What are impermissible mixed metaphors?

Definition
	Impermissible mixed metaphors are metaphors that conflict because they serve different purposes.

Examples (English)

The argument-as-journey and argument-as-container metaphors serve different purposes. Argument-as-journey can address the “direction” of the argument and the argument-as-container can address the “amount of content” of the argument. The incompatibility of the ideas of “direction” and “amount” in the same sentence makes the following examples semantically impermissible:

* We can now follow the path of the core of the argument.

* The content of the argument proceeds as follows.

* The direction of his argument has no content.

* I am disturbed by the vacuous path of your argument.

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

Source
	Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980 95

Context for this page:

Concept module: impermissible mixed metaphors
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): I
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