Cliche Challenge
Sam Smith at The Progressive Review is keeping track of cliches. He documents how various clichés of the media and the establishment are faring based on the number of references on Google over the past 3 months.
CLICHE NEWS
As things get worse, we talk increasingly of becoming proactive.
At the end of the day has more than doubled in recent weeks.
We welcome your feedback up 488,000
Between the lines up 784,000
Synergy soaring - up over a million since first listed
And there's lots lots more. Scanning the list makes you realize that some awfully familiar phrases are cliches--even though we hadn't realized it.
I tried, unsuccessfully to get some education cliches on the list. Other than NCLB, none made it. But the list is interesting anyway. We should do the education cliche list. We would be better for it.
Additionally - 15,800,000
Prior to - 9,400,000
Inappropriate - 8,190,000
Embedded - 7,960,000 [up 3,340,000]
Cutting edge - 6,500,000
Unprecedented - 6,400,000
Credible - 4,150,000
Wake up call - 2,450,000 (up 1,991,000)
Entrepreneur - 5,500,000 [up 1,800,000]
State of the art 5,470,000
Strategic planning [plans] - 4,650,000
Guru - 4,590,000
Best practices - 4,510,000
Proactive - 4,450 [up 3,180,000]
Reality check - 4,360,000
Civil society - 4,090,000
World class - 4,090,000
Empower - 3,940,000 [Up 2,470,000]
Bottom line - 3,900,000
Partnering - 3,790,000 [up 2,880,000]
On the ground - 3,580,000 [down 230,000]
Mission statement - 3,500,000
Supportive - 3,390 [Up 2,150]
Synergy - 3,180,000 [up 1,280,000]
Experts agree - 2,640,000 [Experts disagree - 501,000]
Meme - 2,590,000 [up 2,066,000]
Move on - 2,580,000
Top notch - 2,390,000
At the end of the day - 1,140,000 [up 1,496,000]
Homeland security [without 'department' - 2,240,000 [Up 1,804,000]
In the wake of - 2,110,000
Teamwork, team building, or team player 2,016,000
Prioritize - 1,980,000 [Up 613,000]
Rant -1,910,000
Road map - 1,620,000 [Up 120,000]
Top notch - 1,470,000
Out of the box - 1,450,000
Win win - 1,100,000 [Down 330,000]
No choice - 1,210,000
Makeover - 1,310,000
Big time - 1,140,000
Get down- 1,100,000 [down 290,000]
Up to speed - 1,010,000
Fair and balanced - 1,080,000
Hegemony, hegemonic - 890,000 [Down 359,000]
Be confident - 836,000
Faith based - 836,000
American dream - 881,000
Failure to comply - 790,000
Welcome your feedback - 782,000
Core values - 736,000
Closure (with death) - 747,000
Go for it - 673,000 [Down 737,000]
As a matter of fact - 644,000 [-201,000]
No child left behind -574,000
Comprehensive approach - 552,000 [Up 165,000]
Edgy - 552,000 [down 180,000]
Opine(d) - 358,000 [down 174,000]
Smoking gun - 526,000
New world order - 518,000 [down 862,000]
Monitoring the situation - 436,000
Outside the box - 423,000
Politically correct - 412,000 [Politically incorrect - 300,000]
On the same page - 407,000
Level playing field - 404,000
Between the lines - 402,000 [down 888,000]
On the same page - 392,000
War torn - 363,000
Now more than ever - 303,000
Make no mistake - 303,000
Now more than ever - 300,000 [down 130,000]
Smart growth - 299,000
Confidence building - 288,,000
No option - 281,000
Sense of urgency - 275,000
Window of opportunity - 271,000
Sends a message - 263,000 [up 12,000]
Collateral damage - 253,000
Substantial changes - 254,000
Sea change - 247,000 [up 14,000]
With open arms - 233,000
American empire - 231,000 [Up 131,000]
Resolve the issue - 227,000 [up 12,000]
Famously - 225,000 [Up 10,000]
Perfect storm - 220,000 [up 42,000]
In desperate need - 215,000 [Up 15,000]
Zero sum - 194,000
Time is running out - 193,000 [up 8,000]
Zero sum - 184,000
Quagmire - 182,000
Blank check - 175,000
Hard earned money - 169,000
Reinvented - 162,000
Oil rich - 159,000
Mixed message(s) - 158,000
Like, you know - 156,000
Strategic vision - 155,000
One thing is certain - 153,000 [up 2,000]
Stated goals - 149,000 [up 2,000]
Gadfly - 132,000
Defining moment - 132,000
Vetted - 131,000 [Up 4,000]
Sweeping changes - 124,000 [down 1,000]
Liberal media - 122,000 [down 1,000]
Take full responsibility - 122,000
Visioning - 121,000
Those were the days - 114,000
Mean streets - 108,000
Deeply felt - 105,000
Recent studies have shown - 99,300
Dogging - 98,000
Step up to the plate - 94,300
Let's roll - 80,500
Money shot - 74,300
Need to know basis - 75,400
Dominant culture - 71,400 [Deviant culture - 315]
Word on the street - 69,000
Culture wars - 67,000
Convicted felon -62,300
Historic opportunity - 51,100
Tree lined streets - 49,500
Gaydar - 48,000
Gravitas - 47,500
Draw your own conclusion - 45,200
End of the world as we know it - 45,300
Street cred - 44,500
Marketplace of ideas - 44,1000
Dancing in the streets - 41,700
Group think - 35,900
Mistakes were made - 34,000
Resident expert - 33,000 [non-resident expert - 13]
Flash mob - 33,400 [down 8,000]
Be afraid, be very afraid - 35,700
Loner & murder - 31,000
Bring 'em on - 36,100
Big pimpin' - 34,000
Largely unnoticed - 28,300
Bowling alone - 27,700
Change the tone - 27,000
Roil - 25,700
Unexpected consequences - 21,500
Happy accident - 18,700
Metrosexual - 17,600
Hasta la vista, baby - 13,500
We're number one - 12,800
Revisionist hisstorian
Butcher of Baghdad - 7,770 [down 48,000]
Obesity crisis - 7,700 [Up 1,300]
Put it behind us - 7,270
Bringing closure - 4,480
Cultural creative - 4,170
Failure of intelligence - 4,070
Bush hating - 3,960 [Clinton hating - 1,790]
Steadfast determination - 3,790
Palpable excitement - 1,400
The Cliche Challenge
The Progressive Review
2003-11-
http://prorev.com/cliche.htm
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
