conceit

Hansen uses this as a metaphor for the “To Catch a Predator” conceit.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Garry explains the evening’s conceit shortly after waddling from his chair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Its defining achievement is ordered liberty: suspicion of ideological conceit, faith in common decency, respect for tradition and a preference for gradual change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The conceit is that the worried and impatient evacuees amuse themselves with an impromptu performance of “Pericles,” of all unlikely theatrical works.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

But the conceit of the film is that it feels like a documentary, even though it isn’t.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

All of Mr. Horowitz’s conceits are present here: a murder mystery within the murder mystery, winking nods at the author’s real-life career as a novelist and screenwriter, and playful experimentation with the detective-story form.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

As with most sequels, it is — almost by definition — less essential than the original, whose conceits and M.C.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024

“Gladiator II” and “Alien: Romulus” are Ridley Scott properties that heavily retread ground covered in the original conceits that inspired them.

From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2024

So what might seem like improvements or expansions — elaborate group choreography, imaginative conceits — risk straying from the emotional core that makes flamenco flamenco.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

“But she is employing the literary conceits and techniques of a novel. And the meeting you speak of has already occurred—you have been reading it for the past quarter of an hour.”

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein