trope
US /troʊp/
UK /troʊp/
1.
a common or overused theme or device in literature, art, or rhetoric
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The 'chosen one' is a classic fantasy trope.
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The film relies heavily on the 'damsel in distress' trope.
2.
a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression
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Irony is a common rhetorical trope.
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The poet used the trope of a journey to represent life.