Cliché

A cliché or cliche (pronounced UK: /ˈkliːʃeɪ/, US: /klɪˈʃeɪ/) is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning, referring to any expression imposed by conventionalized linguistic usage. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event. Typically a pejorative, "clichés" are not always false or inaccurate;[1] a cliché may or may not be true.[2] Some are stereotypes, but some are simply truisms and facts.[3] Clichés are often employed for comic effect, typically in fiction.

Most phrases now considered clichéd were originally regarded as striking, but lost their force through overuse.[4] In this connection, David Mason and John Frederick Nims cite a particularly harsh judgement by Salvador Dalí: "The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot."[5]

A cliché is often a vivid depiction of an abstraction that relies upon analogy or exaggeration for effect, often drawn from everyday experience. Used sparingly, they may succeed. However, cliché in writing or speech is generally considered a mark of inexperience or unoriginality.

Contents

Origin

The word is borrowed from French. In printing, a cliché was a printing plate cast from movable type. This is also called a stereotype.[6] When letters were set one at a time, it made sense to cast a phrase used repeatedly as a single slug of metal. "Cliché" came to mean such a ready-made phrase. The French word “cliché” is said to come from the sound made when the molten stereotyping metal is poured onto the matrix to make a printing plate,[7] though some authorities, who have not heard a casting, express doubt.[8][9]

Usage

Cliché is a noun that is also used as an adjective,[8][11] although some dictionaries do not recognize the adjectival sense.[7][12] All dictionaries consulted recognize a derived adjective with the same meaning, clichéd[7][8][11][12] or cliché'd.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ten Cliches That Actually Ring True - 09/16/2008 - by DearSugar
  2. ^ Short Story Library Thick skin and writing, cliché, but true - Published By Casey Quinn • May 10th, 2009 • Category: Casey's Corner
  3. ^ The Free Dictionary - Cliche
  4. ^ Mason, David; Nims, John Frederick (1999). Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry. McGraw-Hill. pp. 126–127. ISBN 0-07-303180-1. 
  5. ^ Dalí, Salvador (1968). "Preface". In Pierre Cabanne. Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp (1987 ed.). Da Capo Press. p. 13. ISBN 0306803038. 
  6. ^ "The Museum of Printing: Collection". The Museum of Printing. http://www.museumofprinting.org/Collection.html. Retrieved 13 March 2009. 
  7. ^ a b c "cliche". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. n.d. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/cliche. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
  8. ^ a b c "cliché". Dictionary.com Unabridged. n.d. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cliche. Retrieved 2010-21-2. 
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. "cliche". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cliche. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
  10. ^ Freeman, Michael (2004). Nature and Landscape Photography. Lark Books. p. 36. ISBN 1-57990-545-5. http://books.google.com/?id=0bGIPv-OR6UC&pg=PA36. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  11. ^ a b "cliché". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cliche. Retrieved 2010-21-2. 
  12. ^ a b c Brown, Lesley, editor (1993). "cliché". New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861271-0. 

Further reading

External links