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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.
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.
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 6, 2019 · There are countless ways to combine metaphors to add emphasis and give phrases new meaning. Reading several examples can help you understand how metaphors can be mixed and for what purposes. "An Apprentice contestant with a love of bizarre business lingo has left Twitter users in fits of laughter after describing a failed task as 'leaving a sour taste in the client's eye.'
- Richard Nordquist
- 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, ...
- Richard Nordquist
May 23, 2024 · Similarly, the metaphor “my heart is a caged bird” could be extended further by “beating against its bars and singing to be free,” which continues the image of a bird and expresses longing. If metaphors are not extended properly, however, an expression can turn into a mixed metaphor in which meaning is obfuscated by the language used.
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Mixed metaphors occur when a writer combines two or more unrelated metaphors within the same expression or sentence. This can lead to confusion and undermine the effectiveness of the comparison. To avoid mixed metaphors, writers should ensure that their metaphors are consistent and coherent, focusing on one central comparison to convey their intended meaning clearly.
