219 Clichés to Avoid in Your Writing

Here are 219 cliché to avoid in your writing. Some of these are axioms, idioms, adages, and even epigrams, but all of them are very, very overused. I would say, “Avoid them like the plague,” even if you have an “axe to grind” in your writing. Some of the time, these  clichés will get you in hot water with your editors, so avoid them, especially in poetry! If you are going to turn a phrase, try to turn it uniquely, one of a kind, so to speak. 

There are exceptions to every rule, and rules are made to be broken (having too much fun with this), but most of the time I would bend over backward to keep these out of my writing.

See if you can find your favorite! If we forgot one, give us a taste of our own medicine and put it in the comments below. Show no mercy; it’ll help us not have to go back to square one. 

1. A bitter pill to swallow – An unpleasant or difficult reality to accept
2. A dark and stormy night – Overused way to start a story attempting suspense
3. A dime a dozen – Very common, inexpensive
4. A fool and his money are soon parted – Fools spend money recklessly
5. A leopard can’t change its spots – People can’t change their fundamental nature
6. A penny saved is a penny earned – Saving money is important
7. A picture paints a thousand words – Visuals convey powerful meaning
8. A taste of your own medicine – Being treated as you treated others
9. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – A dangerous person pretending to be harmless
10. Absence makes the heart grow fonder – Being apart makes you appreciate someone more
11. Add insult to injury – Make a bad situation even worse
12. An arm and a leg – Very expensive, costly
13. An axe to grind – Having a dispute, grudge or grievance
14. As luck would have it – By chance
15. At the end of the day – When everything is considered
16. Avoid like the plague – Avoid at all costs
17. Back to square one – Return to the starting point or situation
18. Barking up the wrong tree – Mistakenly pursuing an irrelevant issue
19. Beat around the bush – Avoiding the main topic, not getting directly to the point
20. Beating a dead horse – Wasting effort on something futile
21. Bells and whistles – Extra or unnecessary features
22. Bend over backwards – Try very hard, make great effort
23. Best thing since sliced bread – A useful innovation
24. Betrayal cuts both ways- Betrayal hurts the betrayer and betrayed
25. Better late than never – Arriving late is better than not at all
26. Bite more than you can chew – Take on more than you can handle
27. Bite off more than you can chew – Take on more than you can handle
28. Bite the bullet – Endure something unpleasant that just has to be done
29. Blood is thicker than water – Family ties are the strongest
30. Break a leg – Good luck
31. Break the ice – Get conversation going in an awkward situation
32. Bring home the bacon – Provide for one’s family
33. Bull in a china shop – A clumsy, accident-prone person
34. Burn the candle at both ends – Overwork, exhaust yourself
35. Burst your bubble – Shatter one’s illusions about something
36. Bury the hatchet – Resolve a dispute and make peace
37. Butterflies in your stomach – Nervousness or excitement
38. Calm before the storm – A period of quiet before chaos or trouble hits
39. Can’t judge a book by its cover – Appearances can be deceptive
40. Can’t see the forest for the trees – Focused on details, miss the big picture
41. Cast the first stone – To be the first to accuse someone
42. Cat got your tongue? – Why aren’t you talking?
43. Caught between a rock and a hard place – Stuck between two bad options
44. Chicken feed – A very small amount of money
45. Cock and bull story – A far-fetched tale that’s untrue
46. Come hell or high water – No matter what obstacles are faced
47. Curiosity killed the cat – Inquisitiveness leads to trouble
48. Cut corners – Do something hastily or carelessly to save time
49. Cut to the chase – Leave out unnecessary details, get to the point
50. Dark before the dawn – Difficult times precede better ones
51. Dark horse – An unexpected winner
52. Dead as a doornail – Undoubtedly dead
53. Devil’s advocate – Present an opposing argument
54. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – Don’t assume success prematurely
55. Don’t cry over spilled milk – No use worrying about past mistakes
56. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth – Don’t criticize gifts
57. Don’t put the cart before the horse – Do things in correct order
58. Drastic times call for drastic measures – Extreme situations require extreme actions
59. Easier said than done – Talking about something is easier than actually doing it
60. Eat humble pie – Admit you were wrong, apologize
61. Eat like a bird – Eat small portions
