Cross Metaphors and Similes: Useful Figures of Speech

You may remember a recent article that appeared here about similes and metaphors. Well, here is an addition to it. You can have similes and metaphors that cross each other.

It means, you can make a boat look like a fish, and a fish look like a boat:

We found the boats in the distance, floating slowly like freshwater fish.
We found the swift fish moving like boats.

This way, you can save a lot of space and time, while achieving good comparisons.

Here are some more of them:

I found the weekend uninspiring as a dragging movie.
I found the movie dragging as a weekend without action.

It drizzled long and apparently unending as a snail in move.
The snail’s movement was as long and unending as a drizzle.

A surrounding army is a coiling Anaconda. Once in, there is no escape.
A coiling Anaconda is like a surrounding army. Once in, there is no escape.

An expert works as slowly and methodically as a beaver building its bridge.
A beaver building its bridge is as slow and methodical as an expert in action.

Cross figures of speech can save a lot of time in creative writing.

Copyright © Lenin Nair 2008

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