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Metonymie is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to not by its own name, but by the name of something closely associated with it. It's a substitution of a word or phrase for another word or phrase that is closely related to it. This association can be based on cause and effect, a container and its contents, a part and its whole, or a producer and its product.

For example, when people refer to "the White House" to mean the U.S. president or the executive branch of the U.S. government, they are using metonymy. The White House itself is a building, but it's strongly associated with the person and the institution that operates within it. Similarly, saying "Hollywood" to represent the American film industry is another instance of metonymy. The city of Hollywood is geographically associated with the production of movies.

Other common examples include referring to "the crown" to signify royalty or the monarchy, or saying "sweat equity" to mean hard work and effort invested in something. A metonymy can also involve using a tool to represent the user, such as "the pen is mightier than the sword," where "pen" stands for writing and diplomacy, and "sword" for military force. Understanding metonymy helps in interpreting language that relies on these associative substitutions, enriching the nuances of communication. It's a pervasive linguistic device found in everyday speech, literature, and rhetoric.