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Jun 6, 2019 · Updated on June 06, 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.
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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 · 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.
- Using Mixed Metaphors
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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, ...
Mar 9, 2024 · The King of Mixed Metaphors. Comedian Stephen Colbert mastered contorted phrasing as he skewered idiocy on his nightly satirical show. Colbert once opined that “Laughter brings the swelling down on our national psyche, and then applies an antibiotic cream.”. So, herewith is a salve of Mr. Colbert’s creation.
Jan 12, 2023 · Mixed metaphors can be spoken, written, or visual metaphors. An example of a mixed metaphor is a figure of speech that just doesn't make sense. Writers often intentionally include misused metaphors to produce a comedic effect, showcasing a character’s ignorance or naivety. Examples of these metaphors occur in the following movies:
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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. The result is still hilarious, but mixed metaphors often come from people who aren’t simply ...
