as in code word
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Recent Examples of dead metaphor
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
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Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead.
—Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead.
—Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead metaphor
Noun
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The 22-year-old posted a picture on social media with a meeting room white board in the background and, on the white board, code words for plays used by the Lions were included in the photo.Andy Scholes, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024
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Merchant allegedly used fabric weights as code words for different parts of the crime.Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
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What perfectly plausible scenario happens in this movie, and why does its title sound like a euphemism for something very dirty?Laura Bradley, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
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Brown told The Associated Press in October 2021 that the euphemism actually ended up hurting his race team.Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This analogy highlights the system's ability to enhance natural movement without overpowering it, making mobility more accessible and appealing to a wider range of users.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 3 Dec. 2024
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Those reaching for a historical analogy to the current zeitgeist should look to the mid-1990s, according to JPMorgan’s Tyler.Bloomberg, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The exhibition’s title Sailing to Byzantium comes from a 1927 poem by William Butler Yeats, where the poet uses a sea voyage to Byzantium as a metaphor for a spiritual journey.Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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Jim used the software provider as a metaphor for this market.Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Later, when asked about his evolution as a coach, Harbaugh described himself as open to change and used a mall-entrance simile to make his point.Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
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As the simile suggests, the pen could be used as a weapon, producing militant verses that would advance the nationalist cause.Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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