metaphor
figure of speech in which one thing is asserted to be another when it is in fact not so, based on properties of the latter that apply to the former, pointing to similarity
Extended metaphor
use of a single metaphor or analogy at length
New Testament military metaphors
Christian concepts expressed through military images
Veil of Isis
metaphor for the inaccessibility of nature's secrets
Poster child
Person who represents a cause or ideal
smoke and mirrors
metaphor
wet noodle
metaphor for unproductive action, or to refer to a snowshoe binding or modelling material
visual metaphor
pictorial analogy
eye of a needle
metaphor for a very narrow opening
hedgehog's dilemma
metaphor about the challenges of human intimacy
black swan theory
a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight
touchstone
metaphor for a measure to test the validity or merit of a concept
red line
figurative phrase used in English and Hebrew meaning a limit past which something shouldn't cross safely
missing stair
metaphor for a person within a social group
Magic bullet
scientific concept
Drain the swamp
American political catch phrase
parable
short didactic story which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles
Baseball metaphors for sex
"First base", etc., as sexual euphemism
glass ceiling
metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps a given group from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy
Fatted calf
metaphor
black sheep
metaphor
Powder keg of Europe
Metaphor for the political situation of the Balkans in the early 20th century
melting pot
monocultural metaphor
Nixon goes to China
political metaphor referring to Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China
Down the Rabbit Hole
metaphor for adventure into the unknown / Wikimedia disambiguation page
evolutionary landscape
metaphor to visualize the processes of evolution
Smart cow problem
concept in technology
glass escalator
metaphor
middlebrow
term used (often derogatorily) for describe easily accessible art, usually literature, and the people who use the arts to acquire culture and "class" (social prestige)
spoon theory
disability metaphor
Veil of Maya
philosophical concept coined by Arthur Schopenhauer
lame duck
elected official who is about to leave office
Late bloomer
individuals who take time to discover themselves
syndrome of Cassandra
metaphor originating from Greek mythology
conceptual metaphor
metaphors in cognitive linguistics, understanding one idea or conceptual domain in terms of another
spherical cow
character of a humorous metaphor for highly simplified scientific models of complex real life phenomena
letting the cat out of the bag
English-language idiom meaning disclosure of a secret
three crows
symbol or metaphor in several traditions
Internet metaphors
aspect of Internet culture
Milkshake Duck
Internet meme describing phenomena that go from being seen as positive to deeply flawed
bad apple
metaphor
A Villa in the Jungle
metaphor for Israel in the Middle East