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3
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1answer
347 views

What literary device is being used here?

The beginning of prehistoric wars is a disputed issue between anthropologists and historians. Source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20070404.html I was reading that article and I noticed that sentence ...
2
votes
3answers
206 views

Is this an instance of personification or is it a simile?

I've been sometimes a little confused on how direct personification must be. For example, consider the following phrase used to describe a river: Like a snake it winds through the craggy ...
1
vote
2answers
360 views

What's the figurative meaning of “the end of the line”?

Leaving aside the strong sexual connotations of the lyrics of Pulp's song "This Is Hardcore", I was wondering what is the figurative meaning of the expression the author used: "This is the end of ...
1
vote
1answer
205 views

What does “Hungarian” mean here? [closed]

I think it’s a figurative usage as a reminder of blood, but not for sure. Why is the word Hungarian used here? (He is a professional pianist who holds lessons open to the public.) When I told ...
0
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3answers
74 views

Literally vs. figuratively: how literally is literally? [closed]

I'm sensitive to the fact that in light of recent events, the example discussed in this question may be unsettling to some. For that, I apologize, but I cannot think of an effective alternative. In ...
0
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2answers
410 views

Does “to flatline” only means “to die”, or can it refer to an actual flat graph?

I was looking at this ngram which features a flat line meaning absolutely no usage of the word I was looking for. I thought about describing it in these terms: The Google ngram clearly flatlines ...