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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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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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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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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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