Have you ever found yourself rolling your eyes at clichés, that they come out of your ears? You know, the sayings that once sparkled with originality but now seem as stale as last week’s bread? It’s easy to dismiss them, but what if I told you that these tired phrases might just deserve a second chance? Much like the comeback kids of sports—a slumped player rising to the occasion—clichés often have untold stories worth unveiling. They’ve traveled such a long way, from being fresh ideas to residing in the back alleys of our conversations. Join me as we peel back the layers and breathe new life into the oldie-but-goodies of language. Who knows, we might even find a renewed appreciation for the very words we often overlook! LEARN MORE.
Many deserve a second chance
Ever hear about the man who goes to see a performance of Hamlet and afterward complains, “I don’t see what the big fuss is about. All Shakespeare did was string together a bunch of great quotations.”
Yeah. Somebody ought to tell the fool that the Bard of all time was the originator of those great quotations!
“To be or not to be” “a charmed life” “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” “over the hill” “cut to the chase” “a grain of salt” a blessing in disguise” “still waters run deep” “a rose by any other name” “in a nutshell” “open a Pandora’s box.”
All cliches, right?
But they didn’t begin that way.
Once upon a time these phrases came fresh and piping hot out of the oven. It took years, decades, to arrive at their stale past-the-sell-by state. For that reason alone, maybe they’re worth re-examining.
Yes I know. I’m walking on hallowed ground here. Cliches are nasty. Our high school teachers told us to avoid them like the plague.
Everywhere you turn you crash into another cliche. Clichéd clothing for cliched characters with cliched names. The fiftyish woman with a bobbed hair-cut, sunglasses and tote bag, who tootles her freshly manicured nails at the hapless…
