Frozen Metaphor (Noun)
Meaning
A metaphor that has occurred so often that it has become a new meaning of the expression (e.g., `he is a snake' may once have been a metaphor but after years of use it has died and become a new sense of the word `snake').
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The phrase "he's a lion on the soccer field" is a frozen metaphor that has become a common way to describe a player's aggressive playing style.
- When we say "the city is a jungle", we're using a frozen metaphor that has become a standard expression in our language.
- The term "big fish in a small pond" is a frozen metaphor that originated as a metaphor but is now used as an idiom to describe someone who is important in a limited context.
- The expression "to be in the same boat" is a frozen metaphor that has lost its original metaphorical connotation and is now used to describe people who are in a similar situation.
- The phrase "to burn the midnight oil" is a frozen metaphor that has become a common way to describe someone who works late into the night, despite its origins as a metaphorical expression.