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NL888 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Does "a sturdy trope" mean "a dogged analogy" here?

Context:

For reasons unknown, the government finally has admitted that Area 51 — the Shangri-La of alien hunters and a sturdy trope of ­science-fiction movies — is a real place in the Mojave Desert about 100 miles north of Las Vegas.
  

Top answer

That is, strictly speaking, a misuse of the word "trope". A trope is a figure of speech. The writer wanted you to think he had a better vocabulary than you, that he is edgy and hip, but he fell on his face.

  • That is, strictly speaking, a misuse of the word "trope".
  • A trope is a figure of speech.
  • The writer wanted you to think he had a better vocabulary than you, that he is edgy and hip, but he fell on his face.
  • He meant that Area 51 is a staple of sci-fi movies, a standby of sci-fi movies, an often-used element in them.
  • By "sturdy", he meant that over time the myth has not become stale.
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1 Answers
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That is, strictly speaking, a misuse of the word "trope". A trope is a figure of speech. The writer wanted you to think he had a better vocabulary than you, that he is edgy and hip, but he fell on his face. He meant that Area 51 is a staple of sci-fi movies, a standby of sci-fi movies, an often-used element in them. By "sturdy", he meant that over time the myth has not become stale.

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