The phrase "as a beast" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where one is comparing behavior, strength, or characteristics to that of a beast, often implying ferocity or raw power.
Example: "He approached the challenge as a beast, ready to tackle any obstacle in his way."
Alternatives: "like a wild animal" or "with the ferocity of a beast."
"He described Trent as a beast of a running back.
Cashman described him as a beast, in the most complimentary way possible.
A gym vet referred admiringly to him as a "beast". Is that what retirement has destined for me?
"To paint O. J. Simpson as a beast, they had to depict her as a saint," he complains.
Pieced together, Dracoraptor emerges as a beast that stood 70cm tall and reached 2m from snout to tail-tip.
In August Lim was banned from entering Cambodia after describing the Sen government as a "beast" during a radio interview.
I picture Sallie Mae as a beast I had to keep feeding – lest it fed on me.
"You don't get the attention you deserve!" Was Mary surprised when he announced he'd be living as a beast?
Participants who were presented with the crime-as-a-beast metaphor were about equally likely to gather additional information about the city's social situation (69%) as participants who were presented with the crime-as-a-virus metaphor (64%), χ2 = .29, p = .59 (see Fig. 3).
Results of Experiment 4 replicate the effects of metaphorical frames found in Experiments 1 and 2. Participants who were presented with the crime-as-a-beast metaphor were more likely to gather additional information about the city's criminal justice system (40%) than participants who were presented with the crime-as-a-virus metaphor (22%), χ2 = 5.72, p<.05.
In Experiment 2, 61% of the responses were congruent with the metaphor (i.e., suggested "reform" when presented with crime-as-a-virus or suggested "enforcement" when presented with crime-as-a-beast), whereas only 50% of the responses in Experiment 3 were congruent with the lexical prime, χ2 = 4.23, p<.05.
