clichés

A writting utility that uses a regular expression glossary to dynamically identify and list commonly used clichés

Install:

npm install -S cliches

Usage:

const cliches = require(`cliches`);
const text = `
  as "ugly as sin itself" oh ...
  and yet he was totally under her thumb`;

const result = cliches.test(text);

console.log(result.length); // 2
console.log(result); // [ 'ugly as sin', 'under (his|her) thumb']

The glossary of known phrases is curated to use Regular Expressions for dynamic group matching, where other similar utilities don't. This means a single phrase can encompass multiple gender and/or possension alternatives.

Example phrases that use RegExp groups:

• all (\\w+) eggs in one basket
  • all YOUR eggs, or
  • all HIS eggs .... or
  • all THEIR eggs ...
• burst (your|my) bubble
  • matches either your bubble or my bubble
• ace up (his|her) sleeve
  • matches either his or her sleeve

General purpose word groups:

If you find a missing phrase, and want to contribute to the glossary, here are some commonly used regular expressions, for your convienience.

• replace gender specific nouns with (his|her) - restricted to specific genders
• replace posession with (your|my)- restricted to specific ownership
• catch a broader subject with (\\w+) unrestricted, matches any word object

To add or edit this list please clone the repo and submit a pull-request.

Methods and properties

• keys - Array - a list of first word keys

• phrases - Array - a list of all the known phrases

• test - Function - analyze the input String and return an Array of matched phrases

• clean - Function - strips non-alpha characters and returns String

Example uses:

• Twitter cliché re-tweeter - coming soon
• Eleventy Cliché Counter plugin - coming soon
• Cliché catcher on Codepen
• RunKit - Node with REST endpoint