Every January, we’re flooded with well-meaning advice: “be true to yourself,” “start fresh,” “work smarter, not harder.” Some of it is genuinely helpful, and some of it just sounds wise because we’ve heard it so many times. For writers and careful speakers, the challenge isn’t avoiding familiar language altogether — it’s knowing when a figure of speech will be helpful in conveying your message.
A well-chosen aphorism can sharpen an idea, and a colorful idiom can make it memorable. A cliché, on the other hand, can drain it of life. As the new year invites reflection and resolution, it’s a good moment to choose our words with a little more intention. How can you tell the difference between an aphorism, an idiom, and a cliché?
An aphorism is a concise statement of a principle or a universal truth. Examples abound: “actions speak louder than words,” “practice makes perfect,” “better late than never,” “easier said than done,” “every cloud has a silver lining,” “look before you leap,” “money can’t buy happiness,” and “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Some aphorisms are direct quotes from or references to philosophy, poetry, and literature. For example: “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates), “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” (John Keats), “the truth is rarely pure and never simple” (Oscar Wilde), and many from Shakespeare.
Aphorisms are effective because they are short, punchy, and direct. They often use parallel structure for effect and to create a rhythm (“easy come, easy go”), and are typically constructed in the active voice (“speak softly and carry a big stick”).
An idiom, as Merriam-Webster defines it, is “an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for ‘undecided’) or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way).” Simply put, it’s a commonly understood expression that doesn’t match up to the definitions of its individual words.
Sources of idioms are varied and include card games, hunting, anatomy, the theater, and sports. For example,American English has been enriched with many idioms just from baseball: “in the ballpark,” “batting a thousand,” “it’s a brand-new ballgame,” “bush league,” “can’t get to first base,” “play hardball,” “heavy hitter,” “off base,” “out in left field,” “right off the bat,” “step up to the plate,” “swing for the fences,” “knock one out of the park,” “go down swinging,” “strike out,” “be thrown a curve ball,” “go to bat for someone,” and “touch base.”
A cliché is a trite, hackneyed phrase or expression. To name just a few: “tip of the iceberg,” “easy as pie,” “think outside the box,” and “fit as a fiddle.” You might recognize these as idioms — and they are — but clichés are worn out from overuse. Avoid falling back on a cliché — they reveal a lack of creativity and a reliance on dull word usage. It’s a fine line to tell when an idiom edges into cliché territory (as we could argue with a few of those baseball idioms), so if you think you’re falling back on the same stock phrases, maybe it’s time to search for a new option.
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