As most people probably already know, a cliché is an opinion or phrase that has been overused and lacks original thought. Some popular cliché examples include “Better safe than sorry,” “All that glitters isn’t gold,” and “Cat got your tongue?”

Using clichés can cause statements to be less effective, and it can make the person using them appear poorly educated. To remind everyone of this fact, a holiday was created to serve as an important reminder to everyone wishing to observe it. This holiday is called Cliché Day, and it’s observed annually on November 3rd.

The History of Cliché Day

The word cliché comes from the French language. It was originally an onomatopoeia that described the sound a printing plate from movable type printing would make. It came to mean a phrase that was prepared in advance and could quickly be used in speech or writing.

That definition has stayed with it, and it’s now used to describe overused phrases. Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about where Cliché Day originated. We know that it hasn’t been around for very long because we haven’t been able to find many sources on it, but we’re unsure of exactly when it started.

How to Avoid Clichés in Writing

Everyone is guilty of using clichés occasionally. That’s because they’re so quick and easy to use. That’s why we’ve decided to help people avoid using them as much as possible by including the following tips. Hopefully, these tips will help people improve their writing.

• Think about the meaning of the cliché and find synonyms to replace it.
• Decide whether the cliché is necessary or is merely being used as a placeholder in the text.
• Rewrite the sentence, rephrasing it as necessary to change up the cliché.
• Avoid common clichés such as “Think outside the box,” “dead as a doornail,” and “Ignorance is bliss.”

Observing Cliché Day

Because clichés lack true meaning and are predictable, they should be avoided not only on this day but also throughout the year. With that said, this is the holiday when people should take the time to look at some of the phrases they use in their day-to-day speech or their writing.

If possible, they should remove all clichés that they come across. They should also use the hashtag #ClicheDay to spread the word about this holiday to everyone who might need to know about it.