cliches
Explanation
The Joke
A woman points out that a man is always correcting her use of cliches in writing. He agrees: "Absolutely." She then retorts that this makes him an English professor droning on about students overusing cliches -- which is itself a cliche. The punchline is his response: "Doesn't that make you a C? Get an A."
The Humor
The comic operates on multiple layers of irony. The woman tries to trap the cliche-corrector by pointing out that complaining about cliches is itself a cliche -- a meta-criticism. But instead of being embarrassed, he deflects by grading her argument as if she were his student, reinforcing his role as the pedantic English professor she just accused him of being. The humor lies in how his response simultaneously proves her point (he IS the stereotypical English professor) while also dismissing her critique entirely by treating it as a poor essay rather than a valid argument. It is a perfect circular trap where neither side can win.
References
The comic plays on the well-known academic trope of English professors who rail against cliches while themselves falling into predictable patterns of behavior. The phrase "the pot calling the kettle black" (itself a cliche) captures the irony at the heart of this strip.