MetaChat - Cliche.

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30 May 2007

Cliche. 1832, borrowing of a technical word from Fr. cliché, printer's jargon for "stereotype," supposedly echoic of mould dropping into molten metal, thus pp. of clicher "to click." Figurative extension is first attested 1888, following the course of stereotype.
(From the awesome things I learnt today file)

post by: seanyboy at: 19:13 | 6 comments

Awesome! I love etymology. It's almost never what you'd expect. For example, did you know alcohol is an Arabic word?

posted by Citizen Premier 30 May | 19:22

or labyrinth comes from the word for axe?

posted by dhruva 30 May | 20:12

This is really cool. I was out trimming the hedges and I was thinking that when I got in I would ask mecha if anyone knew of a good etymology site.

Mecha, answering your questions before you ask them!

posted by arse_hat 30 May | 20:33

One of my abandoned website ideas was Cliché Stadium, where overused words and phrases would compete for whatever honor... that's where the idea petered out.

posted by wendell 30 May | 21:36

Hey, this is your 234th post. That must mean something.

posted by Citizen Premier 30 May | 21:43

It means I spend too much time on the internet is what it means.

posted by seanyboy 31 May | 01:20

← OMG pot bunny! || If you'd like, would you read a story of mine? →

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