those are cliches, but these aren't

one
i've heard and read about something -- irony, tension, fog, whatever -- that was so think that you could cut it with a knife.

that's a cliche, but this isn't.

i took out a knife, cut off a piece of it, and took it home. there, i put it between two slices of bread and had a very delicious sandwich for lunch.

in fact, i had enough of it left over that i ate the rest of it during the next few days.

two
i've seen people who were so sick that some people said they looked like they were at death's door.

that's a cliche, but this isn't.

i've seen people who were so sick that it looked like they entered death's house, walked around the place a few times, and decided to stay there a few nights. then they walked back out of the house and camped out in the yard.