New Year resolution for editors: Stop ‘crying all the way to the bank’ cliché

One of the resolutions editors should make in the New Year is to stop using old, tired, expressions and idioms like “laughing all the way to the bank,” one of the most commonly used clichés in Nation stories.

The original phrase, popularised in the 1950s, was “crying all the way to the bank”. Most word historians credit it to an entertainer named Liberace. 

One of Liberace’s concerts at Madison Square Garden, New York, was heavily criticised by a newspaper theatre critic though it enjoyed a sellout crowd. He was hurt by the criticisms and “cried all the way to the bank”.

The phrase was later corrupted to “laughing all the way to the bank”. Some writers say the two phrases are virtually synonymous. “Crying all the way to the bank” is used ironically while “laughing all the way to the bank” is used straightforwardly.

Using clichés instead of coming up with an original, fresh and specific wording is lazy and hazy journalism. It’s easier to use such generalised and nice-sounding phrases in the form of clichés than to think of original ones.

Lost its original spark

There are times when a cliché may be acceptable or unavoidable though. Example: “Kenya’s latest sensation in global athletics, Pamela Jelimo, on Wednesday hit the ground running, literally, ... in the Chinese capital.”

A cliché may sound nice to a journalist who has only occasionally come across the phrase. But a cliché is a cliché because the phrase has been overused and has lost its original spark and precise meaning.

The AP Stylebook, the leading guide for journalism and news writing principles, advises reporters to avoid clichés “like the plague”. They “are the junk food of the literary pantry, much loved by lazy writers,” it says.

The NMG Manual of Style and Usage urges its journalists to avoid clichés. It lists 25 clichés — ranging from “at the end of the day” to “sweet smell of success”.

I’m aware of the saying that rules are made to be broken (There are times when we should think for ourselves and not obey every rule blindly).

However, surprisingly, every one of the 25 clichés listed in the NMG manual has been used — in defiance of the rules — many of them in hundreds of instances.

One of the most commonly used clichés — not listed in the manual — is “only time will tell”. It has been used more than 8,900 times in a period of a few years. 

The cliché is not data-driven. It means the writer does not know (but is unwilling to say so) or the situation is in a state of flux, unpredictable or unanalysable. Example: “Handshakes can change history, but only time will tell.”

Make money easily

One of the most imprecise clichés is “laughing all the way to the bank”. 

Examples: “Looks like gospel musician Mercy Masika is closing off the year in a big way by laughing all the way to the bank”, “[Some] preachers have openly commercialised the Christian faith and are laughing all the way to the bank” and “Kenyans are currently (sic) being bombarded with ‘chances’ to win a whole load of money and, from reports in the papers, those running the competitions are laughing all the way to the bank”.

“Laughing all the way to the bank” means to make a lot of money very easily, undeservedly, at the expense of others or by doing something that other people thought was foolish, and so on. Often it has no precise meaning in the way it has been used in some news stories. It’s lazy journalism.

Such is the nature of clichés. Editors should refrain from using them.

The Public Editor is an independent news ombudsman who handles readers’ complaints on editorial matters including accuracy and journalistic standards. Email: [email protected]. Call or text 0721989264.