Antonomasia
Using an epithet or title in place of a proper name — 'the Bard' for Shakespeare, 'the Iron Lady' for Thatcher.
Antonomasia, from the Greek for 'naming instead', is the figure by which a descriptive phrase stands in for a proper name, or a famous proper name stands in for a general type. 'The Philosopher' meant Aristotle to medieval scholastics; 'a Judas' means a traitor in modern English. The figure exploits shared cultural knowledge — the reader must already know who is being named.
The first form (epithet for name) creates weight. Calling Elizabeth I 'Gloriana' or Muhammad Ali 'the Greatest' is not merely a substitution; it is a claim about how they should be remembered. Journalism uses antonomasia constantly ('the Boss' for Springsteen, 'the King' for Elvis) partly for variety and partly to invoke the myth without spelling it out.
The second form (name for type) creates shorthand. 'He's a Scrooge', 'she's a Cassandra', 'don't be such a Pollyanna' — each turns a proper name into a common noun that carries a compressed biography. Overused examples ossify into cliché; well-chosen ones remain vivid because the underlying story still lives.
Common mistake: reaching for an antonomasia the audience does not share. Calling someone 'a Coriolanus' in an editorial written for general readers is a bet that most of them have read the play. If the reference lands only for specialists, the figure has failed as communication, however well it flatters the writer.
“The Iron Lady is not for turning.”
Keep reading the glossary
A descriptive phrase attached to a name to characterise the person or thing named.
Calling something by the name of an associated thing — 'the crown' for 'the monarchy'.
A figure where the part stands for the whole, or the whole for the part.
An indirect reference to another text, person, event, or work — often quoted.