Thought of the Day

Hi there, enraptured reader. *Wave to myself* Yes, i'm back after a slight hiatus for no good reason. I've been generally neglectful of life activities and its participants. But this blog can't feel too bad, because blogs don't have feelings. The creature that's sprung up from my neglected dishes, however, has evolved complex emotions and is heckling me as i type.

Merriam-Webster defines cliché as:

1: a trite phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it
2: a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation
3: something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace

Duh, people try to avoid them. But i've been thinking: Cliché are clichés for a reason. Repetition is a prerequisite, so why would we repeat something that didn't resonate? I actually disagree with the definition by Merriam-Webster, it's only the last line (#3) that's key. A cliché is not trite by nature, but made so by becoming overly familiar or commonplace. Let me put it another way- the word cliché is by no means a synonym for trite or hackneyed. I mean, when someone says something trite, i'd call it stupid, ignorant or umm... trite. The c-word would never come to mind unless I'd heard it before, a lot, and in those words.

So, i think clichés have gotten a bad rep. In rebellion, i thought i'd share my favorites. I find them neither trite nor hackneyed...unless Merriam-Webster defines either of those words as "True, simply true."

• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
  
• Women: you can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
  
• Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
• The bell doesn't un-ring quite so loudly.
  
• If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
• All's fair in love and war.
• Everybody hurts sometime.
• New York: if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.
  
• Breaking up is hard to do.
• Stay forever young.
• It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.
  
• Oops I did it again.

Oh, oops, the last couple might be pop song lyrics. But i think it goes with the spirit of this post.