mixed metaphor
3
6.8
- noun
- /mɪkst ˈmɛtəfɔr/
- Literature
:
metáfora mixta
- The politician's speech was confusing due to the use of a mixed metaphor that combined sailing and flying.
But if I look at it in a very word by word kind of way, take arms against a sea of troubles, that's a mixed metaphor, right?
- But if I look at it in a very word by word kind of way, take arms against a sea of troubles, that's a mixed metaphor, right?
Examples
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Does that Gawker article have the worst mixed metaphor ever?
Blog text (3) -
That's a mixed metaphor.
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Sorry, but it's still a mixed metaphor.
Blog text (21) -
Yeah, well no one can mix metaphors quite like you Sam.
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Sorry for the mixed metaphors!
Blog text (9) -
I think some folks are mixing metaphors here.
Blog text (24) -
Now there's a mixed metaphor for you.
Fiction book (1993) -
Please excuse the mixed metaphors: I am a railroad engineer in Candyland.
Blog text (10) -
It's just mixed metaphors.
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At best, it's a mixed metaphor that teaches the positives of loyalty and teamwork but also the negatives of competitiveness, winner-take-all, grind the other guys into the dust.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
Using a word or phrase wrongly, often by mixing metaphors to create an unusual effect
How Confusing
- Literature
3
6.8
5
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'mixed' (combined) and 'metaphor' (a figure of speech) allow a learner to infer that this term refers to a combination of metaphors, so the core compositional meaning is accessible. However, the conventional nuance that the metaphors are incompatible and produce a confusing or ludicrous effect is a pragmatic/lexicalised judgement not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Mixed metaphor comes from the image of mixing two different pictures or phrases so they do not fit together; for example, saying 'We'll burn that bridge when we come to it' joins the images burn and bridge that look strange together. That's why mixed metaphor means using two incompatible metaphors that make the idea 'confusing' or funny.