Samuel Taylor Coleridge called metaphor “an act of the imagination,” whereas he relegated simile to “an act of fancy.” Photo from National Portrait Gallery, 1795. Public Domain Samuel Taylor Coleridge ...

"Narcissus" by Caravaggio (c. 1598). Source: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain What is an allegory? An allegory (Greek, "a speaking about something else") is a complete and cohesive narrative, for ...

Jan. 14-20 is Idiom Week, and today we thought we’d have a heart-to-heart about some strange phrases we use. Idioms, metaphors and similes are all types of figurative language. According to ...

Like similes, metaphors are a form of comparison. While similes use “as” or “like” to make comparisons, a metaphor is when you say that something is something else. She’s a night owl. The bus driver ...

A simile describes something by comparing it to something else, using like or as. A simile is a useful way to describe something without using a long list of adjectives. It can create a vivid image in ...

FAIRBANKS - The origin of the word “feck” arose following mention of P.G. Wodehouse’s skilled use of back-formations in last week’s column. A back-formation occurs when a shorter word is made out of a ...

As a writer, I have no flair for similes and metaphors: Nothing ever reminds me of anything else. Homer might compare a warrior on the battlefield to a roaring lion; Robert Burns might say his love is ...

Language is not just a tool for communication; it is a medium for thought, imagination, and understanding. Among its many devices, the metaphor stands out as one of the most powerful. Far from being ...