From French printing terminology — a metal plate cast for frequently reused text, named after the 'click' sound of the mold.
A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
From French 'cliché,' the past participle of 'clicher' (to click/stereotype). In printing, a cliché was a metal plate cast from a mold to reproduce text or images — a phrase so commonly used it was worth casting in permanent metal. Key roots: clicher (French: "to click, to stereotype (in printing)").
Both 'cliché' and 'stereotype' come from the printing industry. A stereotype was a solid metal printing plate, and a cliché was the same thing — a phrase so popular it was cast in permanent metal for reuse. The 'click' in 'cliché' is onomatopoeia: the sound of the mold striking the metal