I. klēˈshā, ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷, kliˈshā noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from past participle of clicher to stereotype, of imitative origin; from the noise of the die striking the metal
1. : a stereotype or electrotype ; especially : a single stamp of which a number are joined to form a plate for printing a whole sheet of stamps at once
2.
a. : a trite or stereotyped phrase or expression ; also : the idea expressed by it
b. : a hackneyed theme, plot, or situation in fiction or drama : an overworked idea or its expression in music or one of the other arts
such photographic clichés as indicating change of seasons by the transition from snow to fruit in the orchards — John McCarten
II. adjective
: hackneyed
those desperate perceptions of our life which … have become so obvious and cliché that they seem to close for us the possibility of thought and imagination — Lionel Trilling