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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Finally, the correct authenticator code word matched what was in my hands.—
Steve Koester,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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This isn’t the first time online communities have attempted to use phrases or code words to organize.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Angelou’s memoir was itself a part of the broader movement of women speaking publicly about parts of their lives that had so long been shrouded in euphemism, secrecy, and shame.—
TIME,
TIME,
28 Jan. 2025
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But an American Iron Dome has been understood by some as a euphemism for a more comprehensive, layered defense against countries like Russia, China or North Korea.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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No analogy is perfect, but a different historical moment feels, to me, more immediate and more challenging as a reference point.—
Robert Pinsky,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2025
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The New Orleans native shared an analogy of a five-year-old who imagines being the knight in shining armor and having to slay a dragon to save the princess in a tower.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The relationship with the dog, for me, was a metaphor for my interaction with everyone.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2025
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The clock, which is updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is meant to be a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Fight analyst Dan Hardy used an interesting simile to explain the key difference between the two title fighters in Saturday night's main event at UFC 312 as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis puts his title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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This is what Thadeus loves: a test of his store of poetic similes, even if, these days, his poetry-writing is notional.—
Han Ong,
The New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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