Max Barry | author

Max Barry | author

Nice site by the author of Jennifer Government and creator of NationStates(my nation is New North Balwyn).

The Death of Metaphors

Something terrible is occuring to the English language... it's not the excessive destruction grammar, or the plague of tpin lik tis, it's the DEATH OF METAPHORS. When's the last time you heard somebody say "as dead as a duck"? Or "as mad as a Queenslander"? A while ago, I'd say. Now people just say "dead" or "really dead", or even worse "like... dead".

Now to be fair, there's a reason for this. It's the increased globalization of English. When I'm speaking to people across the globe, they haven't the faintest clue what I'm saying if I say "madder than cut snakes.". But still, metaphors are wonderful things. They add color to language. Next time you would say "really (adjective)", why don't you instead say "as (adjective) as (noun)"?


Protect our language! Join the Metaphor Protection Society today!

Metaphor Protection Society: Mission Statement

The goal of the Metaphor Protection Society is to promote the use of metaphors within the English language. This will be accomplished through several means:

• The MPS website will provide links to particularly good metaphors on the Internet.
• The MPS website will inform its readers of publications, televison programs, or movies using interesting metaphors.
• Every month or so, the Metaphor Protection Society will host the Dead Duck Awards, in which awards will be granted for the use of metaphors in good or bad ways.
• Members of the MPS will use metaphors in everyday speech and promote the Metaphorical cause.
• Members of the MPS will publicize obscure metaphors in order to aid international understanding of these metaphors.