62. Elbow grease – Hard physical effort
63. Elephant in the room – Obvious problem no one addresses
64. Escape by the skin of your teeth – Just barely avoid disaster
65. Every cloud has a silver lining – Good can be found in bad situations
66. Far cry from – Very different from
67. Feel under the weather – Feel sick or ill
68. Few and far between – Rare, infrequent
69. Fight fire with fire – Combat something with the same tactics it uses
70. Fine kettle of fish – An awkward situation
71. Fish out of water – Someone in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable situation
72. Fishy story – Suspicious information
73. Fit as a fiddle – In very good health
74. Flash in the pan – Promising start but ultimate failure
75. Food for thought – Something interesting to think about
76. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread – Fools tackle situations smarter people avoid
77. Get a taste of your own medicine – Face the same bad treatment you gave
78. Get out of dodge – Leave immediately, run away
79. Give the benefit of the doubt – Withhold judgment due to lack of evidence
80. Go back to the drawing board – Start over, revise a plan completely
81. Good riddance – Expressing relief at being free from someone
82. Gut feeling – An instinct or intuition
83. Hands are tied – Unable to act due to constraints
84. Happy as a clam – Very happy, content
85. Haste makes waste – Rushing leads to mistakes
86. Hatchet job – Malicious criticism to destroy reputation
87. Have a heart – Show compassion
88. He’s a loose cannon – Reckless, unpredictable person
89. Heard it through the grapevine – Hear news informally from others
90. Hit the sack – Go to bed, go to sleep
91. Hunky dory – Satisfactory, fine
92. In hot water – In trouble
93. In the same boat – Facing the same challenges as others
94. It is what it is – The situation is out of one’s control
95. It takes two to tango – Arguments require two participants
96. It takes two to tango – Arguments require two participants
97. It was meant to be – Something was destined to happen
98. It’s not rocket science – It’s not complicated
99. Jack of all trades – Competent in many skills, master of none
100. Jump on the bandwagon – Join a popular trend
101. Jury is still out – The verdict is not decided yet
102. Kick the bucket – Die
103. Kill two birds with one stone – Accomplish two things at once
104. Kiss and tell – Reveal private or secret information
105. Land of milk and honey – A place with abundant wealth and food
106. Last straw – The final irritation in an intolerable situation
107. Last, but not least – Final item, still important
108. Lay it on thick – To exaggerate or overdo flattery
109. Let sleeping dogs lie – Leave a sensitive issue alone to avoid trouble
110. Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret
111. Light at the end of the tunnel – A sign of hope after difficulty
112. Like father like son – Children resemble parents
113. Like two peas in a pod – Very similar
114. Lion’s share – The majority
115. Live and let live – Accept others lifestyle choices
116. Living on cloud nine – Extremely happy
117. Lock the barn after the horse is gone – Try to avoid trouble after it has occurred
118. Long in the tooth – Old
119. Long time no see – Haven’t seen you for a while
120. Look before you leap – Think before acting
121. Loose lips sink ships – Careless talk causes problems
122. Lost in the shuffle – Overlooked
123. Make ends meet – Get by financially
124. Make hay while the sun shines – Seize opportunities when they come
125. Method to the madness – Logical reason behind seeming chaos
126. Miss the boat- Miss an opportunity
127. Missed the boat – Missed the chance
128. Momma didn’t raise a fool – I avoid obvious risks
129. Money burning a hole in your pocket – Eagerness to spend money quickly
130. Money talks – Wealth commands power and influence
131. More than one way to skin a cat – Many methods to achieve something
132. Nail in the coffin – An action or event that leads to the end
133. Neck and neck – Very close competition
134. Needle in a haystack – Very difficult or impossible to find
135. Needle in a haystack – Very hard to find amidst surrounding details
136. Nip it in the bud – Halt a problem before it gets worse
137. Nip it in the bud – Stop a problem before it gets worse
138. No brainer – An easy decision
139. No guts, no glory – You must be brave to achieve success
140. No pain no gain – Have to make it with pain
141. No use crying over spilled milk – No use worrying about past mistakes
142. Not written in stone – Not permanent, can change
143. Off one’s rocker – Crazy, eccentric
144. On pins and needles – Very anxious or nervous
145. Once bitten, twice shy – Cautious after being hurt once
146. Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
147. Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
148. One bad apple spoils the bunch – A bad person corrupts the rest
149. One trick pony – Limited abilities or talents
150. Open a can of worms – Create serious trouble
151. Out of sight, out of mind – We forget the absent
152. Out of the frying pan into the fire – From a bad situation to worse
153. Pain and simple – Plain, straightforward
154. Patience is a virtue – Being patient is admirable
155. Patience of a saint – Great patience and forbearance
156. Penny pincher – Stingy person
157. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones – Don’t criticize others if you have faults yourself
158. Perfect storm – A worst case scenario
159. Piece of cake – Extremely easy
160. Pig headed – Stubborn, obstinate
161. Pig out – Overindulge in eating
162. Pigs might fly – An impossible event
163. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes – Deceive, hoodwink someone
164. Pulling your leg – Tricking you as a joke
165. Put all your eggs in one basket – Rely entirely on one thing
166. Put lipstick on a pig – Improve the exterior, not substance
167. Quick as a whip – Very fast, speedy
168. Rain on your parade – Ruin your joy or satisfaction
169. Raining cats and dogs – Raining heavily
170. Red flag – A warning sign
171. Ring a bell – Seem familiar
172. Rise and shine – Get out of bed, wake up
173. Rob Peter to pay Paul – Take from one to give to another
174. Run around like a chicken with its head cut off – Act frantic but disorganized
175. Saved by the bell – Rescued from a bad situation at the last moment
176. See eye to eye – Agree fully
177. Seeing is believing – Only physical evidence is convincing
178. Sell like hot cakes – Sell very quickly
179. Ship shape – Organized and in order
180. Sick as a dog – Very ill
181. Sit on the fence – Avoid or delay making a decision
182. Sour grapes – Disparage something you cannot have
183. Stab someone in the back – Betray someone
184. Storm in a teacup – Overreacting to a minor problem
185. Straight from the horse’s mouth – Directly from the authoritative source
186. Straw that broke the camel’s back – The final problem in an overload
187. Sweep under the rug – Hide something unpleasant
188. Take with a grain of salt – Regard skeptically, don’t take literally
189. Taste of your own medicine – Face the same bad treatment you gave
190. The best is yet to come – better days ahead
191. The best of both worlds – Enjoy different advantages at the same time
192. The early bird gets the worm – If you start early you’ll succeed
193. The elephant in the room – A major issue no one wants to discuss
194. The grass is always greener – Others’ situations look preferable to your own
195. The more the merrier – The more people, the better
196. The pot calling the kettle black – Hypocrisy, you do the same thing you criticize
197. Third time’s the charm – Success after initial failures
198. Throw in the towel – Quit, give up
199. Till the cows come home – For an extremely long time
200. Time is of the essence – Acting quickly is crucial
201. Tired old cliché – An overused expression that has lost impact
202. To each his own – People have personal preferences
203. Tongue in cheek – Meant lightheartedly, not serious
204. Trial by fire – A difficult test of one’s abilities
205. Turn a blind eye – Refuse to acknowledge something
206. Under the weather – Feeling sick or ill
207. Wag the dog – Divert attention from the main issue
208. Waiting for the other shoe to drop – Waiting for inevitable trouble
209. Waiting with bated breath – Waiting anxiously, holding anticipation
210. Water under the bridge – Past problems, let go
211. Wear your heart on your sleeve – Make your feelings very obvious
212. When it rains, it pours – Problems pile up
213. When pigs fly – Something impossible or improbable
214. Win the battle, lose the war – Win minor victory, lose the larger contest
215. Wolf in sheep’s clothing – Dangerous person pretending to be harmless
216. You can run but you can’t hide – You can’t escape consequences
217. You only live once – Enjoy life, don’t hold back
218. Your guess is as good as mine – I have no idea
219. Zero tolerance – No leniency, absolute adherence

So unless you want your writing to be under the weather or out of steam, I would not turn a blind eye to these storm in a teacup  clichés. They are a dime a dozen, but can throw a monkey wrench into the works of your writing, a perfect storm, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you could win the battle but lose the war! Ok, ok, I’ll stop. I hope you enjoyed this long list of  clichés that you should avoid in your writing. If we missed one, drop it in the comment below and we’ll add it to the pile.