National Cliché Day: What’s That?

Larada Horner-Miller

2 years ago

I grew up with parents who loved a familiar cliché. I bet you’ve heard one today from someone in your family or a football announcer. What is a cliché and why are authors warned against them?

Definition of Cliché

“A cliché is a tired, stale phrase or idiom that, because of overuse, has lost its impact.”

https://prowritingaid.com/cliche

Writers who use cliches are accused of having a lack of original thought, and I have been warned against them vehemently!

Nevertheless, We hear cliches every day because they’re rooted in our culture. Here’s some you might recognize.

Familiar Cliches

read between the lines
play your cards right
it’s an uphill battle
better safe than sorry
you can’t judge a book by its cover
bring to the table
low-hanging fruit
the grass is always greener on the other side
ignorance is bliss

https://prowritingaid.com/list-of-cliches

I avoid cliches in my writing because of stark warning against them, but in my research today, I found this.

Three Times Authors Can Use Cliches

1. To sync with a readership. Clichés of idiomatic phrases and slang words can work for specific audiences. If you’re writing for a baby boomer audience, the cliché “back in the day” would make sense. By contrast, millennial readers would be familiar with the cliché “the struggle is real.”

2. To simplify. Clichés can be used to explain beginning level concepts. For example, a how-to guide for expectant mothers might use the phrase “Remember, you’re eating for two!”

3. For characterization. Writers might have a character use clichés to demonstrate that they are not an original thinker.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-a-cliche-learn-when-to-use-cliches-in-writing-and-20-common-cliches-all-writers-should-avoid

My dad, an old cowboy, had many cliches he liked, but my favorite is “it’s raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock.” Obviously that’s a rancher’s cliché and not used in everyday language in the city! My mom had a couple cliches she repeated: a pinch to grow an inch and you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin.’

Finally,

If you’re still wondering what a cliche is, think outside the box, grab the bull by the horns, it goes without saying, there are plenty of more fish in the sea. At the end of the day, check your language. I’ve got my plate full with all my writing commitments, but today I realize, every cloud has a silver lining. And we’re quite a team—there’s no “I” in team. How many cliches did I just use? What’s your favorite cliché? How about your family? Does anyone have favorite cliches they use regularly? In reality, they’re just a part of our culture, so celebrate this national day. I just have to be careful in my writing and use them wisely!