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Mixed Metaphor Definition and Meaning. A mixed metaphor, shortened as “mixaphor,” is a figurative device that occurs when two metaphors are mixed up creating an incongruous comparison. A mixed metaphor, sometimes also called a “malaphor,” is an implicit comparison, that is often overarching, contradictory, or incompatible, between two ...
Jun 21, 2022 · Mixed Metaphors Explained: 8 Examples of Mixed Metaphors. 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.
May 30, 2019 · As defined in our glossary, a mixed metaphor is a succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons. When two or more metaphors (or cliches) are jumbled together, often illogically, we say that these comparisons are "mixed."
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Jan 12, 2023 · Definition; Examples; What is a mixed metaphor? A mixed metaphor occurs when an author combines two incompatible metaphors, forming an absurd or irrational comparison. In a mixed metaphor, there is no connection between what the author compares.
Examples of Mixed Metaphors in literature. Example#1. “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare. “To be, or not to be, that is the question—Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?”
Aug 16, 2024 · Mixed metaphors in literature, sometimes intentional and other times inadvertent, add a layer of complexity or even humor to a narrative. These literature metaphor examples highlight the interplay of disparate metaphoric elements within literary contexts.
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Jun 6, 2019 · A mixed metaphor is a succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons. Also known—playfully—as a mixaphor. Although many style guides condemn the use of mixed metaphors, in practice most of the objectionable combinations (as in the examples below) are actually clichés or dead metaphors.