figure-speech

figure of speech

noun, plural figures of speech. Rhetoric.
any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect. Compare trope ( def 1 ).
Origin:
1815–25

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Figure-speech is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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World English Dictionary
figure of speech
 
—n
an expression of language, such as simile, metaphor, or personification, by which the usual or literal meaning of a word is not employed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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