Avoid clichés like the plague!
Clichés — also metaphors, slang and idioms — are overused phrases which can make your writing appear weak, flat, dull and unclear.
If clichés fit into your writing, convey an appropriate meaning and are easily understood by a multi-cultural audience, then by all means ‘fill your boots’. Clichés aren’t always a no-no but overdoing them probably is.
Even though you may use clichés in everyday conversations, they shouldn’t be overused — especially in formal writing — if you want to impress, motivate or be taken seriously by your readers or potential customers.
If you don’t want to delete the meaning completely, you can rephrase your sentence by using plain English alternatives to make your writing more concise and helps to improve the overall quality:
A drop in the ocean - negligible
At the end of the day - finally, ultimately
Baptism of fire – difficult introduction
Beyond the pale – not good behaviour/morality
Bone of contention – issue, point of dispute
By hook or by crook – by any means possible
By the same token – similarly
Clear as mud – unclear
Cost an arm and a leg - expensive
Few and far between - rare, scarce, or seldom
For all intents and purposes – in effect, in essence
In an ideal world - ideally
In this day and age – nowadays, today
Just the ticket - ideal
Last but not least – lastly, finally
No use crying over spilled milk – don’t get upset unnecessarily
Not fit for purpose – doesn’t meet required standards
Par for the course – normal, expected
See eye to eye – agree, concur
The long and the short of it – crux, gist
The pot calling the kettle black – being hypocritical
The whole kit and caboodle - everything
To find (some) further alternatives, enter your phrase into http://en.wiktionary.org to find substitutes for well-known sayings, phrases and clichés.
Also, see http://clichesite.com if you want to look up clichés, check meanings and their origins.
‘At the end of the day’ don’t let lazy and tired language affect your writing. To write in an interesting, engaging and unique way doesn’t involve using generic words and phrases which have lost their originality through overuse. Replace clichés with stimulating and stronger language to keep your reader’s attention so they don’t turn off and read something less tiresome or boring instead...
Next up, a list of 200 of the most common cliches.
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