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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Different industries use various code words, shorthand, and lingo to communicate.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Mar. 2026
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Some of his code words, moreover, have wider currency in the administration.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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When Oklahoma missed out on the NCAA Tournament, AD Roger Denny announced that coach Porter Moser was staying and offered up one of the great euphemisms of this era.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Craig agrees and frames the challenge in terms of historical analogy.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Related Stories The obviousness of the analogy — paging Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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When Rue meets one of Laurie’s customers, Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a strip-club mogul fond of cowboy hats and the American frontier as an organizing metaphor, the everything-is-for-sale theme is amplified further.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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Pete made this amazing metaphor.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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Along with another allusion to his quip about Lucien’s death, that simile establishes the Anglo-Irish author as a terrifying counter-example of homosexual exposure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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