Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earthshaking ideas. Tell me what you know. Puns are for children, not for groan readers. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. Describe the rise, growth, peak, decline and fall of the Roman Empire. There is a red phone in your desk. Report on its socio-political effects, if any. Sketch the development of human thought and its significance.