F

• face the facts: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• face the music: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• face up to: delete up to (redundancy) [The culprits need to face the consequences of their crime. Not: The culprits need to face up to the consequences of their crime.]
  
  
• fact: not fact of the matter (wordiness) [The fact is I am happy. not: The fact of the matter is that I am happy.]
  
  
• facts: not true facts (redundancy) [The facts are clear. Not: The true facts are clear.]
  
  
• fad: not passing fad (redundancy) [Itsy bitsy yellow bikinis were not a fad. Not: Itsy bitsy yellow bikinis were not a passing fad.]
  
  
• failed to dampen spirits: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fair enough: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fair sex: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fair city: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• faithful following: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fall by the wayside: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fall guy: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fall into place: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fall on bad times: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fall on deaf ears: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• far cry: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• far from clear: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• far out: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fast and loose: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fatal deed: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fate is sealed cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fate worse than death: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fateful day: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fat of the land: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• favor with a selection: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• feather in the cap: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• feeble excuse: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fellow colleagues: delete fellow (redundancy) [Her colleagues were talented. Not: Her fellow colleagues were talented.]
  
  
• fell swoop: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• festive occasion: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• few and far between: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• few in number: delete in number (redundancy) [Errors were few. Not: Errors were few in number.]
  
  
• few words of advice: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fickle finger of fate: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fictional novel: redundancy (either: I write fiction. or. I wrote a novel)
  
  
• filled to capacity: delete to capacity (redundancy) [The gas tank was filled. Not: The gas tank was filled to capacity.]
  
  
• fight to the bitter end: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fighting for life: cliché (avoid)
  
  
  
  
• final completion: delete final (redundancy) [Negotiations approached completion. Not: Negotiations approached final completion.]
  
  
• final countdown: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• final outcome: delete final (redundancy) [The outcome was unclear. Not: The final outcome was unclear.]
  
  
• final settlement: delete final (redundancy) [Happliy, the settlement was completed. Not: Happily the final settlement was completed.]
  
  
• finish not completely finish (redundancy) [If something is incomplete, it is not finished.]
  
  
• finishing touches: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• firestorm of controversy/protest: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• first leg of. . .: cliché (avoid)
  
  
  
  
• first priority: delete first (redundancy) [Clarity is a priority. Not: Clarity is a first priority.]
  
  
• fit as a fiddle: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fit to be tied: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fitful sleep: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fits like a glove: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flash in the pan: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flash point: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fled on foot: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• floral tribute: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flogging a dead horse: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flood of tears: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flowery words: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fly-by-night: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• flying by the seat of the pants: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• folding money: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• follow: not follow after (redundancy) [The little dog followed. Not: The little dog followed after.]
  
  
• fond farewell: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• food fight: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• food for thought: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fools rush in: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• footloose and fancy free: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• footing the bill: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• foregone conclusion: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• foreseeable future: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• forging ahead: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• forgive and forget: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• forked tongue: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• for the purpose of assisting, change to: to help (wordiness) [To help, he lent me a hammer. Not: For the purpose of assisting, he lent me a hammer.]
  
  
• force of circumstances: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• foregone conclusion: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• forty winks: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• foul play: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fox guarding the hen house: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• freak: not peculiar freak (redundancy) [The brown tomato was a freak. Not: The brown tomato was a peculiar freak.]
  
  
• free as a bird: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• free for all: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• free gift: delete free (redundancy) [I appreciated receiving the gift. Not: I appreciated receiving the free gift.]
  
  
• free lunch: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fresh beginning: delete fresh (redundancy) [The USA Declaration of Independence was the nation's beginning. Not: The USA Declaration of Independence was the nation's new beginning.]
  
  
• friend in need is a friend indeed: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• frightened the life out of: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fringe group: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• from here on in: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• from stem to stern: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• from the horse's mouth: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• from the mouths of babes: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• from time to time: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• frozen ice: delete frozen (redundancy) [He slipped on the ice. Not: He slipped on the frozen ice.]
  
  
• fueling the flames: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• full-frontal assault: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• full of beans: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• fundamentals: not basic fundamentals (redundancy) [The fundamental of English grammar are simple. Not: The basic fundamentals of English grammar are simple.]
  
  
• from the commercial standpoint, change to: commercially (wordiness) [Commercially, we are on the correct path. Not: From the commercial standpoint, we are on the correct path.]
  
  
• frown on the face: delete on the face (redundancy)[The portrait was marked by a frown. Not: The portrait was marked by a frown on the face.]
  
  
• full satisfaction: delete full (redundancy) [Customer satisfaction is desired. Not: Full customer satisfaction is desired.]
  
  
• full to the gills: cliché (avoid)
  
  
• funeral obsequies: delete funeral (redundancy) [Obsequies were brief. Not: Funeral obsequies were brief.]
  
  
• fuse: not fuse together (redundancy) [We trust the layers will fuse. Not:We trust the layers will fuse together.]