A biweekly feature about idioms.
Whether you’re giving a presentation, making a speech, or trying to counsel a loved one about an important decision, you want to be taken seriously. There are plenty of options to make sure you’re getting proper, focused attention. One is to hold your audience at gunpoint. Another, less felonious approach is to invoke a life-threatening medical condition. That’s right, tell your audience you’re “as serious as a heart attack.”
E.g. Do I look like I’m kidding? I may be dressed like a clown, wearing clown makeup, and be juggling rubber chickens in the middle of the circus, but I’m as serious as a heart attack.
E.g. Okay, it might not’ve been aliens, but I was definitely abducted by something. I’m as serious as a heart attack. Why else would I have missed work?
E.g. Did I stutter? You heard me. I want three dozen Big Macs, and I want them right now. I’m as serious as a heart attack.
Remember, it’s only hyperbole if you’re not committed.