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Metaphor or idiom?
Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why another podcast?
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My partner and I were discussing rearranging our bedroom. He said that moving the bed would be "a big lift".
The conversation continued and he referred to "a big lift" as an idiom. I replied that the phrase is a metaphor for weightlifting.
Much like this "rain check" question already posed, can a phrase be both a metaphor and an idiom? Specifically, is the phrase "a big lift" a metaphor? Is it an idiom?
idioms metaphors
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
add a comment |
My partner and I were discussing rearranging our bedroom. He said that moving the bed would be "a big lift".
The conversation continued and he referred to "a big lift" as an idiom. I replied that the phrase is a metaphor for weightlifting.
Much like this "rain check" question already posed, can a phrase be both a metaphor and an idiom? Specifically, is the phrase "a big lift" a metaphor? Is it an idiom?
idioms metaphors
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
1
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05
add a comment |
My partner and I were discussing rearranging our bedroom. He said that moving the bed would be "a big lift".
The conversation continued and he referred to "a big lift" as an idiom. I replied that the phrase is a metaphor for weightlifting.
Much like this "rain check" question already posed, can a phrase be both a metaphor and an idiom? Specifically, is the phrase "a big lift" a metaphor? Is it an idiom?
idioms metaphors
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
My partner and I were discussing rearranging our bedroom. He said that moving the bed would be "a big lift".
The conversation continued and he referred to "a big lift" as an idiom. I replied that the phrase is a metaphor for weightlifting.
Much like this "rain check" question already posed, can a phrase be both a metaphor and an idiom? Specifically, is the phrase "a big lift" a metaphor? Is it an idiom?
idioms metaphors
idioms metaphors
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
asked Mar 26 at 18:28
Sara N.Sara N.
61
61
How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
1
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05
add a comment |
How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
1
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05
How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
1
1
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
It's neither.
'a big lift' is just standard speech.
A metaphor is defined as:
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
a big lift does not fit here because it is literally applicable -- moving the bed will presumably be a big lift.
An idiom is defined as:
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Definitely not this - the meaning is indeed deducible from the context.
I say it's standard speech. Highlighting the aforementioned phrase- Moving the bed will be a big lift, you can just see that it's a statement where the adjective big just describes the action of the lift.
If you were talking about weightlifting as a sport, it would be an idiom, as John Lawler has pointed out. But out of that context, it's just plain English.
Hope this helps!
Both [1] [2] definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way theBIGpredicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.
– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
add a comment |
A "metaphor" is a word or phrase (not necessarily common -- could be an ad-hoc invention) which somehow parallels the concept being described, like "nerves of steel".
An "idiom" is a (relatively) common phrase with a generally accepted meaning. It is not necessarily metaphorical.
Something can be both a metaphor and an idiom, one and not the other, or neither.
"A big lift", in the above example, is not distinctly either one (since it's not terribly common in the context given, and it's not particularly figurative). But it does have a slight flavor of both, especially if the reference is understood to be weightlifting.
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
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active
oldest
votes
It's neither.
'a big lift' is just standard speech.
A metaphor is defined as:
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
a big lift does not fit here because it is literally applicable -- moving the bed will presumably be a big lift.
An idiom is defined as:
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Definitely not this - the meaning is indeed deducible from the context.
I say it's standard speech. Highlighting the aforementioned phrase- Moving the bed will be a big lift, you can just see that it's a statement where the adjective big just describes the action of the lift.
If you were talking about weightlifting as a sport, it would be an idiom, as John Lawler has pointed out. But out of that context, it's just plain English.
Hope this helps!
Both [1] [2] definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way theBIGpredicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.
– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
add a comment |
It's neither.
'a big lift' is just standard speech.
A metaphor is defined as:
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
a big lift does not fit here because it is literally applicable -- moving the bed will presumably be a big lift.
An idiom is defined as:
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Definitely not this - the meaning is indeed deducible from the context.
I say it's standard speech. Highlighting the aforementioned phrase- Moving the bed will be a big lift, you can just see that it's a statement where the adjective big just describes the action of the lift.
If you were talking about weightlifting as a sport, it would be an idiom, as John Lawler has pointed out. But out of that context, it's just plain English.
Hope this helps!
Both [1] [2] definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way theBIGpredicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.
– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
add a comment |
It's neither.
'a big lift' is just standard speech.
A metaphor is defined as:
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
a big lift does not fit here because it is literally applicable -- moving the bed will presumably be a big lift.
An idiom is defined as:
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Definitely not this - the meaning is indeed deducible from the context.
I say it's standard speech. Highlighting the aforementioned phrase- Moving the bed will be a big lift, you can just see that it's a statement where the adjective big just describes the action of the lift.
If you were talking about weightlifting as a sport, it would be an idiom, as John Lawler has pointed out. But out of that context, it's just plain English.
Hope this helps!
Both [1] [2] definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
It's neither.
'a big lift' is just standard speech.
A metaphor is defined as:
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
a big lift does not fit here because it is literally applicable -- moving the bed will presumably be a big lift.
