Clichépalooza: Now Taking Requests

What cliché(s) do you hate above all others? What example of lazy plagiarism is guaranteed to send the book you're reading flying out the nearest window? What recycled copout has compelled you to seek a refund from an author, in person?

I'd like to compile a poll of ten or so of the most egregious pills that authors hope readers will swallow, so we can vote for the Mother of All Clichés. But there's no fun in me just picking clichés at random. I don't read all that widely, outside of DSM-IV and Watchtower magazine, so I'm not familiar with the worst offenders in every genre.

Send me an email (seanlindsay@hotmail.com) nominating the clichés that make you wonder if the author has read anything in the genre at all. They can be words, phrases, characters or plot elements, and you can nominate as many as you like. (You can post a comment if you're paranoid about email.)

I'll pick the best (and by that I mean worst, or the ones I can make funny) and create a poll in the coming days.

Once voting is over, I'll tell you the cliché I hate most.