Snowclone
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈsnəʊ.kləʊn/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Snowclone is a noun meaning (linguistics) A formulaic phrase that can be customized to fit a variety of contexts.
Meaning
(linguistics) A formulaic phrase that can be customized to fit a variety of contexts.
More Meanings
- (intransitive) To use a snowclone in speech or writing.
Example Sentences
If so, you're being snowed under by snowclones — a category of fill-in-the-blank cliché identified by linguists.
When you read phrases like these in a newspaper, you've stumbled across a particular type of cliché: the snowclone.
The snowclone is mainstream enough now to appear in the title of a recently published book: This Is Your Brain on Joy.
I stumbled upon the site the other day, when I was looking up the origins of the "Im not an X, but I play one on TV" snowclone.
Word Forms
- snowclones
- snowcloning
- snowcloned
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include cliche, clake, clutron, common place, clowd, cockalane.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.