Website Offers Searchable Database of Cliches November 23, 2005
The Cliché Finder offers a searchable database of over 3,300 clichés. Enter cat into the search box and you will get results like "cat got your tongue?," "cat's pajamas" and "curiosity killed the cat." What is a cliché? Morgan, the creator of the cliché search site, explains the Cliché Finder's test for a cliche:
A cliche is not just something that lots of people say; It's something that lots of people say and it conveys some sort of idea or message. A cliche is, in other words, a metaphor characterized by its overuse.
I have my own test to see if a phrase is a cliche or not. I read the first half of the sentence, then I ask myself, "do I just know (because everyone knows) how the sentence ends?" Someone recently submitted, "The gene pool could use a little chlorine." I knew this wasn't a cliche because when I say, "The gene pool could use what?" I don't know how to end the sentence.
Answers.com also has a definition of Cliché.
The Cliché Finder also provides an option to submit a cliché. And just for fun you can click on the ten random clichés feature.
