Clichés and jargon
Stock phrases that readers skim past, and corporate jargon that hides the point, with plainer alternatives.
A cliché is a phrase used so often that it no longer creates the picture it once did. “Crystal clear”, “the tip of the iceberg” and “few and far between” all slide past the reader. Business jargon works the same way inside offices: “circle back”, “move the needle” and “low-hanging fruit” save the writer a thought and cost the reader one.
This list holds 337 stock phrases. About 100 are tagged jargon; the rest are ordinary clichés. Most entries suggest what to say instead, but the real fix is usually to say the specific thing the phrase was standing in for: a number, a name, a date, a reason.
The cliché finder and the editor mark these phrases in your text, including hyphenated spellings such as “low-hanging fruit”.
Use the list with judgment. A cliché can work in dialogue, in a deliberately casual piece, or when you turn it on its head. The guide Avoiding clichés shows how to rewrite the common ones.
The list (337 entries)
a dime a dozenTry: common
a picture is worth a thousand words
a stone's throwTry: nearby
across the boardTry: everywhere
action itemsjargonTry: tasks
actionable insightsjargonTry: useful findings
actions speak louder than words
add insult to injuryTry: make it worse
against all oddsTry: despite the odds
all hands on deckTry: everyone help
all in allTry: overall
all things consideredTry: overall
all walks of lifeTry: all backgrounds
as luck would have itTry: luckily
as old as the hillsTry: ancient
at a loss for wordsTry: speechless
at the crack of dawnTry: at dawn
at the drop of a hatTry: at once
at the end of the dayTry: in the end; ultimately
back to square oneTry: starting over
back to the drawing boardTry: start again
ball is in your courtTry: it's your decision
ballpark figurejargonTry: estimate
barking up the wrong treeTry: mistaken
beat around the bushTry: avoid the point
beating around the bushTry: avoiding the point
best in classjargonTry: the best
best of breedjargonTry: best
best thing since sliced breadTry: great idea
better late than never
beyond the shadow of a doubtTry: certainly
bigger fish to fryTry: more important things to do
bird's eye viewTry: overview
bite off more than you can chewTry: take on too much
bite the bulletTry: do it anyway
bleeding edgejargonTry: newest
blessing in disguiseTry: hidden benefit
blue sky thinkingjargonTry: creative thinking
boil the oceanjargonTry: try to do everything
boots on the groundjargonTry: people on site
bored to tearsTry: bored
brave new world
break the iceTry: start the conversation
bright and earlyTry: early
bring to the tablejargonTry: contribute
brings to the tablejargonTry: contributes
busy as a beeTry: busy
by and largeTry: mostly
by leaps and boundsTry: quickly
by the skin of my teethTry: barely
calm before the stormTry: quiet spell
cat got your tongue
champing at the bitTry: eager
chomping at the bitTry: eager
circle backjargonTry: follow up; return to
circle the wagonsTry: close ranks
circling backjargonTry: following up
come full circleTry: return to the start
cool as a cucumberTry: calm
core competenciesjargonTry: strengths
core competencyjargonTry: strength
cross that bridge when we come to itTry: deal with it later
cry over spilled milkTry: dwell on the past
cry over spilt milkTry: dwell on the past
crystal clearTry: clear
cut to the chaseTry: get to the point
cutting edgejargonTry: newest
dead as a doornailTry: dead
dead of nightTry: middle of the night
deep divejargonTry: close look
deliverablesjargonTry: results
don't count your chickens before they hatchTry: don't assume success
don't have the bandwidthjargonTry: don't have time
double click onjargonTry: look closer at
down to earthTry: practical
draw a line in the sandTry: set a limit
drill downjargonTry: look closer
drink the kool aidjargonTry: believe uncritically
drop in the bucketTry: tiny amount
drop in the oceanTry: tiny amount
dry as a boneTry: very dry
ducks in a rowjargonTry: organized
each and everyTry: each; every
easier said than doneTry: hard
elephant in the roomTry: the obvious problem
end to endjargonTry: complete
fair and squareTry: fairly
fall on deaf earsTry: be ignored
far and awayTry: by far
