Editor's Corner

“At the end of the day, a cliché walks into a bar—fresh as a daisy, cute as a button, and sharp as a tack.”

We’ve all heard and used clichés before, but here is the Merriam-Webster description of a cliché:

1a: a trite or stereotyped phrase or expression

b: a hackneyed theme, characterization, plot, or situation in fiction or drama: an overworked idea or its expression in music or one of the other arts

Here are some selected clichés from A to (almost) Z:

• as the crow flies
• big fish in a small pond
• crack of dawn
• dog and pony show
• every fiber of my being
• follow your heart
• go with the flow
• hold your horses
• if the shoe fits
• jockey for position
• keep your fingers crossed
• last but not least
• movers and shakers
• no stone unturned
• out of pocket
• pot calling the kettle black
• quiet as a dormouse
• raining cats and dogs
• sharp as a tack
• think outside of the box
• under the gun
• vested interest
• went belly up
• you are what you eat

For the full list of 681 clichés to avoid in your writing, see the Be a Better Writer website.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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