A cliché, truism, or platitude was a phrase or action that had become overused to the point of making users of the phrase seem to lack imagination or be boring.
Stephen G. Richey's assessment of the novel Hotel Royale by Todd Matthews was that it was rife with "endless cliché and shallow characters". As a result, he looked forward to death after being subjected to living in a world created for him using the book as a reference. (TNG: "The Royale")
In 2366, after placing himself in harm's way to save the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, a Human Q referred to Jean-Luc Picard's penchant for pulling off a rescue at the last minute as a tired cliché, urging him not to do so in this case, hoping to gain dignity through self-sacrifice that he had failed to achieve in Human form until then. (TNG: "Deja Q")
Prior to becoming a tailor, Garak lived by the motto "Never let sentiment get in the way of your work." Though a cliché, he found there was truth to the saying. He used this motto to justify killing Quark in 2370 when the Ferengi had gotten in too deep. (DS9: "Profit and Loss")
In 2373, Jake Sisko told Nog not to quote clichés at him before he had had breakfast. (DS9: "The Ascent")
In 2374, Kasidy Yates told Benjamin Sisko the fact he knew all the clichés by heart was what made him a good parent. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")
| Figures of speech |
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| Adages • Allusion • Aphorism • Axiom • Cliché • Colloquialism • Euphemism • Hyperbole • Idiom • Metaphor • Motto • Onomatopoeia • Oxymoron • Personification • Profanity • Proverb • Quotation • Rhetoric • Rhetorical question • Saying • Simile • Slang |
| Subjective parlance: Arts • Biblical • Economic • Legal • Medical • Military • Nautical • Sports |