Say it differently; Say it in a way it gets their attention; That's what communication is ( largely ) about.

1.

The whole nine yards.
The whole shooting match.
The whole ball of wax.
The whole shebang.
Body and soul, root, branch and leaf.
The whole kit and kaboodle.
**********************
2.

From the frying pan into the fire.
From the gutter into the sewer.
From hero to zero.
From mountain to a mole hill.
From iceberg to ice cube.
From cat walk to dust cart.
From bang to bing.
From bang to whimper.
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
From boom to bust.
From festive to fiasco.
From a growling Rottweiler to a smiling St. Bernard.
From funk to junk.
From quaint to grungy.
From milestone to millstone.
From order to chaos.
From gloss to dross.
From gorgeous to gross.
From bang to a whisper.
From treasure to trash.
From gold to grime.
From bounce to fizzle.
From fact to fib.
From high speed rail to broad band.
From pin stripes to prison stripes.
From feast to famine.
From falcon into a duck.
From princess into a frog.
**************************************
3.

Teach an old dog new tricks.
Teach an old dog a new bark.
Teach a cat to bark.
Teach an old dog new math.
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4.

Fresh from the boat.
From the tall grass.
********************

5.

All slaw and no ribs.
All bat and no balls.
All hat and no cattle.
All sizzle and no stake.
All bark and no bite.
All sails and no anchor.
All balls and no brains.
All scrawl than straight line.
More bombast than brains.
All box and no cereal.
******************************

6.

In search of:
The holy grail.
The golden fleece.
The enchanted slipper.
The white whale in "Moby Dick"
The black bird in "The maltese Falcon"
Eternal Youth in "Dorian Gray"
The Philosopher's Stone.
The Philosospher's egg.
*************************************

7.

Win some; lose some.
Catch some; Miss some.
**********************

8.

The grass is greener on the other side.
There are always far horizons
that are more golden,
Bluer skies somewhere.
***************************************

9.

Workerholic.
Worker bee.
Work horse. as opposed to show horse.
Busy bee.
Busy body.
Busy as a bird dog.
************************************

10.

Reinventing the wheel.
Reinventing the paper clip.
***************************

11.

Tall oaks from little acorns grow.
Large streams from little fountains flow.
*****************************************

12.

The darkest hour is before dawn.
Wounds tingle most when they are about to heal.
It is the rainbow that comes after the dark cloud.
***************************************************

13.

Sent him into cloud nine.
Sent him into cloud-cuckoo land.
*******************************

14.

Kid in a candy store.
Letting a cat loose in a field of cat nip.
Putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop.
Sending carrots by way of a rabbit.
Like a mosquito in a nudist colony.
********************************************

15.

Make hay while the sun shines.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Opportunity does not knock twice.
You don't get a second chance to make a first-good-impression.
There comes a tide in the affairs of men,
which when taken at the flood leads to fortune.
Fortune favors the brave.
Fortune sides with him who dares.
He who sees the last blossom on the plum tree must pluck it.
************************************************************

16.

Chewing the cud.
Chew the fat.
Chew the rag.
Shoot the breeze.
Spin the wheel.
Twiddling your thumb.
Wool gathering.
Counting sheep.
In Brown Study.
Sowing wild oats.
Counting waves.
Goofing off.
Day dreaming.
Space cadeting
Sling the bull.
Swatting flies.
*********************

17.

Cream on the cake.
Frosting on the cake.
Pick of the litter.
Top of the heap.
Flower of the flock.
Top of the shelf.
King of the hill.
Top chicken ( as in pecking order. )
The apple of his eye.
The top cream of the top cream.
************************************

18.

Devil is in the details.
God is in the details.
*************************

19.

Practice makes perfect.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
*******************************

20.

Give an inch and he will take a mile.
Give an inch and you'll never get it back.
******************************************

21.

Like ham and eggs.
Peaches and cream.
Hot dogs and baseball games.
Wordsworth and the daffodils.
American and apple pie.
American and Smith and Wesson,
As American as a double cheese burgher with all the toppings.
**************************** ****************************

22.

