Darthdusty asked the Other Software & Services forum about software that will “detect and alert” him when he types certain phrases. It sounds like you need a cliché detector–software that can catch a ...

There is no absolute line that divides the clichés that warrant a slap of the ruler on the desk and phrases that work just fine given the context. But lexicographer Orin Hargraves has written a new ...

Any writing expert will tell you: If you want to get your message across, avoid clichés. The problem is, no one seems to know what, exactly, a cliché is. Is it an overused sentence like “The grass is ...

Over the next few months, Poynter will publish shortened versions of 21 chapters of the book “Help! for Writers,” by Roy Peter Clark. Published by Little, Brown, the book lists common problems writers ...

When you’re writing your resume, it’s best to avoid the cliche words that hiring managers and recruiters see over and over again. Even if you feel the terms are accurate, there is usually a livelier, ...

Our modern language has experienced a slow creep of meaningless words and phrases—both written and spoken—that not only fail to express ideas clearly, but also impede communication because they become ...

I think we overlook how often our words are just animal noises, braying not saying. We happen on some words that reliably get us what we want. They become habits of speech. Just blurt whatever works.

I can’t stop myself from keeping a mental list of words and phrases that have been bastardized beyond repair by journalists. They range from the trite, such as “Breaking News,” to the abused, such as ...

I have noted in the past what an amazing cliché factory our governor is. Sure enough, on the CBS talk show “Face the Nation” on Sunday Phil Murphy was on fire. By which I mean, fire was the cliche of ...

Your recent call for civility at city council meetings is commendable, but your sensitivity to the use of Nazi comparisons as insults is puzzling. Calling someone a Nazi for their authoritarian ...

When you’re writing your resume, it’s best to avoid the cliche words that hiring managers and recruiters see over and over again. Even if you feel the terms are accurate, there is usually a livelier, ...