All 3 Uses of
hackneyed
in
Jane Eyre
- Then take my word for it, — I am not a villain: you are not to suppose that — not to attribute to me any such bad eminence; but, owing, I verily believe, rather to circumstances than to my natural bent, I am a trite commonplace sinner, hackneyed in all the poor petty dissipations with which the rich and worthless try to put on life.†
p. 159.4
- I have seen a gipsy vagabond; she has practised in hackneyed fashion the science of palmistry and told me what such people usually tell.
p. 225.2 *hackneyed = lacking impact due to too much previous exposure
- Before commencing, it is but fair to warn you that the story will sound somewhat hackneyed in your ears; but stale details often regain a degree of freshness when they pass through new lips.†
p. 438.2
Definition:
lacking impact due to too much previous exposure -- especially writing that is unimaginative and filled with overused expressions, ideas, and formulas