Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham
[...]Perhaps the rule should be use clichés knowingly or not at all?
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I think that covers it pretty well. All writing should be deliberate; it should have been placed there, like that, for a reason - and not just because you didn't know any better.
Is there a difference between a cliché and a common idiom? I'm not sure there is a clear line between the two. Some things are obviously cliché, but some phrases have become a more integral part of the language.
For example, what about
: "didn't know any better"? (I used it above.) Is that cliché?