Figure of Speech
Metonymy
From Greek metonymia: change of name. Jakobson distinguished metonymy (contiguity) from metaphor (similarity) as the two poles of language. Common in political and satirical verse.
Definition
Naming something by substituting a closely associated attribute, container, or related concept for the thing itself.
Example
'The Crown' for the monarchy; 'the pen is mightier than the sword'; 'Washington decided' for the US government.