All 11 Uses
metaphor
in
Politics and the English Language
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- I list below, with notes and examples, various of the tricks by means of which the work of prose-construction is habitually dodged: DYING METAPHORS.†
*metaphors = figures of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
- A newly-invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically "dead" (e.g., IRON RESOLUTION) has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness.†
metaphor = a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
- A newly-invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically "dead" (e.g., IRON RESOLUTION) has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness.†
- But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative power and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves.†
metaphors = figures of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
- , and incompatible metaphors are frequently mixed, a sure sign that the writer is not interested in what he is saying.†
- Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact.†
- By using stale metaphors, similes and idioms, you save much mental effort at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself.†
- This is the significance of mixed metaphors.†
- The sole aim of a metaphor is to call up a visual image.†
metaphor = a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
- There is a long list of fly-blown metaphors which could similarly be got rid of if enough people would interest themselves in the job; and it should also be possible to laugh the NOT 'UN—' formation out of existence, [Note, below] to reduce the amount of Latin and Greek in the average sentence, to drive out foreign phrases and strayed scientific words, and, in general, to make pretentiousness unfashionable.†
metaphors = figures of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
- I think the following rules will cover most cases: (i) Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.†
metaphor = a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally mean
Definitions:
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(1)
(metaphor) a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is implied by using a word to refer to something it does not literally mean—as in, "All the world’s a stage."When Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." he was not saying the world is really a stage and all people are actors. But he was pointing to the similarities he wants us to recognize.
While metaphors and similes are both techniques of figurative language. The distinction is that a simile explicitly shows that a comparison is being made, by using words such as "like" or "as". A metaphor simply substitutes words assuming the reader will understand the meaning should not be take literally. "She is like a diamond in the rough" is a simile; while "She is a diamond in the rough" is a metaphor. - (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)