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ESL: Clichés

A cliché is a figure of speech, often a metaphor or simile, which originally was a clever and colorful way of saying something. But it has been used so much that it has now lost its impact. Although in speaking, clichés are still common, a good writer avoids them at all times. In writing, the use of clichés, except ironaically, is an indication of writerly laziness. How do you know if an expression is a cliché? Your dictionary will tell you.

Print this page and see how many clichés you can figure our.

A. Match each cliché with its definition.

 
  1. according to Hoyle.
  2. ace in the hole.
  3. act of God.
  4. Achilles’ heel.
  5. albatross around one’s neck.
  6. all thumbs.
  7. apple of one’s eye.
  8. as the crow flies.
  9. beat around the bush.
  10. . behind the eight ball.
  11. . bite the bullet.
  12. . bite the dust.
  13. . blow one’s own horn.
  14. . born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth.
  15. . break the ice.
  
  1. ___: a favorite, favored person.
  2. ___: a hidden surprise which  will change the outcome.
  3. ___: a hidden weakness behind seeming invulnerability.
  4. ___: a pre-existing condition with burdensome effects.
  5. ___: an unexpected, inexplicable major occurrence.
  6. ___: clumsy.
  7. ___: distance measured in a straight line.
  8. ___: in a customary, traditional, or correct manner.
  9. ___: to avoid talking about the real subject, from fear or trickery.
  10. ___: to be in a blameworthy situation, usually from guilt.
  11. ___: to boast about oneself.
  12. ___: to die; to be soundly defeated.
  13. ___: to go ahead and do something necessary but difficult or dangerous.
  14. ___: to grow up in a rich family.
  15. ___: to start a conversation with a person or person’s whom you don’t know.

B. Choose the best cliché from the list above to complete each sentence.
  1. Many of his friends secretly resented him because, although _________________________ , he was always hitting them up for a loan.
  2. While the American Constitution very cleverly solves the problem of power, on of the two major problems of any society, it does not address the other problem, greed, which is in fact the _________________________ of any capitalist civilization.
  3. Families of passengers killed in the plane crash claimed in their suit that the airline was at fault, the airline’s lawyers asserted that the accident was a(n) _________________________.
  4. At some point in the near future, all the people of the world are going to have to _________________________ and pay a high economic price to deal with environmental pollution.
  5. Although he seemed an honest and trustworthy person, it was only after the contract was signed that we realized he often did not negotiate _________________________.
  6. If teenagers stay out after curfew on weekend nights they are likely to find themselves _________________________.
  7. Constantly since she came in first in the chess tournament, she’s been doing nothing except _________________________ , which means she a very boring person to talk to these days.
  8. Even though he’s extremely intelligent and hard-working, his failure to apply himself to the study of English will be a(n) _________________________ as long as he is in this country.
  9. Why is it that parents often view the youngest child as the _________________________ ?
  10. . Being very bashful, he pleaded with me to give him some suggestions about how to _________________________ at the big party next week.
  11. . I can fix an mechanical problem, find the most elusive bugs in a computer program, and shoot par on most golf courses, but put me in a kitchen and I’m _________________________.
  12. . Because of freeway construction and the resulting detours, the trip which, _________________________ is only 80 miles, is more than 120 by car.
  13. . For weeks the football team practiced a new, complicated play to use as their _________________________ in the last game of the season.
  14. . The victorious Rockets made five three-point shots in the last minute of the game, and the Lakers, who were scoreless, _________________________ .
  15. . Many parents find it difficult to talk frankly about sex with their children and will spend hours _________________________.

Answers

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