metalepsis
/ˌmɛtəˈlɛpsɪs/
noun
- A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used in a new context by referring to a different but related figure of speech, often creating a layered or indirect meaning.
- The author's metalepsis made the story feel like the narrator was stepping into the book's world.
- In the poem, 'the pen is mightier than the sword' uses metalepsis by referring to writing and warfare indirectly.
- Teachers sometimes explain metalepsis as a 'shortcut' through a chain of ideas.