War

War metaphors are usually applied to arguments. Example: You disagree? Okay, shoot!

Here are some of the most common words and phrases used in war metaphors.

1. indefensible
2. attacked every weak point
3. right on target
4. demolished
5. won
6. shoot
7. strategy
8. wipe you out
9. shot down

Buildings

Building metaphors are typically used for theories and arguments. Ex. Is that the foundation for your theory?

Here are the most common words and phrases used in building metaphors:

1. Foundation
2. Support
3. Fall apart
4. Form
5. Shore up
6. Buttress
7. Solid
8. Stand
9. Fall
10. Strength
11. Collapsed
12. Exploded
13. Foundation
14. Framework

Food

Food metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. What he said left a bad taste in my moth.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in food metaphors:

1. Left a bad taste in my mouth
2. Raw facts
3. Half-baked ideas
4. Warmed-over
5. Digest
6. Swallow
7. Smells fishy
8. Stew
9. Sink your teeth into
10. Percolate
11. Food for thought
12. Voracious
13. Spoon-feed
14. Devoured
15. Simmer
16. On the back burner
17. Meaty
18. Jell
19. Fermenting

People

People metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. The theory of relativity gave birth to an enormous number of ideas in physics.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in people metaphors:

1. Gave birth
2. Father
3. Brainchild
4. Spawned
5. Died off
6. Live on
7. Infancy
8. Resurrected
9. Dig up
10. Breathed new life

Plants

Plant metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. His ideas finally came to fruition.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in plant metaphors:

1. Fruition
2. Died on the vine
3. Budding
4. Come to full flower
5. Offshoot
6. Branches
7. Seeds
8. Planted
9. Fertile
10. Plant in your mind
11. Barren

Products

Product metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. We are turning out new ideas.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in product metaphors:

1. Turning
2. Churning
3. Cranking
4. Grinding
5. Generated
6. Produces
7. Intellectual productivity
8. Take the rough edges off
9. Hone it down
10. Smooth it out
11. Refined

Commodities

Commodity metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. It’s important how you package your ideas.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in commodity metaphors:

1. Package
2. Buy
3. Sell
4. Market
5. Worthless
6. Valuable
7. Give a plugged nickel for
8. Intellectual marketplace

Resources

Resource metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. He ran out of ideas.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in resource metaphors:

1. Ran out of
2. Waste
3. Pool
4. Resourceful
5. Used up
6. Useless
7. Go a long way

Money

Money metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. Let me put in my two cents’ worth.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in money metaphors:

1. Two cents’ worth
2. Rich
3. Treasure trove
4. Wealth

Cutting Instruments

Cutting instrument metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. That’s an incisive idea.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in cutting instrument metaphors:

1. Incisive
2. Curts right to the heart
3. Cutting
4. Sharp
5. Razor
6. Keen
7. Cut

Fashion

Fashion metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. That went out of style.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in fashion metaphors:

1. out of style
2. is in
3. fashionable
4. old hat
5. outdated
6. trends
7. old fashioned
8. up-to-date
9. avant-garde
10. chic
11. vogue
12. craze

Seeing + Light

Seeing and light metaphors are typically used for ideas. Ex. I see what you’re saying.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in seeing/light metaphors:

1. See
2. Looks
3. Point of view
4. Outlook
5. View
6. Whole picture
7. Point something
8. Insightful
9. Brilliant
10. Clear
11. Murky
12. Elucidate
13. Transparent
14. Opaque

Love

Love metaphors can be used to express physical force, a patient, madness, magic, and war. Ex. I could feel electricity between us.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in love metaphors:

Physical Force

1. Electricity
2. Sparks
3. Magnetically drawn
4. Attracted
5. Gravitated
6. Revolves
7. Atmosphere
8. Charged
9. Energy
10. Momentum

Patient

1. Sick
2. Strong, healthy marriage
3. Dead
4. Revived
5. On the mend
6. Back on our feet
7. Good shape
8. Listless
9. On its last legs
10. Tired

Madness

1. Crazy about
2. Drives me out of my mind
3. Raves about
4. Gone mad
5. Wild about
6. Insane about

Magic

1. Cast her spell
2. Magic is gone
3. Spellbound
4. Hypnotized
5. Trance
6. Entranced
7. Charmed by
8. Bewitching

War

1. Conquests
2. Fought for
3. Won out
4. Fled from
5. Pursued ___ relentlessly
6. Gaining ground with
7. Won
8. Overpowered
9. Besieged
10. Fend them off
11. Enlisted the aid
12. Made an ally
13. Misalliance

Wealth

Wealth metaphors are typically used for hidden objects. Ex. He’s seeking his fortune.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in wealth metaphors:

1. Seeking
2. New-found
3. Fortune-hunter
4. Gold-digger
5. Lost
6. Searching for

Significant

Significant metaphors typically indicate how big something is. Ex. He’s a big man in the industry.

Here are the most common words and phrases used significant metaphors:

1. Big person
2. Giant among
3. Biggest
4. Head and shoulders above
5. Small
6. Little
7. Enormity
8. Greatest
9. Tower over

Seeing as Touching

Seeing metaphors are typically used to mean touching. Ex. I can’t take my eyes off her.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in seeing metaphors:

1. Can’t take my eyes off her
2. Eyes glued to
3. Eyes picked out
4. Eyes met
5. Moves her eyes
6. Ran her eyes over
7. Within reach of his eyes

Eyes as Emotional Containers

Eye metaphors can also be used as emotional containers. Ex. I see fear in his eyes.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in eyes as emotional container metaphors:

1. Fear in his eyes
2. Eyes filled with anger
3. Passion in her eyes
4. Eyes displayed compassion
5. Fear out of her eyes
6. Love showed in his eyes
7. Eyes welled with emotion

Emotional Effect as Physical Contact

Physical metaphors are typically used to mean emotions. Ex. His mother’s death hit him hard.

Here are the most common words and phrases used in seeing metaphors:

1. Hit him hard
2. Bowled me over
3. Knockout
4. Struck
5. Made an impression
6. Made his mark
7. Touched by
8. Blew me away

Additional Metaphors

Physical and emotional states are entities within a person

1. Pain in his shoulder
2. Give me the flu
3. Cold has gone from my head to my chest
4. Pains went away
5. Depression returned
6. Get rid of (your cough)
7. Contain (his joy)
8. (Smile) left (his face)
9. Wipe (that sneer)
10. (Fears) keep coming back
11. Shake off (this depression)
12. Flush out (the cold)
13. Trace of
14. Honest bone in his body

Vitality is a substance

1. Brimming with
2. Overflowing with
3. Devoid of
4. Don’t have any __ left
5. Drained
6. Took a lot out of

Life is a container

1. A full life
2. Life is empty
3. Not much left (for him) in life
4. Crammed with
5. Get the most of (life)
6. Life contained
7. Life to the fullest

Life is a Gambling Game

1. Take my chances
2. Odds are against me
3. Ace up my sleeve
4. Holding all the aces
5. Toss-up
6. Play your cards right
7. Won big
8. Real loser
9. Chips are down
10. Ace in the hole
11. Bluffing

Inspiration: Metaphors We Live By