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proverbial

/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ noun C2
  1. Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase. · I think we should be prepared in case the proverbial hits the fan.· Are you taking the proverbial?
  2. The groin or the testicles. · You'll find they've got you by the proverbials.

Plural proverbials

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From the library

One could have eaten a meal off the ground without overbrimming the proverbial peck of dirt.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 4 · C1
Born in the neighborhood of Arles, she had shared in the beauty for which its women are proverbial; but that beauty had gradually withered beneath the devastating influence of the slow fever so prevalent among dwellers by the ponds of Aiguemortes and the marshes of Camargue.
The Count of Monte Cristo, p. 279 · C1
“Shall we make a positive appointment for a particular day and hour?” inquired the count; “only let me warn you that I am proverbial for my punctilious exactitude in keeping my engagements.”
The Count of Monte Cristo, p. 415 · C1

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.