Similes, metaphors, analogies and euphemisms

Similes, metaphors, analogies and euphemisms

Simile – comparing two different things in an interesting way

“She’s like a rose”
“My shoes smell like old cheese.”
“He eats like a pig.” – “He’s as fat as a pig”
“As white as snow”, “As black as coal.”

We use ‘as’ or ‘like’ in a simile to show that we are making a comparison.

Can you choose the best word to finish these common similes?
As smooth as…….glass/stone/water/silk
As old as……the sea/the trees/the hills/the mountains
As hard as ……nails/rock/stone/iron
She’s as cold as……. snow/ice/the arctic/sleet
I slept like a….leaf/log/branch/tree
I’m as blind as a…… beaver/bat/worm/mole.
As cool as a….cabbage/cauliflower/cucumber/carrot
As light as a …..feather/leaf/flower/bird

Metaphor – when something represents/symbolises something else. A metaphor uses one thing to mean another and makes a direct comparison between the two.
“The computers at school are old dinosaurs”
“Time is money.”
“My boss is a witch.”
“All the world’s a stage.” (Shakespeare)

Analogy – when an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it.
Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy. An analogy is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor.

“The structure of an atom is like a solar system. The nucleus is the sun, and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun.”
Life is like a race. The one who keeps running wins the race, and the one who stops to catch a breath loses.

Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get.

Finding a good man is like finding a needle in a haystack.

That's as useful as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
That film was a roller coaster ride of emotions.


A euphemism is a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word.
"Senior citizen" is a euphemism for "old person".
"to pass away" is a euphemism for "to die".

What do these euphemisms mean?

To let someone go – to fire someone
To do a number 2 – a bowel movement
To break wind – to fart
To be well-off – rich
To be/feel under the weather – sick, ill
To sleep with someone – to have sex
To be in the family way – to be pregnant
Negative cash flow – in debt, owe money
To be between jobs - unemployed

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