A cliche is a vivid depiction of an abstract matter that works by means of analogy and/or exaggeration. The picture used usually is drawn from everyday experience so that the recipient most probably is able to relate to the depiction by tentatively querying his reaction to what is conveyed in the picture. I get many suggestions of cliches to add to this list -- sometimes as many as a few hundred a day. As such, I consider myself quite experienced in identifying cliches. And, reading all these suggestions, I've realized something of late: too many people don't know what cliches are. Just look at some recent suggestions I've gotten for the list: 1  That sucks! 2  He's so fat, he sat around the house.