the watch of time

November means darkness by dinner, all the better to brighten things up with enriched clichés (with originals in italics):

• To make it easier to navigate across the deeply entrenched soapstone, he put a step on it
• You may have to stick a fork in it if we cannot find any more spoons for the pudding
• Bring your sad look to a stop and smell the roses your co-workers brought in for your birthday
• They planted a stick in the mud to let us know which path they were not taking
• Please don’t act like a stiff as a board game for the whole family is about to begin
• Over there is the hallow drum to be closed off, so if you stick it in your ear will be relieved of more reverberations
• If it could talk, a stone’s throw away line would be that it prefers rock music to other versions  
• By hiding the gift in the closet we’ll be able to stick it where the sun don’t shine
• Threading close to the time limit will save a few, but a stitch in time saves nine
• If your holsters are missing, you can temporarily stick to your guns by using soluble glue