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False metonymy: when a thing stands in for a larger thing that isn’t actually a thing What examples come to mind based on this abstract definition?
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This is a decent example A lot of people are pointing to vague categories rather than well-defined things that stand in for non-existent categories
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Replying to @vgr
The English Constitution would seem to be one of the ur-examples of this. Insofar as the thing does legally exist, but what it represents is an abstracted conception of common law with no coherent identity or definitive “completeness” in itself.
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Feels like I’m not getting the question across clearly. For example “DC” is a true metonymy for “US federal government” which is a fuzzy but real thing. “Area 52” might be a good example… metonymy for a vast alien research military industrial complex that doesn’t actually exist
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Would most mythical creatures count? Especially the sheer number of sea snake myths pervading North American lakes. I wouldn’t think most people believe they’re legitimately real, but you see little towns engaging with the theatre of it, all in echo of Nessie
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