It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés

Careful writers and speakers agree that clichés are generally to be avoided. However, nearly all of us continue to use them. Why do they persist in our language?

In It's Been Said Before, lexicographer Orin Hargraves examines the peculiar idea and power of the cliché. He helps readers understand why certain phrases became clichés and why they should be avoided — or why they still have life left in them. Indeed, clichés can be useful — even powerful. And few people even agree on which express...