Every one has his cross to carry.
Once at least in his life,
each man will walk with Christ to Emmau.
To each his lot and none is light.
Climb the cross and do your own suffering.
Every rose has its thorns.
*****************************************

23.

From rags to riches.
From an aproned pot scrubber,
to flanneled pontificate.
From ruffian to respectability.
From trash to treasure.
From grime to gold.
From purgatory to paradise.
When shrub turns to brush.
From minute to the magnificent.
From pleb to aristocrat.
********************************

24.

Head over heels.
Head over ears.
*****************

25.

As chalk to cheese.
Sailor to landsman.
Lightning bug to lightning.
Broccoli to ice cream.
Frost to fire.
As saccharin to sugar.
As marsh water is to red wine.
As wine is to vineger
As lightning is to a lightning bug.
*********************************

26.

Coming events cast their shadow before.
As squalls preceding a hurricane.
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27.

Chip of the old block.
The father's cap fitted the son.
Spitting image.
The chicken takes the shape of the egg.
***************************************

28.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Rock and a hard place.
Caught in a vice.
Pincered between.
Caught in a cleft stick.
Hammer and anvil.
Between the frying pan and the fire.
**************************

29.

Lightning in a bottle.
Tempest in a tea pot.
Tempest in a test tube.
The storm had finally found its tea cup.
**************************************

30.

Like duck to water.
Like sheep to the shearer.
Like meat to a dog.
Like nurse to a doctor.
Like a cantor to a choir.
Like tallow to a cat.
Like cat nip to a cat.
************************

31.

A foot soldier.
A spear carrier.
*****************

32.

Not my cup of tea.
A horse of another color.
It's a different breed of cat.
*******************************

33.

As you sow so shall you reap.
As he brews so shall he drink.
*******************************

34.

Gilding the lily.
Gilding glitterati.
Paint the lily.
Add another hue to the rainbow.
******************************

35.

Signed, sealed and delivered.
Signed, sealed and scented.
Signed, sealed and sprinkled with holy water.
Filed, sanded and polished.
Spell checked, signed, sealed and sprinkled with holy water.
Cut, cooked and canned.
Cut, cooked and curried.
Trimmed, tigtened and polished.
***********************************************************

36.

Kiss of death.
Smooch of death.
*****************

37.

Dancing to your tune.
Dancing to your flute.
Marching to his drum.
Marching to his cadence.
***********************

38.

More irons in the fire.
More balls in the air.
A thumb in every pie.
***********************

39.

Regatta air
Carnival air
*************

40.

Bigger bang for the buck
More bounce for the ounce
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41.

Shit or get off the pot.
Fish or cut bait.
************************

42.

Mistaking the wood for the trees.
Mistaking the icing for the cake.
**********************************

43.

From teeth to toe.
Head to foot.
Stem to stern.
Foundation to its steeples.
Shank to flank.
Elbow to rib.
Haunch to paunch.
Soup to nuts.
Toe to crown.
From gullet to gizzard.
From tower to cellar.
From Genesis to Revelation.
From thatch to toe.
***********************

44.

Fine words butter no parsnips.
Fine words do not wash dishes.
Fine words do not make full stomachs.
*************************************

45.

Bury the hatchet.
Bygones be bygones.
Cannot unring the bell.
Cannot unboil an egg.
Cannot step into the same river twice.
Don't cry over spilt milk.
Even the gods cannot alter the past. ( Gnostic aphorisam.)
Yesterday can neither be relived or revised.
Even the gods cannot unscramble an egg.
**********************************************************

46.

The last straw.
The break that brought down the curtain.
Loading the wagon with too many water melons.
The drop that made the cup over flow.
*********************************************

47.

Bee in a bonnet.
Rat in a garret.
Bug in your bonnet
*******************

48.

Too many cooks spoil the soup/broth.
A lot of cooks had their spoons in the soup.
********************************************

49.

A march of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
A climb of a thousand steps begins with the first step.
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50.

Every crack and chink.
Every corner and crevice.
*************************

51.

Lemon to lemonade.
Souse to silk purse.
Turning trash into treasure.
*****************************

52.

Alpha male.
Uber male.
Ubermensch.
**********

53.

