English Metaphor

[Admin Pete]

Here are several links in this post that some of you may want to sink your teeth into.

The Long Detailed History of English Metaphor

[xizallian]

800-pound gorilla

800-pound gorilla

"800-pound gorilla" is an American English expression for a person or organization so powerful that it can act without regard to the rights of others or the law.

The phrase is rooted in a riddle joke:

"Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?" [The answer: "Anywhere it wants to."]

This highlights the disparity of power between the 800-pound gorilla and everything else.

The term can describe a powerful geopolitical and military force, or, in business, a powerful corporate entity that has such a large majority percentage of whatever market they compete within that they can use that strength to crush would-be competitors.

In law, the phrase occurs semi-(in)formally as a characterization of judges vs. courts; as in: "Standard/Court Rule" vs "Gorilla/Judge Rule".

The metaphor has been mixed, on occasion, with the metaphor of the elephant in the room.

[xizallian]

Albatross (metaphor)

Albatross (metaphor)

The word albatross is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden that feels like a curse.

It is an allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798).

In the poem, an albatross starts to follow a ship — being followed by an albatross was generally considered a sign of good luck. However, the titular mariner shoots the albatross with a crossbow, which is regarded as an act that will curse the ship (which indeed suffers terrible mishaps). Even when they are too thirsty to speak, the ship's crew let the mariner know through their glances that they blame his action for the curse. The bird is placed on the sailor's neck by shipmates to show the guilt in killing it. Therefore, the albatross can be both an omen of good or bad luck, as well as a metaphor for a burden to be carried as penance.