Hack·ney, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hackneyed p. pr. & vb. n. Hackneying.]
1. To devote to common or frequent use, as a horse or carriage; to wear out in common service; to make trite or commonplace; as, a hackneyed metaphor or quotation.
Had I so lavish of my presence been,
So common-hackneyed in the eyes of men. --Shak.
2. To carry in a hackney coach.
◄ ►
hackneyed
adj : repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; "bromidic
sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace";
"hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating
threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom";
"the trite metaphor `hard as nails'" [syn: banal, commonplace,
old-hat, shopworn, stock(a), threadbare, timeworn,
tired, trite, well-worn]