My door is always open – Anyone who says this usually means anything but.

* Put your ducks in a row – Those who are easily distracted can’t hear this without picturing momma ducks and their ducklings. Sitting in a row next to the grains of salt by the Alaskan pipeline.

Run it up the flagpole – Proof that some phrases never die.

How was your Flag Day! Did you follow flag code?

Get granular – Oh, just stop saying this. I picture grains of sugar and salt.

Put it in the pipeline – Would that be the Alaskan version?

Going forward – This means next. Say next.

Paradigm shift – This one quickly became overused after several books were published with the phrase in the title.

This one is popular in government. Those silos. Are they full of grain?

Oh, the sports metaphors. They’ll never die.

Stop using it. Please. Instead, say that you’ll do it later.