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 like some phrases, I dislike others. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Not quite the same but my husband uses the word "obviously" in every sentence.

Literally every day, I hear literally thousands of people who literally can't say a single sentence without literally including one particular word about 20 times - literally.

I had a team leader in one job I worked in who loved her cliches. Whenever somebody started a sentence with "I thought that....", she would interrupt and say "Well, you know what thought did!" I never quite got this. Is it actually a cliche, or was she mixing it up with 'curiosity'?!

She was also extremely fond of the phrase 'done and dusted', which was irritating enough; but it was bizarre when she would split it. She would mention a task that I'd been working on and ask "Is it done?" A perfectly reasonable question and I would reply "Yes, all done." She would then invariably follow up with "Is it dusted?" How on earth am I meant to respond to that?! For reference, I was working at a computer in an office - if we'd been a cleaning company, it would have actually made sense!

MrsTSwift I think you've hit on what is currently guiding our politicians. Perhaps you should have a word.....

Ugh yes to 'reaching out'. My head of department can only speak in this sort of corporate wank speech. 'touch base' is another favourite. When I complained to DH, he turned it into sexy talk - 'I'd like to reach out and touch your base' and now I can't hear it without thinking of that

Oh my goodness I met an OLD yesterday that said several times "that's the way the cookie crumbles" and it really put me off! It would start to grate after a couple of conversations I think!

'I'd like to reach out and touch your base' and now I can't hear it without thinking of that

We are where we are. Let’s draw a line under your relationship after all what will be will be. Hopefully you had your ducks in a row when you left him and are now moving onwards and upwards. Alls well that ends well after all. Am sure he was punching above his weight when he was with you and there are plenty more fish in the sea

Oh god I can’t stop!!

I’m in the same position with us both coming from different English speaking countries and I really notice he uses idiomatic speech a lot more than I do, sometimes I have to ask him to speak in simple direct sentences

My head of department can only speak in this sort of corporate wank speech.

I often wonder at what point in their lives people start to speak like this, as you don't hear children doing it. And do they continue to do it with their friends/partner/children? (Probably.)

unacorda - this made me imagine 3 year olds saying they'll 'reach out' to arrange their next play date 😂

I was fired by someone who talks this corporate wank-speech. I think at least part of the reason (I was fired) was that I had to keep asking what she actually meant - and about 80% of the time it was clear she was just spouting buzzwords without actually thinking about what they mean.

I have mixed feelings about being fired

You’d probably hate my posts then 🤷🏻‍♀️ I use a lot of the phrases I was brought up with such as ‘at the end of the day’ & the like

But I detest the over & incorrect uses of ‘literally’ & ‘like’

And really cannot stand the rah rah phrases such as ‘you got this’ & ‘You go girl’

Corporate speak is the worst though & the fact that it’s spilling out into everyday speech more & more is irritating!

“At the end of the day” is actually my worst one. I worked in a small solicitors firm in my twenties and every other client seemed to use “at the end of the day” repeatedly god it was annoying.

The one I hate is "you don't get to...." in a debate. Sounds like an entitled American child

Reminds me of that Star Trek episode where Picard has to decipher an alien language where they use only metaphors 😂 “Damok and Jalad at Tanegra!”

Here -

My DD has s french oral exam today, I was checking she could say “literally” in French, otherwise she will be struck dumb...literally!

Anyone watch Car Share when it was on?

Hello, Dave.
'John, it's Dave.
Listen, FYI, 'I've just had Colin on from CJK 'and he's thrown us a bit of a curveball at the 11th hour.
'He said that the earliest he can get it to us will be close of play.
'Wednesday.
Now, do you think you can run with that?' Wednesday? Oh, it's going to be tight.
It's going to be touch and go.
I don't think we'll have enough boots on the ground to wrap our heads around it.
We don't want to paint ourselves into a corner, Dave.
'I hear you loud and clear, John, 'but we need to close the loop on this.
If we hit the ground running 'on Wednesday, I think it'll be win-win.
'But we need to keep our powder dry.
We can't afford to drop 'the ball at this late stage of the game.
' Yeah, agreed.
We're going to have to go belt and braces on this.
I'll speak to the rest of the team, A-SAP.
I'm sure they'll go that extra mile.
'We need 110%, John, nothing less.
' You'll get it, Dave.

Chilling. Everything on here lately is chilling.

A couple of weeks ago someone told me I always say 'to be fair' - I had no idea I said it so often
Now I'm so bloody conscious of it, I keep stumbling halfway through sentences.
(I like to be fair, I like to give both sides of argument... bah )

YABU on so many levels. 😂

That's the way the cookie crumbles
Anyone remember the Jack Lemmon film - think it was The Apartment - where he says "that's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise"? I've always preferred his version of that cliche.

I say 'it is as it is' in Spanish. But only because I learned that apparently if you spell SOCKS out loud it sounds almost perfect, and it amuses me to do so.

Yes! Mrs T and Norma with the car share, this was him. Somehow he often also managed to be verbally abusive while talking like this.