Episode 182 Can You Recognise English Metaphors And Similes From Discworld?

Today on the podcast we're learning about similes and metaphors. I find these two very confusing and so look for the core differences between them to identify which is which. According to Google, a simile is: 'a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid' And a metaphor is: 'a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable'. Examples from the Episode Simile 1. 'as patient as a brick' Metaphor 1. 'Rincewind was to magic what a bicycle is to a bumblebee' Simile 2. 'Night spread across the Disc like plum jam, or possibly blackberry preserve.' Metaphor 2. 'Now the sun was a blowlamp nailed to the sky.' Metaphor 3. 'The sound was that of a straw investigating the suds of the biggest milkshake in the world.' Simile 3. 'The library was now as alert and jittery as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair.' Quiz of Additional Similes and Metaphors from Discworld. Can you guess which is which? Answers at the bottom of the page. She has lips as red as rubies Lightning stabbed the ground like an ineffectual assassin Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground. The Ramkins were more highly bred than a hilltop bakery (Ramkin is a family name) His red Adam's apple bobbed up and down like an indecisive sunset. (Adam's apple is the lump in the front of a man's throat) Mr Horsefry was a youngish man, not simply running to fat but vaulting, leaping and diving towards obesity. I stole most of these from this reddit list: https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/11yjqez/best_metaphors_and_similes/ All of the examples of similes and metaphors from this episode come from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Vocabulary easier to spot - 'to spot' just means to see. emphatic - very strongly said this was first and foremost just an excuse - 'first and foremost' a figure of speech meaning the first and most important thing. fully endorse - to support or encourage a stack of similes - a large number of theoretically - an idea that might work in real life, but we haven't tried it yet. preserve Vs Jam - preserve and jam are almost the same, the only difference is jam is crushed fruit and preserve is made with whole fruit blowlamp blowtorch - these are both the same and mean the hot fire lamp used to heat metal and other things. fierce flame - fierce can be used in this way to strengthen another word and usually makes something more powerful scorching hot - very very hot suds - the bubbles in a bubble bath or at the bottom of a milkshake jittery - anxious, nervous and bouncy Answers to the Metaphor/Simile Quiz Simile - She had red lips Simile - The lighting is hitting the ground. Metaphor (This is tricky because it does contain a simile (like corn) but the whole thing together is a metaphor) - this is a metaphor about the impact of fear on people. Terry says, sometimes fear makes people very well behaved, they do as they're told. But other times fear makes people angry and defiant, they become strong when you're not looking and fight back. Metaphor - this family is from the upper class Simile - he keeps swallowing so his Adam's apple is going up and down a lot Metaphor - Mr Horsefry is very fat.