Noun
A common saying; a proverb; a saying that has a general currency.
The object of a contemptuous saying.
Source: Webster's dictionaryAlthough Sherlock Holmes is not the original fiction detective (he was influenced by Poe's Dupin and Gaboriau's Lecoq ), his name has become a byword for the part. Source: Internet
Etymology The name Dagda may ultimately be derived from the Proto-Indo-European *Dhagho-deiwos "shining divinity", the first element being cognate with the English word " day ", and possibly a byword for a deification of a notion such as "splendour". Source: Internet
Spam captured a large slice of the British market within the lower classes, and became a byword among British children of the 1960s for low-grade fodder due to its commonality, monotonous taste and cheap price, leading to the humour of the Python sketch. Source: Internet
Mr Seboka said corruption, bad governance and general lawlessness had become a byword for Mr Thabane's outgoing government. Source: Internet
For instance, a " white elephant " is a byword for something expensive, useless and bizarre. Source: Internet
Richardson 1994, p. 231. The book, however, quickly became a byword for unwholesomeness among mainstream critics of the day. Source: Internet