figure of speech
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English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
figure of speech (plural figures of speech)
- (rhetoric, stylistic) A word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use to produce a rhetorical effect.
- Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:figure of speech
- (loosely) A turn of phrase that ought not to be taken literally, but rather as employed for convenience of expression only.
- Synonym: façon de parler
- I hope you didn't take it the wrong way, that was a figure of speech.
Translations
rhetoric, stylistic: word or phrase that deviates from standard
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See also
Further reading
- “figure of speech”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “figure of speech”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
- “figure of speech” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.