Sentence examples for figurative phrase from inspiring English sources

Kenning, concise compound or figurative phrase replacing a common noun, especially in Old Germanic, Old Norse, and Old English poetry.

But Fred Shapiro, the Yale Law School librarian who announced the recent discovery of the "six yard" variant, said via e-mail that this anecdote was well known to lexicographers, and was clearly unrelated to the figurative phrase that emerged later.

His figurative phrases are also erratic.

And he can get figurative phrases right: "The defiant pork, insolent in its milky bath, willing this recipe to fail" conveys exactly how we have all felt about recalcitrant ingredients.

And the images conjured by McGrath's figurative phrases do not always aid understanding: "there is a strong case for identifying as sire of the century a sprint handicapper who picked his way modestly across the few duckboards permitted him through the first world war".

"What I said was a figurative turn of phrase, however [it was] on reflection unwise and for that I unreservedly apologise," Elferink told the house.

The Chinese language is extremely difficult, mixing ancient and figurative terms – elegant phrasing can be hard and sometimes words and names bear no relevance to the context.

No sentient being can bear the flaccid, figurative use of the phrase "reach out," so beloved by public relations professionals.