Colloquialisms

Here's a new discussion topic:

I have found that technology has changed the way we communicate in writing, and it has affected tone most obviously. I don't expect you to write like an astrophysicist (please don't), but we do want to keep an academic tone, not a colloquial one, in our academic essays. The tone of our essays should be different from the tone of our casual emails and text messages.

Generally, the most significant factors in regard to tone are pronouns (particularly second-person reference--you, your, yourself) and colloquialisms (vocabulary we'd use during a conversation over lunch with a friend).

It is difficult to recognize colloquial language, particularly slang and cliché phrases, because we use these words so often that they don't sound colloquial anymore. Here are some examples:

• lay it on the table 
• right off the bat 
• buy into it 
• in the long run 
• pull it over on them 
• a lot 
• screw up 
• plain and simple 
• get the point across 

But do you see how these phrases could easily be replaced with more academic vocabulary for a more elevated tone?

• be honest and forthright 
• immediately 
• agree with 
• ultimately 
• deliberately deceive or manipulate 
• often, several, many 
• err, make a mistake 
• simply 
• convince

These are just a few examples. I want you to think of more, and share them in this thread. Specifically, share one colloquial word or phrase (maybe use it in an example sentence), and then also give an alternative word choice to create a more elevated tone.