Expression implying passivity due to familiarity

What is the proper term for an expression that implies passivity due to familiarity? As in "Oh that's just old Aunt Kathy"

"Ah yes, the old 'dog ate my homework' excuse".

Looking for a term to refer to the use of "old" in front of a noun as sort of weathered form of reference... I was thinking "utterance" but was wondering if there was perhaps a more specified or nuanced term. Thank you

Solution 1:

The example in the title of the question is quite different from the example in the body of the question. It's not possible to answer both in the same way. Therefore, two different words are required:

1. "Oh, that's just old Aunt Kathy."

This is an example of dismissiveness.

From the definition of dismissive:

: serving to dismiss or reject someone or something : having or showing a disdainful attitude toward someone or something regarded as unworthy of serious attention

// He responded to the question with a dismissive wave.
// In the past, Westerberg had been dismissive of Bob's playing, but he says relistening to the early records gave him a new perspective.
— Bob Weir

dismissiveness noun
// The work of feminist scholars, both individually and collectively, has been greeted in some quarters with impatience, irritation, dismissiveness, even contempt. — Cullen Murphy

2. "Ah yes, the old 'dog ate my homework' excuse."

This is an example of a cliché:

1 : a trite phrase or expression
also : the idea expressed by it
2 : a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation
3 : something (such as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace

// FILM "I Like It Like That": It has every cliché of the 'hood genre, elevated by a strong woman protagonist and a few comic moments. — Bell Hooks, Ms., September/October 1994

Solution 2:

hackney TFD

• v To cause to become banal and trite through overuse.
• adj Banal; trite.

As in a hackneyed (hackney) phrase:

hackneyed as an adjective - repeated too often; over-familiar 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'"

Hackneyed can used to describe 'tired' writing, but you can also refer to the hackneyed jokes of your Uncle Fred. Most often, you will see hackneyed before the word phrase to refer to a specific cliché that is annoying the heck out of you.