Meaning & use
double metaphor
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Meaning
nouncountablespecialist
A figure of speech that uses two different metaphors together, sometimes in a way that seems mixed or contradictory.
Grammar: Countable: 'a double metaphor', 'double metaphors'.
Patterns
- use a double metaphor
- create a double metaphor
- a double metaphor for something
The poem's opening line is a double metaphor, comparing life to both a journey and a fire.
Critics argued that the double metaphor confused readers rather than enriching the image.
Her speech was full of double metaphors that mixed weather and warfare.
Word forms
| plural | double metaphors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a double metaphor for
- The storm is a double metaphor for both chaos and renewal.
- mixed double metaphor
- The essay was criticized for its mixed double metaphors.
- use a double metaphor
- The author uses a double metaphor to describe the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mixed metaphor
- A mixed metaphor combines two metaphors that do not fit well together, often unintentionally; a double metaphor may be deliberate and effective.
- extended metaphor
- An extended metaphor develops one comparison over several lines; a double metaphor uses two distinct metaphors in close proximity.
Commonly confused: double metaphor or simile?
double metaphor vs simile
A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as'; a metaphor states one thing is another, and a double metaphor uses two such comparisons.
Practice
Which sentence contains a double metaphor?
Choose one answer.
A double metaphor uses two metaphors together: 'life is a journey' and 'time is a thief'. The other options contain only one metaphor or a simile.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “double metaphor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.