681 Cliches to Avoid in Your Creative Writing

Cliches (properly spelled clichés, with the acute accent) are words and phrases, once interesting, which have lost their original effect from overuse. They are considered trite and should be avoided in writing unless used purposely for effect.

We all use them without thinking, sometimes because they fit the bill or are just the ticket (both cliches), but usually because they're metaphors, idiom, or truisms that have become so common we no longer notice them. If we say better late than never or speak of someone being down in the dumps , we likely won't register that we just used a cliche. Speech is filled with shortcuts as we aim to make ourselves understood. Check the cliches below to see if you're prone to using them.

Writing that relies heavily on cliches is considered poor or lazy writing. Editors may reject creative writing on the basis of too many cliches alone. Reviewers will point them out if it is not obvious that the writer used them for comic effect, such as to define an overly earnest or boring character. Occasionally an idiomatic cliche works well to help characterize with humour, such as a character who says, Well isn't that enough to piss off the Pope? In such cases it will be clear that the cliches are used for special effect.

The list of cliches below is not meant to be comprehensive, but should help you catch some of the more common cliches in use. If you've heard something described as you have described it in your work, my advice is to substitute the phrase with something more original.

If some cliches slip by you and your editor, it's not the end of the world. It is difficult to catch them all, but strive to note cliched phrases when you see them, so you may use a fresher phrase in the future. If cliches are frequent and easy to spot, you're not doing your job as a writer, and you might spend more time weeding them out.

Cliche list A-K:

