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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.
Beyond Metaphor: The Theory of Tropes in Anthropology. Stanford University Press, 1991) "Mixed metaphors may be stylistically objectionable, but I cannot see that they are necessarily logically incoherent. Of course, most metaphors do occur in contexts of expressions used literally. It would be very hard to understand them if they did not.
May 23, 2024 · The basic structure of a mixed metaphor is much like any other type of metaphor, except the images and ideas used together do not quite function well. A metaphor is simply a literary or rhetorical device in which two objects are directly compared to each other, often to make an unknown object more relatable through comparison to a known object.
- Using Mixed Metaphors
- Examples of Mixed Metaphors
- Sources
In "Garner's Modern American Usage", Bryan A. Garner offers this classic example of a mixed metaphor from a speech by Boyle Roche in the Irish Parliament: This sort of mixed metaphor may occur when a speaker is so familiar with the figurative sense of a phrase ("smell a rat," "nip in the bud") that he fails to recognize the absurdity that results f...
"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.""A friend of mine, talking about the Democratic presidential candidates, tossed out a wonderful mixed metaphor: 'This is awfully weak tea to have to hang your hat on.'""The mayor has a heart as big as the Sahara for protecting 'his' police officers, and that is commendable. Unfortunately, he also often strips his gears by failing to engage the clutch when shiftin...Lynne Truss, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation", 2003 Chicago Tribune, cited by The New Yorker, August 13, 2007 The New York Times, January 27, 2009 Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama, cited by The New Yorker, November 16, 1987 Bob Herbert, "Behind the Curtain," The New York Times, November 27, 2007 Thomas L. Friedman, ...
4. Mixed Metaphors. A mixed metaphor occurs when two or more dissimilar disparages are assembled in one sentence or phrase, usually causing funny or confusion. Examples: The project was a roller coaster ride that sailed through uncharted waters. The company was a well-oiled machine that hit the ground running. 5. Dead Metaphors
May 20, 2022 · A malaphor is a mixed metaphor that got lost in translation somewhere. What does this look like? Discover some of the more common malaphors here.
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Jan 12, 2023 · 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. Mixed metaphors sometimes make use of clichés and malapropisms and typically produce a humorous or ridiculous effect.
