Right, I'm with you there, but I would say that referring to "the crown" in place of the King would be synecdochic (the expression is synecdochic), but the crown, in itself, isn't synecdochic of the king.

When people say "the crown" when referencing a monarch and their administration, that's a textbook synecdoche. Similarly, when people refer to the number of "seats" in an enterprise, as with a "10 seat license", that is also a synecdoche; obviously, the licensor could care less about seats per se; you pay even if you use a standing desk. :)

I am unapologetic about introducing this confusing word into the thread, as this discussion is more interesting than the blog post we're commenting on.

The word "synecdochic" exists and you can use it in this context, but it's a matter of lightning and lightning bug. Isn't the word "emblematic" more appropriate? We're not just using a part to signify the whole; we're stating that the part typifies the whole, and "emblematic" embodies both of those meanings. Besides, it's less likely to confuse, and applying Occam's razor to language, the best word is the simplest one that most closely approximates the intended meaning.

Similarly to rhizome, I appreciate your use of a word I hadn't seen in a long while (and that HN spellcheckers flag), and I agree this is much more interesting than the article, but I would have gone with something in {emblematic, symptomatic, representative}.

I'm holding firm in claiming that synecdoche should be reserved for referencing oral or written expressions, viz., intentional usages of a part to indicate the whole.

Thanks for a little diversion :)

I think the poor quality of their tech coverage, which quality is indeed a "symptom" of a problem, isn't the whole story. The total fact of their tech coverage --- that they feel the need to do it at all at any level of quality --- is more important to me, and so "symptomatic" didn't seem right. But I wrote unclearly enough that "symptomatic" is a better word in the context of my original comment.

I do own the fact that "synecdochic" is never a good word to use in clear writing. :)

I appreciate the use, but in this context I think the word you're looking for is "emblematic."

You're obviously right that "emblematic" would be clearer writing.