a chip off the old block
a clean slate
a dark and stormy night
a far cry
a fine kettle of fish
a good/kind soul
a loose cannon
a pain in the neck/butt
a penny saved is a penny earned
a tough row to hoe
a word to the wise
ace in the hole
ace up his sleeve
add insult to injury
afraid of his own shadow
against all odds
air your dirty laundry
all fun and games
all in a day's work
all talk, no action
all thumbs
all your eggs in one basket
all's fair in love and war
all's well that ends well
almighty dollar
American as apple pie
an axe to grind
another day, another dollar
armed to the teeth
as luck would have it
as old as time
as the crow flies
at my wits end
avoid like the plague
B
babe in the woods
back against the wall
back in the saddle
back to square one
back to the drawing board
bad to the bone
badge of honor
bald faced liar
banging your head against a brick wall
ballpark figure
baptism by fire
bark is worse than her bite
barking up the wrong tree
bat out of hell
be all and end all
beat a dead horse
beat around the bush
bee in her bonnet
been there, done that
beggars can't be choosers
behind the eight ball
bend over backwards
benefit of the doubt
bent out of shape
best thing since sliced bread
bet your bottom dollar
better half
better late than never
better mousetrap
better safe than sorry
between a rock and a hard place
beyond the pale
bide your time
big as life
big fish in a small pond
big cheese
big man on campus
bigger they are the harder they fall
bird in the hand
birds and the bees
bird's eye view
birds of a feather flock together
bite the bullet
bite the dust
bit the hand that feeds you
bitten off more than he can chew
black as coal
black as pitch
black as the ace of spades
blast from the past
bleeding heart
blessing in disguise
blind ambition
blind as a bat
blind leading the blind
blood is thicker than water
blood sweat and tears
blow off steam
blow your own horn
blushing bride
boils down to
bone to pick
bored to tears
bored stiff
bottomless pit
boys will be boys
bright and early
brings home the bacon
broad across the beam
broken record
bull by the horns
bull in a china shop
burn the midnight oil
burning the candle at both ends
burning question
burst your bubble
bury the hatchet
busy as a bee
by hook or by crook
C
call a spade a spade
called onto the carpet
calm before the storm
can of worms
can't cut the mustard
can't hold a candle to
case of mistaken identity
cat got your tongue
caught in the crossfire
caught red-handed
caught with his/her pants down
checkered past
chip on his/her shoulder
chomping at the bit
cleanliness is next to godliness
clear as a bell
clear as mud
close to the vest
cock and bull story
cold shoulder
come hell or high water
cost a king's ransom
cost/paid an arm and a leg
count your blessings
crack of dawn
crash course
creature comforts
cross that bridge when you come to it
cry her eyes out
cry like a baby
cry me a river
crystal clear
curiosity killed the cat
cut and dried
cut through the red tape
cut to the chase
cute as a bugs ear
cute as a button
cute as a puppy
cuts to the quick
D
dark before the dawn
day in, day out
dead as a doornail
devil is in the details
dime a dozen
divide and conquer
dog and pony show
dog days
dog eat dog
dog tired
don't burn your bridges
don't count your chickens before they're hatched
don't look a gift horse in the mouth
don't rock the boat
don't step on anyone's toes
don't take any wooden nickels
down and out
down at the heels
down in the dumps
down on his/her luck
down the hatch
down to earth
draw the line
dressed to kill
dressed to the nines
drives me up the wall
dull as dishwater
dyed in the wool
E
eagle eye
easy as pie
eat your heart out
eat your words
enough to piss off the Pope
ear to the ground
early bird catches the worm
earn his/her keep
easier said than done
easy as 1-2-3
easy as pie
eleventh hour
even the playing field
every dog has its day
every fiber of my being
everything but the kitchen sink
eye for an eye
eyes in the back of her head
F
facts of life
fair weather friend
fan the flames
fair weather friend
fall by the wayside
feast or famine
feather in his cap
feather your nest
few and far between
fifteen minutes of fame
filthy vermin
fine kettle of fish
fish out of water
fishing for a compliment
fit as a fiddle
fit the bill
fit to be tied
flat as a pancake
flip your lid
flog a dead horse
fly by night
fly the coop
follow your heart
for all intents and purposes
for the birds
for what it's worth
force of nature
force to be reckoned with
forgive and forget
fox in the henhouse
free and easy
free as a bird
fresh as a daisy
full steam ahead
fun in the sun
G
garbage in, garbage out
get a kick out of
get a leg up
get down and dirty
get his/her back up
get the lead out
get to the bottom of
get your feet wet
gets my goat
gilding the lily
give and take
go against the grain
go for broke
go him one better
go the extra mile
go with the flow
goes without saying
good as gold
good deed for the day
good things come to those who wait
good time was had by all
greek to me
green thumb
green-eyed monster
growing like a weed
grist for the mill
H
hair of the dog
hand to mouth
happy as a clam
hasn't a clue
have a nice day
have high hopes
haven't got a row to hoe
have the last laugh
head honcho
hear a pin drop
heard it through the grapevine
heart's content
hem and haw
high and dry
high and mighty
high as a kite
hit paydirt
hold your horses
hold your tongue
hold your head up high
hold your own
honest as the day is long
horse of a different color
hot under the collar
I
I beg to differ
icing on the cake
if the shoe fits
if the shoe were on the other foot
in a jam
in a jiffy
in a nutshell
in a pig's eye
in a pinch
in a word
in his/her element
in hot water
in over his/her head
in the gutter
in the nick of time
in the thick of it
in this day and age
in your dreams
it ain't over till the fat lady sings
it goes without saying
it's a small world
it's only a matter of time
it takes all kinds
it takes one to know one
ivory tower
J
Jack of all trades
jockey for position
jog your memory
Johnny-come-lately
joined at the hip
judge a book by its cover
jump down your throat
jump in with both feet
jump on the bandwagon
jump the gun
jump to conclusions
just a hop, skip, and a jump
just the ticket
justice is blind
K
keep a stiff upper lip
keep an eye on
keep it simple, stupid
keep the home fires burning
keep up with the Joneses
keep your chin up
keep your fingers crossed
kick the bucket
kick up your heels
kick your feet up
kid in a candy store
kill two birds with one stone
kick his lights out
kick the bucket
kiss of death
knock his block off
knock it out of the park
knock on wood
knock your socks off
know him from Adam
know the ropes
know the score
knuckle down
knuckle sandwich
knuckle under
Cliche list L-Z:

