Happy Cliché Day!

Today, I have been informed via Twitter (How would I know anything without Twitter? Really.), is National Cliché Day. Luckily, a post about cliches has been brewing for quite a time in my busy mind. The reason for the prolonged stewing is mainly because it took me this long to figure out how to put the accent mark in cliché (and I didn't really apply myself to it; generally, I'm a quick learner). So, let's go at it, this cliché rant--because this will be a rant.


I am not going to rant about how we should stop using clichés. Oh, no. While I have mentioned before that I dislike clichés, it is not because of the clichés themselves (with the exception of "this side of the grave", which makes me shudder and, strangely enough, isn't typically used in a morbid way), it is because they have become clichés. How sad that such colorful expressions become so common that they are no longer original. The whole reason they are clichés is because they were worth repeating--thousands upon millions of times.


This avoidance (like the plague) of clichés carries over to other things, too. A style can become clichéd. Quotes are clichéd. [Mark Twain, C. S. Lewis, anyone?] Bible verses are clichéd. [And this is the saddest of all, in my opinion. Take Jeremiah 29:11. It's a beautiful promise, but it's been printed on approximately 90% of all religious graduation cards out there. It has become so overused, that I never really paid any attention to it until I had to teach it to 5th and 6th graders every week for 10 weeks one summer. It's lovely--one of my favorites for sure.]


The Southern folk are fond of their colorful expressions. We don't just say, "Give me an estimate," we ask for a "ballpark figure." My grandmother didn't just say, "She wasn't very pretty," she said, "When God was passing out good looks, she must have been asleep. Bless her heart." We say someone is "stubburn as a mule," "quiet as a mouse," and "sly as a fox." I love it. Sadly, though, many of these have become clichés.


Maybe we should just continue to churn out some new creative ways of saying things. I agree; we should. But why can't we say "there's an elephant in the room" when that is the most perfect way of saying there is something unavoidable, which should be addressed? Elephants are definitely unavoidable in the middle of the room, and really should be addressed--I mean, why is there an elephant inside?


Basically, I both love and dislike clichés. I want to be able to make cliches--write or say stuff that is worth repeating--and use clichés that are already worth repeating. There's my rant--my two cents, if you will.


So, have a happy cliché day. In fact, I hope you are tickled pink, happy as a clam (or a lark or a pig in the mud) by today and all its clichés!