THERE’S A CLICHÉ FOR THAT!

Clichés, upon their inception, are probably striking and thought-provoking. Word gets around. That’s how they become clichés! And because of them, you need never be at a loss for words.

When It’s Time to Calm Down:

Don’t get your knickers in a twist
Cool your jets
Dial it back a notch
Get a grip (on yourself)
Keep your hair/hat on
Beside oneself

Energized:

Pumped up
A shot in the arm
High on life
Raring to go
Chomping at the bit
Full of fizz

Shame:

Has his tail between his legs
Hang his head
Can’t look herself in the mirror

Pride:

Proud as a peacock
Pride goes before a fall
Big fish in a small pond

Don’t Be Fooled/Naive:

All that glitters is not gold
Don’t buy a pig in a poke
You can’t judge a book by its cover
Always read the fine print

Group Solidarity:

All for one and one for all
Get with the program
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
Close ranks
All hands on deck

Shy or Speechless:

Cat got your tongue
A closed mouth gathers no feet
Tongue tied

Outgoing/Confident:

Life of the party
Belle of the ball
Could hold a conversation with a stump

Fast:

At the speed of light
Time flies
In a jiffy
Back in a sec
Take off like a bat out of hell
Before you could say Jack Robinson

Slow:

At a snail’s pace
Dragging one’s feet
Slow but sure
Moving as slow as molasses in January

Pay Attention to the Unspoken:

Read between the lines
Read the room
Pick up on the vibes

Having Fun:

Having the time of one’s life
Without a care in the world
Kicking back
Party down
In hog heaven
As happy as a clam

Bad Mood:

Got up on the wrong side of the bed
Face like a stormcloud
All bent out of shape

When It’s Bad:

A fate worse than death
Have to reach up to touch bottom
Up a creek without a paddle
If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all
Behind the eight (8) ball

Rich:

Rich as Croesus
More money than sense
Money to burn
On Easy Street
Puttin’ on the Ritz
Top drawer
To the manor born
Blue blood
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth

Poor:

No two nickels to rub together
Poor as church mice
Barely keeping body and soul together

When All Perceived Choices are Bad (What Psychologists Call an Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict):

Between a rock and a hard place
A lose-lose proposition
Between the devil and the deep blue sea

When Something has Both Positive and Negative Aspects (What Psychologists Call an Approach-Avoidance Conflict):

Take the bitter with the sweet
Every cloud has a silver lining
Two sides to the coin

Old:

Old as dirt
Long in the tooth
Of advanced years
Old as Methuselah
Classmates with a caveman
With Noah on the ark
Old as the hills
Bloom is off the rose
On the far side of (arbitrary year)

Young:

Babe in arms
A babe in the woods
Younger than springtime
Wet behind the ears

Ugly:

Ugly as sin
A face only a mother could love
A face that would crack mirrors
S/he’s been hit with an ugly stick
Ugly as a hat full of holes

Beautiful:

Pretty is as pretty does
Show-stopping beauty
Breathtaking beauty
Adonis
Greek god(dess)
A face that could launch a thousand ships
Blonde bombshell
Drop-dead gorgeous
As fine as frog’s hair
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Beauty is only skin deep
Built like a brick sh#thouse

Frightened:

Scared to death
Scared out of my wits
Heart-stopping fear
Causing gray hair

Cowardly:

Lily-livered
Scared of one’s own shadow
Spineless
Cold feet
Yellow through and through

Brave:

Lion hearted
Nerves of steel
Stand your ground

Stupid:

Dumb as a stump
Not the brightest crayon in the box
Was behind the door when brains were being handed out
Dumb as a sack of hammers
Not playing with a full deck
If s/he had another half a brain, it would be lonely
Not burdened with an overabundance of smarts
Twice as strong as an ox and half as smart
A few fries short of a happy meal

Smart:

Sharp as a tack
Head stuffed full of brains
An Einstein

Optimism:

Time heals all wounds
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Don’t cry over spilled milk
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step
Always look on the bright side

Pessimism:

Chicken Little
Black Cloud
The glass is always half empty

Difficult:

An uphill battle
Rowing against the current

Easy:

Low-hanging fruit
Easy as pie
Walk in the park
Piece of cake
Like taking candy from a baby
Walk-over

Clumsy:

Two left feet
All thumbs
Made of knees and elbows
Able to trip over air
Graceful as a hog on ice

When the Outcome is Obvious:

The writing’s on the wall
It’s all over but the shouting
As plain as the nose on your face
A foregone conclusion

Planning/Strategy:

Play your cards right
Measure twice, cut once
Look before you leap
Better safe than sorry
Bring it to the table
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A good beginning makes a good ending
Strike while the iron is hot
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
A stitch in time saves nine
Hedge one’s bets

Surprise:

A bolt from the blue
Gobsmacked

Ending Conflict:

Kiss and make up
Declare victory and go home
Bury the hatchet

Envy:

Green with envy
Channeling the green-eyed monster
The grass is always greener

Love:

Opposites attract
Love at first sight
Love you to the moon and back
Head over heels in love
Love conquers all
All is fair in love and war
A faint heart never wins fair lady
Love you more than life itself
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Out of sight, out of mind

Patience:

Time will tell
Haste makes waste
A watched pot never boils
All in due time

Pregnancy:

A bun in the oven
In the family way
Knocked up
A shotgun wedding
Big as a house
Big as the broad side of a barn
Biological clock is ticking

Sterility:

Shooting blanks
No little swimmers

Sober:

Sober as a judge
On the wagon
Always the designated driver
Teetotaler

Drunk:

Smashed
High
Plastered
Shellacked
The morning after the night before
The hair of the dog that bit you
Drunk as a skunk
Three sheets to the wind
Full of liquid courage
Cork high and bottle deep

These are just a few examples. You can find hundreds online, should you want to!

Bottom Line: What was once a fresh way of looking at something has become weak, losing its novelty or figurative and artistic power—but clichés are still useful!