A Metaphor By Any Other Name
Metaphors, Similes and Analogies
For the record, COMOLOM knows very well that metaphors, similes and analogies are technically different animals. We don’t much care; we lump them all together in a metaphor smorgasbord. COMOLOM calls them all metaphors. All three are figures of speech that compare one thing to another. We will leave the differences and precise definitions to linguists. We have our own fish to fry.
Examples
Metaphor: My living room is a disaster zone
Simile: My living room is like a disaster zone
Analogy: My living room is to orderliness as a disaster zone is to order.
Metaphors, similes and analogies paint a picture and make a comparison that’s easy to grasp. Let’s not over-complicate this. We care about the comparing. If there’s a Big Fella in the Sky, we say this is his language.