Donna Kozik, Copywriter

I've always said that the reason cliches are cliches is because they're true, but I've worked more and more to eliminate them from my copywriting and instead take a few minutes to think of something original.

The Plain English Campaign, led by John Lister, has released the results of its survey that sought out the most irritating cliches. Do you agree?

The Most Irritating Clichés:
1. At the end of the day
2. At this moment in time
3. The constant use of "like," as if it were a form of punctuation
4. With all due respect

Irritating Cliché Runners-Up:
24/7
absolutely
address the issue
awesome
ballpark figure
bear with me
between a rock and a hard place
blue-sky thinking
bottom line
crack troops
glass half full (or half empty)
I hear what you're saying
in terms of
it's not rocket science
literally
move the goal posts
on a weekly basis
ongoing
singing from the same hymn sheet
the fact of the matter is
thinking outside the box
to be honest with you
touch base

Want to read more? Go to http://channels.netscape.com/ns/atplay/package.jsp?name=fte/irritatingcliche/irritatingcliche