2022-01-17 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – cliché & cliched

Revision C

2022-01-17

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – cliché & cliched – click & clique

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Dictionary.com:

ออกเสียง cliché =”klee-SHEY” or “kli-SHEY”

ออกเสียง cliched = “klee-SHEYD” or “kli-SHEYD”

ออกเสียง click = “KLIK”

ออกเสียง clique = “KLEEK” or “KLIK”

Dictionary.com:

MORE ABOUT CLICHE

What does cliché mean?

A cliché is an expression, idea, or action

that has been overused to the point of

seeming worn out, stale, ineffective, or meaningless.

It especially refers to common phrases and elements of art,

such as a movie plot.

Cliché can also be used as an adjective to describe such things.

It is very often seen as cliche, without the accent mark over the e.

Example:

Politicians’ speeches are often filled with one cliché after another

so they don’t actually have to say anything meaningful.

Where does cliché come from?

The first recorded use of cliché

meaning “an overused expression” comes from the 1880s.

But cliché was originally used (earlier in the 1800s)

in the context of printing to refer to

a type of metal plate used to reproduce images.

This word was borrowed directly from the French word cliché,

which had this meaning and was based on the French word clicher, meaning “to make such a plate.”

Interestingly, this device was also called a stereotype,

a term that also went on to have a figurative meaning

dealing with repeated ideas.

Such printing methods eventually went out of fashion,

but the association with mass duplication stuck.

Just as a printing machine creates copies of images over and over, a cliché is something that has been used over and over again.

Most commonly, cliché is used to refer to an expression

or phrase that has been overused,

especially to the point that it has lost its impact;

think outside the box,

actions speak louder than words,

for all intents and purposes

—these are all expressions that are clichés.

Writers are often taught to avoid these kinds of clichés in their writing,

but fiction writers and other artists

often also try to avoid another kind of cliché:the stale idea.

It’s hard to be original,but some things have been done to death.

Explosions in action movies or a couple kissing at the end of a love story are two examples of well-worn clichés.

Things that are overdone can be described with the adjective cliché,

as in

Pro athletes talking about giving 110 percent

and overcoming adversity is so cliché.

Cliché can also be used to describe

commonly done things in everyday life,

as in

I know it’s a cliché, but I can’t do anything before I have my coffee

or Would it be cliché if I sent her flowers?

A person who follows all the most popular trends

or who lives a very conventional lifestyle may be called a walking cliché.

Truth be told, maybe that’s just the way it is.

Everything’s been done.

There’s nothing new under the sun.

It is what it is.

So just live and let live, you know?

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

Synonyms:

cliché, bromide, platitude, truism
These nouns denote an expression or idea

that has lost its originality or force through overuse:

a short story weakened by clichés;

the bromide that we are what we eat;

a eulogy full of platitudes;

a once-original thought that is now a truism.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

Usage Note:

The use of cliché as an adjective meaning "clichéd"

goes back to the 1950s.

Nonetheless, this usage is traditionally considered improper,

and the majority of the Usage Panel agrees with that assessment.

In 2011, 79% of the Panel considered the sentence

It would sound very cliché to say he died as he lived, helping people

to be unacceptable.

About a fifth of the Panelists, however, found this usage

either somewhat or completely acceptable.

As is the case with most nouns,

the use of cliché in compounds,

such as cliché-ridden, meaning "full of clichés,"

is perfectly acceptable.

The use of cliché as an adjective

is alluring because English has borrowed some é-final adjectives

from French participles,

such as passé and recherché.

Because the overwhelming use of cliché is as a noun,

however, the English adjective

wasoriginally formed directly from that noun by adding -d,

the same process that gives us words

such as barefaced, single-spaced, and fated.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

What is the Difference Between cliché and stereotype?

The words cliché and stereotype have a good deal in common.

Both come from French, both were originally printers’ terms,

and both have come to take on somewhat negative meanings

in modern use.

Their original meanings are essentially synonymous,

referring to printing blocks from which numerous prints could be made.

In fact, cliché means stereotype in French.

Their modern meanings, however, are quite distinct.

Cliché is today overwhelmingly encountered

in reference to something hackneyed,

such as

an overly familiar or commonplace phrase, theme, or expression.

