as in simile
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachresis
Noun
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Dryden’s famous simile, from La Fontaine’s own century, likens a translator who copies too closely to a man dancing on ropes with fettered legs: careful, precise, but never graceful.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026 -
Salazar-Thompson’s witty script — packed with hilarious metaphors and similes (like comparing a woman’s firm grip on her purse to that of a two-toed sloth on a branch) — make for a consistently amusing trip back in time.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Special military operation is Russia’s official euphemism for the country’s invasion of Ukraine.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
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Discussing why people use euphemisms online prepares children to pause and ask questions when unfamiliar terms appear.—
Sharlette A. Kellum,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At one point, Lennon was musing about his belief in reincarnation, and enumerating some of his past lives and identities, when Ono made a blunt analogy.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Many of those players were as tough as ring-shank nails, to borrow another carpentry analogy.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
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But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
16 Nov. 2023
Noun
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Cats, however, may turn out to be the canaries in the coalmines — pardon the mixed metaphor.—
Jan Ellen Spiegel,
Hartford Courant,
24 Dec. 2024
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The triple-mixed metaphor says it all: Licht & Co. are struggling with the intractable problem of how to square the CNN brand’s promise — straight news — with the entertainment imperatives of nighttime television.—
Erik Wemple,
Washington Post,
22 Dec. 2022
Noun
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Sampson says her family now uses a code word.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
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The resulting story, published in this week’s issue, is a twisting and captivating tale full of code words, safe houses, and intrigue—offering remarkable insight into C.I.A. workings, and exploring just how far U.S. intelligence was willing to go in order to disrupt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This is not a metaphor dropped into a chapter and abandoned.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Anyone who seeks out career advice (in any field) is destined to get bombarded with metaphors.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Catachresis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catachresis. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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