word choice - Metaphor for an important discovery


"Joe Blogg's Damascus" can be used as a metaphor to denote a sudden turning point in attitude, behaviour or some other feature of Joe Blogg's life.


What would be a similar metaphor for an important discovery in a field such as artificial intelligence that does not necessarily represent a paradigm shift but does represent substantial progress? Ideas other than "Eureka" very welcome.


Also, would this be called metonymy? If not, what's the difference?



Answer



You could use expressions such as pivotal moment, turning point, kairotic moment. See here for some more choices.


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