The phrase "ancient cliche" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a saying or idea that has become overly familiar or trite due to its long-standing use.
Example: "The phrase 'time heals all wounds' is an ancient cliche that many people still believe in."
Alternatives: "old saying" or "timeworn expression".
It's an ancient tabloid cliche, but it's true, all right -- the little guy (or girl) can be a hero.
The "arts" conjures up images of committees of bores, worthily reverent exegesis, the horrors of dance, the misfit between opera and even a 42-inch screen, and ancient avant-gardist cliches – "ahead of its time", "ground-breaking", "controversial".
It was only too easy to perpetuate cliches about "ancient hatreds," "tribal mentalities" and a thirst for blood afflicting every second or third generation; or to support myths about "Muslim fundamentalism" and "Serbian heroism". The cliches implied that nothing could be done anyway: that the violence is but a form of congenital madness endemic to the region.
This old cliche ignores the ancient vineyards, caves and the pretty white houses that sparkle against this Canary Island's black beauty.
One of the DVD extras features the animation team studying Paris and the film doesn"t settle for the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cliches: back alleys, sidestreets and ancient buildings are lovingly brought back to life onscreen.
The result is a muddy, indistinct, un-absorbing film that showcases nothing much besides the same old enthusiasm – maybe even nostalgia – for ancient and obsolete gangster rituals and codes, the very cliches that Whitey Bulger himself exploded.
It demonstrated his daring and sexual self-confidence, and recalled cliches of orgiastic mystics stretching back to the ancient world.
It's hard to blame the editors and columnists: After all, tragedy goes hand in hand with Greece, just like ouzo and "Mamma Mia!" The ancient Greek understanding of the term, although it has little to do with today's cliches, in fact casts a bright Mediterranean light on the current crisis.
The boys diving in the Ganges are almost a cliche, but there is a contrast between the frozen moment as the boy dives and the history of this ancient place".
