Quote:
Originally Posted by Tdol  ... If the idiom i[s] not colloquial and there is a very good reason for using it, then use it. If not, then leave it out.  |
And it helps - when you're judging whether an idiom is colloquial - to consider whether the words used in it are colloquial. Colloquially, we use
throw more often than
cast, and
pigs more often than
swine (except when 'swine' is an insult). So I'd be quite happy to see 'cast pearls before swine' in an academic essay.
b