairs,""feebleminded,""innocent,""simple,""off his trolley,""not in his right mind."Even such a now plain word as insane began as a euphemism with the meaning "not healthy." 26 Modern science,particularly psychology,contributes many polysyllables in which we can wrap our thoughts and blunt their force.To many writers there is no such thing as a bad schoolboy. Schoolboys are maladjusted or unoriented or misunderstood or in the need of guidance or lacking in continued success toward satisfactory integration of the personality as a social unit,but they are never bad.Psychology no doubt makes us better men and women,more sympathetic and tolerant, but it doesn't make writing any easier.Had Shakespeare been confronted with psychology,"To be or not to be"might have come out,"To continue as a social unit or not to do so.That is the personality problem.Whether 'tis a better sign of integration at the conscious level to display a psychic tolerance toward the maladjustments and repressions induced by one's lack of orientation in one's environment or--"But Hamlet would never have finished the soliloquy. 27 Writing in the modern world,you cannot altogether avoid modern jargon.Nor,in an effort to get away from euphemism,should you salt your paper with four-letter words.But you can do much if you will mount guard against those roundabout phrases,those echoing polysyllables that tend to slip into your writing to rob it of its crispness and force. BEWARE OF PAT EXPRESSIONS 28 Other things being equal,avoid phrases like "other things being equal."Those sentences that come to you whole,or in two or three doughy lumps,are sure to be bad sentences.They are no creation of yours but pieces of common thought floating in the community soup. 29 Pat expressions are hard,often impossible,to avoid,because they come too easily to be noticed and seem too necessary to be dispensed with.No writer avoids them altogether,but good writers avoid them more often than poor writers. 30 By "pat expressions"we mean such tags as"to all practical intents and purposes,""the pure and simple truth,""from where I sit,""the time of his life,""to the ends of the earth,""in the twinkling of an eye,""as sure as you're born,""over my dead body,""under cover of darkness,""took the easy way out,""when all is said and done,""told him time and time again,""parted the best of friends,""stand up and be counted,""gave him the best years of her life,""worked her fingers to the bone."Like other cliches,these expressions were once forceful.Now we should use them only when we can't possibly think of anything else. 31 Some pat expressions stand like a wall between the writer and thought.Such a one is "the American way of life."Many student writers feel that when they have said that something accords with the American way of life or does not they have exhausted the subject.Actually,they have stopped at the highest level of abstraction.The American way of life is the complicated set of7 25 Linguistic diffidence can take various forms. One is what we call euphemism. This is the tendency to call a spade "a certain garden implement" or women's underwear "unmentionables." It is stronger in some eras than others and in some people than others but it always operates more or less in subjects that are touchy or taboo: death, sex, madness, and so on. Thus we shrink from saying "He died last night" but say instead "passed away," "left us," "joined his Maker," "went to his reward." Or we try to take off the tension with a lighter cliché: "kicked the bucket," "cashed in his chips," "handed in his dinner pail." We have found all sorts of ways to avoid saying mad: "mentally ill," "touched," "not quite right upstairs," "feebleminded," "innocent," "simple," "off his trolley," "not in his right mind." Even such a now plain word as insane began as a euphemism with the meaning "not healthy." 26 Modern science, particularly psychology, contributes many polysyllables in which we can wrap our thoughts and blunt their force. To many writers there is no such thing as a bad schoolboy. Schoolboys are maladjusted or unoriented or misunderstood or in the need of guidance or lacking in continued success toward satisfactory integration of the personality as a social unit, but they are never bad. Psychology no doubt makes us better men and women, more sympathetic and tolerant, but it doesn't make writing any easier. Had Shakespeare been confronted with psychology, "To be or not to be" might have come out, "To continue as a social unit or not to do so. That is the personality problem. Whether 'tis a better sign of integration at the conscious level to display a psychic tolerance toward the maladjustments and repressions induced by one's lack of orientation in one's environment or -- " But Hamlet would never have finished the soliloquy. 27 Writing in the modern world, you cannot altogether avoid modern jargon. Nor, in an effort to get away from euphemism, should you salt your paper with four-letter words. But you can do much if you will mount guard against those roundabout phrases, those echoing polysyllables that tend to slip into your writing to rob it of its crispness and force. BEWARE OF PAT EXPRESSIONS 28 Other things being equal, avoid phrases like "other things being equal." Those sentences that come to you whole, or in two or three doughy lumps, are sure to be bad sentences. They are no creation of yours but pieces of common thought floating in the community soup. 29 Pat expressions are hard, often impossible, to avoid, because they come too easily to be noticed and seem too necessary to be dispensed with. No writer avoids them altogether, but good writers avoid them more often than poor writers. 30 By "pat expressions" we mean such tags as "to all practical intents and purposes," "the pure and simple truth," "from where I sit," "the time of his life," "to the ends of the earth," "in the twinkling of an eye," "as sure as you're born," "over my dead body," "under cover of darkness," "took the easy way out," "when all is said and done," "told him time and time again," "parted the best of friends," "stand up and be counted," "gave him the best years of her life," "worked her fingers to the bone." Like other clichés, these expressions were once forceful. Now we should use them only when we can't possibly think of anything else. 31 Some pat expressions stand like a wall between the writer and thought. Such a one is "the American way of life." Many student writers feel that when they have said that something accords with the American way of life or does not they have exhausted the subject. Actually, they have stopped at the highest level of abstraction. The American way of life is the complicated set of