About people who talk in cliches?

[Ritascornershop]

My exhusband and I are from different English-speaking countries (think Australia and Scotland or England and America etc). So when I met him (& was quite young) I don’t think I noticed that he talks in cliches as I likely put it down to him being fascinatingly foreign.

It’s difficult to explain, but it’s like he can’t speak more than a couple of sentences without falling back on cliches/idioms/figures of speech. It’s almost like he is from another planet and trying to copy human speech but “over-shooting the mark” as he’d put it.

Fortunately I don’t have to interact with him anymore, but I’m curious about this way of using speech. Is it lack of original thought, habit, class, intelligence? I don’t notice it with anyone else (outside his family!).

I think it indicates a kind of laziness of thinking. I’ve noticed in the last two or three years though that more people than ever seem to speak in cliches. It’s very dull and I can’t really be bothered talking to people who do it.

I know just what you mean OP, it’s particularly odd when they repeatedly use the same idiom, again and again. I remember a post on here where the OP used the phrase “she threw me under the bus” two or three times, and it came across very strangely!

Different strokes for different folks, to be fair.

Are you absolutely certain, OP, that you don't have any annoying verbal tics of your own? No "ums" liberally peppering your sentences? No words that you mispronounce? No reflexive pronoun abuse? No rising inflection at the end of a sentence? No Americanisms?

Because you'd be pretty unique if there's absolutely nothing you do that could irritate someone when talking. And, y'know....people who live in glass houses, and all that....

At the end of the day each to his own op don’t sweat the small stuff

I agree with you op. Annoying !

I can't stand it. I really think it has to do with the rise of reality TV. They all speak in clichés. 'it is what it is', being the worst fucking phrase ever invented, which I hear a lot of people using in day to day life.

YADNBU - that is not acceptable in any way, shape or form

I really think it has to do with the rise of reality TV

I agree! The TV is full of unscripted dimwits pontificating in cliches.

When people say “it is what it is” trying to sound all philosophical I feel like saying to them “you do realise that phrase has absolutely no meaning whatsoever?”
It’s the modern day equivalent of “at the end of the day”.

I also think it’s down to reality tv. Hours need to be filled without anybody saying anything.

My pet Mumsnet hate is “you’re over thinking this”. I genuinely wish it would be banned.

My ex did that, forty years ago.

My pet hate at the moment is 'You've got this' (or even worse 'You got this'). Arrrggghhhh! It's in ALL the children's films. In every single one, that lame, annoying line gets trotted out at some point - Toy Story 4, The Lion King, you name it.

I agree OP.

Even worse are people who mix two up in the same sentence.....

"Don't count your chickens before the cows come home."

Etc etc etc

We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it

Not quite the same but my husband uses the word "obviously" in every sentence.
The inly onvious thing is that he doesn't really understand the meaning of the word .

*only obvious (fat thumbs)

He is probably just pushing the envelope

I thought I was the only person who hated this as everyone else I come across seems to be unable to speak without silly phrases and cliches.

Given that some idioms in use today come from the plays of Shakespeare, i'd say they demonstrate just how rich and colourful our language is.

Mr Hilda and I didn't get where we are today by speaking in cliches. Thanks CJ.

@Hilda40 that made me chuckle .
I know someone that says 'it is what it is ' a lot , a few days ago I asked him what is it though ? he said it is how things are , argh we were talking about paint colours !

C’est la vie op you live by the sword die by the sword

Thanks all! Of course it gets on my last nerve more as it’s my exhusband and he’s pure poison and runs circles around me 😄

It always makes me feel I’m talking to fog when people do this as it often lacks clarity and gets in the way of true feeling. And it’s boring as well.

While I’m having a wee rant, I’d like to burn “reaching out” in an inferno it cannot survive. Whatever happened to simply contacting people? Reaching out sounds so overwrought and emotive (unless actually trying to contact someone in crisis ... even then I’d rather people didn’t).

Its ready made thoughts alreadly mapped out for use, no originality needed

And of course business wanks love it

I’m gonna run this up my flagpole and see who salutes. But at the end of the day, I think that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet..

I used to work in a company where clichéd speech was actually compulsory. Eg We weren't allowed to call a meeting a meeting, it was a cascade. They were obsessed with policing people's speech. It was quite sinister actually. Enforced clichés about blue sky thinking, thinking outside the box, parking an idea, reaching out, actioning things etc. It was hell on earth.