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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.
Jun 6, 2019 · 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
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 · Tips for Writing Mixed Metaphors. Creating the perfect mixed metaphor requires a playful attitude towards language. Here are some tips to guide you: Seek Originality: While it’s tempting to blend the most common metaphors, the best mixed metaphors often come from unique combinations. Use Sparingly:
- Using Mixed Metaphors
- Examples of 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, ...
- Richard Nordquist
Mixed metaphors can be very witty and clever – but only if you use them right. RELATED READ: Personification in ‘The Red Badge of Courage’ Conclusion. If you’re a fan of linguistics and language-based jokes, mixed metaphors might be perfect for your writing. Always remember that a mixed metaphor can reveal your character’s ...
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Or so says Aristotle in Poetics: "[T]he greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor." It is "a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars." Creative ways to use metaphors. Most books give rather boring examples of metaphors such as my father is a bear or the librarian was a beast.
