Discuss and interpolate on the topic:

[Frederick Kesner]

"...a word, a line, or phrase once thought and spoken, written and read becomes the new cliché..."

[BenJohnson]

"...a word, a line, or phrase once thought and spoken, written and read becomes the new cliché..."

It would need to be at least repeated to start on the path to cliché. I suspect it would become a catchphrase, buzz word or something similar first, clichés are sayings or phrases which as done to death, they are so well known that there is nothing fresh in them to the hearer.

For example the phrase 'think outside the box'. The first time it was uttered it was fresh to the hearer. It spread by word of mouth and text landing as a fresh phrase upon the ears of each listener. They then reused it and it became a common catchphrase, but it was still new enough to make people think about it. Now it has reached to the level of cliché where listeners know what is going to be said before it is finished and will switch off out of boredom.

[Frederick Kesner]

It would need to be at least repeated to start on the path to cliché. I suspect it would become a catchphrase, buzz word or something similar first, clichés are sayings or phrases which as done to death, they are so well known that there is nothing fresh in them to the hearer.

For example the phrase 'think outside the box'. The first time it was uttered it was fresh to the hearer. It spread by word of mouth and text landing as a fresh phrase upon the ears of each listener. They then reused it and it became a common catchphrase, but it was still new enough to make people think about it. Now it has reached to the level of cliché where listeners know what is going to be said before it is finished and will switch off out of boredom.

Therein lies the key to ascribing the concept of "cliché" to poetry. Often times people will dismiss as a phrase, a line, a stanza or an entire poem as cliché when in fact they haven't been 'done to death' (so to speak). How much repetition or spread of use will make sayings or phrases cliché? Is the an SI measurement or scale? The problem would be even more apparent in the field of lyrical poetry and song writing, wherein the use of cliché is often necessary to aid in the composition and construction of meaning.

On that last sentence, if a person/reader is switched off out of boredom, then that line or phrase/poem can be termed as clichéd... or should it? I suppose the temper, preference, learnedness, sophistication, and exposure of the individual reader would play into this as well. Poetry no longer seems to be a one-size-fits-all and has diversified so that there would be sub-cultures within sub-cultures that would cater to all and sundry. I suppose this is why there are tributary threads and specialised sections in forums in order to keep from people getting bored.

Thanks for responding, Ben. I am quite liking the discussion thus far.

[Maggie]

Therein lies the key to ascribing the concept of "cliché" to poetry. Often times people will dismiss as a phrase, a line, a stanza or an entire poem as cliché when in fact they haven't been 'done to death' (so to speak). How much repetition or spread of use will make sayings or phrases cliché? Is the an SI measurement or scale? The problem would be even more apparent in the field of lyrical poetry and song writing, wherein the use of cliché is often necessary to aid in the composition and construction of meaning.

On that last sentence, if a person/reader is switched off out of boredom, then that line or phrase/poem can be termed as clichéd... or should it? I suppose the temper, preference, learnedness, sophistication, and exposure of the individual reader would play into this as well. Poetry no longer seems to be a one-size-fits-all and has diversified so that there would be sub-cultures within sub-cultures that would cater to all and sundry. I suppose this is why there are tributary threads and specialised sections in forums in order to keep from people getting bored.

Thanks for responding, Ben. I am quite liking the discussion thus far.

Here's where the discussion of cliches often gets muddled in my opinion. ( at least in terms of writing )

A person who rarely reads might hit upon something that sounds very fresh, exciting, and new to them. But if you take someone like me who is a prolific reader, that very same phrase (especially if there is no new perspective on it) might seem cliche because I have read it before.

Hence is where the problem often lies. :)