dead metaphor

dead metaphor

noun

A figure of speech whose metaphorical meaning has become so familiar over time that its literal meaning is forgotten or goes unnoticed, as in arrive at a conclusion or cast a glance.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"dead metaphor." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor>.

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dead metaphor. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor

Noun

(plural dead metaphors)

(linguistics) A former metaphor which has in effect lost its metaphorical status and become literal, e.g. "electric current" (electricity was at first thought to be analogous to water). Not to be confused with stale metaphor (a type of clichÃ©), although it often is.

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