build a better mousetrap
cliché To invent something that improves upon an existing object or concept. You don't have to try so hard to build a better mousetrap—just design what interests you and see what happens. The promise of capitalism has always been alluring. If you can build a better mousetrap, you'll have everything you ever hoped for and more. The young entrepreneur's revolutionary technology has made him a household name throughout the world. After all, if you build a better mousetrap, the world beats a path to your door.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
build a better mousetrap
to develop or invent something superior to a device that is widely used. (From the old saying, "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.") Harry thought he could build a better mousetrap, but everything he "invented" had already been thought of.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
better mousetrap, (if one can) build a
A minor but important improvement will bring fame and fortune. This idea came from a speech Ralph Waldo Emerson made in 1871 and quoted (or misquoted) by Mrs. Sarah S. B. Yule. Emerson allegedly said, “If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor . . . the world will make a beaten path to his door.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer