Cliché

A cliché is "a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or figurative or artistic power." The word is attested from 1825 and "originated in the printing trades": a cliché was a stereotype plate, a cast that could reproduce type or images repeatedly. Phrases "originally were regarded as striking but have lost their force through overuse," and "the use of a cliché in writing, speech, or argument is generally considered a mark of inexperience or a lack of originality."

The difference from a trope is wear, not recurrence: a trope is a pattern readers recognize and read with, and it becomes a cliché when recognition replaces response. Yet worn elements "can be employed creatively, either by generating expectations within the narrative or by producing pleasure through the simple thrill of recognition," which is the license parody runs on.