How do you feel about cliches?

[Lincolnshirelass]

I've been mulling this over for a while ..... we're always told to avoid them, both in speech and writing, and I agree you can get a bit over-loaded with them, but some of them are actually very expressive, such as 'as happy as a pig in muck' (expurgated version!) and 'in two shakes of a dog's tail'. On the other hand, some are a bit meaningless - eg, head over heels - isn't that where your head should be anyway?

[pinefamily]

There's probably a time and place for them; in spoken conversation is the most obvious occasion.
Head over heels perhaps relates to being in a spin?
Maybe we need to discuss the meaning of clichés on this thread.

[rssllue]

I can take them or I can leave them. Sadly, I have also found that I can't live with them and can't live without them.

[Arrigo_Lupori]

I think cliches have quite a good reason to exist. I find myself using them very often, especially when I hear them for the first time and want to try out what kind of effect they have in social situations. For example, if someone would understand what I'm saying and reply immediately or if they'd be somewhat puzzled by it. However, I do not like cliches in literature: I believe it to be quite boring to see a piece of literature where cliches are over-used, unless they're there to provide context, as in when somebody's having a conversation and the book has to provide an exact representation of that discussion.