fell on deaf earsTry: was ignored
few and far betweenTry: rare
first and foremostTry: first
fish out of waterTry: out of place
fit as a fiddleTry: healthy
fly off the handleTry: lose your temper
food for thoughtTry: something to consider
for all intents and purposesTry: in effect
from the bottom of my heartTry: sincerely
from the get gojargonTry: from the start
game changerjargonTry: major change
game planjargonTry: plan
get cold feetTry: lose your nerve
get the ball rollingTry: start
go the extra mileTry: do more
going forwardjargonTry: from now on
going the extra mileTry: doing more
gone but not forgotten
good as goldTry: well behaved
got cold feetTry: lost their nerve
green with envyTry: jealous
growth hackingjargonTry: marketing
hard as nailsTry: tough
hard stopjargonTry: firm end time
have your cake and eat it tooTry: have it both ways
head over heelsTry: deeply
heart of goldTry: kind
heavy liftingjargonTry: hard work
helicopter viewjargonTry: overview
hit the ground runningjargonTry: start quickly
hit the nail on the headTry: be exactly right
hit the roadTry: leave
holistic approachjargonTry: complete approach
ideatejargonTry: brainstorm
in a nutshellTry: briefly
in hot waterTry: in trouble
in my wheelhousejargonTry: my specialty
in no uncertain termsTry: clearly
in the final analysisTry: finally
in the nick of timeTry: just in time
in the same boatTry: in the same situation
in the weedsjargonTry: lost in detail
in this day and ageTry: today; now
it goes without sayingTry: cut it
it is what it is
it stands to reasonTry: so
it's a small world
it's not rocket scienceTry: it's simple
jump on the bandwagonTry: follow the trend
jump the gunTry: act too soon
jumped on the bandwagonTry: followed the trend
keep me in the loopjargonTry: keep me informed
keep your chin upTry: stay positive
keep your eyes peeledTry: watch closely
key takeawaysjargonTry: main points
kill two birds with one stoneTry: do two things at once
knock on wood
labor of love
labour of love
last but not leastTry: finally
learningsjargonTry: lessons
leave no stone unturnedTry: search thoroughly
lesser of two evilsTry: better bad choice
let bygones be bygonesTry: forgive and forget
let sleeping dogs lieTry: leave it alone
let the cat out of the bagTry: reveal the secret
level playing fieldTry: fair conditions
level setjargonTry: agree on expectations
light at the end of the tunnelTry: sign of hope
like a kid in a candy storeTry: delighted
like the plagueTry: entirely; at all costs
lion's shareTry: most
long story shortTry: in short
loop you injargonTry: include you
lots of moving partsjargonTry: complicated
low hanging fruitjargonTry: easy wins
low hanging fruitsjargonTry: easy wins
make ends meetTry: get by
method to the madnessTry: a reason behind it
mission criticaljargonTry: essential
moment of truthTry: decisive moment
more than meets the eyeTry: more than it seems
move the dialjargonTry: make a difference
move the goalpostsTry: change the rules
move the needlejargonTry: make a difference
moving forwardjargonTry: from now on
moving the goalpostsTry: changing the rules
moving the needlejargonTry: making a difference
my two centsTry: my view
neck of the woodsTry: area
needle in a haystackTry: hard to find
needless to sayTry: cut it
net netjargonTry: in short
nip it in the budTry: stop it early
nipped in the budTry: stopped early
not the sharpest tool in the shed
nothing to sneeze atTry: significant
null and voidTry: void
off the beaten pathTry: remote
off the beaten trackTry: remote
on cloud nineTry: elated
on my radarjargonTry: aware of it
on our radarjargonTry: aware of it
on the same pagejargonTry: in agreement
once in a blue moonTry: rarely
open a can of wormsTry: create new problems
open the floodgates
open the kimonojargonTry: share information
opened a can of wormsTry: created new problems
out of the blueTry: unexpectedly
over and aboveTry: beyond
over the moonTry: delighted
pain in the neckTry: nuisance
pain pointsjargonTry: problems
paint the town redTry: celebrate
par for the courseTry: normal
paradigm shiftjargonTry: major change
part and parcelTry: part
pearls of wisdomTry: advice
peel the onionjargonTry: examine layer by layer
perfect stormTry: combination of problems
piece of cakeTry: easy
ping mejargonTry: message me
