[Ads-l] Goldwynism: I'm Sick and Tired of These Old Cliches. Let's Have Some New Cliches

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Peter: Thank you for sharing early instances of the phrase "new cliches".

I also found instances of "new cliches" starting in "The Observer" of
London in 1910, but I felt that these early instances were not
directly pertinent to the statement ascribed to Samual Goldwyn.

Now, I have updated the QI article, and the changes should be visible
within 24 hours.

[Begin QI article excerpt]
The notion of “new cliches” began to appear many years earlier, but
usually the intention was not humorous. For example, in 1921 “The
State” newspaper of South Carolina printed the following:

[ref] 1921 October 31, The State, The State’s Survey, Quote Page 4,
Column 1, Columbia, South Carolina. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

[Begin The State excerpt]
The American position in regard to Hungarian affairs is said to be one
of "interested observation." This deserves to rank alongside "view
with alarm," and "point with pride." Some brand-new cliches, to use a
paradox, are getting themselves made every day.
[End The State excerpt]
[End QI article excerpt]

Peter, I added your name to the acknowledgment section.

The ascription to Goldwyn which you posted appeared in 1949 and not
1948. The full text is accessible via the Internet Archive. Here are
the details.

Date: March 1949
Periodical: Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Volume 56, Number 5
Section: Correspondence
Letter Title: Architectural Clichés and Social Realism
Letter From: James Crisp, Member, Royal Arch. Inst. of Canada
Quote Page 233, Column 1
Database: Internet Archive

[Begin excerpt]
Samuel Goldwyn has recently called for new clichés, and there is a
great deal of subtlety in this request. In our profession a
Michelangelo, a Frank Lloyd Wright, a Louis Sullivan, will introduce
some new
[End excerpt]

The 1921 citation you posted appeared in December.

Date: 1921 December
Periodical: The Reviewer: A Monthly Magazine,
Volume 2, Number 3,
Article: Clichés of the Précieux by Burton Rascoe
Start Page 136, Quote Page 137,
Publisher: The Reviewer, Richmond, Virginia
Database: Google Books

Here is the metadata for the "Harper's Magazine" citation you posted
which is accessible via the Internet Archive.

Date: April 1944
Periodical: Harper's Magazine
Article: The Easy Chair by Bernard DeVoto
Start Page 426, Quote Page 429, Column 2
Publisher: Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York
Database: Internet Archive

Your help is appreciated,
Garson

On Sun, Apr 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
<mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> "New cliches"
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Reviewer/TaqYbb6Qy5oC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22new+clich%C3%A9s%22&dq=%22new+clich%C3%A9s%22&printsec=frontcover
>
> Probably 1921
>
> ===================
>
> Possibly 1944
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Harper_s_New_Monthly_Magazine/bGgQAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22new+clich%C3%A9s%22&dq=%22new+clich%C3%A9s%22&printsec=frontcover
>
> ===================
>
> Attribution to Goldwyn, probably 1948. Not sure of the month
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Journal_of_the_Royal_Institute_of_Britis/SBCwhQWd2wEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22new%20clich%C3%A9s%22&dq=%22new%20clich%C3%A9s%22&printsec=frontcover
>
>
> =============
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "ADSGarson O'Toole"
> <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Date 04/04/2026 20:59:09
> Subject Goldwynism: I'm Sick and Tired of These Old Cliches. Let's Have
> Some New Cliches
>
> >The remark in the subject line has been attributed to the famous
> >Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn. "The New Yale Book of Quotations"
> >has a pertinent entry under Samuel Goldwyn for "Let's have some new
> >clichés" on page 333 with a 1983 citation. The entry also noted that
> >"The Oxford Dictionary of Twentieth Century Quotations" suggested that
> >the remark was "perhaps apocryphal".
> >
> >The earliest ascription to Samuel Goldwyn I found appeared in an
> >article by prominent gossip columnist Louella Parsons published in the
> >September 1948 issue of “Cosmopolitan” magazine. Parsons used the
> >initials S. G. when referring to Goldwyn:
> >
> >[Begin excerpt]
> >I wouldn't, naturally, want to mention any names. But one of
> >Hollywood's most alert producers, whose initials are S. G. and who, a
> >little more than a year ago, got an Oscar for a particularly fine
> >picture, has lately been belaboring his writers "to come up with some
> >new cliches."
> >[End excerpt]
> >
> >Two decades earlier in 1927, theater critic Harold E. Clurman wrote
> >about the emergence of "new cliches" in plays, but this usage was not
> >intended to be humorous.
> >
> >The notion of deliberately creating and employing “new cliches” was
> >discussed by journalist Leonard Hall in 1936:
> >
> >[Begin excerpt]
> >… we are busily trying to age some new cliches to fit these matters.
> >[End excerpt]
> >
> >[Begin acknowledgement excerpt]
> >… thanks to Stephen Goranson who accessed the 1948 citation in "The
> >Observer". In addition, thanks to Vance Maverick who told QI about the
> >1927 citation.
> >[Begin acknowledgement excerpt]
> >
> >Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article.
> >https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/04/04/new-cliches/
> >
> >Feedback welcome
> >Garson O'Toole
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
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