A cliché (from
French, klɪ'ʃe) is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel. The term is generally used in a negative context. (Wikipedia)
I sometimes use a cliché in informal language. Not knowinh them is much more embarrassing.
Here goes a list of some famous clichés.
Good study and good luck.
crunch time
not a ghost of a chance
fool's gold
up to scratch
No good deed goes unpunished
putting a bug is someone's ear
if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen
I got your goose.
on the spur of the moment
making a bad decision is better then making no decision at all
give him the ax
make hay while the sun shines
pull out all the stops
there's more than one way to kill a cat than choking it with butter.
get on a high horse
in a twinkling of an eye
Slicker than cat shit on a linoleum floor
to have a knack for it
Can't get there from here.
A barrel of laughs
hit the nail on the head
they devoured him like a pack of wolves
Intet er saa daarligt, at det ikke er godt for noget !
like counting sheep
The more things change, the more they stay the same
hard and fast rule
What the Dilly Yo
Hotter than a nanny goat in a pepper patch
like greased lightning
those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
to have a bone to pick with you
if the price is right
get the guts to do something about it
good-for-nothing
make the best of a bad bargain
alas and alack
running around like a chicken with it's head cut off
pipe down
Time is of the essence.
falling apart like a cornbread turd
busier than a one-armed paper hanger
has her cap set for him
time on my hands
spin like a top
dressed to kill
one good deed deserves another
Easier than government work
shots ring out
come to grief
the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
One brick short of a load (reference to being stupid)
your past might catch up with you
time to kill
drop the pilot
punch the clock
the wheat belt
draw the long bow
under the thumb
eat your heart out
I don't like the cut of his jib
See the world through rose colored glasses
you can run but you can't hide
sleep in the buff
speak for yourself
it'll all come out in the wash
live off the fat of the land
waste not want not
Not shabby
long row to hoe
turn the corner
No good deed goes unpunished
thick as a brick
make or break
can't see the forest for the trees
life is not hard, it only needs some positive thinking
the race is not to the swift
mad as a wet hen
You only live once; but if you do it right, once is enough.
hear some gossip or rumor
Doesn't know his arse from his elbow.
Hell's Angel
the best-laid schemes
hop on over to my house
Damn skippy
pull a rabbit out of the hat
by leaps and bounds
may you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows your gone
all his dogs aren't barking
three sheets in the wind
wreak havoc
can't hit the broad side of a barn
fly in the ointment
hold at bay
well and good
dutch uncle
dead letter
one good deed deserves another
shoot the breeze
know the ropes
settle old scores
get the sack
the chickens come home to roost
spill beans
lose your temper
not all beer and skittles
the price of success
cast aspersions
great open spaces
smell a rat
Silk on a Sow is just a well dressed pig
a close call
pleased as punch
getting dogged
well's run dry
to have a knack for it
a friend in need is a friend indeed
has her cap set for him
broken heart
two shakes of a lamb's tail
to a T
Run it up the flagpole and see who slautes it.
it's the best/greatest thing since sliced bread
Hurry dog eats raw meat.
too tired to sleep
some people get all the breaks
Another day, another dollar!
the world goes to shit when I don’t do this first
sport of kings
worth its weight in gold
getting to the top
had eyes that would burn a hole right through you
Act in haste, repent at leisure
lose your sense of humor
wend one's way
busy as a cat on a hot tin roof
it's raining harder than a cow pissing on a flat rock
one eyed jack
you have to get up pretty early in the morning to pull the wool over my eyes
just between you and me
when all is said and done
chicken out
no thanks to you
If this is living, I'd rather be dead.
weed (marijauna)
stewed to the gills
waste not want not
up in arms
improve each shining hour
couldn't care less
I need your help like I need a migrane.
