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Jun 21, 2022 · A well-crafted metaphor uses consistent imagery ("hitting the nail on the head”); when you start mixing imagery ("hitting the nail on the nose"), you can create a type of malapropism known as a mixed metaphor.
The word metaphor comes from the Greek metaphora "to transfer." With a metaphor, an idea is transferred from one word to another. It's implicit, like in this metaphor from Flannery O'Connor, "He had measured five feet four inches of pure gamecock." But don't mix them — mixed metaphors get confusing. Don't put all of your eggs in one doghouse.
A mixed metaphor is a mixture of two or more dissimilar, figurative elements, like metaphors, similes, and idioms, which in turn, lead to the silly or even confusing effect. This is likely to occur when you are creative and borrow ideas from various quarters or contexts potentially rendering your statement nonsensical or with disjointed ideas.
Jun 6, 2019 · "I am tempted to believe that the indiscriminate condemnation of mixed metaphors arises more often from pedantry than from common sense." (Edward Everett Hale, Jr. Constructive Rhetoric, 1896) "[T]o the fertile mind that thinks up a series of comparisons one gives admiration--and defense against those who misunderstand the ban on mixed metaphors."
- Richard Nordquist
Aug 16, 2024 · A mixed metaphor is the combination of two or more unrelated and sometimes incongruous metaphors, resulting in a statement that is not logically consistent or, at times, unintentionally humorous. While some mixed metaphors are intentional and meant to catch the reader’s attention, others arise from carelessness or a lack of familiarity with the original idiomatic expressions.
Jun 25, 2024 · What is a mixed metaphor? The definition of a mixed metaphor is the fusion of two different metaphors to create an illogical comparison. While a metaphor uses consistent language and imagery (e.g., “He’s got a chip on his shoulder;” “He’s got something up his sleeve”), a mixed metaphor blurs the imagery by combining two dissimilar or impossible things (e.g., “He’s got a chip up ...
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May 30, 2019 · Examples of Mixed Metaphors "So now what we are dealing with is the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we just want to punt." "[T]he bill is mostly a stew of spending on existing programs, whatever their warts may be."
