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.
—
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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Prudent families can also come up with a code word to use in an emergency which a scammer will never know.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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Finally, the correct authenticator code word matched what was in my hands.—
Steve Koester,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The phrase is typically a euphemism for leaving discreetly, often to use the restroom.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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After sixteen months of watching a genocide happen in real time—with more-or-less total support from Western governments, despite the euphemisms and justifications skillfully woven by headlines and political speeches—the contradiction is becoming harder to ignore.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In 2025, there is no single issue like slavery dividing America, and that makes the demise of Britain's Liberal Party a better analogy for today's Democrats.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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When there’s no pathogen present, the two kinases are bound together — thus the handcuffs analogy.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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These tigers serve as a metaphor for market participants who are engaged in manipulative trading activities in the after-market.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Exploring the business implications of the drug metaphor could be a fruitful area of world-building for a sequel; perhaps Jade, Riley, and their friends could seek out the source of the hand in an attempt to free Mia from its clutches?—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.—
Rob Gagnon,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
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Her father was a scientist and worked for NASA, so her work, including The Body’s Question and Life on Mars, is infused with the cosmos and space and all these metaphors and similes tied to the most mysterious places in the universe.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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