This figure of speech isn't dead – it's just resting  By
condemning the commonplace metaphor, the Plain English Campaign
betrays a lack of sensitivity to the power of everyday language
The Plain English Campaign recently celebrated Plain English
Day. Judging from a list of the "most annoying cliches" compiled
by the campaign, one of the greatest examples of modern oratory
might never have seen the light of day if they had had anything
to do with it.  For the most part the list is unexceptionable.
It contains many of the usual linguistic suspects: words that
are misunderstood and misused; words and phrases used as fillers
to bulk up the vacuous and trivial, such as literally and the
fact of the matter is; euphemisms, such as to be perfectly
honest and I hear what you're saying; professional jargon that
has spilled over into everyday use, such as value-added; slang
expressions that have been flogged to death, such as awesome and
24/7; and confusing slang, such as diamond geezer (confusing
because in US English