Cliche

1. French for the stereotype used in printing.

2. signifies an expression that deviates enough from ordinary usage to call attention to itself and has been used so often.

3. "I beg your pardon" or "sincerely yours" are standard usages that do not call attention to themselves; but "point with pride," "the eternal verities," "a whole new ballgame," and "lock, stock, and barrel" are accounted as clichés;

4. Specialized vocabularies such as "alienation," "identity crisis," and "interface."

5. Some clichés are foreign phrases that are used as an arch or elegant equivalent for a common English term ("aqua pura," "terra firma"); others are over-used literary echoes.