From day to dusk.
From sun rise to sun set.
From dawn to dusk.
From dawn to dark.
From cock crow until the chicken want to roost.
From breakfast to lights out.
From waking to sleeping.
***********************************************

54.

Hard road to hoe.
Long road to hoe.
*****************

55.

Fifteen minutes of fame.
Fifteen megabytes of fame.
One day wonder.
Flash in the pan.
Three minute minuet.
One hit wonder.
*************************

56.

Trust everybody but cut the cards.
Pray but keep the powder dry.
Trust but verify.
Trust in Allah but tie your camel.
**********************************

57.

It flies in the face.
It flees in the face.
*********************

58.

Hale and hearty.
Hale and happy.
****************

59.

Playing to the gallery.
Playing to the peanut gallery.
Preaching to the choir.
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60.

All in the same boat.
All in the same shape.
**********************

61.

It's alive and well.
It's alive and in excellent care.
*********************************

62.

Cook.
Master skillet - wielder.
*************************

63.

Cap stone.
Crowning achievement.
The apex of a pyramid.
*********************

64.

The first blow is half the battle.
He who siezed the right moment is the right man.
***********************************************

65.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.
*************************************************

66.

Earning my keep.
Earning the salt.
*****************

67.

One fry shy of a Happy Meal.
A few sandwiches short of a picnic.
A few sodas short of a six - pack.
A few grapes short of a bunch.
Close but no cigar.
Close but no champagne.
Two sheep short of a paddock.
Few apples short of a picnic.
A penny short of a pound.
Dawn but no daylight.
A few pieces short of a jigsaw puzzle.
A Miss is good as Mr.
Two bricks shy of a load.
Two pickles shy of a barrel.
+++++++++++++++++++++

68.

Bull-shit
Ape-shit.
Horse-shit.
Hog wash.
************

69.

Elephant in the bed room.
Great smelly elephant in the living room
*****************************************

70.

Telltale
Tattletale.
***********

71.

Head-to-head.
Toe-to-toe.
Neck-to-neck.
Eyeball-to-eyeball.
Eye to eye.
********************

72.

Grist to the mill.
Adding fuel to fire.
Adding yeast to dough.
Adding fat to the fire.
***********************

73.

Weapons in his arsenal.
Arrows in his quiver.
***********************

74.

Small frog in a big pond.
Small cog in a big wheel.
One twig of one branch of a very large tree.
A choir among cardinals.
Just one flea on the dog's back.
One pebble on the beach.
**********************************

75.
Futility:

Trying to push back the desert.
Trying to empty the ocean with a tea cup.
Trying to separate the breeze from the wind.
Trying to lasso the wind.
Digging a tunnel with a nail file.
Like fireflies competing with the stars.
Like planting cut flowers.
Like clapping with one hand.
Up a creek without a paddle.
Trying to put the tooth paste back into the tube.
Catch the rainbow.
Trying to kill a bear with a " bee bee " bullet.
*************************************************

76.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Distance lends enchantment to the view.
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77.

Out of sight out of mind.
Absence is death's cousin.
Silence begets distance.
Absence makes the heart go yonder.
**********************************

78.

Penny wise pound foolish.
Strain at a knat and swallow a camel.
*************************************

79.

Rain or shine.
Sun shine or shower.
*********************

80.

A giant among midgets.
A Gulliver among Lilliputs.
A frigate among fishing smaks.
A big frog in a small puddle.
A big frog in a small pond.
I'm just one flea on the dog's back.
************************************

81.

Dropped it like a hot potato.
Dropped me like hot coal.
Dropped it like a hot horse shoe.
**********************************

82.

Brings home the bacon.
Puts food on the table.
That keeps the house lights on.

83.

The pot calling the kettle black.
The pot blackguarding the kettle.

84.

It was no picnic.
It was no walk in the park.
It was no jump in the hay.
It was not all a bed of roses.
It was not all champagne and caviar.
It's not all cheese and crackers.

85.

Two sides of a coin.
Two sides of a medal.

86.

The sniff test.
The gold standard.
The litmus test.
The acid test.
The smell test.
The smile test... You see some one coming your way. You smile; a friendly person returns the smile.

