4. (Music, other) music a part of the action of a clavichord consisting of a small piece of metal that strikes the string to produce a note. 5. on a tangent at a tangent on a completely different or divergent course, esp of thought: to go off at a tangent.
Synonyms: clichÃ©, bromide, platitude, truism. These nouns denote an expression or idea that has lost its originality or force through overuse: a short story weakened by clichÃ©s; the bromide that we are what we eat; a eulogy full of platitudes; a once-original thought that is now a truism.
A literary trope is the use of figurative language â via word, phrase, or even an image â for artistic effect such as using a figure of speech. Irony â creating a trope through implying the opposite of the standard meaning, such as describing a bad situation as good times. 2  Metaphor â an explanation of an object or idea through juxtaposition of disparate things with a similar characteristic, such as describing a courageous person as having a heart of a lion.