Clichés to Avoid When Writing
We all know what a cliché is, but everyone might not know what counts as a cliché. Recently I listed all the clichés I could think of. Have I have missed any?
Writing clichés
A dime a dozen
Acid test
Artistic license
At loose ends
Better late than never
Brought back to reality
Black as pitch
Blind as a bat
Bolt from the blue
Bright idea
Busy as a bee
Busy as a beaver
Cat’s meow
Climb the ladder to success
Cloud nine
Cool as a cucumber
Cool, calm and collected
Crack of dawn
Cross your fingers
Cruel twist of fate
Crushing blow
Cry over spilt milk
Dead as a doornail
Dog-eat-dog world
Don’t count your chickens
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Dreaded clichés
Easier said than done
Easy as a pie
Every inch of the way
Feathered friends
Face the music
Flash in the pan
Flat as a pancake
Flushing money down the drain
Gentle as a lamb
Go at it tooth and nail
Good time was had by all
Happy as a lark
Head over heels
Heart sings
Heavy as lead
Home is where the heart is
Horns of a dilemma
Hour of need
In the blink of an eye
Keep a stiff upper lip
Ladder of success
Last but not least
Leave no stone unturned
Meaningful dialogue
Money doesn’t grow on trees
Moving experience
Needle in a haystack
Open-and-shut case
Pain in the ass
Penny for your thoughts
Point with pride
Pretty as a picture
Put it in a nutshell
Quick as a flash
Rat race
Ripe old age
Ruled the roast
Sad but true
Sadder but wiser
Search high and low
Seeing dollar signs
Set the world on fire
Sick as a dog
Sigh of relief
Skeletons in the closet
Smart as a whip
Sneaking suspicion
Spread like wildfire
Straight as an arrow
Swimming with the sharks
Strong as an ox
Take the bull by the horns
Thin as a rail
Through thick and thin
Time is money
Tired but happy
To coin a phrase
To make/cut a long story short
Tongue tied
Trial and error
Tried and true
Turn back time
Under the weather
Wear your heart on your sleave
White as a sheet
Wise as an owl
Work like a dog
Worth its weight in gold
Travel writing clichés
A city/country of contrasts
All with a price tag to match
Authentically/typically
Breath taking vistas
Brit of alright
Bustling market place
Bustling markets
Castles nestling on the hillside
Clear-blue water
Colourful markets
Crystal clear lakes
Culture vulture
Discerning travelers
Eastern Promises
Explore every avenue
For adrenalin junkies
For a fraction of the price you’d pay at home
Friendly locals
Golden beaches
Green and pleasant land
Hidden gem
Jagged ridges
Kaleidoscopes of colours
Lands of contrasts
Lively nightlife
Majestic mountains
More than just X
Off the beaten track
Old towns with cobbled streets
Panoramic views
Party till dawn
Picture-postcard cottages
Picturesque villages
Quaint chateaux perched on hillsides
Quaint villages
Quirky designer shops
Rich in history
Seething masses of humanity
Simple peasants
Sleepy backwaters
Snow-capped mountains
Souk it and see
Spa treatments to die for
Swing when you’re winning (on travel articles on golf)
‘Take a bite out of the Big Apple’ when visiting New York
Towering monuments
Tower of strength
Turkish delight
There’s something for everyone
Vibrant culture
Interesting list. Though sometimes those phrase actually do fit. I like that you suggested to “avoid” them rather than never use them altogether. Sometimes, they can’t be avoided.
Yes, that is true. At times, they can’t be avoided. As long as we don’t write an article full of clichés…
That is in fact a list. Let me see; which one am I guilty of using. There
it is, and I will stop using it (unless I can’t think of anything else to say).
thanks for sharing.
Great list…we’re all guilty of them from time to time
Erica, how about a contest? The person who can write an article with all the phrases on your list wins something! That could be really funny (oh, and educational!)…..
Cheers,
Gudrun, Good idea
An article on how not to write an article.
this is a fantastic list! i just found your site and i will be subscribing to it. i am pursuing a full-time travel writing career, so these tips are a great help to me!!!
aloha,
Bren
Thank you Bren. I just had a look at your blog. Good luck with your writing assignment in Colombia!
Thanks, this is interesting. As a writer sometimes it is hard to avoid cliches, but this list is helpful.
Clever. You wrote about not using clichés using clichés.
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Okay,
Father Luke
@Anthony,
Yes, how could I forget? I can’t believe it! I will add it to the list at once.
How could you forgot ‘hidden gem’?
