contraband and cliche

[timothyb]

I have a question about the (apparent) use of nouns as adjectives. I had not heard them before and both sounded a little odd. In one case, the speaker complained that "doing action x would be very cliche" (italics mine). In another, the writer mentioned "doing something contraband" (italics mine).

Is this incorrect usage, normal evolution, or just new to me?

 

[Anglika]

Welcome to the forums.

It is likely that the first one is really "very cliched", which is an adjective.

"Doing something contraband" is a colloquial usage, but not unusual. Here "contraband" is an adjective. It is a "contraband action".

You may have only just noticed them

 

[susiedqq]

Cliche can be a noun or an adjective - and I hear teens say "That's cliche" to describe something "stale" or out-of-date. I have heard "He's a cliche" to describe very someone's action or look to be very predictable, or old fashioned.