What are permissible mixed metaphors?

Definition
	Permissible mixed metaphors are mixed metaphors that do not conflict with each other because they
	serve the same purpose, and exhibit a correlation with each other.

Examples (English)

The sentences below illustrate the mixture of the argument-as-journey and argument-as-container metaphors. The purpose in the employment of both metaphors is to treat what can variously be called the amount of content in or degree of progress of the argument, both of which are correlated:

At this point our argument doesn’t have much content.
In what we've done so far, we have provided the core of our argument.
If we keep going the way we're going, we’ll fit all the facts in.

Source:

Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980 92, 95

Generic
	Permissible mixed metaphors are a kind of
	What are mixed metaphors?

Source
	Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980 92, 95–96

Context for this page:

Concept module: permissible mixed metaphors
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, 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: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004