082 Clichés: tried & true

Clichés: Are they really bad?

Hello there, dear readers. It’s cold here and more bad weather predicted. I needed some humor. I thought I had a grand idea: could I write a whole blog of just clichés?

After trying all week to write in all clichés, I almost threw in the towel. I was about to reach the end of my rope after shooting for the stars. I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, and, obviously, time was running out. I needed sleep – to be snug as a bug in a rug--so I could get up and smell the coffee.

I bogged myself down, with little creativity, and my feet were firmly planted on the earth. I decided to just roll with the punches. 

I give up flying by the seat of my pants. I will stay cool as a cucumber and sweet as sugar because I feel like I am swimming against the tide. Maybe I should just go with the flow. 

I am laying it on thick, but I do wonder why these clichés seem so dated? I guess it’s not if you win or lose, but how you play the game. The trouble is I have always thought second place is loser number one. 

I really wanted to achieve this blog goal without being dull as dishwater and driving myself up the wall. With all the clichés from over the years, shouldn’t this be easy as pie, or at least as easy as 1-2-3? But, no, it is easier said than done.

So, really, what is it about clichés that makes editors grimace? I believe it is overuse. Sometimes, however, a cliché really fits the bill, is just the ticket, or is there for comic relief. If you do use clichés it is not the end of the world, but one should try to weed them out of formal writing. 

It seems said a Huffington Post article (10/23/13,) that clichés indicate laziness in writing and many make the writer seem OLD. The article continued by admonishing readers not to get their knickers in a twist but to avoid particularly old clichés that most people – other than baby-boomers and their elders--do not even understand: e.g. more troubles than Carter has liver pills, the cat’s pajamas, it’s the bees’ knees, and you sound like a broken record. 

AND if you want to see a list of clichés, try www.be-a-better-writer.com/cliches. This is a list of 681 clichés to avoid in writing or if you really, really want a lot of clichés, try Steve’s Clichés on www.clicheweb.cambriaresearch.com. Steve has amassed 1600 clichés. Who’d of thought?

If you’ve been watching any sports lately, you have heard their own special brand of clichés. Must be hard to be the color commentator with pithy, NEW, words for every play. To wit: it’s crunch time, they’re playing one game at a time, just shy of the first down, they’re being very physical, well, folks, it is what it is, and they need to put points on the scoreboard. (Oh, really--how astute!) 

It seems every field has its own set of clichés. Legal includes strenuous objections, begs the question, eminently qualified, and inextricably intertwined growing body of evidence. Medical – well, we all know an apple a day, pain and suffering, and apparently soldiers know turn your head and cough.So, as push comes to shove, watch your Ps and Qs, and see how many clichés you can think of on a dark and stormy night!

Glenne