A cliché is an overused phrase. Clichés should be avoided in university and research writing, as they can devalue your work in the eyes of the reader. Some examples are given below:
| Clichés |
| 24/7 |
| A legend in their own lifetime |
| A whole new ball game |
| At the end of the day |
| Better late than never |
| Get your act together |
| Guesstimate |
| Hit the big time |
| In my humble opinion |
| In this day and age |
| It’s not over till it’s over |
| It’s not over till the fat lady sings |
| It’s not rocket science |
| Over the moon |
| The be-all and end-all |
| The bottom line |
| The name of the game |
| The show must go on |
| You can bet your bottom dollar |
| You name it |
As always in language, this is a guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule: A whole new ball game would be an apt title for a recent discovery in Meso-American studies, but a poorly chosen phrase to describe the impact of your most recent work on the field.