What is a stamp? Meaning and examples

The question of what a stamp is, involves more than one answer. A figurative meaning of the word in general reveals an interesting topic of literary cliches. Since we had such a wonderful opportunity, let's not miss the opportunity to talk about banality.

Contents of the concept

The meaning of the word "stamp" can not be covered by one definition. The dictionary suggests the following:

1. A tool that allows you to create finished serial products using pressure or embossing from blanks.
2. The device for creating seals. Typically, it contains text, a picture, or an image. For example, the name of the organization that issued this or that document.
3. Impression, present on the document, directly related to the device.
4. Widespread sample.

If there were no fourth meaning of the word, then there would be nothing to talk about. But we were lucky, and in the context of the topic "What is a stamp?" You can discuss the hackneyed literary phrases. And let's think: is the banality so bad, as it is commonly believed? But first something else.

Substitutions of the word "stamp"

Whether a person can choose a synonym or not is what is important when it comes to real understanding of certain words. To the reader did not have any difficulties on this score, we offer him a list of synonyms. We remind you, we consider the word "stamp":

• Printing;
• stamp;
• template;
• cliche;
• stereotype.

As you can see, a rather poor choice. 3 out of 5 replacement words refer to a portable value. Now you can go to the most interesting.

Literary Platitudes

What is a "stamp" in written speech and why is it so bad? This is an interesting question that should be discussed. But first, we give examples of hackneyed phrases.

• Moscow is golden-haired;
• femme fatale;
• Long-legged blonde;
• The frost hardened;
• Gray as a lunar.

In poetry, "frosts" also fall into disgrace - they can not rhyme with "roses". And if a person thinks to combine the words "love" and "blood", then there is no salvation for him. It's hard to say why the frosts got into such disgrace, maybe it's all in a harsh climate, how to know. By the way, "roses" and "frosts" were commonplace in the days of A.S. Pushkin. Do not believe me? Read "Eugene Onegin".

The main claim to banality is that there is no personal, individual search for the author. "Writer" or "poet" of this kind simply takes the finished form and gives it out for his own invention, which contradicts the very idea of creativity.

Apparently, based on the well-known expression "the frost hardened" Anna Akhmatova created in her mockery his author's reading: the place of "frost" took "marasmus" and the following happened: "marasmus grew stronger". Quite popular now is the speech turnover, which has not yet had time to get bored.

Now it's clear what a stamp is, and now let's look at the reverse side of the coin (another cliché, is not it?).

Why not despise stamps?

With writers and poets everything is clear, because their work is literature. They are obliged to painstakingly forge their own style. But what about the rest, for example, people who have nothing to do with literary work? This niche is full. There are books that are in principle written in a rather unoriginal, banal language. Writers, of course, we will not call, so as not to offend anyone. But they find their readers, and their market, in addition, some people thanks to them sleep well at night. In other words, banality is the language that is accessible to almost anyone regardless of gender, age and level of education. For example, a book in the genre of "cool fighter" can hypothetically read and understand any person from 15 to 95.

In the cliché there is also an "economical moment". Yes, "fatal woman" or "long-legged blonde" is a hackneyed word combination. You can even think of a substitute for them, but sometimes in the pursuit of originality, authors fall into the other extreme - they do not understand.

People, resorting to literary cliches in colloquial speech, shorten the time necessary for understanding each other. Because behind the phrase "blue-eyed blond" there is a certain human type. Thus, it is immediately clear who we are talking about.

We hope that we managed to show that the definition of "stamp" (its meaning is already known) should not always be interpreted in a negative light, because banality also has the right to life and place in the language. Phraseological units can also be interpreted in a sense as "well-groomed paths," but without them it is difficult to imagine the existence of living speech.