“All hands on deck.” “Nice wheels.” “The crown” for the monarchy. Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole, or the whole represents a part. It is a cousin of metonymy, which substitutes a related thing.

Synecdoche is everywhere in everyday language. “Threads” for clothes. “Mouths to feed” for people. “Boots on the ground” for soldiers. It is efficient and vivid. It focuses attention on the most salient part. In literature, synecdoche can create powerful images. “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed” in Shelley’s Ozymandias uses parts to stand for the whole person. It can also be playful. “He’s a suit” means he is a businessperson. Synecdoche is so common we often do not notice it. But when you do, you see how language is built on these small substitutions.

Examples

• “All hands on deck” — hands for sailors
• “Nice wheels” — wheels for car
• “The crown” — crown for monarch
• “Threads” — threads for clothes