I often have students who rely too heavily on the thesaurus as they craft their essays, resulting in overwrought sentences that block, rather than illuminate, the writer’s meaning. Using a little humor, this handout helps students see what happens when one abuses the thesaurus. This handout, which can be completed as a solo or team activity/race/game, requires students to match up a series of well-known proverbs and sayings with their overwritten versions. Once students have completed the handou