as in clichés
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
an op-ed piece that's offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes
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Recent Examples of chestnuts
In the medieval town of Belvì, men roast chestnuts—marroni—over an open fire in a frying pan the size of a swimming pool and then serve them to the crowd by shoveling them into troughs.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
Canned Water Chestnuts Fresh water chestnuts, while hard to find, are sweeter and juicier than canned varieties, with a cleaner, more pronounced crunch.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026
Almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, chia, and flax are rich in magnesium and omega-3s, helping to support nervous-system and hormonal balance.
—Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
One programmer joked that his early sketches of the Goombas looked like chestnuts— kuri in Japanese, which is why Goombas are known in Japan as kuribo.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
Nuts Many nuts, including walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, are rich in polyphenols.
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 27 Jan. 2026
The streets and shops are adorned with lights, and the smell of freshly roasted chestnuts looms around every corner.
—Jenna Curcio, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
From chestnuts literally roasting on an open fire in the rain to a string quartet raising money for a mission trip decked in Victorian-era clothing, and hot chocolate being sold, the Victorian Christmas in Nevada City has been bringing visitors to this era since 1978.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Key Takeaways Water chestnuts are nutrient-dense vegetables, not nuts.
—Hannah Coakley, Verywell Health, 8 Dec. 2025
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
Canned Water Chestnuts Fresh water chestnuts, while hard to find, are sweeter and juicier than canned varieties, with a cleaner, more pronounced crunch.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026
Almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, chia, and flax are rich in magnesium and omega-3s, helping to support nervous-system and hormonal balance.
—Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
One programmer joked that his early sketches of the Goombas looked like chestnuts— kuri in Japanese, which is why Goombas are known in Japan as kuribo.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
Nuts Many nuts, including walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, are rich in polyphenols.
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 27 Jan. 2026
The streets and shops are adorned with lights, and the smell of freshly roasted chestnuts looms around every corner.
—Jenna Curcio, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
From chestnuts literally roasting on an open fire in the rain to a string quartet raising money for a mission trip decked in Victorian-era clothing, and hot chocolate being sold, the Victorian Christmas in Nevada City has been bringing visitors to this era since 1978.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Key Takeaways Water chestnuts are nutrient-dense vegetables, not nuts.
—Hannah Coakley, Verywell Health, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chestnuts
Noun
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The president used similar bromides in private calls to assuage allies, including Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, before launching the war in February, according to people familiar with the conversations.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
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While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In another Amsterdam photo, a pair of identical world globes, recalling Ghirri’s passion for cartography and atlases, rest on matching supports to conjure that oldest of surrealist tropes, a pair of staring eyes.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Professional arcs not entirely aside, this is a romantic comedy, full of meet-cutes and related tropes, where love rules; no one’s got it, everyone’s looking for it.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
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At this year’s Thorpe ceremony, too, Barron and Dennard — men of faith — bonded over Proverbs 27:17, talking about Barron’s future.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For nine months, Erasmus spent his short nights in a modest dorm and his long days in the print shop, expanding on his collection of proverbs Adagiorum chiliades while Aldus proofread, craftsman carefully laying sets of print and rolling paper through the press.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The second was that, along with the platitudes about resilience, attendees were unusually honest about the Gulf’s predicament.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
4 June 2026
-
Not the word kindness, not the platitudes.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
One effect of this austerity and repression is to focus attention on Albee’s language, with its slippery banalities and barbs.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
As far back as the Victorian era, exchanging a few banalities was part of a veritable social code—a way of signaling both politeness and boundaries.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Sets come in half-dozens and include designs like a soccer ball, a flag, celebratory sayings in the language and a jersey, according to its website.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
May 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
-
Readers share Mother's Day advice, funny sayings and expressions from moms.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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The play isn’t subtle; the final sequence leans hard on truisms about addiction and trauma, which are affecting but overly explicit.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
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The director scores easy laughs off of modern-day progressive shibboleths such as gender-fluid pronouns, trigger warnings and Native American land acknowledgments.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chestnuts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnuts. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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