The terms metonymy and synecdoche refer to two similar figures of speech often used as literary devices. (They're easy to confuse, so feel free to read this as many times as you need.)
'Synecdoche' is when the word for a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing, or less commonly, the word for a whole is used to refer to a part. 'Metonymy' is when a word associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself. What is SynecdocheSynecdoche refers to a figure of speech in which the word for a part of something is used to refer to the thing itself, or less commonly, when the word for a thing itself is used to refer to part of that thing. The first kind of synecdoche is what we hear when someone uses wheels to refer to a car (“she showed off her new wheels”) or threads to refer to clothing (“a new set of threads”); the second kind is what’s going on when a phrase like “introduced to society” is used to talk about an introduction specifically to high society. A classic example of synecdoche is the use of the term hands to mean “workers” (as in “all hands on deck”), or the noun sails to mean “ships.” Synecdoche is also sometimes used in the names of sports teams, e.g., the White Sox, the Blue Jackets. What is MetonymyMetonymy refers to a figure of speech in which the word for one thing is used to refer to something related to that thing, such as crown for “king” or “queen,” or White House or Oval Office for “President.” The phrase “a bunch of suits” for a group of businesspeople is an example of metonymy; it uses the common wardrobe of businesspeople as shorthand for the people themselves. It’s metonymy when you use a person’s name to refer to the works by that person, as when you say “We’re reading Austen this semester” when you really mean “We’re reading works by Austen this semester.” And it’s metonymy when you use a city’s name to refer to its team, as when you say “Houston was ahead by six points.” Some examples of metonymy are so common as to have become a regular part of the lexicon. The use of press to mean “journalists” dates to the 17th century and occurs in the First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”). It identifies journalists with the name of the device used for printing newspapers. Similarly, a sportswriter might say that a team’s bats went into a slump, when what the writer really means is that the hitters in the lineup went into the slump. Sometimes metonymy is used to make a name catchier than the item it replaces, like when surf and turf, a phrase employing two rhyming terms that allude to the sea and land, is used for a dish combining seafood and beef. Like many terms used in rhetoric, both synecdoche and metonymy derive from Greek. The syn- in synecdoche means "with, along with" (much like as in synonym) and ekdochē means "sense, interpretation." Metonymy meanwhile, combines the Greek meta (“among, with, after,” the same root found in metaphor) with ōnymon, meaning “name” or “word.” Now that you've got these two figured out, check out this list of other common rhetorical devices.
Words at Play 'Pleonasm', 'antonomasia', and 8 more essential rhetorical terms Epistrophe is from a Greek word that literally means “turning about”: the repeated words “turn back” on each other. There is an opposite to epistrophe—anaphora, or the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence or clause, also used for emphasis. Lincoln uses anaphora as well as epistrophe in the Gettysburg Address: “But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”
"One burned steer coming up for Table Five!"
Definition: the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one, or an expression so substituted “Your old man won’t be pleased if you stay out too late.” We’re all familiar with euphemisms—nice ways of referring to something bad, impolite, or distasteful. But we’re less familiar with euphemism’s sibling, dysphemism. Dysphemism is an impolite way of referring to something nice. Dysphemisms pop up all the time in informal use, like the above old man instead of “father,” or ball and chain for one’s spouse. But nowhere are they more common than in the argot of the greasy spoon (a dysphemism for the word “diner”), immortalized in the 1941 book by Jack Smiley, Hash House Lingo. Toast was called a board or a shingle; tea was boiled leaves and coffee was mud; bullets were baked beans, and a steak, well-done, was a burned steer. In the topsy-turvy world of English, not all dysphemisms are used to diss. They can be used within a group affectionately, like a parent calling their child rugrat, or a wife calling her husband old man. Dysphemism is a blend of the prefix dys-, which means “bad,” and -phemism, shortened from the earlier word euphemism. Dysphemism is a relatively recent addition to the rhetorical family, showing up in English in the late 1800s.
31 Rhetorical Devices and Examples from 'Alliteration' to 'Zeugma'
Should you use a metaphor, a simile, or an analogy in your writing? While all three are closely related, it’s smart to understand the differences. The distinctions among metaphors, similes, and analogies will also help underscore why you may want to use one and not the other in certain situations. Now that we know metaphors can be powerful persuasion tools, let’s make sure everyone is on the same page from a definitional standpoint. Let’s take a look at some basic definitions before exploring each one further … A metaphor is a figure of speech that uses one thing to mean another and makes a comparison between the two. A simile compares two different things in order to create a new meaning. An analogy is comparable to metaphor and simile in that it shows how two different things are similar, but it’s a bit more complex. MetaphorRemember, metaphors use “one thing to mean another.” So, when someone says, “He’s become a shell of a man,” we know not to take this literally, even though it’s stated directly as if this person had actually lost his internal substance. SimileIn the case of similes, we are made explicitly aware that a comparison is being made due to the use of “like” or “as.” (He’s like a shell of a man.) For fun, the next time someone corrects you and says, “That’s a simile, not a metaphor,” you can respond by letting them know that a simile is a type of metaphor, just like sarcasm is a type of irony. Resist the urge to be sarcastic in your delivery. AnalogyRather than a figure of speech, an analogy is more of a logical argument. The presenter of an analogy will often demonstrate how two things are alike by pointing out shared characteristics, with the goal of showing that if two things are similar in some ways, they are similar in other ways as well. Why metaphor?There are circumstances where either a simile or an analogy is the more appropriate vehicle for getting your point across. But coming up with a great metaphor may be your best bet in many situations. A metaphor carries so much more power than a simile, because it’s direct. Using “like” or “as” to make an open comparison will often diminish the vivid visual you’re trying to paint in the reader’s mind. Likewise, a spot-on metaphor will spark instant understanding for a reader, without the elaboration that an analogy requires. From here, we’ll examine specific ways to use metaphor in your blog posts. Headlines, openings, themes, calls to action and more can all benefit from the use of metaphor, as long as the metaphors don’t suck. We’ll look at ways to avoid that, too. Did you miss the first post in this series? Read it now: Become a Master of Metaphor and Multiply Your Marketing Effectiveness Next in the series: 5 Smart Ways to Use Metaphors to Create Irresistible Content The Persuasive Power of Analogy |
A word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something else and is not literally true
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