Questions tagged [metonyms]
Questions about metonyms
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Definition of a metonymy
Metonymy is often used in every day speech.
One of the examples of metonymy is to refer to the content by the container (ex: I drank a glass).
I was wondering if using the container to refer to the ...
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3answers
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Distinguishing between the camera lens and the lenses inside the camera lens
The term camera lens normally refers to the whole barrel containing a set of glass lenses proper, plus the mount mechanism into the camera body and the rings for adjusting aperture and focus, mainly.
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Usage of “mailing list” in corporate language
The Cambridge Dictionary defines mailing list as:
a list of names and addresses kept by an organization so that it can
send information and advertisements to the people on the list
An example ...
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1answer
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Would 'Google' be a synecdoche or a metonymy of the internet and technology?
I want to write an opening for my essay, but I'm not sure which term to use: metonymy or synecdoche. I have a feeling that it is a synecdoche because Google is a part of the Internet, but I would like ...
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General word for “imaginary bad things”?
In some languages there's a categorical word for all things which are evil and imaginary. For example, Strašidlo in Czech describes ghosts, bogeymen, etc.
Is there an equivalent word in English?
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1answer
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Is saying “The President did…” an example of a metonym?
Is it a metonym to say that the president did something, when in reality it was his administration that did it?
Update:
Every example of one that I've come across uses an inanimate object as a ...
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2answers
60 views
Word that includes mythology, legends, etc.? [closed]
I am searching for a word or short phrase that includes/describes following words:
myth/mythology
legends
mythos
lore
fable
saga
I know I am not really precise with what I am searching for.
I am not ...
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3answers
156 views
Equivalent Metonymy of “The Crown” for the Pope and Papacy
I'm writing about the English Reformation-era split allegiance to the king and pope, and I want to write a sentence comparing allegiance to "The Crown" to the equivalent metonym for the papacy. I ...
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2answers
453 views
Is a country's name a metonym - and when? E.g.: “The White House” / “Washington” / …“The U.S.?”
I'm interested in figurative language and metonymy in particular. Sometimes it seems hard to tell if a term qualifies as a metonym or would be considered linguistically "literal." One case ...
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1answer
956 views
Is “sun seems to have set” (on an idea) a metaphor/simile or synechdoche/metonymy
Is the follow quote a 1) metaphor or simile or an examples 2) synechdoche or metonymy
"Sun seems to have set" (on an idea)
Metonymy is
"a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing ...
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2answers
174 views
Using a person's name to stand for their body of work
I am choosing between two sentences
"We now define a function which in essence is already in Dirichlet's work."
"We now define a function which in essence is already in Dirichlet."
The principle of ...
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“Robber's hand” as a metonym for robber
Is there a way to talk about a robber like this?
In Swedish there is a metonym for robber: "rånarhand", lit "robbers's hand".
And you could use it as: "not safe from robber's hand"
Is there a ...
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1answer
811 views
In UK politics, is there a metonym for the National Assembly for Wales (like Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont)?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has a national parliament with an internationally used metonym Westminster after the City of Westminster, London, where the parliament is ...
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1answer
386 views
Is this a metonymy or synecdoche?
In Katy Perry's song "Firework", there's a line that goes like this:
After a hurricane, comes a rainbow.
I know that "hurricane" and "rainbow" are not metaphors, nor are they symbols. I was ...
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2answers
1k views
Can 'the magazine' be used with plural agreement to refer to the editor and staff collectively?
If I am referring to a magazine as an entity comprising its editor and staff, is it correct to say, 'The magazine are keen for submissions' or 'The magazine is keen for submissions'?
(I'm correcting ...
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9answers
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“A cup of hot coffee” or “A hot cup of coffee”
I once had an argument with someone about this.
Is the meaning of "A cup of hot coffee" the same as "A hot cup of coffee"?
Surprisingly I've often heard people utter either of the two, but not ...
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2answers
717 views
‘Longears’, ‘Tapperbill’, and ‘Painted-wings’
I was reading The Intruder by James Reeves. I couldn't understand the meaning of the following lines
Longears helter-skelter shoots
Into his house among the roots.
