When I hear people toss off expressions like “there are many ways to skin a cat” or “kill two birds with one stone,” I cringe deeply, instantly picturing a poor wounded kitty or a pair of violently felled birds. Though I feel weird getting upset about a stupid cliché, for me it’s like being forced to watch a gory movie scene without warning.

Years ago my friend Renée helped me out with this when she offered a lovely, animal-friendly alternative for accomplishing two things in one stroke: “Feeding two birds with one seed.” As in, “Let’s walk to the store. That way we can get your book and I can get my exercise–we’ll feed two birds with one seed.” So much nicer to imagine two birds sharing a little snack, yes?

Do you have any similarly loathed expressions–and happy alternatives?

 [Image from: www.duncraft.com]