- The serious part is from the Oxford Dictionaries site which you can visit by clicking on any blue words below the second image.
- Amber gazing again
- at the end of the fray
- sat on track
- the flask of the mater
- few and a spar between
- a level playing deal
- on this day of rage
- to all, intense and purposeful
- when all’s said in fun
- in the tonal paralysis
- run a bull circles
- a jar for the corpse
- think outside the docks
- a voice like a bagel
- in the current crisis bake no cakes
- the mass pestered us
- at this foaming in time
- the path of least consistency
- stick out like a sore nun
- as thick as a carrot
- a baptism of liars
- hit fora purpose
- In any day love may be born
Seriously:
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How to avoid using clichés
Once you’ve spotted a cliché in your writing, you need to rephrase your sentence. Here are some tips and strategies to help you do this:
First you’ll see a sentence containing a cliché (in bold). The second column gives its meaning, with key words highlighted in bold, the third some suggestions for how to take action, and in the final column the original sentence is rewritten without the cliché.
| Original sentence | Meaning or key words | Suggestions for action | Rewritten sentence |
| In this day and age, websites are one of the most significant public faces of any organization. | nowadays,today | use one of the key words instead, or look them up in a thesaurus | Today, websites are one of the most significant public faces of any organization. |
| His first job, in an industrial area of the UK, proved to be a baptism of fire. | a difficultintroduction to a new job or activity | use the key word or find synonyms in a thesaurus | His first job, in an industrial area of the UK, proved to be a difficult start to his career. |
| The long-term prospects for the service are looking fairly bleak at this moment in time. | now | use the key word or look up an alternative | The long-term prospects for the service are currently looking fairly bleak. |
| At the end of the day, it is the minister himself who has to make the decision. | finally, ultimately | use one of the key words or look up alternatives | Ultimately, it is the minister himself who has to make the decision. |
| The authorities announced that they would not tolerate drugs within the sport in any way, shape, or form. | under any circumstances | mainly used for emphasis and can be omitted without changing the meaning | The authorities announced that they would not tolerate drugs within the sport. |
| In the closing scene, the film comes full circle. | return to a previous position or situation | reword along the lines of the meaning | In the closing scene, the film returns to the ideas with which it began. |
| The 1970s were a time when detention without trial was par for the course. | what isnormal orexpected in a certain situation | reword along the lines of the meaning, use the key word, or look up synonyms for it | The 1970s were a time when detention without trial was a normal occurrence. |
| Children’s services in the city’s hospitals were not fit for purpose, according to the report. | meet therequired standards | reword using the meaning given, or find synonyms for the key words | Children’s services in the city’s hospitals were not meeting the required standards, according to the report |
| The company considers that this requirement is, to all intents and purposes, impossible to achieve. | in all important respects | mainly used for emphasis and can often be omitted | The company considers that this requirement is impossible to achieve. |
| With a troubled domestic agenda, the Prime Minister took the path of least resistance. | the easiest course of action | reword along the lines of the meaning given or find synonyms for the key words | With a troubled domestic agenda, the Prime Minister chose the easiest course of action. |
Key points to remember about clichés
While you probably can’t avoid clichés altogether, remember:
- Clichés can be a barrier to communication and clear expression.
- Clichés can often be reduced to just one or two words that convey your meaning in a clearer or more original way.
- Clichés can sometimes be removed completely without the meaning of a sentence being affected.
Back toClichés and redundant expressions.
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How my heart sings 
In some of the examples, the suggestion seems very ‘wordy’ to me. I find “comes full circle” easier to digest than ” returns to the ideas with which it began.” 🙂
Yes,it’s never simple.I don’t know the date it was written.Even a cliche might be useful at times but they think anything at all is better.Reminds me of a man who admired y sonnets,asked me to send some as he had an onlne poetry page ad then turned them down because sonnets are out of date… made no sense to me!