Reference and Saying

Reference

Reference noun - Something mentioned in a text as providing related and especially supporting information.

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Saying and reference are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Saying" instead a noun "Reference".

Saying noun - An often stated observation regarding something from common experience.

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Reference and saying are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Reference" instead a noun "Saying".

Nearby Word: say

known	known reference	known saying
nice	nice reference	nice saying
similar	similar reference	similar saying
common	common reference	common saying
Other adjectives: original, actual, real, big, obscure, bad, sexual, deliberate, easy, last, occasional, local, visual, giant, biblical.

Like stabbing a vampire and saying "Looks like the stakes were too high." (We're ignoring the fact that vampires cannot be critically hit.) See the The Order of the Stick reference below.

Source: You Fight Like a Cow
Literal Metaphor: The Barrel is a barrel-shaped gun that shoots fish, in reference to the old saying "as easy as shooting fish in a barrel".

Source: Video Game / Enter the Gungeon
The episode even includes word-for-word reference to the saying, "Don't feed the troll," which is used online in response to trolls looking for attention.

Source: Western Animation / Wander over Yonder

Cite this Source

Saying and Reference. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/reference/saying

Reference & Saying. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/reference/saying>.

Saying or Reference. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/reference/saying.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "reference" and "saying" have occurred on timeline