He was dead upfront with me.
strain at a nat and swallow a camel
with a full head of steam
would you like some cheese with that whine
I'm Off like a prom dress
bevy of beauties
I will survive
fat cat
lose your sense of humor
act like a monkey in the zoo
Cold as ice
like a red flag to a bull
if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen
back to the drawing board
had love in his eyes and lust in his heart
Tighter than a bulls ass
all wool and a yard wide
empty the baby out with the bathwater
she wears the pants
getting dogged
you'll never know if you don't try
at least it was a very interesting experience
every man jack
knee-high to a grasshopper
life is life
there will come a day when all the work is finished or when it is too late to finish it
as helpful as a screen door on a submarine
dry as a nun's nana
apple-pie order
give a wide berth to
A chink in the armor
young enough to be his daughter
bust loose
Wound up tighter than an 8 day clock
trim one's sails
high-water mark
fox guarding the henhouse
scared out of his wits
That will be the day when I die
belt him in the mouth
play dead like a possum
The cat's whisker
long in the tooth
at the crack of dawn
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
the power behind the throne
babe in the woods
the game is worth the candle
won't work a lick
No shit, sherlock
blood is thicker than water
hard and fast
tell a white lie
when push comes to shove
clear the air
you can decide your own life, dont worry about others
never up, never in
demonstrates a sense of fair play
go it alone
The older the violin, the sweeter the music
life is so short, I want to experience as much as possible
A chink in the armor
quick off the mark
don't rub where there's already a rash
success begets success
don't judge a book by its cover
Why me? Why is it always me?
worn to a frazzle
hell has no fury like a woman scorned
don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you.
Hit the mute button on him/her.
pick and choose
you can't make orange juice outa lemons
When you lie with dogs you get fleas.
bite the hand that feeds you
do a bad turn
laugh out of the other side of your mouth
quick off the mark
faster than a speeding bullet
We're all here 'cause we're not all there
hotter than a three pecked goat in a field full of nannies
A rose by any other name is still a rose.
shooter's touch (basketball cliche)
odds and ends
toe the line
touch and go
obtained a black eye over something(meaning a loss of reputation or respect)
cried all the way to the bank
Any old stocking can find a old shoe
a stitch in time save nine
not what it's cracked up to be
love comes around while doing things you like
whatever floats your boat
bust in the chops
needle in a haystack
live to a ripe old age
lie down if you don't have to sit down
eat your heart out
on the lamt
there's no business like show business
getting to the top
up and about
life sucks, and then you die...
A day late and a dollar short!
hide your light under a bushel
she goes through money like a fart through a pair of jeans.
A friend in need is a pest.
chicken hearted
change of heart
it was poetic justice
money talks
didn't like the color of his money
don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you.
pick and choose
comes to worst
give and take
turn something into a zoo
go hat in hand
you and who's army?
everything there is a season
by and large
rough and tumble
Piss out the fire, call the dogs, and lets go home.
great open spaces
ain't that just the cats pjamas
blind ambition
talk it up
neat as a pin
One hand doesn't always know what the other is doing.
pour the baby out with the bathwater
Why me? Why is it always me?
bred and buttered
boob tube (TV)
crazy as a bed bug
Take a chill pill
slicker than a wet weasel on a linoleum floor
All over like a mad woman's piss
filthy lucre
peel the onion one layer at a time
more power to you
fat farm
hammer out the details
dead as a doornail
ace up his sleeve
we're not laughing at you were laughing with you
my lips are sealed
at the end of the day
out and out
ace up his sleeve
Mind the Gap
don't rock the boat
throw modesty to the winds
go a round or two
cold as a witch's teat
meaner than a striped snake
wet one's whistle
return to the fold
if the shoe fits, wear it
the price of success
take pen in hand
get the lead out
he got screwed (cheated)
skeleton in the closet
bust in the mouth
had eyes that would pierce right through you
be-all and end-all
no rest for the wicked
It ain't broke. Don't fix it.
far from the madding crowd
an old dog for a hard road
get out of the sack and get to work
eagle eye
the tales will be long and many
win at all costs
best bib and Tucker
he don't know crap from crisco
No shit, sherlock
fool's gold
give short shrift
It never rains, it pours