Cheap, one-size-fits-all explanations about life. They consist of clichés, empty truisms and tautologies, and (often contradictory) platitudes.

Dime–stores were common in the early part of the 20th c. Every main street had such a store where you could buy tawdry, second-rate stuff for cheap prices. (Now they're Dollar stores, though these are not as common or a central fixture in every town.)