# The Proper Use of Clichés

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-proper-use-of-cliches/395240>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 9, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-proper-use-of-cliches/395240 "2007-03-09T13:53:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-proper-use-of-cliches/395240/1 "2007-03-09T13:53:09Z")

</div>

Your object in this thread is to take a famous (or notorious) cliché and attribute it to a character, real or fictional, where it makes perfect sense and is appropriate to the plotline of the story.

For example:

“I for one welcome our new … Overlords.” – Rikki Stormgren, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in Arthur C. Clarke’s _Childhood’s End_

“Ah, it’s a 1920s style ‘Death Ray’!” – Jacob Stonebender to N. Tesla, in Spider Robinson’s _Callahan’s Key_

“Once, for 20 minutes, in 1960” – USAF spokesman responding to allegations that a UFO had been sighted over Richards-Gebauer Air Force Base, MO

“Hi, Opal!” – Kellyanne Williamson to her imaginary friend

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-proper-use-of-cliches/395240/2 "2007-03-09T15:24:40Z")

</div>

The question for this Jeopardy answer: “This song by a British pop band refers to the third longest river system in the United States.”