An idiom is defined as:
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Definitely not this - the meaning is indeed deducible from the context.
I say it's standard speech. Highlighting the aforementioned phrase- Moving the bed will be a big lift, you can just see that it's a statement where the adjective big just describes the action of the lift.
If you were talking about weightlifting as a sport, it would be an idiom, as John Lawler has pointed out. But out of that context, it's just plain English.
Hope this helps!
Both [1] [2] definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
edited Mar 27 at 7:27
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
answered Mar 26 at 18:47
LordologyLordology
1,553217
1,553217
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way theBIGpredicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.
– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
add a comment |
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way theBIGpredicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.
– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
Probably splitting hairs, but a more literal phrasing would be "moving the bed requires/involves a big lift (and then a little haul)." Since the task of moving the bed involves steps besides lifting (at least carrying and putting down), "moving the bed is a big lift" could be considered a synecdoche, which is a subspecies of metaphor.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 19:54
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
@Juhasz I understand synecdoche to mean a part of something representing the whole. I can't really see how this could be synecdoche, but maybe I'm just missing something.
– Lordology
Mar 26 at 20:22
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
In saying "moving the bed is a big a lift," you're reducing the task to one of its parts. This is similar to the phrase, "Einstein was a brilliant mind." Einstein was more than a mind, so describing him as a mind is a type of synecdoche. Maybe. Synecdoche describes a range of figurative speech. I think this qualifies, but I could be convinced otherwise.
– Juhasz
Mar 26 at 20:44
1
1
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way the
BIG predicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
In the sports talk of weight-lifting, it is an idiom, a fixed phrase with a specific meaning. Outside that context it's just ordinary English referring to an event of lifting something heavy. The big can mean 'heavy' because that's the way the
BIG predicate works in modifying the noun lift. Big things are heavier, after all.– John Lawler
Mar 26 at 20:48
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
@JohnLawler Thanks, I'll edit to clarify.
– Lordology
Mar 27 at 6:59
add a comment |
A "metaphor" is a word or phrase (not necessarily common -- could be an ad-hoc invention) which somehow parallels the concept being described, like "nerves of steel".
An "idiom" is a (relatively) common phrase with a generally accepted meaning. It is not necessarily metaphorical.
Something can be both a metaphor and an idiom, one and not the other, or neither.
"A big lift", in the above example, is not distinctly either one (since it's not terribly common in the context given, and it's not particularly figurative). But it does have a slight flavor of both, especially if the reference is understood to be weightlifting.
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
add a comment |
A "metaphor" is a word or phrase (not necessarily common -- could be an ad-hoc invention) which somehow parallels the concept being described, like "nerves of steel".
An "idiom" is a (relatively) common phrase with a generally accepted meaning. It is not necessarily metaphorical.
Something can be both a metaphor and an idiom, one and not the other, or neither.
"A big lift", in the above example, is not distinctly either one (since it's not terribly common in the context given, and it's not particularly figurative). But it does have a slight flavor of both, especially if the reference is understood to be weightlifting.
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
add a comment |
A "metaphor" is a word or phrase (not necessarily common -- could be an ad-hoc invention) which somehow parallels the concept being described, like "nerves of steel".
An "idiom" is a (relatively) common phrase with a generally accepted meaning. It is not necessarily metaphorical.
Something can be both a metaphor and an idiom, one and not the other, or neither.
"A big lift", in the above example, is not distinctly either one (since it's not terribly common in the context given, and it's not particularly figurative). But it does have a slight flavor of both, especially if the reference is understood to be weightlifting.
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
A "metaphor" is a word or phrase (not necessarily common -- could be an ad-hoc invention) which somehow parallels the concept being described, like "nerves of steel".
An "idiom" is a (relatively) common phrase with a generally accepted meaning. It is not necessarily metaphorical.
Something can be both a metaphor and an idiom, one and not the other, or neither.
"A big lift", in the above example, is not distinctly either one (since it's not terribly common in the context given, and it's not particularly figurative). But it does have a slight flavor of both, especially if the reference is understood to be weightlifting.
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
answered Mar 27 at 12:16
Hot LicksHot Licks
19.8k23778
19.8k23778
add a comment |
add a comment |
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How far did a dictionary get you?
– WS2
Mar 26 at 19:07
1
If, after the bed has been moved, your spirits are raised and the room acquires an exuberant atmosphere, then 'big lift' is a metaphor. If the big lift is a mighty effort then it's plain speech, as Lordology says.
– Hugh
Mar 26 at 19:31
If meant in more than a literal sense, I would simply describe the phrase as a pun . . . (And if referencing weightlifting, it would be more a simile than a metaphor.)
– Jason Bassford
Mar 27 at 2:34
You forgot to mention "simile" -- a simile is like a metaphor.
– Hot Licks
Mar 27 at 12:07
It’s a metaphor if you consider the bed to be some kind of elevator (of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sort, perhaps).
– Lawrence
Mar 27 at 14:05