Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A succession of incongruous metaphors, as in The negotiator played his cards to the hilt.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun linguistics An overreaching or
contradictory combination of two distinctmetaphors ,similes oridioms .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a combination of two or more metaphors that together produce a ridiculous effect
Etymologies
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Examples
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uselessness commented on the word mixed metaphor
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
January 25, 2007
seanahan commented on the word mixed metaphor
That's a good one.
January 26, 2007
curtainup commented on the word mixed metaphor
While I can't in all earnest agree with anyone who thinks Ernest In Love is an unappreciated musical masterpiece, this Irish Rep revival makes the most of its modest charms. And as someone sufficiently enamored with metaphors to edit a dictionary devoted to that poetic trope, how can I fail to be charmed by a musical that includes a song in which a lover (Algy in "Lost") declares his love with "For when I dare to think of you, all my metaphors get mixed/when I dare to look at you/ I stand silently transfixed."
from review of Ernest In Love at http://www.curtainup.com
December 21, 2009