English MetaphorsGroup Members: Daniel Gray, Joseph Richards, Onajite Shemi,

Kevin Tran

Definition of a Definition of a MetaphorMetaphor

• a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money); broadly : figurative language• http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/metaphor

Common MetaphorsCommon Metaphors• Metaphor: TIME IS MONEY• Meaning: Time is important and valuable• History: During the industrial revolution, people started being paid for the time they worked• http://www.binder.ph-karlsruhe.de/04.metaph/lekt+lit/Lakoff%201992.pdf

Common MetaphorsCommon Metaphors• Metaphor: BONE DRY• Meaning: Completely dry• History: Derives from an allusion to the dryness of bone after being left in the sun. • Example: My sister is the worst cook; I know her chicken always turns out to be bone dry.• http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bone-dry.html

Common MetaphorsCommon Metaphors•Metaphor: CAUGHT RED-HANDED•Meaning: To be caught in the act of committing a misdemeanor •History: Comes from being caught with bloody hands in the act of, or shortly after, commiting murder or killing the king’s deer in the 1400s. •Example: The police caught the robbers red handed in the bank vault.•http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/caught-red-handed.html

English MetaphorsEnglish Metaphors• Metaphor: TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED• Meaning: Being brave and true to yourself regardless of the choices made previously by others• History: Famous Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken”• http://www.binder.ph-karlsruhe.de/04.metaph/lekt+lit/Lakoff%201992.pdf

English MetaphorsEnglish Metaphors• Metaphor: READ BETWEEN THE LINE• Meaning: Discern a meaning which isn't made obvious or explicit.• History: This expression derives from a simple form of cryptography, in which a hidden meaning was conveyed by secreting it between lines of text. It originated in the mid 19th century and soon became used to refer to the deciphering of any coded or unclear form of communication, whether written or not• Example: A good investigative reporter will always read between the lines when examining a story.• http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/read-between-the-lines.html

• Metaphor: SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY?• Meaning/History: Written by Shakespeare , in which he compares his beloved to a summer day. This metaphor resides as a whole poem rather than just one simple phrase/sentence• http://silviahartmann.com/metaphor-poem.php

English MetaphorsEnglish Metaphors