“Every cliché is an idiom; not every idiom is a cliché.”
Usage Entry 1409 / 1605 60-second read
Idiom vs. Cliché
A fixed expression with a non-literal meaning versus an idiom that's been overused into staleness.
The comparisoni
“Every cliché is an idiom; not every idiom is a cliché — IDIOM is the structural category. CLICHÉ is the editorial verdict.”
The ruleii
¶
IDIOM = fixed phrase. CLICHÉ = stale idiom.
IDIOM names a fixed multi-word expression whose meaning isn't the sum of its parts ("kick the bucket"). CLICHÉ is an editorial judgement — an idiom (or any expression) that's been worn out by overuse. All clichés are stale; not all idioms are.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Idiom = structural. Cliché = stylistic.