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proverbial

proverbial

58 5.8
Well known from common sayings and used as a typical example
  • adjective
  • /prəˈvɜrbiəl/
translation icon : proverbial
  • Initiatives such as the Common Core State Standards may be the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
  • become proverbial
  • proverbial expression
  • proverbial wisdom

These are the bosses who are often the proverbial golden goose.

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Examples

  • Saved by the proverbial bell.

  • My ass is stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • You mean like if you were the proverbial last man on Earth, Right.

  • So I got one of those proverbial Washington phone calls.

  • You can always put your key under the proverbial mat.

  • Take that with the proverbial grain of salt.

  • So the baby boomers are caught with the proverbial pants down.

  • In many respects, we are like the proverbial blind men trying to reconstruct the elephant.

    Academic text (1992)
  • But such well-publicized cases are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Many people rely on the proverbial wisdom of their grandparents when faced with difficult decisions.

Synonyms

well-known
vsproverbial
253 1.0

Familiar to many people and often talked about

is often recalled as part of proverbs or common sayings

How Well-Known

famous
1.0
proverbial
58 5.8
known
2 1.0
familiar
793 1.0
obscure
84 7.0

Surface Forms

proverbial positive

Morphology

proverbial = proverb (transparent) = proverb + ial

The adjective is a straightforward derivation from 'proverb' using the productive adjectival suffix '-ial', and a learner knowing 'proverb' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Proverbial comes from the word proverb, which is a short, well-known 'saying'. So, proverbial describes something very famous or often mentioned, like the 'proverbial' elephant in the room.