It's Been Said Before

Careful writers and speakers agree that clich�s are generally to be avoided. However nearly all of us continue to use them. Why do they persist in our language? <p/>In <em>It's Been Said Before</em> lexicographer Orin Hargraves examines the peculiar idea and power of the clich�. He helps readers understand why certain phrases became clich�s and why they should be avoided -- or why they still have life left in them. Indeed clich�s can be useful -- even powerful. And few people even agree on which expressions are clich�s and which are not. Many regard any frequent idiom as a clich� and a phrase regarded as a clich� in one context may be seen simply as an effective expression in another. Examples drawn from data about actual usage support Hargraves' identification of true clich�s. They also illuminate his commentary on usage problems and helpful suggestions for eliminating clich�s where they serve no useful purpose. <p/>Concise and lively <em>It's Been Said Before</em> serves as a guide to the most overused phrases in the English language -- and to phrases that are used exactly as often as they should be.<br>