pigswill of cliché
- noun
- Literature
:
cliché
- Her speech was little more than a pigswill of cliché and tired platitudes.
Examples
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The critic dismissed the novel as a pigswill of cliché lacking any originality.
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Viewers complained that the show devolved into a pigswill of cliché after the first season.
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His speech was just a pigswill of cliché.
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The movie was filled with pigswill of clichés.
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Many audiences left the film feeling it was nothing but a pigswill of cliché and predictable plot twists.
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Her writing is often criticized for being a pigswill of cliché, with phrases that have become tired and unoriginal.
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In his latest column, he argued that the political speeches are filled with a pigswill of cliché, lacking any fresh ideas.
Synonyms
173
4.6
An overused phrase or idea that no longer seems original
4
7.9
A story or joke people tell so often that it becomes boring
4
8.3
A boring, unoriginal saying people use too often
1
3.3
A common saying used so often it sounds tired
Antonyms
How Trite
- Literature
173
4.6
1
3.3
1
4.1
6
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
pigswill + of + cliché
If a learner knows 'pigswill' as filthy or worthless swill/feed and 'cliché' as an overused phrase, the metaphorical composition 'pigswill of cliché' (a messy, worthless collection of clichés) is directly inferable. The meaning follows straightforward semantic composition (worthless mixture + clichés), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand it.
Etymology
Pigswill of cliché paints a clear picture: pigswill is the sloppy leftover food fed to pigs and cliché are tired, overused phrases, so put together they make a messy, useless heap of language. That's why it means 'a messy or worthless collection of overused expressions'.