Meandering through the internet, I found a pair of images that really struck me. I’ll let them speak for themselves:

The difference between the first and the second is staggering. One is vivid and evocative, the other is silly– and makes a striking point. These comparisons are so overused (so cliche) that they have ceased to actually mean anything. Essentially the comic can be rewritten: “It’s big, it’s fast, it’s heavy, and it’s stupid… it ate a bunch of people, and caused lots of destruction.” And this is why we encourage people to stay away from cliches: because they’re generally just a very long way of saying something very simple, without adding any meaning or context.

On the other hand, the description of red is vivid. The color’s association with passion and rage maybe often used, but in this case it becomes personal, because it’s directly tied into the story that’s being told.