This bit about making ideas solid got me wondering if metaphors only go one way (abstract > concrete). Are there any examples of us starting with something concrete (like an apple, for example!) and using metaphor to make it resemble something that's abstract..?
Great question. None that spring to mind, but I'll keep a look out.
There's something called metonymy where we use a related thing to refer to something. For example, "The White House said...", or, an example Lakoff and Johnson give, "The ham sandwich wants the check."
But I can't think of anything specifically as you say. Interesting!
This bit about making ideas solid got me wondering if metaphors only go one way (abstract > concrete). Are there any examples of us starting with something concrete (like an apple, for example!) and using metaphor to make it resemble something that's abstract..?
Great question. None that spring to mind, but I'll keep a look out.
There's something called metonymy where we use a related thing to refer to something. For example, "The White House said...", or, an example Lakoff and Johnson give, "The ham sandwich wants the check."
But I can't think of anything specifically as you say. Interesting!
Words are imperfect c0ontainers. https://erikdolson.substack.com/p/the-material-you