quotations - What is it called when you change a well known quote to suit your subject?



For example, for the original quote we shall use, "One swallow does not a summer make". If someone were to say "One good quote does not a philosopher make" (No dig at Aristotle intended...), or "A fancy suit does not a businessman make".


Essentially, a clear allusion to a quote, but not the quote itself.



Answer



The word I've heard used for this on the linguistics blog Language Log is snowclone (it's derived from phrases of the format "If Eskimos have N words for snow, X surely have Y words for Z.")


Here's a Language Log post that describes the moment the word was coined and that links to some examples: Snowclones: Lexicographical Dating to the Second


And here's how it's defined by Collins Dictionaries online:



a verbal formula that is adapted for reuse by changing only a few words so that the allusion to the original phrase remains clear



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