Examples of Clichés

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Have you ever head anyone say, "Ugh, that's such a cliché,"? Clichés are terms or phrases
that, upon their inception, were striking and thought-provoking.
However, as they started to catch on, people began overusing them, making them
seem trite, and turning them into what we now know as clichés.
The French poet Gérard de Nerval said, "The first man who compared a woman to a rose
was a poet, the second, an imbecile."
Clichés can be categorized in two ways:
 An overused expression - Something that's said a lot and has become so common,
it's no longer even noticed in conversation. Phrases such as "to this day" or "next
thing I knew" are clichés. We often say them without noticing we're using a cliché.
 An idea with a different meaning from its literal meaning - The phrases "sweaty
palms" or "twinkling eyes" have come to mean more than the fact that your palms are
sweaty or your eyes have a twinkle in them. When you say someone has sweaty
palms, you're saying they're nervous. Likewise, when you say someone has a twinkle
in their eyes, you're saying that person has a special fondness for someone in
particular.

Origin of the Word Cliché

The word cliché has French origins. When printing presses were used, the cast iron plate
that reproduced the intended words, phrases, or images was called a stereotype. The noise
that casting plate made sounded like "cliché" (from clicher, to click), so
this onomatopoeia word became printer's jargon for the stereotype. Thus, cliché came to
mean a word or phrase that gets repeated often.

Popular Clichés
Just because a phrase is overused doesn't mean it isn't true. It simply loses its lustrous
appeal through over-usage. We'll let you be the judge of these popular clichés.

Common Cliché Sayings

 All that glitters isn't gold
 Don't get your knickers in a twist
 All for one, and one for all
 Kiss and make up
 He has his tail between his legs
 And they all lived happily ever after
 Cat got your tongue?
 Read between the lines
 Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed
 We're not laughing at you we're laughing with you
Clichés that Describe Time
 Only time will tell
 In the nick of time
 Lost track of time
 Lasted an eternity
 Just a matter of time
 A waste of time
 Rushed for time
 In a jiffy
 The time of my life
 At the speed of light
Clichés that Describe People
 As old as the hills
 Fit as a fiddle
 Without a care in the world
 A diamond in the rough
 Brave as a lion
 Weak as a kitten
 Had nerves of steel
 Ugly as sin
Clichés that Describe Life, Love, and Emotions
 Opposites attract
 Every cloud has a silver lining
 Don't cry over spilt milk
 The calm before the storm
 Laughter is the best medicine
 Love you more than life itself
 Scared out of my wits
 Frightened to death
 All is fair in love and war
 All's well that ends well
 Haste makes waste
 The writing's on the wall
 Time heals all wounds
 What goes around comes around
 When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
 Head over heels in love
 Gut-wrenching pain
 Heart-stopping fear

Hidden Meanings in Clichés

We've only scratched the surface here. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of clichés.
Many of them have meanings that are obvious; others have meanings that are only clear if
you know the context.
For example, the cliché, "any port in a storm" has a hidden meaning. The obvious
meaning is that, in a bad situation, anything will do. However, this cliché can also be used
when talking about someone who has many lovers. Who knew?

Context-Driven Meanings
Some clichés can be interpreted differently based on their context. For example, "Do you
think I'm made of money?" and "It's like I'm made of money," sound similar, right?

Further context is needed to understand if the speaker is saying this to complain or brag.
"Do you think I'm made of money?" implies you don't have any money. "It's like I'm
made of money," implies you have tons of money. We'd have to be engaged in
conversation with the speaker, or be able to read further, to completely understand the
meaning of this line.

Interpretation-Driven Meanings
Not all clichés are necessarily true either. Some are a matter of interpretation.
For example:
 "With experience comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes experience" is not true for
everyone's life.
 "It's better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all" is a common
cliché. But you might disagree with that sentiment.
As we've seen, some clichés are cut and dry like, "He has nerves of steel." Others remain
open to interpretation. As time goes on, you may interpret them differently, come to
accept or reject their meanings, and perhaps, even create a few clichés of your own.

Clichés and Idioms

Idioms are figurative phrases with an implied meaning; the phrase is not to be taken
literally. An example of an idiom is, "having a chip on your shoulder." That means you
think you're better than everyone else (not that you actually have a chip of something on
your shoulder).
Clichés are often idioms. This makes clichés difficult to translate into other languages
because their meaning won't always be understood by people from different cultures.
Idioms are either opaque or transparent:
 Opaque - When you translate an opaque idiom, it may not make sense because the
literal meaning has very little to do with the intended meaning. An example of an
opaque idiom is "bag of bones" which means someone is very underweight.
 Transparent - A transparent idiom shows some similarity between the literal and the
intended meaning. For example, "playing your cards right" is an expression that
actually came from card games and can be applied to other situations.
As a brief phrase that implies a lot an idiom can become a cliché if it's used often enough,
such as "it's raining cats and dogs." Its meaning will catch on and propel itself forward,
much like any other cliché we use today.

Have Fun with Clichés

In the end, try to have some fun with clichés. They are easily recognized and understood,
but use them sparingly. The first conclusion people jump to when they read too many
clichés is that the writer is unoriginal. While that may not true, you don't want to set
yourself up to be knocked down.
You might have a great cliché in mind because its meaning rings true for you, such as,
"time heals all wound." If that's an idea you want to work with, try to find your own,
unique way of conveying that meaning without recycling words that've been used million
times over.