THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Is it something, or just like something?

By Barbara McAllister

Word of the Day: Metaphor/Simile

Both metaphors and similes are closely related figures of speech that go hand-in-hand. They are used to compare two dissimilar objects, and the difference between the two is apparent in their root words. Metaphor is from the Greek that means “transfer over,” in the sense that the meaning of a word is carried over into a different word. Simile is from the Greek similis meaning “like” or “similar.” To summarize: a metaphor is something, a simile is like something.
Similes almost always use “like” or “as” in the phrase. “This computer is as old as time” is a simile, but to say to say “This computer is a dinosaur” is a metaphor.
Raymond Chandler was the master of both by creating memorable pairings for both similes and metaphors. Almost any page in a Chandler story has a striking image: “He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a piece of angel food,” “He stuck out like spats at an Iowa picnic” and “(His) face looked as if he had swallowed a bee” are similes. “Dead men are heavier than broken hearts” and “Guns… are just a fast curtain to a bad second act” are metaphors. The title of his novel “The Big Sleep” is a metaphor for death. Chandler’s analogies stand out because they were unusual.
Many metaphors and similes are cliches, like busy as a bee, happy as a clam, big as a house. These overworked phrases can lead to mixed metaphors. A mixed metaphor links two or more disparate elements, often to unintentional comic effect. For example, a clever person, who could be described as a smart cookie or sharp as a tack, might end up being called a sharp cookie. Professional writers are not immune. Recent newspapers spoke of a politician wielding his axe to cement his position, someone stepping up to the plate to lay his cards on the table and another person who was getting all his ducks on the same page. Unfortunately, if you don’t pay attention to the literal meaning, mixing metaphors is as easy as shooting monkeys in a barrel.