Close but No Cigar: My Defense of Cliches

Close but No Cigar: My Defense of Cliches

Some people mistakenly think cliches are so overused that they lose their original meaning or impact. They think only a bad writer would resort to using a bunch of cliches. Some think wannabe writers who use cliches are lazy, boring, or unimaginative. But today, I come to praise cliches, not to bury them! Cliches have many benefits, such as making communication easier, creating a sense of familiarity, or adding a bit of humor or irony. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Either you want something easy to read and informative or you want a writer to be original and use words like a sesquipedalian.

In this essay, I will endeavor to explore the pros and cons of cliches and why we should not judge a person’s speaking or writing skills by how many cliches they use. You can’t judge a book by its cover! So let’s get started… there’s no time like the present!

First of all, you might think wannabe writers like me are a dime a dozen. And I guess you’re right. But maybe I’m a diamond in the rough. I like to go against the grain. So contrary to literary pontificates, I believe cliches help people communicate more efficiently and effectively. It’s not rocket science.  The fewer words the better. Cliches help writers say more with less.

While some people think I’m full of hot air, I like to think of myself as a man of few words. And cliches help me reach my goal of being verbally parsimonious.  I have come to realize that cliches convey a lot of information in just a few words, saving time and eyesight…not to mention typing. And time is money. A stitch in time saves nine, so to speak.

Here’s an example of frugal writing. If I say “it’s raining cats and dogs”, you know it’s raining hard – you don’t need to know anymore. I can save a lot of words by not describing in detail how heavily it’s raining. And you know, of course, when it rains it pours.

Cliches are shorthand for common experiences we all share. If someone says “I’m feeling under the weather”, we know that they are not being blown away by a hurricane or sat upon by a dome of high pressure, we know that they are sick or not feeling well.

Cliches can help people avoid fights. For example, if someone says “let’s agree to disagree”, they are saying they respect the other person’s opinion, even if they don’t share it. If you don’t agree with me here, don’t bite my head off or else we might be fighting like cats and dogs. Or worse, fighting like cats and dogs outside while it’s raining like cats and dogs.

Cliches can also create a sense of familiarity and allow us to make a connection with others. They show that we all are people and we all share some of the same beliefs or interests. For instance, if someone says “break a leg”, they are wishing you good luck in a friendly or humorous way. Cliches help us bond with others by using humor or irony. For example, if someone says to me – in response to this essay – “you’re a piece of work”, they are teasing me in a playful or sarcastic manner. right? If you don’t like this essay, remember writing is fun for me and you know that time flies when you’re having fun. This is my gift to you —  don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

I guess by writing this I’m letting the cat out of the bag. I’m admitting that I am a lazy writer who uses cliches to make writing easier and my essays shorter. For those who don’t like this, I say “let ’em eat cake!”

Cliches do have drawbacks that can make a written work boring, undesirable, or inappropriate. I’m often accused of having a lack of creativity sometimes — not always – but sometimes. But I try hard not to be boring. I don’t ever use weary cliches such as “love is blind”. It most certainly is not. I suppose there are real-life “beauty and the beast” stories that prove that love may sometimes be blind. So I always try to remember that “every cloud has a silver lining” and that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Maybe beauty is only skin deep?

And I’ll admit that cliches are sometimes used to justify inappropriate behavior. When I was young and wild, people use to say (about me) “boys will be boys”. But honestly, that cliche attempted to excuse my inappropriate youthful hooliganism. I was a wild young man, but age has taken all the starch out of me. It has taken the wind out of my sails, so to speak. And I beg of you to never tell me I look good for my age or I’m whatever many years young. Or even worse, never tell me that I’m as young as I feel. Bull hockey, I tells ya!

Many people say that cliches show a lack of creativity, imagination, or effort. Heaven forbid I be accused of being uncreative, unimaginative, or lazy. Cliches may be as old as the hills, as common as dirt, and as dull as dishwater, but I write like a flowing river. I’m a stream-of-consciousness type of guy… whatever comes to mind is what I write. I try to think outside the box. I grab the bull by the horns and get the words on paper before I forget what the heck I was going to say. And at the end of the day, if I can manage to squeeze a few paragraphs of meaningful text out of my aging brain, then all’s well that ends well. It goes without saying that my brain is losing neurons or whatever age steals from a brain. But I’m not the kind of guy to cry over spilled milk. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right?

Being an aging wannabe writer, I sometimes fall into the trap of using comfortable idioms. I just can’t help it. I actually embrace it. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. And let me say this — trying to avoid cliches when writing is foolish. Cliches can be wonderful things that enhance a writer’s creativity. It’s good to keep in mind when considering that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

And maybe I’m not a writer at all… maybe I’m a Jack of all trades, a master of none. Or maybe I’ma diamond in the rough.

Finally, try to remember that sometimes what I say is not always what I think. And certainly not what I mean. Sometimes I’m guilty of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. 

I give you this essay freely as a  gift to you —  hopefully, it will make you think.  Remember never look a gift horse in the mouth. Knowledge is power. I do think in this essay, I hit the nail on the head. I hope you think so too.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and now it’s time to say goodbye. 

Out of sight, out of mind.