| Clue | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hackneyed to the max | Universal | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Most hackneyed | The Telegraph Cross Atlantic | 22 Sep 2024 |
| Most clichéd | New York Times | 22 Apr 2024 |
| Most uninspired time on divinity exam | The Telegraph Cryptic | 08 Dec 2022 |
| Hackneyed to the max | USA Today | 09 Nov 2019 |
| Most banal customs dividing races | ||
| Most overused | The Washington Post | 03 Apr 2016 |
| Least original | Wall Street Journal | 07 Aug 2015 |
| Least original | ||
| Least fresh | ||
| Most overused | ||
| Most banal | ||
| Most overused | ||
| Most hackneyed | ||
| Most banal | ||
| Most hackneyed | ||
| Least fresh | ||
| Least fresh | ||
| Most stale | ||
| Ordinary in the extreme | ||
| Most hackneyed | ||
| Most banal | ||
| Most unoriginal | ||
| Used the most | ||
| Most hackneyed | ||
| Banal, to the utmost | ||
| Most uninteresting | ||
| Most banal | ||
| Least original | ||
| Most hackneyed. | ||
| Stalest. | ||
| Most vapid. | ||
| Farthest from originality. | ||
| Thrice-told and more. | ||
| Most threadbare. | ||
| Most banal. | ||
| Most commonplace. |