Craft & Style
Clichés
Detect overused phrases, dead metaphors, and hackneyed similes that weaken original prose.
What It Does
Matches prose against a categorized list of clichéd expressions. Each match is identified by category so you know what kind of cliché you're reaching for and can find a fresh alternative.
Why It Matters
Clichés were once vivid — "cold as ice" impressed the first person who said it. After thousands of repetitions, they've become invisible. Readers skim right past them without forming an image. Original metaphors and descriptions force the reader to see things anew.
What Gets Flagged
Seven Cliché Categories
Severity: Information
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Dead metaphors | "tip of the iceberg", "light at the end of the tunnel" |
| Hackneyed similes | "cold as ice", "quiet as a mouse", "clear as crystal" |
| Emotional clichés | "heart skipped a beat", "blood ran cold", "tears streamed" |
| Narrative clichés | "little did they know", "it was a dark and stormy night" |
| Description clichés | "piercing blue eyes", "chiseled jaw" |
| Action clichés | "let out a breath they didn't know they held" |
| Worn idioms | "at the end of the day", "easier said than done" |
Example (flagged):
Her blood ran cold as she stood frozen in her tracks.
Why: Three clichés in one sentence — "blood ran cold," "stood frozen," and "in her tracks." The reader gets zero new imagery.
Suggested revision:
A taste like copper flooded her mouth. Her knees locked.
Configuration
No configuration options.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Line-level
- Method: Case-insensitive regex matching against categorized phrase lists