L
labor of love
land on your feet
lap of luxury
last but not least
last-ditch effort
last hurrah
law of the jungle
law of the land
lay down the law
leaps and bounds
let sleeping dogs lie
letter perfect
let the cat out of the bag
let the good times roll
let your hair down
let's talk turkey
lick your wounds
lies like a rug
life's a bitch
life's a grind
light at the end of the tunnel
lighter than a feather
lighter than air
like clockwork
like father like son
like taking candy from a baby
like there's no tomorrow
lion's share
live and learn
live and let live
long and short of it
long lost love
look before you leap
look down your nose
look what the cat dragged in
looks like death warmed over
loose cannon
lose your head
lose your temper
loud as a horn
lounge lizard
loved and lost
low man on the totem pole
luck of the draw
luck of the Irish
M
make hay while the sun shines
make money hand over fist
make my day
make the best of a bad situation
make the best of it
make your blood boil
man of few words
man's best friend
mark my words
missed the boat on that one
moment in the sun
moment of glory
moment of truth
money to burn
more power to you
more than one way to skin a cat
movers and shakers
N
naked as a jaybird
naked truth
neat as a pin
needless to say
neither here nor there
never look back
never say never
nip and tuck
nip it in the bud
no guts, no glory
no love lost
no pain, no gain
no skin off my back
no stone unturned
no time like the present
no use crying over spilled milk
nose to the grindstone
not a hope in hell
not a minute's peace
not playing with a full deck
not the end of the world
not in my backyard
not written in stone
nothing to sneeze at
nothing ventured nothing gained
now we're cooking
O
off the top of my head
off the wagon
off the wall
older and wiser
older than dirt
older than Methuselah
old hat
on a roll
on cloud nine
on his/her high horse
on pins and needles
on the bandwagon
on the money
on the nose
on the rocks
on the spot
on the tip of my tongue
on the wagon
on thin ice
once bitten, twice shy
one bad apple doesn't spoil the bushel
one born every minute
one brick short
one foot in the grave
one in a million
one red cent
only game in town
open a can of worms
open the flood gates
opportunity doesn't knock twice
over the hump
out of pocket
out of sight, out of mind
out of the frying pan into the fire
out of the woods
out on a limb
over a barrel
P
pain and suffering
panic button
par for the course
part and parcel
party pooper
pass the buck
patience is a virtue
pay through the nose
penny pincher
perfect storm
pig in a poke
pile it on
pillar of the community
pin your hopes on
pitter patter of little feet
plain as day
plain as the nose on your face
play by the rules
play your cards right
playing the field
playing with fire
pleased as punch
plenty of fish in the sea
poor as a church mouse
pot calling the kettle black
pull a fast one
pull your punches
pulled the wool over his/her eyes
pulling your leg
pure as the driven snow
put one over on you
put the pedal to the metal
put the cart before the horse
put your best foot forward
put your foot down
Q
quick as a bunny
quick as a lick
quick as a wink
quick as lightning
quiet as a dormouse
R
rags to riches
raining buckets
raining cats and dogs
rank and file
reap what you sow
red as a beet
red herring
reinvent the wheel
rich and famous
rings a bell
ripped me off
rise and shine
road to hell is paved with good intentions
rob Peter to pay Paul
roll over in the grave
rub the wrong way
running in circles
S
salt of the earth
scared out of his/her wits
scared stiff
scared to death
sealed with a kiss
second to none
see eye to eye
seen the light
set the record straight
set your teeth on edge
sharp as a tack
shoot the breeze
shoot for the moon
shot in the dark
shoulder to the wheel
sick as a dog
sieze the day
sigh of relief
signed, sealed, and delivered
sink or swim
six of one, half a dozen of another
skating on thin ice
slept like a log
slinging mud
slippery as an eel
slow as molasses in January
smooth as a baby's bottom
snug as a bug in a rug
sow wild oats
spare the rod, spoil the child
speak of the devil
spilled the beans
spinning your wheels
spitting image of
spoke with relish
spring to life
stands out like a sore thumb
squeaky wheel gets the grease
start from scratch
stick in the mud
still waters run deep
stitch in time
stop and smell the roses
straw that broke the camel's back
strong as an ox
stubborn as a mule
stuff that dreams are made of
stuffed shirt
sweating blood
sweating bullets
T
take a load off
take one for the team
take the bait
take the bull by the horns
take the plunge
takes one to know one
takes two to tango
the more the merrier
the real deal
the real McCoy
the red carpet treatment
the same old story
there is no accounting for taste
thick as a brick
thick as thieves
think outside of the box
third time's the charm
this day and age
this hurts me worse than it hurts you
this point in time
three sheets to the wind
three strikes against him/her
throw in the towel
tie one on
tighter than a drum
time and time again
time is of the essence
tip of the iceberg
to each his own
to the best of my knowledge
toe the line
tongue-in-cheek
too good to be true
too hot to handle
too numerous to mention
touch with a ten foot pole
tough as nails
trials and tribulations
tried and true
trip down memory lane
twist of fate
two cents worth
two peas in a pod
U
ugly as sin
under his/her thumb
under the counter
under the gun
under the same roof
until the cows come home
unvarnished truth
up his sleeve
up the creek
up to his ears in trouble
uphill battle
upper crust
upset the applecart
V
V for victory
vain attempt
vain effort
vanquish the enemy
vested interest
W
waiting for the other shoe to drop
wakeup call
warm welcome
watching the clock
watch your p's and q's
watch your tongue
water under the bridge
weather the storm
went belly up
wet behind the ears
weed them out
week of Sundays
what goes around comes around
what you see is what you get
when it rains, it pours
when push comes to shove
when the cat's away
when the going gets tough, the tough get going
white as a sheet
whole ball of wax
whole hog
whole nine yards
wild goose chase
will wonders never cease?
wisdom of the ages
wolf at the door
words fail me
work like a dog
world weary
worst nightmare
wrong side of the bed
Y
yanking your chain
yappy as a dog
years young
you are what you eat
you can run, but you can't hide
you only live once
young and foolish
young and vibrant
you're the boss

For a more comprehensive list of cliches, see the Dictionary of Cliches, by James Rogers:

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