Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

snowclone

British  
/ ˈsnəʊˌkləʊn /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of snowclone

C21: from snow in reference to the common formula 'If the Inuit have N words for snow, then surely X have Y words for Z ' + clone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Goodall, by now adjusted to the idea that he did not invent the "peak X" snowclone, is thinking about why it caught the imagination.

From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.