The Origin
of Similes
of Similes
THIS four-word simile (that’s used in the beginning of A Christmas Carol to describe Marley’s status) originated in medieval England and refers to a tool that was pounded so hard into something that it could no longer be used or repurposed.
What is DEAD AS A DOORNAIL?
THIS is a technique in which a writer or speaker repeats a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
EXAMPLE (from Maya Angelou’s Eulogy for Coretta Scott King):
She believed religiously in non-violent protest.
She believed it could heal a nation mired in a history of slavery and all its excesses.
She believed non-violent protest religiously could lift up a nation rife with racial prejudices and racial bias.
What is ANAPHORA?
HIS refers to a sound that’s dropped or omitted when spoken but is present in the written form.
EXAMPLE: saying “ICE TEA” instead of “ICED TEA”
EXAMPLE: saying “FAM-LY” instead of “FAM-I-LY”
What is ELISION?
THIS three-word phrase is used to mean that “something, usually a TV show, has reached a point where it's clearly past its peak and starting a rapid decline in quality, often resorting to gimmicks or absurd plot devices (like Fonzie water-skiing over a shark on Happy Days) to maintain interest, but failing, signaling the beginning of the end or a permanent loss of relevance. It signifies the moment creators run out of ideas and quality, turning cheesy or desperate.”
What is JUMP THE SHARK?
THIS same word can be used eight times in a row to create a grammatically correct sentence.
HINT: It’s an animal.
What is BUFFALO?