Clichés
Clichés are stale combinations of words that we have all heard repeatedly. In speech they may be excusable; in writing they betray laziness and lack of imagination. Here are some popular ones. You can doubtless think of others. Remember, if it's been said that way before (many times) why would anyone want to read it again?

at the end of the day

real time

at this (or that) point in time (use "now" or "then")

rocket scientist

back burner

about (as in "It's not about that; it's about this.")

says it all

been there, done that

bottom line

slippery slope

hopefully (when you mean "I hope")

cutting edge

spaced out

tell it like it is

up front

viable alternative

wall-to-wall

game plan

you better believe

gut feeling

chill out

hands on

in essence

in-depth

near future

laid-back

time frame

major breakthrough

communication problem

name of the game

in the last analysis

pig out

foreseeable future

quality of life

state of the art

meaningful relationship



Redundancies:

new initiatives

end result

future plans

serious crisis

important essentials

final outcome

Weasel words, smoke balls, and computerspeak:

input

output

interface

parameter

feedback

all verbs constructed from nouns by adding -ize (finalize, maximize, prioritize, strategize, incentivize)

nouns made into verbs (to impact, to host, to access)

utilize (when you mean "use'")

actually

arguably

ongoing

virtually

implement

more (or very) unique

increasingly

burnout

prestigious

thrust

presently

networking

operative

clearly

whatever

credibility

awesome (ruined forever by teen-age hyperbole)

update

basically

lifestyle

upcoming

-wise (suffix)

less (when you mean fewer)

Hopefully, we will not utilize any of the above in view of the bottom line which is to implement writing which will maximize our efforts communicationswise. Needless to say, all subject matter will be personally reviewed and there will be negative feedback on any in-house violations which impact at that point in time on our efforts to sustain a viable dialogue. In essence, our future plan is to observe the indicated information parameters and/or rules or this time frame might produce a final outcome which is not mutually beneficial to our lifestyles. The above list will be updated in the near future as necessary to produce the desired end result. Stay tuned for ongoing revisions. Meaningful suggestions are welcome.

Here is a selection of clichés taken from one (published) student essay:

brief moments (used twice)

crystal clear

shrouded in secrecy

accurately recall

getting ahead of myself

fast friends

earliest memories

I was in for a fight

more than I could have imagined

all was not forgotten

flippant attitude