Metaphors

Racy legal expressions: "On all fours"

Racy legal expressions: "On all fours"

June 1, 2011 Legalese

I spent the day at the N.Y. Court of Appeals today, leading my NYU LLM students on a grown-up field trip. We had the pleasure of meeting with two of the justices and then listening to oral argument in four fascinating cases — one involving the Port Authority’s still unresolved liability for the 1993 WTC [...]

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Baseball season ushers in flood of work metaphors

Baseball season ushers in flood of work metaphors

April 4, 2011 Metaphors

Now that baseball season is underway, get ready for a spike in baseball-related metaphors in the workplace and beyond. A few choice ones you may not have heard yet: 1. Can of corn Baseball: Fly ball that is easy to catch. Business: A decision or action that is a no-brainer; a product that sells itself. 2. Ducks [...]

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Beware the metaphoric use of "literally"

Beware the metaphoric use of "literally"

March 28, 2011 Metaphors

Link: Beware the metaphoric use of “literally” Limit your use of literally to those relatively few situations when you literally mean literally. Or, use it figuratively at your peril. Illustrated by the inimitable The Oatmeal.

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