Questions tagged [figurative]
The figurative tag has no usage guidance.
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Would this be a metaphor?
So there is an incident where someone was vacationing in Scotland. This other person asks her if she is in Scotland. The one vacationing says "yes". The person's response is "Take as ...
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Figurative meaning of the (verbal) phrase "(play at/run) kittly-benders"?
A kittly-bender is « an area of yielding or broken ice on a body of water; also fig; hence v phrr run kittly-benders, play at ~ to run or skate over such ice as a sport » (DARE):
1871 Hale How to Do ...
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What is meant when light is like a benediction?
I've recently undertaken to expand and enrich my vocabulary, but the word "benediction" has me stumped. I believe I have a good sense of the denotative meaning, but the connotative meaning ...
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A metaphor for something that changes for a narrative about my name
I am writing a narrative for a class and I have been stuck on metaphors for a specific part!
My name has changed quite a few times throughout my life and I wanted to highlight this through use of ...
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Is “summer is back again” a figurative statement?
The season is changing, but then summer is back again. Several days
might pass, and then we experience that sharpness again, notice the
few scattering ...
Is “summer is back again” a figurative ...
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What's the meaning of "wooden loaf", the famous expression used by Gandhi to define the Independence of India?
I came across this expression while reading about the history of Indian Independence. The expression is well known, but I cannot understand its meaning. Does loaf mean piece of bread? But then what is ...
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A word or expression to describe a person who tells someone else how to do their work
In Portugal, we have an expression to designate this, which literally translates to something like "coach from the audience". This is a figurative expression related with those people on the ...
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What's another word for "not" honed talent?
I was looking for a metaphorical phrase that sort of fits along the lines of honing a hidden/unapparent talent. I can't quite place my finger on it, but I remember one that goes something like trying ...
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Usage of “back half” [closed]
The following article from CNBC.com states:
Fauci says Covid could be under control in ‘back half of 2021’ if enough people are vaccinated.
I assume that by “back half” Mr. Fauci means “second half”,...
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Metaphors for air [closed]
I am in search of a nice metaphor for air — I find nothing when searching online, and currently nothing seems to be coming to mind.
The only thing I have found is:
Air is the ether of space
but I ...
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Meaning of “I can ring your napkins out any day, with you tucked in them any day”
I'm reading Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen and cannot understand the meaning of:
I can ring your napkins out any day, with you tucked in them any day.
I understand that it's suggesting beating someone ...
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When and why did “baron” start to be used figuratively?
Baron is a title of nobility which generally refers to
a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
but a more recent usage is:
You can use baron to refer to someone who controls a large amount ...
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What kind of figurative language is “Clifton loomed like hulking animals.”
Clifton loomed like hulking animals.
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What is the origin and meaning of the phrase- some good bones [closed]
Where does the expression ‘some good bones’ come from, and how is it primarily used?
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What does a la carte mean as an adjective or figuratively?
From James Poulos, "Actually, The GOP Will Struggle To Capitalize On Obama's Perfect Storm Of Scandals," Forbes (May 14, 2013):
The GOP, conservatives are told, needs to endorse life templates a la ...
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Is there a name for this kind of language in prose?
I recently came across this sentence in Raymond Chandler's The High Window: "I seemed to be wading through mud as I went on into the room." I feel strongly that there is some sort of literary or ...
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The meaning of "to look at the lake"
I can't find it anywhere else as of right now, but I've seen people using this expression several times and I still haven't been able to understand what it means. I tried looking for its meaning on ...
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Is there a word for missing the point due to literal interpretation of figurative phrases
Figurative language is when people use words or phrases to communicate an idea not meant to be taken literally, such as speaking in metaphors. Sometimes, people do not realize the figurative nature ...
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treacly vs. syrupy in figurative use
I wonder how, if at all, treacly and syrupy in figurative use differ in meaning, register, connotation, or in some other way.
The figurative senses are frequently defined synonymously in dictionaries. ...
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To kill - Figurative Usages
I've been thinking about the verb 'to kill'. There are many figurative extensions ('kill a ball' (stop it); 'kill time'; 'my feet are killing me').
What happens in times of war, for example, when ...
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Can the unexpected validity of the literal meaning of a phrase on top of the usual figurative sense be considered a pun?
This is from the transcript of an episode titled Leela and the Genestalk (WARNING: very badly formatted wiki page) of the popular cartoon series Futurama.
(Background: a character named Mom has ...
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Is this an example of personification?
"It seemed the most spiritual of all the flower people I had ever met." (John Muir)
If so, what part? I know saying "flower people" makes it personification but there are a few other parts of this ...
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What made the usage of the figurative meaning of "resilience" popular?
According to the Oxford Living Dictionary the meanings of resilience are:
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
‘the often remarkable resilience of so many British ...
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What is a word that describes a random word presented in a conversation? [duplicate]
For example, if two people are discussing cows & dairy farming & one person mentions carpet. Is there a word for this? Maybe a literary term?
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Figurative use of words
I love creative writing and especially figurative language. So, very often I dig dictionaries to find the idiomatic uses of words that would potentially 'add spice' in a way I want.
All dictionaries ...
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Is "as much as the next guy" a simile?
Would "as much as the next guy" be a simile, or just an idiom? I am working on a lesson plan for similes, and was not 100% sure.
