A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares one thing to another without using “like” or “as.” This guide explains the ...

Cristopher Hollingsworth has brought new meaning to “buzz” about books. His Poetics of the Hive: The Insect Metaphor in Literature (University of Iowa Press) mines literary versions of a primal act: ...

No matter if you're in school or well past your days in English class, figures of speech are used every day in our lives. From songs and television shows to conversations and advertisements, we often ...

The player kicked the ball. The patient kicked the habit. The villain kicked the bucket. The verbs are the same. The syntax is identical. The player kicked the ball. The patient kicked the habit. The ...

English is a language rich in metaphor — take for example the many ways that human behavior can be linked with birds. Someone who is fearful is a chicken, a show-off can be called a peacock and a ...