AVOID CLICHÉS, TRITE EXPRESSIONS, AND
REDUNDANT PHRASES
If you’ve heard it before, it may be a cliché. Clichés are empty expressions that may have been clever
at one time, but now simply distract from your writing. If you rely on clichés, you are avoiding your job as
a writer, which is to use precise language to say what you mean.
A few common clichés:
A close call
A fish out of water
At wit’s end
Bird’s eye view
Coming down the pike
Fall on deaf ears
Never a dull moment
Nerve wracking
Nipped in the bud
Out of the box
What goes around comes around
At the end of the dayRedundant phrases:
“At this point in time”: just say at this point or at this time
“Cancel out”: just say cancel
“Complete opposite”: just say opposite
“Each and every”: just say every
“Evolve over time”: just say evolve
“Join together”: just say join
“Look back in retrospect”: just say in retrospect
“Nostalgia for the past”: just say nostalgia
“Overexaggerate”: just say exaggerate
“Past experience”: just say experience
“Past history”: just say history
“Plan ahead”: just say plan
“The reason why”: just say the reason
“This day and age”: just say in our time or presently
“Ultimate goal”: just say goal