Hack·ney, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hackneyed p. pr. & vb. n. Hackneying.]
  1. To devote to common or frequent use, as a horse or carriage; to wear out in common service; to make trite or commonplace; as, a hackneyed metaphor or quotation.
  Had I so lavish of my presence been,
  So common-hackneyed in the eyes of men.   --Shak.
  2. To carry in a hackney coach.
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  hackneyed
       adj : repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; "bromidic
             sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace";
             "hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating
             threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom";
             "the trite metaphor `hard as nails'" [syn: banal, commonplace,
              old-hat, shopworn, stock(a), threadbare, timeworn,
              tired, trite, well-worn]