Trope
Etymology
From Greek tropos, “a turn, way, manner,” from trepein, “to turn.” It began as a rhetorical term for a “turn” of language — using a word to mean something other than its literal sense, as in metaphor or irony — and widened to any recurring convention in art or storytelling.
noun · /TROHP/
A recurring convention, theme, or figure of speech used in a recognizable way.
What it names
A stock device an audience already recognizes — the reliable “you know the one” pattern, whether a turn of phrase or a familiar plot beat.
Example
The show leans on the tired trope of the brilliant detective who cannot manage his own life.
Related idea
A trope is a neutral recurring convention; a cliché is a trope worn stale by overuse.