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An epithet (Greek epitheton) is a descriptive word or phrase, often metaphoric, that is essentially a reduced or condensed appositive. Epithets are sometimes attached to a person's name, such as Richard the Lionheart or Alexander the Great. In contemporary usage, epithet often means an abusive or defamatory phrase.
Not every adjective is an epithet, even worn clichés. An epithet is linked to its noun by long-established usage and not otherwise employed. Sometimes the epithet is required to distinguish, say Charles the Fat from Charles the Bald.
Epithets are characteristic of the style of ancient epic poetry, most notably that of Homer. See epithets in Homer.
When James Joyce uses the phrase "the snot-green sea" he is playing on Homer's familiar epithet "the wine-dark sea" with a kind of mock-epithet.
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