At work upon the highest ...
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1answer
755 views
“Baby blues” - metonymy or synechdoche?
I understand the basic difference between metonymy and synecdoche (thanks in part to this question) but got stumped on "baby blues" as another way of saying eyes. Am I right that it is synecdoche as ...
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4answers
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Someone or something that blocks a view
Is there a single word or metonym for someone or something that "blocks a view"?
I'm looking for a word that, unlike "obstacle" or "obstruction", conveys the "view" part.
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1answer
152 views
Metonym Confusion Redux
It seems that I am once again confused about the finer points of metonyms. The example I give my students is the phrase Today, Ottawa announced..., where Ottawa is a metonym for the Canadian ...
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1answer
633 views
Lexicology, Semasiology
Is metonymy considered to be linguistic or extralinguistic factor of semantic change? For example crown for a monarchy
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1answer
177 views
Why is it “From Dublin to Los Angeles” in the Western world, that has left the church moribund in 20 century culture wars?
In connection with my previous question about the meaning of “the Church’s existential problem”, there was the following sentence in the same article of Time Magazine (December 11, 2013) — “Pope ...
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3answers
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What is the opposite of synecdoche?
If synecdoche represents when a part of a thing or person refers to the whole, what is it called when the whole is used to refer to a part?
For example, we often hear about what "The American People ...
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1answer
969 views
Is “to have a perfect ear for music” a metaphor or a metonymy?
This phrase seems to be a metaphor to me, however I guess you could say "ear" might be referring to a concept of being able to make music well. Would you say it's a metaphor or metonymy?
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What is 'decreased activity' an example of?
People use decreased activity (for example) where decrease in activity would be more literally correct. For example, reasons for my decreased activity usually refers to reasons for a decrease, not to ...
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What does “purchasers of a new tablet won’t ‘end up with a doorstop’” mean?
Washington Post (June 17) reports Barnes & Noble’s offer of tablet software update at
a surprisingly cheap price under the title, “It’s official: Nook Tablets are now ridiculously cheap."
It says:...
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10answers
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What's the shortest word that can stand for “to leave a legacy”?
The idea is to represent the concept that while an individual's life is finite and accumulated knowledge or wisdom will disappear after death, the result of one's actions can make a difference for ...
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2answers
618 views
Has “Fat Belt” been established as a metonymy for the Midwest? Doesn’t it sound derogatory to the Midwesterners?
I found the word, “Fat Belt” in the headline of the article in Time magazine (October 11 issues), titled “Salad restaurant chains sprouting up even in the ‘Fat Belt.’” The article reads:
“Salad ...
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4answers
8k views
Collective nouns and subject-verb agreement: general rule or arbitrary?
A newspaper ran this headline recently:
(1) Police crack down on IAC protesters. [emph added]
Why did it not read:
(2) ? Police cracks down on IAC protesters.
I have found instances of "police ...
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4answers
1k views
Is there a term for referring to an organization by its city rather than by its name?
This happens specifically often in the technology press:
There's no point trying to ascribe motives to what Redmond [instead of "Microsoft"] does.
We'll see shortly if Cupertino [instead of "...
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What is the difference between metonymy and synecdoche?
What is the difference between metonymy and synecdoche?
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Metonyms in American football: the National Football League [closed]
Wikipedia has a great definition of metonymy here, but I have a more specific question. The biggest user of NFL metonyms appears to be Gregg Easterbrook, writer of the Tuesday Morning Quarterback at ...
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2answers
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Metonymy in Professional European Football (Soccer) [closed]
Wikipedia has a great definition of metonymy here, but I have a more specific question. Can I have a list of metnonyms used in Professional European Football (Soccer), particularly the English ...
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6answers
3k views
Is “facebook” as a verb different from “google” or “photoshop”?
I understand that any term, grammatical or not, becomes valid if there is common usage. I'm not concerned about that.
Google and Photoshop are both commonly used as verbs. Given that the terms map ...
