Cliches: Yesterday's News?

photo by: mpclemens

"I was so hungry I could eat a horse."

"He is fit as a fiddle."

"They are a few bad apples."

Did that hurt? Sorry.

Most people don't like cliches. They are the written equivalent of liver and onions. The Boston Globe's James Parker tries to argue that they aren't all bad. In his article "Let us now praise... the cliche", James fights for the cliche. He says that the cliche is "one neat little payload of meaning." Why take the time to go into detail and explain something when a cliche will send the message quickly and clearly?

A cliche is not such a horrible thing. Sure overuse can be quite painful, as 58-dan demonstrates in the comments, but they have their purpose. Using them allows you to connect with a wide audience.

Cliches are part of social culture and they seem to be a favourite tool of politicians. Democracy, as James points out, runs on cliche. They let politicians connect with the largest possible audience to get their message across.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that cliches make for great writing. But if the goal is to communicate a message then you shouldn't shy away from them. A good cliche will keep the writer and audience on the same page.