In movies, coming - of - age has become convenient shorthand for the crush of stories about the high school crowd — sci - fi, drama, comedy, horror, take your pick. (latimes.com)
As for Latin, there is a fair debate about whether it's just convenient shorthand or whether it is intended to cover inadequate reasoning. (slaw.ca)
Dematerialization proved to be a useful myth: useful in that the term was convenient shorthand for the decline of the conventional art object (a painting or sculpture handmade by the artist - author); a myth in that so much advanced work of the period yielded a decidedly material proliferation of paperwork — handwritten or typed texts, contracts of ownership and certificates of authenticity, photographic documentation, inventories, and working drawings. (artforum.com)