a metaphor that has occurred so often that it has become a new meaning of the expression (e.g., `he is a snake' may once have been a metaphor but after years of use it has died and become a new sense of the word `snake')
English language
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dead metaphor::noun | Spocien Dictionary
| Type | Words |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | frozen metaphor |
| Type of | metaphor |
Examples of dead metaphor
dead metaphor
A dead metaphor is one in which the sense of a transferred image is absent.
From the en.wikipedia.org
The former has been so generalised that it is a bit of a dead metaphor, so I would have gone with the latter to make it clear that actual witches are meant.
From the en.wikipedia.org
Dawkins is dead to metaphor, and tries to annul it by insisting on the literal occurrence, contained in actual words, of the virgin birth and the resurrection.
From the guardian.co.uk
Creating life where it's been dead, beauty where it's been ugly, is the metaphor for their revivals.
From the denverpost.com
At that moment every redundant phrase, each show-off, pointless metaphor, all of the pieces of dead wood, stupidity, vanity, and tedium are distressingly obvious to you.
From the evangelicaloutpost.com
The ghoulish makeup is perfectly in keeping with current fashion photography, and it serves the dual purpose of enhancing the metaphor while making her look drop-dead beautiful.
From the time.com
With the zombie princess, Brown is providing us with a clear visual metaphor for the ugly inadvisability of bringing anything back from the dead.
From the guardian.co.uk
Indeed, the better metaphor is a car suddenly reversing when the driver realises he has been hurtling down a dead end at 100mph.
From the guardian.co.uk
The dead body, its furtive roadside burial, and the baleful weight it has exerted over the years, becomes a metaphor for the unmentionable secrets that couples carry.
From the independent.co.uk
