Simile

A simile (/ˈsɪməli/) is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. Similes differ from metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things through the use of words such as 'like' and 'as', while metaphors create an implicit comparison (i.e. saying something 'is' something else). This distinction is evident in the etymology of the words: simile derives from the Latin word similis ('similar, like'), while metaphor derives from the Greek word metapherein ('to transfer'). While similes are mainly used in forms of poetry that compare the inanimate and the living, there are also terms in which similes are used for humorous purposes and comparison. A simile (/ˈsɪməli/) is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. Similes differ from metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things through the use of words such as 'like' and 'as', while metaphors create an implicit comparison (i.e. saying something 'is' something else). This distinction is evident in the etymology of the words: simile derives from the Latin word similis ('similar, like'), while metaphor derives from the Greek word metapherein ('to transfer'). While similes are mainly used in forms of poetry that compare the inanimate and the living, there are also terms in which similes are used for humorous purposes and comparison. As when a prowling Wolf,Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,Watching where Shepherds pen thir Flocks at eveIn hurdl'd Cotes amid the field secure,Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the Fold:. . . . . . . So clomb this first grand Thief into God's Fold Similes are used extensively in British comedy, notably in the slapstick era of the 1960s and 1970s. In comedy, the simile is often used in negative style: 'he was as daft as a brush.' They are also used in comedic context where a sensitive subject is broached, and the comedian will test the audience with response to subtle implicit simile before going deeper. The sitcom Blackadder featured the use of extended similes, normally said by the title character.