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What Are Clichés in Writing?

In writing, clichés are phrases and ideas that have been used so frequently that they appear unoriginal and have less impact on readers because they're so common. It can be easy to default to clichés when writing since they act as shorthand and come to mind easily, but it's best to avoid them if you want your writing to really resonate with readers. Here are some examples of common clichés to avoid:

  • A loose cannon
  • Giving the cold shoulder
  • Keeping an eye on
  • The time of their life
  • In this day and age
  • On the tip of their tongue
  • Set the record straight
  • Wild goose chase
  • Better safe than sorry
  • Read between the lines
  • Caught red-handed
  • Go over their head
  • Hell-bent
  • Rule things out
  • Sharp as a tack
  • Down in the dumps
  • The wrong side of the bed
  • In the nick of time
  • Can of worms
  • A perfect storm
  • The end of the world
  • Avoid it like the plague

About This Article

Kyle Hall
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Hall. Kyle Hall works on the content team at wikiHow. He helps manage our team of editors and creates content for a variety of wikiHow projects. Kyle continually looks for new ways to improve the content at wikiHow and make it more helpful and enjoyable for readers. He graduated from Eckerd College in 2015, where he majored in Political Science.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: September 19, 2025
Views: 346
Categories: Writing
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 346 times.

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