What is a sexuality-as-a-physical-force metaphor?

What is a sexuality-as-a-physical-force metaphor?

Definition
	A conventional metaphor in which sexual attraction is represented as an explosive, electrical, or magnetic force.

Examples
	Here are some examples in English:
	She's devastating. I was knocked off my feet. I could feel the electricity between us. He has a lot of animal magnetism. We were drawn to each other.

Generic
	A sexuality-as-a-physical-force metaphor is a kind of
	What is a metaphor for aspects of sexual desire?

Source
	Lakoff, G. 1987

Context for this page:

Concept module: sexuality-as-a-physical-force metaphor
In modular book: Metaphors in English, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H. Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Lexicon

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 18 September 1998