Why cruisers survive under destroyer and frigate names

If battleships return, how long would it take cruisers to return as well?

Cruiser functions already exist in large destroyers and frigates; the suggested explanation for avoiding the name concerns its associations with imperial power.

Large air-defence destroyers and ASW frigates already perform roles associated here with cruisers. Their duties include fleet protection and a substantial peacetime presence at sea. Dr. Clarke interprets reluctance to use the cruiser label as partly a reaction to its association with imperial power. That is an explanation of naming choices offered in the conversation, rather than a single rule applied by every navy. Comparing duties with names helps explain why a cruiser can seem to disappear from a fleet list while much of its work continues.