[kqr]

> after decades of school drilling into my that it was a bad thing.

I'd argue that's just school teaching bad style. They're doing it because they are optimising for something else: exposing students to wider vocabulary.

To write well, call a spade a spade. To show off how many words you know, call it a spade the first time, shovel the next, digging device the third time, then earth moving tool, substrate projector, historic agricultural staple, etc. School optimises for the latter.

If you feel like your vocabulary is sufficient, forget everything school taught you. Write simply. A spade is a spade.

[cultureswitch]

I would never call a shovel a spade due to the potential for confusion (unless that's what I'm going for).