Avoiding cliches in writing

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A cliche is a phrase or an idea that has become overly familiar, or so commonplace that many consider it to be "over-done" or trite. Just a few examples might be:

it goes without saying
fit as a fiddle
hard row to hoe
the cold, hard facts
to make a long story short
last, but not least

Granted, it is very difficult to avoid cliches in our thinking, and therefore, within our early drafts. These phrases are very much a part of the thinking process for many of us. As we capture our spoken explanation of a topic, we often record these phrases in our writing as well. However, it may be important to realize that many of these phrases are mere place holders, allowing our inner voices time to think through an explanation. Much like saying "uh," or "um," when giving a speech, these phrases give us time to think, but don't ...