Knowledge (XXG)

Dead metaphor

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The long standing metaphorical application of a term can similarly lose their metaphorical quality, coming simply to denote a larger application of the term. The wings of a plane now no longer seem to metaphorically refer to a bird's wings; rather, the term 'wing' was expanded to include non-living
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There is debate among literary scholars whether so-called "dead metaphors" are dead or are metaphors. Literary scholar R.W. Gibbs noted that for a metaphor to be dead, it would necessarily lose the metaphorical qualities that it comprises. These qualities, however, still remain. A person can
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of a metaphor. A distinction is often made between those dead metaphors whose origins are entirely unknown to the majority of people using them (such as the expression "to
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understand the expression "falling head-over-heels in love" even if they have never encountered that variant of the phrase "falling in love".
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of its meaning by extensive, repetitive, and popular usage, or because it refers to an obsolete technology or forgotten custom. Because dead
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things. Similarly, the legs of a chair is no longer a metaphor but an expansion of the term "leg" to include any supporting pillar.
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argued that the dead metaphor should not be considered a metaphor at all, but rather classified as a separate vocabulary item.
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have a conventional meaning that differs from the original, they can be understood without knowing their earlier connotation.
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Continuity and Change in the Rhetoric of the Moral Majority
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in the evolution of a language, a process called the
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Figure of speech which has lost its original imagery
198:Time is running out (in reference to an hourglass) 100:Beyond the pale (in reference to a boundary fence) 111:Fly off the handle (in reference to an ax head) 397: 282:"The words that help us understand the world" 276: 274: 43:Dead metaphors are generally the result of a 8: 92:(in reference to grips on aircraft controls) 404: 390: 260:. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 208: 146:(refers to a storm-tossed sailing ship) 7: 358: 356: 256:Travers, Michael David (June 1996). 376:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by 14: 360: 1: 27:which has lost the original 311:Online Etymology Dictionary 444: 355: 258:"Programming with Agents" 149:To take a parting shot ( 144:Three sheets to the wind 137:(refers to horse riding) 218:"The Death of Metaphor" 163:Pull out all the stops 159:(refers to paper tape) 195:something (to record) 84:centrifugal governor 65:Analytic philosopher 165:(in reference to a 82:(in reference to a 216:Pawelec, Andrzej. 182:Roll up the window 428:Linguistics stubs 423:Metaphors by type 385: 384: 175:(in reference to 130:Hang up the phone 121:Glove compartment 90:Balls to the wall 435: 406: 399: 392: 364: 357: 347: 346: 344: 342: 328: 322: 321: 319: 317: 303: 297: 296: 294: 292: 278: 269: 268: 266: 265: 253: 247: 239:David Snowball, 237: 231: 230: 228: 227: 222: 213: 140:Hold your horses 135:hell-for-leather 25:figure of speech 443: 442: 438: 437: 436: 434: 433: 432: 413: 412: 411: 410: 353: 351: 350: 340: 338: 336:Merriam-Webster 332:"dead metaphor" 330: 329: 325: 315: 313: 305: 304: 300: 290: 288: 280: 279: 272: 263: 261: 255: 254: 250: 238: 234: 225: 223: 220: 215: 214: 210: 205: 76: 53:kick the bucket 41: 17: 12: 11: 5: 441: 439: 431: 430: 425: 415: 414: 409: 408: 401: 394: 386: 383: 382: 365: 349: 348: 323: 298: 270: 248: 232: 207: 206: 204: 201: 200: 199: 196: 189: 183: 180: 170: 160: 154: 147: 141: 138: 131: 128: 123: 118: 112: 109: 104: 103:Cut! (in film) 101: 98: 93: 87: 75: 72: 49:literalization 45:semantic shift 40: 37: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 440: 429: 426: 424: 421: 420: 418: 407: 402: 400: 395: 393: 388: 387: 381: 379: 375: 372:article is a 371: 366: 363: 359: 354: 337: 333: 327: 324: 312: 308: 302: 299: 287: 283: 277: 275: 271: 259: 252: 249: 246: 242: 236: 233: 219: 212: 209: 202: 197: 194: 190: 188: 187:broken record 185:Sound like a 184: 181: 178: 177:magnetic tape 174: 171: 168: 164: 161: 158: 157:Patching code 155: 152: 151:Parthian shot 148: 145: 142: 139: 136: 132: 129: 127: 124: 122: 119: 116: 113: 110: 108: 105: 102: 99: 97: 94: 91: 88: 85: 81: 78: 77: 73: 71: 69: 66: 60: 56: 54: 50: 46: 38: 36: 34: 30: 26: 22: 21:dead metaphor 378:expanding it 367: 352: 339:. Retrieved 335: 326: 314:. Retrieved 310: 301: 289:. Retrieved 285: 262:. Retrieved 251: 240: 235: 224:. Retrieved 211: 61: 57: 48: 42: 20: 18: 370:linguistics 341:20 November 286:BBC Culture 126:Go belly up 39:Description 417:Categories 264:2009-12-08 226:2014-11-20 203:References 167:pipe organ 117:(in film) 96:Brand new 80:Balls-out 68:Max Black 33:metaphors 316:25 March 307:"handle" 291:25 March 107:Deadline 74:Examples 115:Footage 29:imagery 173:Rewind 368:This 245:p.126 221:(PDF) 23:is a 374:stub 343:2014 318:2023 293:2023 193:tape 191:To 133:Go 419:: 334:. 309:. 284:. 273:^ 243:, 19:A 405:e 398:t 391:v 380:. 345:. 320:. 295:. 267:. 229:. 179:) 169:) 153:) 86:)

Index

figure of speech
imagery
metaphors
semantic shift
kick the bucket
Analytic philosopher
Max Black
Balls-out
centrifugal governor
Balls to the wall
Brand new
Deadline
Footage
Glove compartment
Go belly up
hell-for-leather
Three sheets to the wind
Parthian shot
Patching code
Pull out all the stops
pipe organ
Rewind
magnetic tape
broken record
tape
"The Death of Metaphor"
p.126
"Programming with Agents"

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