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kill one's darlings

To destroy, especially with conflicted motives, things or persons of which one is fond.

Etymology:

  • From a reported remark by William Faulkner, advising prospective authors that they must kill their "darlings", i.e. suppress overuse of their favorite expressions, tropes, characters, etc.
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[Fans] won’t participate in online dialogues and events, visit message boards and chat rooms or design games. As a result, platforms for supplementary advertising aren’t built, starving even the shows fans profess to love . . . . Aloof and passive fans kill their darlings.

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Submitted on July 10, 2018

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to kill one's darlings

kill the kardashianskill the rabbitkillkillkillknock one down with a featherkillkillkill the fatted calfkillkillkillknow like the back of one's handkill the messenger

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    "kill one's darlings." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/kill-ones-darlings_25981>.

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