87.

Like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark.
Like a prom without a king or queen.

88.

Big beer.
The big Enchilada.
Big Chief.
Big cheese.
King pin.
The whole cheese
Prima Donne.
Boss cocky.
Head peanut.
The boss cocky.
The big banana.
Big brass.
89.

Ghost of a chance.
Snow ball's chance.
Chance in a million.

90.

Bite more than you can chew.
Punching above your weight.
A man' reach should exceed his grasp.
Above my pay grade.

91.

Neceesity is the mother of invention
Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity. T.S.Eliot.

92.

He could sell a refrigerator to an eskimo.
He could sell shoes to a man with no feet.
He could sell a muzzle to a dog.
He could talk a mouse into hunting cats.

93.

Aches and pains of getting old.
Aches and daggers.
Needles and pins.

94.

Lock, stock and barrel.
Lock, stock and bobtail.

95.

All the lights are on nobody's home.
His electrons aren't connected.
All cylinders aren't firing.
He is one of those on whom God had not quite finished.
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
(S) he fell out of the stupid tree and hit all the branches on the way down.
The antenna isn't picking up all the channels.
The butter has slipped off his/her pancake.
Not a full quid.
Pretty cage but no bird inside.
Ten cents to the dollar.
Playing without a full deck.

96.

From womb to tomb.
From cradle to the grave.
From creation to resurrection.

97.

The day when the lion will lie down with the lamb.
The cat with the mouse.

98.

Where the bones are buried.
Where the land mines lay.
Where the bodies are buried.

99.

Raining cats and dogs.

100.

Caught the tiger by the tail.
caught the comet by the tail.

101.

Warp and Woof.
Ying and Yang
Anode and Cathode.

102.

Man bites dog.
Man bites insect.

103.

To rat on.
To put the finger on.
To drop a dime on.
Fingered him.
Squeal on.
To snitch.

104.

A thorn in my flesh.
A thorn in my eye.

105.

Like a rose that withered on the stem.
like a rose that withered on the vine.

106.

Do not give a button.
Do not give a " tuppence"
Do not give a rat's " ass."
Hoot in hell.
Care a hoot.

107.

Putting the genie back in the bottle.
Putting the tooth paste back into the tube.
Walking the cat back.

108.

Busy as a bee.
Busy as a bird dog.

109.

Plant potatoe you get potatoes.
The seed brings forth a crop after its kind.
Like the chicken takes the shape of the egg.

110. Iraq is to moviegoers what garlic is to vampires. Frank Rich.

111.

Sour grapes
Like a cripple who hates dance.

112.

Happy as a lark.
Happy as a clam.
Pleased as punch.

113.

Empty vessels make the most noise.
Empty wagons are noisy.

114.

Put him in the dog house.
Take him to the shambles ( salughter house )
Send him to coventry.

115.

Kaput.
Curtains.
Toast.
Cooked.
Kaibash
History.

116.

Fall guy.
Took the bullet
Sacrificial lamb.

117.

There are more than one way to skin a cat.
There are more than one way to slice a salami.
There's more than one way to catch a mailman.

118.

Short changed.
Nickled and dimed.

119.

New York minute.
Bird dog minute.

120.

Love him or hate him.
love him or loathe him.

121.

Nerd.
Geek.
Square.

122.

You rob a bank - that's where the money is.
You go hunting where the ducks are.

123.

Short.
Napoleonic.
Arrested development.

124.

Blindsided.
Sandbagged.

125.

Within reach.
Within touch.

126.

Blood is thicker than water.
Blood is thicker than broth.

127.

The dogs bark but the caravan moves on.
The sand dunes change in shape, size and form but the desert goes on.

128.

Every one must roar with the oar he has.
You have to play with the hand that is dealt to you.

129.

Many strokes overthrow the tallest strokes.

130.

Chump change.
Chopped liver.

131.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Don't put all your potatoes in the same jug.

132.

Bird of a different feather.
Horse of quite another color.

133.

Do not count your chicken before they are hatched.
Catch the bear before you sell his skin.