As a writer and editor I was severely unnerved when I discovered I was contributing to the death of the English language on a daily basis.  I spewed cliches as if they were droplets of ancient wisdom. Thankfully, author and AmericasComedy.Com contributor Larry Dorfman was here to set me straight with one of his many Snark Handbooks, Cliches Edition.

The slogan of the book is, “Overused buzzwords, hackneyed phrases and other misuses of the English language.”  In the introduction, Dorfman explains quite humorously his opinion about cliches. “They are the hobgoblin of little minds. For many, they are the drug of choice.  For most of us, once you begin to take notice, they are fingernails on a blackboard.”

At the heart of Dorfman’s protest of cliches is their triteness, their predictability and their overuse, complaints we can all agree on.

To illustrate his point, Dorfman unapologetically and fiestily inserts his snark after every cliche imaginable, killing the cliche’s coolness, newness and logic with one swift, witty, tongue-and-cheek takedown.

“Time heals all wounds…Bullshit. Drugs heal all wounds. Time does nothing except go by,” Dorfman writes.  ”She likes ‘em tall, dark and handsome…But short, pale, ugly, and obscenely rich pretty much trumps those emotions every time.”

There are ten relentless chapters in this book, used to classify society’s dreaded cliches into their proper categories. From “Life and Death” to “Food,” cliches cannot escape the wrath of Dorfman.

“Too many cooks in the kitchen…The INS can fix that in no time,” Dorfman says in his chapter on “Food” cliches.

In many cases, the snark not only kills but enlightens at the same time. Individually we have to reexamine the cliches we say but and even live by. “Another day another dollar…Your ass is grass…One size fits all...” It’s 2012; the world is too complex for these tired, aged sayings to still be rationalizing our actions, decisions and acceptance of life altering situations.

Dorfman also shows a talent for mixing his cliches together, almost solely using cliches to write entire paragraphs, ramming home their overuse and far too broad meanings into the reader’s mind. “The party’s over. We have grabbed the bull by the horns and took the reins. Easy as pie, no?” he writes in his conclusion.

Ridding ourselves of cliches is not a radically new idea, but it is a lost one. As Dorfman includes in chapter one, the late writer and author William Safire once said, “Last but not least, avoid cliche’s like the plague.”

For the millions of aspiring writers out there in the world, think seriously about that advice before you write your next essay. And if you were expecting me to end this review with a cliche, well, that’s pretty damn cliche don’t you think?

For Dorfman’s daily snark, follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You can also visit our AmericasComedy.Com Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter @AmericasComedy!

Monday, April 23: A Chinese manufacturing company has come under severe criticism after unveiling a line of sunglasses they’ve tastefully dubbed… the Helen Keller collection. And if the name wasn’t bad enough, their ad slogan capped it: “Perfect for any blind date!”

Tuesday, April 24:  Residents of the Austrian berg of Fucking will be voting on whether to change the town’s name. They’re tired of the crank calls and practical jokes. One local suggested just making the “F” into an “S”, saying it would be easy to paint over all the signs and besides, it’s a somewhat safer practice…around the world.

Wednesday, April 25: Think Like a Man handily beat out The Lucky One at the box office last weekend…with most men thinking, “I AM definitely the lucky one for not having to sit through another crappy weep-fest from Nicholas Sparks.”

Thursday, April 26: Details on the Secret Service scandal continue to come out. The latest is that the lead agent assumed the cost was $47 when, in actuality, the hooker wanted $800…serves ‘em right for bringing on agents that used to protect the congressmen working on the budget committee.

Friday, April 27: A new study finds that more Mexicans are now leaving the U.S. than entering, reversing a four-decade wave of immigration. Given the economy, the job situation, and the tough laws that have been coming from the Border States, it makes sense. So basically, the wealthy will now have to raise their kids themselves.

(Larry Dorfman is the author of “The Snark Handbook” series. Follow him on Twitter @SnarkHandBook and on Facebook here. For more comedy news and exclusive interviews visit our AmericasComedy.com Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter @AmericasComedy!)