"Something like that"
My English teacher ripped our heads off if we tried to explain something that we couldn't really describe by adding "something like that".
Sample: "This is a board game or something like that".
What are the better alternatives? "Something similar"?
Solution 1:
"Something similar" is okay, and perhaps slightly better, but I don't think the phrasing was what made your teacher mad. Using "or something similar" does not explain something you couldn't really translate; it just is noise, and does not add anything. Leave it off.