The term cliche is defined as an overused expression or idea. In our society cliches have become common expressions we take for granted everyday. Never knowing the meaning of the expression, its origin, or its use, past or present. In this paper, six well known cliches will be explained in detailed for a better understanding of the words we take for granted everyday. The six common cliches are age before beauty, bite the dust, bury the hatchet, call a spade a spade, to fall for someone, and keep up with the joneses.

First, age before beauty was introduced in to American slang in the late 19th and early 2oth century. The term, age before beauty, was mostly used by young girls to mock courtesy to a somewhat older man. Today the meaning is still the same. An example of the cliche is a sentence " Tim please go first through the line, you know that age comes before beauty.

Next, to fall for someone is defined as, to be taken in or deceived; to be captivated by or enamored of. The term originated in American slang in the late nineteenth century, and then adopted on both sides of the Atlantic. The term was first noticed in "The mayor fell for it" (R.L. McCardell, Conversations with a Chorus Girl, 1903). A common sentence used: I fell for her the moment I saw her.

Fourth, to call a spade a spade is to call something by its right name and to speak frankly about something. In use since at least 300BC, the term pre-dates the slang use of spade meaning Negro as exemplified in 'as black as the ace of spades'. The cliche used in a sentence: Let's call a spade a spade. The man is a liar.

the dust means to fall to defeat and or die. The term derived from the Bible, Old Testament, Psalms lxxii. 6, which says, " His enemies shall lick the dust." This term has also been used in many B-feature cowboy movies. For example

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Approximate Word count = 641
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)