It's raining cats and dogs...and other well-known cliches

It has been raining really heavily today, or, to use the cliche, it's been raining cats and dogs. A cliche is the term given for an overused or tired phrase or word which has been used so often that it has lost its appeal or meaning. In the case of this cats and dogs example, that is certainly the case - where does the phrase come from and how did it come to mean 'heavy rain'? Of course, cats and dogs have not been falling from the sky today. The most likely origin of the phrase is from the 17th century when heavy rain would cause the filthy streets to be washed clean of their debris, occasionally including corpses of dead animals, such as cats and dogs.

Cliches may be used in conversation, but in formal communication situations, their use should be avoided at all costs, as they show nothing other than a distinct lack of originality.

Common cliches include:

* larger than life
* sick as a dog
* tired as sin
* slow as a wet week

Cliches abound in the sports arena - sports commentators and sportspeople often fall back on cliches to express their feelings about a game or team performance:

* we dug deep
* we had our backs to the wall
* we came into the game as underdogs
* it was a team effort
* they need to orchestrate a comeback
* we had a red hot go
* they're a class act
* we were under the pump

Political and business cliches also proliferate:

* it's been a hard fought contest
* we're going to have to tighten our belts
* we need to take stock
* we need to address the bottom line
* let's think outside the box
* at the end of the day

Be creative in your speaking or writing and find fresh, new ways to make comparisons. I can't claim this one as my own, but the one of the best descriptions I've ever heard, and to continue the dog theme, was - "he's got the attention span of a two week old cocker spaniel".

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