Plural of bromide; chemical compounds containing bromine, or trite and overused sayings that lack originality.
From bromine (element discovered 1826) + -ide (chemical suffix). The figurative meaning developed in the late 1800s from the use of bromide as a mild sedative, suggesting something that dulls excitement or originality.
Bromide has a double life: chemically it's a real compound, but as slang it means a boring cliché—because bromide was actually used as a calming medicine! Mark Twain used 'bromide' to describe platitudes, creating one of language's most clever metaphors.
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