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Is the poetic device in "silence was golden" best described as metaphor or synesthesia?
After he stopped talking, silence was golden.
What poetic device is used in this sentence?
This was a multiple choice question with the following choices: symbol, synesthesia, metaphor, oxymoron.
I ...
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Is a country's name a metonym - and when? E.g.: "The White House" / "Washington" / ..."The U.S.?"
I'm interested in figurative language and metonymy in particular. Sometimes it seems hard to tell if a term qualifies as a metonym or would be considered linguistically "literal." One case ...
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Slang for Nation with Large Army
Is there a figurative/metaphorical term for a nation (or perhaps business, etc.) that has a very powerful military? I'm looking for something to parallel "deep pockets," like:
Ancient Persia was an ...
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What does "mob-boss quality" mean? [closed]
I'm watching Gravity Falls and I've heard a word "mob-boss". Grunkle Stan says "mob-boss quality" about faux-gold watches:
Dictionary says that literally "mob-boss" means:
the head of a criminal ...
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what are the figurative meanings of "the light switch goes off"?
This is part of a CNN news article I need to translate. I am not quite sure about what situation the phrase describes. Here is the part the expression comes from: "When did the light switch go off for ...
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Unknown usage of the word "pudding"
Update: I've talked to the lady whose post I've read on Facebook. She said that this is not from a book, but part of a cooking show's transcript. Don't ask me why she didn't say earlier. I asked her ...
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Figurative usage of "salvific"
Note that English is not my mother-tongue.
Would a native speaker understand that the following sentence is trying to convey that the protagonist is relieved by the fact that he'd been able to set ...
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Source of "miscarriage of justice"
What may be the source of the phrase "miscarriage of justice"?
I keep hearing this phrase being used for cases where an innocent has been convicted. While the phrase paints quite a picture, I'm not ...
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Usage of "hysterical" meaning "very funny."
One meaning (I am personally not very familiar with) of the adjective hysterical is:
causing unrestrained laughter; very funny:
Oh, that joke is hysterical! (Dictionary.com)
No other ...
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What is a colloquial and figurative expression for the pieces of luggage you carry when travelling light
I am looking for a figurative or graphic expression to describe the minimal luggage content, fast to pack, or that you always have with you, without which you would feel less safe when travelling. The ...
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What's another way of saying "to hell with it"? [closed]
How do you express displeasure and disregard over something (e.g. To hell with that new policy _____'s office has come up with! I'm going to do whatever the hell I want) without sounding crude?
I am ...
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"To come undone" [closed]
"Oh, it'll take a little time, might take a little crime to come undone
(...)
Who do you need, who do you love, when you come undone?"
Please, can someone help me with this? I'm pretty sure that they'...
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Use of "lever" in The Great Gatsby
I'm doing a line by line analysis of The Great Gatsby. In critical commentary, the scene at the end of chapter two is frequently cited as evidence that Nick Carraway is either homosexual or bisexual. ...
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Figurative language of walkabout by James Marshall [closed]
Can anyone point out the figurative languages used in walkabout? Or is there any guide book for walkabout?
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Does "invertebrate" have a figurative meaning?
In Oxford Dictionary of English I looked up the word "invertebrate" and I only saw its zoological meaning:
noun
An animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusc, annelid, coelenterate, ...
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How can "in touch with" be used figuratively?
I am sure that we can say “get in touch with someone”, to mean figuratively that we are in good contact. Can I go further to use it more figuratively, e.g., to say that “my brother is not in touch ...
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Is "to boil down" formal enough to be used in scientific writing? [closed]
The phrase
to boil down to something
can be found in most dictionaries. However, to me, it sounds colloquial to write
Finding an exact solution to Eq. 1 boils down to ...
A real-life example ...
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Figurative usage of "astride"
Can "astride" be used in the figurative meaning of "half one on side and half on the other side"?
The specific concept I'm trying to express is that a certain span of values with a certain length is ...
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Is “pass peach seeds” an idiom or just a figurative expression?
I was drawn to the phrase “pass peach seeds” in Thomas Harris’s novel “The Silence of the Lambs,” which I started to read last month and from whose text I have posted several questions, including one ...
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Why We Need To Know About Hyperboles [closed]
So I realize that hyperboles exist, but in school we're taught about them as if they are truly important to what we are going to be doing in life. I realize their usefulness, but why do we need to ...
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"Should you pull a ‘Burger King’ to cut your tax bill?" - What figurative device is it?
Burger King plans to buy the Canadian Tim Hortons in an effort to cut taxes as in the following link:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-you-pull-a-burger-king-to-cut-tax-bill-2014-08-26
What ...
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What kind of figurative language is this phrase?
What figurative language is "to drive the idea out of my mind"? Is it an idiom or personification? Or something else? I have tried to figure it out but I can't.
The full sentence is:
He wanted to ...
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Does the word "out" carry sexual-minority flavour?
My NGO and partners are producing a feature film about Russian speakers in the world, and to explain its point as bias-breaking, we came up with the name out, that's nicely expanded in the slogan as ...
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Can an abandoned software project "gather dust"?
I was reading a blog of someone who is trying to emulate Nintendo Gameboy hard- and software as a hobby project. In the oldest post, in the following sentence:
I eventually [...] bought myself a ...
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