Questions tagged [cliche]
To discuss clichés: overused phrases which have lost meaning
45 questions
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When did "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" first appear in print with its current figurative meaning?
Christine Ammer, The Facts on File Dictionary of Clichés, second edition (2006) has the following entry for the phrase "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed"
bright-eyed and bushy tailed Lively and ...
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Was "wasn't Chaplin in that one?" an expression in the 1920s?
Boardwalk Empire has Nucky saying to his showgirl ("Billy Kent" a smart person who made little jokes often) girlfriend as he describes helping feed his impoverished family as a child when ...
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How do clichés evolve and change?
I'm unsure if this isn't better suited for Literature SE, so bear with me, I'll take it over there if voted to close.
A friend shared an image with me where someone was complaining that Pride and ...
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The Bee's Knees -- still used in UK?
This nonsense phrase was exported along with American soldiers to England during ww2. Now, except for someone using it to be deliberately old-fashioned sounding, I would bet this phrase had not been ...
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"Fork(s) of the road" to "fork in the road". Why the switch? [closed]
I was reading a recent New Yorker article: "How the Promise of Normalcy Won the 1920 Election" (Sept. 14, 2020)
Where the Democratic nominee for President of the US, James M. Cox of Ohio, ...
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What's the word for a cliche that is new?
What is the word for something that is like a cliche but isn't really old yet? Some phrase, claim, or belief that is trending but is so new that you couldn't really call it cliche.
For example, often ...
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Where did "a racist bone in [one's] body" and "a mean bone in [one's] body" come from?
A recent tweet by the U.S. president includes this assurance:
I don't have a Racist bone in my body!
A blog post by David Graham, "The One Color the White House Sees Clearly" at The ...
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The Cliché of Using the Phrase "[Subject], and You" in Article Titles
I've noticed articles or news stories often use the phrase "[Subject], and You" in titles. I assume the intention here is creating a personal connection with the readers regarding a topic.
For ...
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Is there an idiom that means to "slow" or "stop the hemorrhaging"?
I have two related words in my head, “flow” and “haemorrhage” (US hemorrhage), but I can't remember the exact phrase (or idiom) that fits perfectly.
It should suggest impeding or blocking the flow of ...
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Does anyone know an expression that could substitute for "not my first rodeo"? [closed]
Context: stageplay dialogue. Trying to think of an idiom/expression that's less of a cliche.
Please and thank you...
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What is it called when an idiom is used so out of place that it is ridiculous?
A spokesman for the UK's Department of Food and Rural Affairs seems to be indicating that either DEFRA, the UK population or the whole of humanity are due to say goodbye to planet earth in 2043.
A ...
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Is "as if" considered a cliche when used in place of "like"? [closed]
I'm playing around with AutoCrit trying to improve something and I was looking at its cliche report. My most flagged one is the phrase "as if". But I use it like this:
The whole thing seemed as ...
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What is the best way to avoid using 'people' in writing?
I feel like the word 'people' has become more and more trite from being over used unprofessionally, and doesn't really deliver its intended meaning.
For instance:
"I often find it necessary to ...
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The Phrase 'Take a Listen' [closed]
I've noticed the phrase 'take a listen' is used frequently on television by news anchors before playing news clips. Would you consider this usage too colloquial, and possibly a lazy use of language?
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Is it frowned upon to use another preposition besides 'on' when using 'dwell on'? Would 'dwell over' work?
Someone I know is trying to settle on a particular lyric for a song. The lyric is currently:
No more seeking answers to old mysteries
No more digging deep into the past
No use dwelling ...