Stereotype is most frequently now

employed to refer to an often unfair and untrue belief

that many people have about all people

or things with a particular characteristic.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Word History

'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before

A word you can't avoid for something you might want to avoid

We are taught to avoidclichés in our writing.

But what makes something a cliché?

By definition,

a clichés is a trite phrase or expression

orthe idea expressedby such wording.

More broadly,

it refers to anything that is so commonplace

that it lacks freshness

oroffers nothing new in the way of interest or insight.

Since most of us first learn about clichés in a writing class,

verbal clichés are the first kind we usually think of

—phrases that sound like adages,

such as “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,”

or similes like “mad as a wet hen.”

Because we have heard such phrases so frequently,

writing teachers advise that we avoid them in our writing

because the reader isn’t as likely to engage with writing

that isn’t saying anything new.

Plus, no one needs that many chicken references.

It is that idea of staleness and unoriginality

that makes clichés identifiable and something to avoid

when you are looking to create something vivid.

It is no accident that clichés have a lot in common with stereotypes

—the word cliché actually means "stereotype" in French,

referring to the method of printing newspapers with interlocking plates

and then

using a mold to form a new plate that prints the entire page at once.

Cliché is the past participle of the verb, clicher,

meaning “to produce or print in stereotype.”

The word is onomatopoeic, alluding to

the noise of the die striking the metal to lock the plates in place.

The notion of mechanical reproduction being a metaphor

for a repeated idea comes up in stereotype itself,

which can mean “something conforming to a fixed or general pattern”

or “a standard or oversimplified opinion that is shared by many people,”

as well as in boilerplate, the term for standard or formulaic language

(such as that used in contracts).

Nowadays,

cliché isn’t restricted to habits of language or narrative technique.

The word can describe

something that seems to occur over and over again,

often causing a feeling of fatigue in the viewer:

Amusingly enough,

some commentators found the word cliché

to be a bit of a cliché in its own right,

a tired way for critics to identify commonplace language.

The word was first entered in English-language dictionaries in the 1890s, with the OED labeling cliché a foreign word.

By the 1920s, at least one writer had had his fill of it:

Dictionary.com:

How To Write Without Using Cliches

Published November 15, 2019

When it comes to clichéd phrases, it’s time to set the record straight.

We all use them (and we just did)!

And while they are often seen as trite, overused, or hackneyed language, clichés can serve a purpose.

They’re essentially a shorthand (easy way)

to express particular ideas or images.

However, using too many clichés is a sign of a lazy writer.

Clichéd language, plots, or characters can leave readers feeling bored, because they have quite literally seen andread it all before.

And we don’t want that for your readers—they deserve better.

That’s why we have some suggestions

to replace common clichés, no matter the genre.

To be honest

One should always strive for honesty.

It’s an admirable trait.

(Although a few white lies are socially acceptable,

like telling Grandma

you absolutely loved the pair of socks she got you for your birthday.)

You hope that your readers assume you’re an honest person.

But the cliché to be honest

implies that whatever was said before was somehow dishonest or untrue.

People use to be honest

to signal that they (or their characters) are about to say

something that might beunpopular or negative.

There’s nothing wrong with giving folks a heads up

that you’re about to give a hot take.

However, bringing honesty into it

implies that being forthright is a problem.

Next time you find yourself reaching for this stock phrase,

try substituting stronger, more specific language.

For example,

you could say, “While unpopular, my opinion is … ”

or one of the following:

Or, maybe it’s time to ask yourself:

do you need to use the expression at all?

Maybe you could cut it and get straight to the point.

It goes without saying

It goes without saying is a subordinate clause,

meaning that it something has to be said after it.

For example, “It goes without saying that this cliché is unnecessary.”

If something truly goes without saying,

then it doesn’t need to be said at all!

If something does need to be said,

just come out and say it without the preamble.

When people use this cliché,

they’re expressing how obvious or self-evident an idea is,

sometimes as part of a rebuttal in an argument.

With that in mind, try more straightforward, stronger language

to simply state the idea or topic you’re discussing.

Or try something like, “It’s generally accepted that … ” as well as:

In his/her/their/your/my element

The notion of being in your element is an old one.