Interesting post. But cliches exist for a reason, and while there are some that we certainly don’t ever need to use or read again (‘a dime a dozen’ and ‘to die for’, for instance), cliches used sparingly work because of our audience’s familiarity with them. ‘Bustling markets’ bring just that to mind… as does a ‘hidden gem’, a ‘vibrant culture’. They’re simply useful phrases. The key is to use them sparingly when you can’t find alternatives. It’s how they’re used that matters.
‘Snow-capped mountains’ isn’t a cliche – they’re simply mountains with snow on them. A Lonely Planet editor once asked me to find an alternative to ‘snow-capped mountains’ and rewrite the intro where I used that description. I spent a good half hour rewriting a paragraph that initially took me 5 minutes to do. I shouldn’t have. Frankly, Lonely Planet didn’t pay me enough to be creative.
When I’m not on the road researching, I’m spending 16 hours a day writing. So I’m going to spend longer being creative and finding alternative means of expression for writing that pays well, but there’s no way I can afford to spend half an hour being super-creative for a para in a guidebook when I might have 3000 words to write that day.
So my advice would be to be creative and spend time finding alternative s where it counts, but use those useful phrases when they come in handy. It’s what your readers think and imagine from your writing that’s important, not what other writers think.
Yes, some clichés are useful. But I rather spend extra time writing something more original than risk being rejected for using a phrase editors consider a cliché. But I get your point. If you’re writing 16 hours a day when not researching (which is impressive), I can understand there’s no time to be super-creative if the pay isn’t enough.
Re snow-capped mountains, I read in the writer’s guidelines for an outdoor magazine “if you use any of these phrases we will automatically reject your submission” and ‘snow-capped mountains’ was one of those phrases. So I assumed it must be a cliché, but now I realize it was probably just the magazine’s editor who was sick and tired of hearing that phrase.
Ha ha, as a blogger, I guess I am guilty of the cliche! At least I changed one word:
http://betterlivingthroughtravel.com/2008/08/15/home-is-where-my-heart-is/
Great post!
Jennifer
@Jennifer, You’re not the only who’s guilty. I’m sure I’ve used these phrases on more than one occasion.
Thanks for posting that link. Great entry!
It is “rule the roost,” not “roast.”
I am sick and tired of the cliche tip of the iceberg
People in the news media uses it all the time.
Why don’t they think of something original to say?
@James, Perhaps they are simply too lazy or stressed to think up a unique alternative.
I love the list. About two years ago I was writing an academic paper with a fellow student. I figured we could write our own portions and then come together to work out the transitions and develop a better flow. He emailed me his portion and immediately I knew I was in trouble when I read “icing on the cake.” I jokingly confronted him about it later and his surprised expression admitted that he thought it sounded great. Icing on the cake!!!?? I agree that cliches have their place, but sometimes they’re worse then saying nothing at all.
As a sports fan I am hear announcers say icing on the cake when their teams win a important game. Eventhough it easily roll of their tongues, I would like them to say something more creative
@Matt and @James, Funny you should say that, icing on the cake, ‘cause that’s one of my favorite clichés – one I don’t mind using. Actually used it recently in a post about why I want to travel to London http://www.travelblissful.com/2009/02/21/why-london/
But Matt, I agree that it’s better to say nothing at all than using some clichés. I just don’t think ‘icing on the cake’ is one of them
It’s the jewel in the crown, as it were.
I’ll give it some time Erica. I know you’ll come around.
@Matt, Once I’ve made up my mind about something, it is VERY hard to convince me otherwise
Erica, I know many people like you who continue to say their favorite cliches.That why the use of cliches will go on forever.
Language is shared experience and perceptions make all the difference – even so – your list was delightful!!! Why avoid cliches that help understanding and bonding??? Even tho they’re done to death – I’m in love with most of them!!!
@James, Have to say I agree with Susanna on this one. As long as one doesn’t overdo it.
@Susanna, Thanks for commenting!
It’s o.k. to use cliches around your friends, relatives and coworkers.
But editors will reject your writing when you use them
@james I meant around friends. Would never write an article full of cliches
Erica, I feel the same way. I only use cliches around friends.
A cliche I get tired of hearing: It’s not rocket science.
I don’t use this ciche. I just say it’s not complicated or it’s simple.
I can understand that, as you get the same thing across.
Erica,I would like to see everyone on this site rewrite the cliches on this list.in their own words.
What do you think about my idea,?
Not a bad idea!
Erica a cliche from the list i want to change is Dime a dozen.
I just simply say. romantic novels are plentiful instead of romantic novels are a dime a dozen.
“Plentiful” is not really a cliche, though, you know.
Erica, How about romantic novels are abundant?
Same, no cliche.