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Proverbial

/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/

Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase.

📖 Definitions of "Proverbial"

noun
  1. 1

    Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase.

  2. 2

    The groin or the testicles.

    "You'll find they've got you by the proverbials."

adjective
  1. 1

    Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale.

  2. 2

    Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor.

    "proverbial spilled milk"

  3. 3

    Widely known; famous; stereotypical.

    "I grew up in a prefab house on Main Street in 1950s suburbia, the second and last child of a proverbial nuclear family."

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