adage ˈa-dij noun
: a condensed but memorable saying that embodies some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
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The word adage has appeared in 99 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on July 25 in “Letting Go of the Sentimental but Not Very Comfortable Couch” by Joan Lebow:
In my family, the old saying “The shoemaker’s daughter goes barefoot” had special meaning. My mother and father manufactured high-fashion women’s shoes sold in Bloomingdale’s and Saks, while I opted to wear construction boots or clogs on most days.
Years later, in my own house, I adapted a new version of that adage: “The furniture maker’s wife sits on the floor.”
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