It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of ClichésCareful writers and speakers agree that clichs are generally to be avoided. However, nearly all of us continue to use them. Why do they persist in our language? In It's Been Said Before, lexicographer Orin Hargraves examines the peculiar idea and power of the clich. He helps readers understand why certain phrases became clichs and why they should be avoided or why they still have life left in them. Indeed, clichs can be useful even powerful. And few