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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Hughes went on to note the use of code words, particularly in a tactical environment.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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Greater Manchester Police had declared PLATO – a national code word used when police deploy armed officers across the force to the scene of an attack, CNN understands.—
Peter Wilkinson,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Germany teaches the Holocaust without euphemism, South Africa memorializes apartheid, and Rwanda preserves memory of genocide — nations gain respect by confronting their darkest chapters, not avoiding them.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
27 Aug. 2025
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Sometimes, this stems from their opinion that the supposedly tactful replacements for the R-word are equally if not more offensive — a classic example of the euphemism treadmill in practice.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But Calise reminded the audience AI development and adoption is very much still in the first inning, to use a baseball analogy.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
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Max’s wide range of uses has prompted analogies to China’s WeChat.—
Justin Sherman,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The scene demonstrates Courtney’s capacious approach to metaphor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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Tipping points are not precise A tipping point is a metaphor for runaway change.—
Alexandra A Phillips,
The Conversation,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile.—
Nino Letteriello,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.—
Rob Gagnon,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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