Metaphorically Speaking: A Dictionary of 3,800 Picturesque Idiomatic Expressions

546 Pages·1992·7.96 MB·English

by  Nicholas Edwin Renton

HËHfflffl
SPEAKING
" Painstaking, original, and useful, and to anyone new to English, a boon.
-EDWIN NEWMAN
A DICTIONARY OF 3,800
PICTURESQUE
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
N.E.RENTÛN
O
"STRIKE GOLD," "DELIVER THE GOODS,"
AND "SET THE THAMES ON FIRE!"...WITH
THE BOOK THAT GIVES YOUR ENGLISH
COLOR, CLARITY, AND POWER.
Aristotle said it best: "The greatest thing by far is to have a com
mand of metaphors." Rich with historical lore that takes us from
bygone trades and traditions to the computer age, these wonderful
expressions convey shades of meaning more succinctly
than ordinary phrases. Using them well can improve your writing
and speech. Now Metaphorically Speaking offers you 3,800
metaphors—from "alpha to omega—in an easy-to-use, uniquely
organized dictionary. Think of a word, and this book will give you
the metaphors where it appears. Think of a metaphor, and
Metaphorically Speaking will explain its meaning and often its
origin. Think of the idea, and this indispensable reference will supply
you with "an Aladdin's cave" of metaphors that convey it.
So when you need a fresh figure of speech, don't "get your
knickers in a knot" or "bust your boiler." "Look for elephants in
elephant country "—look it up in...
METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING
• Ideal for writers, teachers, students, and public speakers
• Invaluable for users of English as a second language
• Features three separate, self-contained listings: a dictionary,
a thematic section, and a thesaurus
• Includes suggestions for party games, advertising copy,
public addresses, and crossword puzzles
51 099
Q WARNER BOOKS
A Time Warner Company
0-446-39353-3
9 ll780446"393539 COVER PRINTED IN USA
) 1982 WARNER BOOKS
ISBN D-M»4b-31353-3
ia s i AOOM MUOMiaaoa oà waivdHOMS
I' MHO MVS 1H3 OyiOIIKVI «M3V1
.0981
ni noipmahc thgiewretlew dlrow emaceb ohw rexob naciremA nA
T MHVI IS 1H3 aiJJ3H3UD3 931M33U uV aVMM H0HS3,,
.)yorT fo llaf eht tuoba
gnirb ot desu sreidlos fo lluf esroh tfig egral eht ot srefer ti( kcirt a
si esroh najorT a ;stnelat detcepsusnu htiw nosrep a si esroh krad A
u
£' MHA IS »V MHI13 313JHVU1,, SOW31HIU0 10
.peekpu rieht fo esnepxe eht htiw stneipicer rieht deniur
netfo maiS fo gniK eht morf smredyhcap dercas fo stfig esehT
^ MHVI ao3S II WSVU »IO UVA an^MS vua
.ylsuoires rettam a ekat ton oT
•
S* MH3U3 MVS »1H3 OV1131 Om OJ 1H3 WDL
.stelgip
sa ffo dessap erew skcas ni depparw stac erehw ,sriaf cilbup tA
•
9 MHVI IS uV WI13H 30M,,d )HIUU 1HIS 9OOM IS OIkai(
#
.tifeneb derised emos fo ecruos lufitnelp dna ysae nA
vwa ™wa AOM Dowwvwa vwa nwaaysivwaiwo OJ awonsn MUH"
1
W3LVdH)KR3VT1A
qooi> jfiej U|3BA3S uo sjoua

MHAPHŒOT
SPEAKING
A DICTIONARY OF 3,800
PICTURESQUE
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
N1RENT0N
o
NAAPNER BOOKS
A Time Warner Company
This book was first published in Australia by Schwartz and Wilkinson, Melbourne.
If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have
been stolen property and reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher. In such
case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped
book."
Warner Books Edition
Copyright © 1990 by Nick E. Renton
All rights reserved.
Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
IA Time Warner Company
Printed in the United States of America
First Warner Books Printing: August 1992
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Renton, N. E.
Metaphorically speaking : a dictionary of 3,800 picturesque
idiomatic expressions / N.E. Renton.
p. cm.
"First published in Australia by Schwartz and Wilkinson,
Melbourne"—T.p. verso.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-446-39353-3
1. English language—Idioms—Dictionaries. 2. English language—
Terms and phrases. 3. Figures of speech—Dictionaries.
4. Picturesque, The—Dictionaries. 5. Metaphor—Dictionaries.
I. Title.
PE1689.R46 1992
423'. 1—dc20 92-363
CIP
Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee
Cover illustration by Peter de Sève
Cover design by Don Puckey
To all the people who think that they
never use any metaphors

Foreword
In a time when the visual image is such a powerful influence on our
attitude and thoughts, it is well to be reminded of the miracle of
language. How and when was it invented? How do we explain its
richness and variety? By what extraordinary transformation did words
which have quite literal and specific meanings take on metaphysical
significance? Which expression conveys the most vivid meaning, "the
top dog," or its definition, "the person in the most powerful position?"
The metaphor wins every time.
For metaphor is the spice of language. It also activates the reader's or
listener's inner eye to produce images which are just as vivid as visual
ones. Without its color, wit and concreteness would disappear.
Here is a dictionary and thesaurus of metaphors which is both a
practical guide to meaning and a stimulus to enquiry. Only a person in
love with words could have compiled it; and there are surprises in it for
even the most knowledgeable student of language. Mr. Renton achieves
the aim that Sir Philip Sidney saw as the central principle of poetry—to
teach by delighting.
Leonie Kramer