synecdoche
noun

- a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special (example: "Lend me a hand" uses "hand" for help).

- a word or phrase in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole of it, for example a pair of hands for a worker.

Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

"Synecdoche" entered English in the late 14th century via Middle French sinecdoque, from Late Latin synecdoche, itself borrowed from Greek synekdochē (συνεκδοχή) meaning "interpretation by receiving together" or "simultaneous understanding."

Aristotle referenced it in his Poetics (4th century BC) as a rhetorical device, distinguishing it from metaphor by its part-whole logic, like using "sail" for ship.

Medieval scholars cataloged it in encyclopedias, but it really gained traction in Renaissance rhetoric manuals, such as those by Erasmus (1512).

English writers like Shakespeare sprinkled it in plays—"the crown" for king—by the 1590s. The term's spelling shifted from synoecdoce in early prints to modern form by the 1700s, its Greek roots underscoring a compact way to grasp wholes through fragments.

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WHERE FRAGMENTS MEAN WHOLES

When praising someone's car, one might say “Nice wheels!” where we obviously aren't referring to only the tyres and wheel hubs, but to the whole vehicle. In the same way, the expression "mouths to feed" refers to hungry people, with "mouth" representing part of a whole person.

Here are 10 very common synecdoches in English. How many do you know? (answers below)

1. “We’re short on h - - - -  this week.” (not enough people available)

2. “Let’s get some fresh b - - - -  into the department.” (recruit new people)

3. “Can finance put e - - -  on this report?” (check the numbers carefully)

4. “We need b - - - -  on the ground in Berlin.” (have staff physically present)

5. “T - -  b - - - -  want an update.” (senior leadership wants news)

6. “Our p - - - - - - -  is running low.” (sales process lacks leads)

7. “Nice t - - - - - -  .” (nice clothes)

8. “W - - -  S - - - - -  reacted nervously.” (financial markets or investment banks)

9. “Marketing needs deeper p - - - - - -  for the launch.” (a bigger budget)

10. “Can I have your h - - -  in marriage?” (the whole person’s consent/life commitment)

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- - -
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ANSWERS:
1. hands  2. blood  3. eyes  4. boots  5. top brass  6. pipeline  7. threads. 8.  Wall Street  9. pockets  10. hand

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“SYNECDOCHE lets one word carry a world” 
Umberto Eco (Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language) 

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SYNONYMS

abbreviated allusion, condensed reference, emblematic swap, figurative substitution, fragment-for-full, pars pro toto device, part-for-whole, part-whole figure, proxy expression, representative stand-in (term), rhetorical device, stand-in speech, substitution trope, symbolic segment, SYNECDOCHE, totality shorthand

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“The word SYNECDOCHE looks frightfully difficult to pronounce, until we remember to simply stress the second syllable: si-NECK-dockey,… then it’s easy!”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D