Clichés

The pioneer who first announced that he had “slept like a log” no doubt amused his companions with a fresh and unlikely comparison. Today, however, that comparison is a cliché, a saying that has lost its dazzle from overuse. No longer can it surprise.

Recognizing clichés

To see just how predictable clichés are, cover the phrases on the right and complete the phrases on the left.

cool as a

cucumber

beat around the

bush

blind as a

bat

busy as a

bee, beaver

crystal

clear

dead as a

doornail

out of the frying pan and

into the fire

light as a

feather

like a bull

in a china shop

playing with

fire

nutty as a

fruitcake

selling like

hotcakes

starting out at the bottom

of the ladder

water under the

bridge

white as a

sheet, ghost

avoid clichés like the

plague

The cure for clichés is frequently simple: Just delete them. When this won’t work, try adding some element of surprise. One student, for example, who had written that she had butterflies in her stomach, revised her cliché like this:

The image of butterflies wearing horseshoes is fresh and unlikely, not dully predictable like the original cliché.

Exercise: Clichés and figures of speech 1

Exercise: Clichés and figures of speech 2