It comes from the 1590s,

and element referred to something’s natural environment.

It was related to the ancient notion that

all things were naturally connected to one of the four elements:

earth, air, fire, or water.

We’re not sure if the cliché itself is over 400 years old,

but given how overused it is, it may as well be.

Today, being in your element describes someone

who seems so at ease in a scenario that they seem born into it.

It’s a staple of sports commentary, the Land of Clichés.

Describing someone as being in their element is, well, overly naturalistic.

It’s also not terribly descriptive.

Next time you feel tempted to use it,

try saying someone “seems at ease” in their environment

or they have a “nuanced” understanding of the situation.

Also, someone in their element is someone who performs:

Time is of the essence

If you drill into it, you’re really just saying that

something is time sensitive with this cliché.

It’s an overly formal way of expressing a fairly simple idea

—that something has to be done quickly.

Using action-based, direct language,

such as We have to do this now

or We rushed to complete the task

is a more engaging way to get the same idea across.

You can also try these synonyms for hurry:

To play devil’s advocate

This cliché is a staple of annoying social media arguments.

Not only is it rarely used in earnest,

it’s so overused as to immediately make you want to roll your eyes.

The concept of a devil’s advocate comes from the Catholic Church.

It was the person who was tasked with arguing against the canonization of someone for sainthood.

Today, it’s used by anyone who presents a contrary argument,

most often as a rhetorical device to distance the speaker from the argument they’re making.

If you’re using the cliché devil’s advocate

to distance yourself from the argument you’re making, just … don’t make it. Stand behind your argument if it’s truly the point you want to make!

If you want to make it clear that you’re arguing the other side of a point without claiming it’s your own, you can say,

“To take the other position” or “Couldn’t it be argued that … ?”

Try also using:

Honestly, the devil really doesn’t need an advocate.

Boys will be boys

There’s been a lot of talk in the media and online about men behaving badly, a notion often described as toxic masculinity.

Some on the other side of the issue wave this off with the cliché boys will be boys, implying that boys innately act in antisocial ways.

This cliché implies that boys (and, by extension, men)

can’t learn to do better.

But all humans have the capacity to learn new behaviors.

Further, it doesn’t really advance the argument in an articulate, specific way.

Instead of relying on boys will be boys, make a specific statement about the behaviors you’re justifying or describing. A concrete statement like,

“We should let children make mistakes and learn from them”

or “Boys are prone to [insert generalization here]”

could both work better to explain what you’re thinking.

You can also use verbs like:

Or, maybe reflect on why boys will be boys is a thing but girls will be girls isn’t. Just saying.

For all intents and purposes

Let’s say up front that there isn’t anything inherently wrong with this cliché, although it is somewhat overused.For all intents and purposes is an overly wordy and formal way of saying “in effect” or “in every practical sense.”

This expression is routinely turned into a malapropism.

For every time you see “for all intents and purposes” in the correct context, you’ve probably seen it used a million times as “for all intensive purposes,” “for all intent and purposes,” and even “for all in tents and porpoises.”

We made that last one up, but you get the point.

To avoid making an embarrassing error when employing this cliché,

we recommend just skipping it altogether.

There are many more concise options:

If you just have to use it, double-check your spelling.

No offense to porpoises.

We’ve given you some ideas here about how you can strengthen your writing by avoiding clichés, but it all boils down to one overall piece of advice: don’t hide behind what you’re trying to express. Just come out and say it, using concrete, specific language.

Common Errors in English Usage Dictionary:

Cliché & cliched

One often hears young people say

“That movie was so cliché!”

The standard expression is clichéd.

Common Errors in English Usage Dictionary:

Click & clique

Students lamenting

the division of their schools into snobbish factions

often misspell “clique”as “click.”

In the original French,“clique” was synonymous with “claque”

—an organized group of supporters at a theatrical event

who tried to prompt positive audience response

by clapping enthusiastically,

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree:

Clique = exclusive group of friends or associates:

The members formed a clique.

Not to be confused with:

click – a brief, sharp sound:

The click of her heels was heard on the stairs.;

= to press a computer button:

click on “open”

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms:

Clique = a narrow circle of friends;

= an exclusive set

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2022-01-17 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – cliché & cliched – click & clique

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