Day 22: Avoid clichés.

A cliché is a phrase or expression that has become overused. The problems with using clichés are

 
  1. they make the writer seem amateurish, and
  2. they reduce the impact and importance of the thing they describe.

 

广告：个人专属 VPN，独立 IP，无限流量，多机房切换，还可以屏蔽广告和恶意软件，每月最低仅 5 美元

 

Because clichés are overused expressions, readers will often focus on the fact that you have used a cliché and will be distracted from the statement you are trying to make.

As you write, consider the descriptive phrases you use. Are they a common way to describe something, or are they original? Do they tell the reader something new, or are they clichés?

Here are some examples of clichés.

“Tears rolled down her face.”

“back to the drawing board”

“elbow grease”

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

“barking up the wrong tree”

“going nowhere in a hurry”

“every man for himself”

“The left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.”

“play your cards right”

“right on the money”

“avoid them like the plague”