Steering Clear of Clichés
A cliché is a worn-out expression, one you've heard over and over, or time and time again, or a thousand times before (do you get the picture?). It may have been clever or had a special meaning the first time you heard it, but by now you've come across it so many times that it's lost its pizzazz and so doesn't add any spice to your writing.
Many clichés are also similes (comparisons using like or as). You're probably familiar with the following expressions:
As a rule, you should avoid using clichés because they're unoriginal, stale, and monotonous. Your readers won't think your work is the least bit creative if all they see is cliché-ridden writing.
Most likely, you're familiar with hundreds of clichés. If you read the first part of a phrase and you can fill in its ending, then your phrase is probably a cliché.
put all your eggs _____ |
there's more there than meets _____ |
read the handwriting _____ |
costs an arm _____ |
every cloud has _____ |
that's the way the _____ |
You know the ending for each of those, don't you? That's how you know they're clichés. If, however, English isn't your native language, you may not be familiar with these clichés. Take a look at the following chart:
put all your eggs in one basket |
there's more there than meets the eye |
read the handwriting on the wall |
costs an arm and a leg |
every cloud has a silver lining |
that's the way the cookie crumbles |
When you're getting ideas or writing your first draft, sometimes you'll think of a cliché. Go ahead and write it down. But when you revise your work, get out your eraser (or press the Delete key) pronto and get rid of that cliché.
If you can't think of an original way to reword your cliché, try “translating” it in a literal way. Say, for instance, that you've written:
In that sentence, you're dealing with two clichés
Is there any time that using a cliché is permissible? Sure. The style for using an occasional cliché is relaxed or casual, so keep in mind that clichés have no place in academic writing. But if your style allows you to use a clichéin a humorous way, go ahead and add one occasionally. For instance, you might be writing about nobility in Europe. With a casual tone, you might use this expanded cliché as your title: “Putting Up Your Dukes (and Earls).”
It is permissible to use clichés in academic writing if you are quoting someone. You must quote the dialogue exactly in such a case.
The trick is to let your reader know that you're using a cliché intentionally. If you're in a pinch (yes, that's a cliché), write something along the lines of “Even though I knew the cliché ‘Little pitchers have big ears,’” and then go on to elaborate as to how the cliché fits in with your topic.
