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- "Mixed metaphors are frowned on because they create a confusion instead of a fusion of effects, like the 'Irish bull' about the man who, whenever he opened his mouth, put his foot in it" (Louis Untermeyer, The Pursuit of Poetry).
www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-mixed-metaphor-1691395
Jun 6, 2019 · "Mixed metaphors are frowned on because they create a confusion instead of a fusion of effects, like the 'Irish bull' about the man who, whenever he opened his mouth, put his foot in it" (Louis Untermeyer, The Pursuit of Poetry).
- Catachresis
Quintilian on Metaphor and Catachresis "The first thing that...
- Lingo
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of...
- Organizational Metaphor
Examples and Observations . Kosheek Sewchurran and Irwin...
- Creative Metaphor
A creative metaphor is an original comparison that calls...
- What Are Mixed Metaphors
As defined in our glossary, a mixed metaphor is a succession...
- What Are Malaphors
"Malaphors aren't quite malapropisms and aren't quite mixed...
- What is Conceit
Examples and Observations "In general one may say that a...
- Dead Metaphors
Examples and Observations "Kansas City is oven hot, dead...
- Catachresis
Feb 9, 2014 · The advice that one shouldn't mix metaphors isn't a grammar or syntax rule; it's a stylistic guideline. Generally, if you mix metaphors you run the risk of weakening the metaphors partly because you've done damage to the comparison you were making, and partly because you focus the listener or readers attention on your technique rather than your ...
Jun 21, 2022 · Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 21, 2022 • 1 min read. 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.
- 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
Jan 24, 2019 · Don’t confuse a malapropism with a mixed metaphor. Mixed metaphors are two or more incompatible metaphors which sound ridiculous when put together. They may or may not be combined inadvertently, whereas all malapropisms are the result of a mistake.
Jun 25, 2024 · 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 ...
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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.
