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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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Rana recommends coming up with a secret code word to use with your family.—
Audrey Nguyen,
NPR,
24 Dec. 2024
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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That euphemism for prostitution represents a change in cultural standards, some would say the degradation of traditional ethics about women and men and social roles.—
Armond White,
National Review,
5 Mar. 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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Through vivid metaphors, Dende paints a picture of unwavering devotion, comparing his connection to his partner to classic, inseparable duos.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2025
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The sudden pivot toward isolation and danger, amid the excitement of new adulthood, will likely conjure familiar feelings of the early pandemic, but the film is more than just a linear metaphor.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
9 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 21 Apr. 2025.
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