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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That is the administration’s code word for both climate programs and ones seeking to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion.—
Natalie Proulx,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Halbreich told me that prominent art institutions are already using code words, like community, to talk about diversity.—
Rachel Corbett,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Consultants said to expect to continue hearing a variety of euphemisms about tariffs and their impact on prices.—
Jordyn Holman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Americans have been living in unprecedented times – a very nice euphemism for constant crisis – for nearly a decade.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Noun
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During a Cannes Festival press conference earlier this month, Lee drew an analogy between awards shows and basketball.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
31 May 2025
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Going back to train analogies, think of John Henry, the 19th-century folk hero.—
Greg Edwards,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
Noun
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To extend the metaphor, love might not save the house but needs saving from it, to be kept alive in new forms of shelter before the rebuild.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
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Today, technical debt has become a popular metaphor for communicating the long-term implications of architectural decisions.—
Shilpa Shastri,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
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What’s the difference between a simile and a metaphor?—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.—
Rob Gagnon,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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