plain as dayTry: obvious
play devil's advocateTry: argue the other side
play it by earTry: improvise
plenty of fish in the sea
pot calling the kettle blackTry: hypocrisy
practice makes perfect
pretty as a pictureTry: pretty
pull out all the stopsTry: try everything
punt onjargonTry: postpone
push the envelopejargonTry: test the limits
pushing the envelopejargonTry: testing the limits
put a pin in itjargonTry: pause it
put all your eggs in one basketTry: risk everything on one thing
quick winsjargonTry: easy improvements
quiet as a mouseTry: silent
raining cats and dogsTry: raining hard
raise the barjargonTry: set higher standards
reach out tojargonTry: contact
reached out tojargonTry: contacted
reaching out tojargonTry: contacting
read between the linesTry: infer
reinvent the wheelTry: redo existing work
rest assuredTry: cut it
robust solutionjargonTry: reliable solution
rock the boatTry: cause trouble
run it up the flagpolejargonTry: test the idea
run of the millTry: ordinary
safe and soundTry: safe
salt of the earthTry: good people
scared to deathTry: terrified
sea changeTry: big change
seamless integrationjargonTry: smooth integration
second to noneTry: the best
see eye to eyeTry: agree
selling like hot cakesTry: selling fast
shed light onTry: explain
short and sweetTry: brief
sick and tiredTry: fed up
sigh of reliefTry: relief
silver bulletTry: simple fix
silver liningTry: upside
sink or swim
sit on the fenceTry: stay neutral
skin in the gamejargonTry: a stake
sleep like a logTry: sleep soundly
slept like a logTry: slept soundly
slowly but surelyTry: steadily
smart as a whipTry: clever
sooner or laterTry: eventually
spill the beansTry: reveal it
stand the test of timeTry: last
state of the artjargonTry: modern; latest
stick out like a sore thumbTry: be obvious
stood the test of timeTry: lasted
strike while the iron is hotTry: act now
synergiesjargonTry: shared benefits
synergizejargonTry: work together
synergyjargonTry: cooperation
table stakesjargonTry: basic requirements
take a rain checkTry: postpone
take it offlinejargonTry: discuss it separately
take it to the next leveljargonTry: improve it
take the bull by the hornsTry: act decisively
take this offlinejargonTry: discuss it separately
the best of both worlds
the big picturejargonTry: overview
the grass is always greener
the last strawTry: the limit
the new normaljargonTry: how things are now
the powers that beTry: those in charge
the real dealTry: genuine
the sky's the limit
the whole nine yardsTry: everything
think outside the boxjargonTry: think creatively
thinking outside the boxjargonTry: thinking creatively
thought leaderjargonTry: expert
thought leadershipjargonTry: expertise
thought showerjargonTry: brainstorm
threw in the towelTry: gave up
through thick and thinTry: always
throw caution to the windTry: take a risk
throw in the towelTry: give up
tickled pinkTry: delighted
tie the knotTry: marry
tiger teamjargonTry: special team
time is of the essenceTry: it's urgent
time will tellTry: we'll see
tip of the icebergTry: a small part
to the bitter endTry: to the end
touch basejargonTry: talk; check in
touching basejargonTry: talking; checking in
tried and testedTry: proven
tried and trueTry: proven
turn over a new leafTry: change
twist of fate
under the radarTry: unnoticed
under the weatherTry: ill
up in the airTry: undecided
uphill battleTry: struggle
upskilljargonTry: train
value addjargonTry: benefit
value propositionjargonTry: benefit; offer
vicious circle
walk on eggshellsTry: be careful
walking on eggshellsTry: being careful
water under the bridgeTry: in the past
ways and meansTry: methods
wear your heart on your sleeveTry: show your feelings
weather the stormTry: get through it
what goes around comes around
when all is said and doneTry: in the end
when it rains it pours
when push comes to shoveTry: if necessary
whole new ballgameTry: different situation
win winjargonTry: good for both sides
with a grain of saltTry: skeptically
with bated breathTry: eagerly
without further adoTry: cut it
wolf in sheep's clothing
word to the wiseTry: advice
world classjargonTry: excellent
worth its weight in goldTry: valuable
writing on the wallTry: warning sign
you can't judge a book by its coverTry: looks deceive
young at heartTry: youthful