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SIMILES

BY ZIKOMO MASESE BANDA

A simile makes a direct comparison.
As bad as the itch (as a blight) As active as quicksilver
As bald as a coot As afraid as a grasshopper
As bald as a billiard ball As ageless as the sun
As bald as an egg As agile as a cat (a monkey)
As bare as a stone (as winter) As alert as chamois
As barren as a winter rain As alert as a bird in springtime
As bashful as a schoolgirl As alike as two peas
As beautiful as the sunset (as the rainbow) As alone as a leper
As big as an elephant (as a whale) As alone as Crusoe
As bitter as death As ambitious as Lady Macbeth
As bitter as hemlock As ancient as the sun
As bitter as wormwood As ancient as the stars
As black as coal As calm as a summer sea
As black as a crow (as a raven) As calm as glass
As black as ebony (as pitch, as a starless night, as As calm as death
ink, as soot)
As candid as mirrors
As black as pitch
As careless as the wind
As black as a starless night
As cautious as a fox
As black as sin
As cautious as a scot
As black as jet
As certain as the rising of the morning sun
As black as a sloe
As certain as Christmas
As blameless as the snow
As changeable as the weather
As blank as an empty bottle
As changeable as a weather cock
As blind as a bat (as ignorance)
As chaste as Minerva
As blind as a beetle
As chaste as a lily
As blind as a mole
As cheap as dirt
As blithe as a butterfly
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As cheap as lies As deep as a well

As cheeky as a young bantam cock As deep as a draw-well
As cheerful as the birds As dejected as a wet hen
As cheerful as the day is long As delicious as a dream
As cheerful as lark As desolate as a tomb
As cheerless as the grave As devoted as a mother
As cheery as a sunbeam As devoted as a faithful dog
As clean as a Dutch oven As difficult as a Greek puzzle
As clean as a new pin As difficult as a beginning
As clear as crystal As dirty as a hog
As clear as said of tones As dirty as pig
As clear as daylight As blithe as May
As clear as rock water As blue as indigo
As clear as day As blue as forget-me-nots
As clear as noonday As blunt as a hammer
As clear as paint As blunt as the back of a knife
As clumsy as a bear As boisterous as stormy sea winds
As dangerous as machine guns As bold as brass
As dark as a dungeon As bold as a lion
As dark as pitch As boundless as the ocean
As dark as midnight As bounteous as nature
As dead as mutton As brainless as a chimpanzee
As dead as wood As brave as a lion
As dead as a herring As brave as Achilles
As deaf as a beetle As brief as time
As deaf as the billows As brief as a dream
As deaf as a post As bright as a new penny
As deceitful as the devil As bright as a new shilling
As deceptive as the mirage of the desert As bright as day
As deep as despair As bright as noonday
As deep as the sea As bright as the light
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As bright as a lark As confident as Hercules (as justice)

As bright as silver As conscientious as a dog
As bright as button As consoling as night
As brilliant as a mirror As contagious as a yawn
As brilliant as the stars As contrary as black and white (as light and
darkness)
As brisk as a flea
As convincing as the multiplication table
As brisk as a bailiff
As cool as cucumber
As brisk as a butterfly
As costly as an election
As brittle as glass
As cosy as the nest of a bird
As broad as heaven’s expanse
As countless as the stars (as hairs, the desert sand)
As brown as a berry (as a bun, as hazel nuts)
As cowardly as a wild duck
As brown as mahogany
As crafty as a fox
As buoyant as wings
As credulous as a child
As busy as an ant
As crisp as new bank notes
As busy as a bee (a nailer)
As crooked as a corkscrew
As angry as a wasp
As cross as two sticks
As far apart as the poles
As cruel as Media (as winter, as death)
As arid as the sands of Sahara
As cunning as a fox (as a monkey)
As artificial as clockwork
As curious as fish
As artificial as made ice
As disappointing as wet gunpowder
As audacious as the day
As dismal as a hearse
As awful as justice
As distant as the horizon
As awful as thunder
As dizzy as a goose
As awkward as a cow on ice
As docile as a lamb
As course as hemp (as fustian)
As dreadful as a gathering storm
As cold as charity
As dreary as an Asian Steppe (as an empty house
As cold as a dog’s nose (as a frog, as a corpse)
As drunk as a top (a fish, as a beggar)
As cold as ice (as marble, as a stone)
As dry as a biscuit
As comfortable as coin
As dry as dust
As common as pins (as poverty, as dirt)
As dry as a bone
As complacent as a cat
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As dry as a mummy As fat as a porpoise (as a whale)

As dry as a stick As fat as a quail
As dull as ditch water (as lead) As fat as a sheep’s tail (as a distillery pig)
As dumb as any oyster (as a mouse) As feeble as a child
As dumb as a statue As fickle as the weather (as friends, as the sea)
As dumb as a stone As fidgety as an old maid
As eager as a bridegroom As fierce as a lion (as a tiger)
As easy as A.B.C As fierce as a famished wolf (as wolves)
As easy as pie (as shelling peas, as lying) As firm as faith (as adamant)
As easy as winking As firm as a rock
As elastic as a caterpillar As firm as a steel (as Rocky Mountains)
As eloquent as Cicero As fit as a fiddle
As elusive as quicksilver As fixed as a fate
As empty as an idiot’s mind (as space) As fixed as the laws of the Medes and the Persians
As enticing as a riddle As flabby as a sponge
As essential as the dew As flat as a board
As expensive as glory As flat as a flounder
As fabulous as Aladdin’s ring As flat as a pancake
As faint as the hum of distant bees As flat as the fens of Holland
As fair as the moon (as truth, as Eve in Paradise) As fleet as a gazelle (as a deer)
As fair as a rose As fleet as a grey hound (as Diana)
As faithful as the dog (as the sun) As fleet as the wind
As faithless as fair weather As flimsy as a calf
As false as dice As foul as slander (as a sty)
As familiar as an oath (as a popular song) As frail as a lily (as lowers, as grass)
As far as the poles asunder As free as the air (as a breeze)
As fast as deer As free as thought
As fast as light As free as a fly
As fast as butter As free as a daisy
As fast as an eagle (as a storm) As fresh as dew
As fat as a pig As fresh as rose
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As fresh as paint As glorious as the sun

As fresh as sea breeze As glum as an oyster (as mud)
As friendless as an alarm clock As gluttonous as curiosity
As friendly as a puppy As good as gold
As frigid as an iceberg As good as a play
As frightened as Macbeth before the ghost of As gorgeous as a Sultan (as the Heavens)
Banquo
As graceful as a fawn
As frisky as colts (as a kitten)
As graceful as a swan
As frisky as a lamb (as a two-year-old)
As gracious as the morn (as a duchess)
As frizzled as a lawyer’s wig
As grand as a victory (as Greek Statue, as the world)
As fruitful as Egypt
As grasping as a miser
As full as an egg is of meat
As grave as a judge
As game as a fighting cock
As grey as time
As garrulous as a magpie
As grey as smoke
As garrulous as an old maid
As great as a lord
As gaudy as a butterfly
As greedy as a hog (as a cormorant)
As gaudy as a peacock
As greedy as a pig (a wolf, a dog)
As gay as a bullfinch
As green as grass
As gay as a lark
As grim as death (as hell)
As gay as the spring
As gruff as a bear
As generous as a dream
As haggard as specters
As generous as a lord
As hairless as an egg
As genial as sunshine
As hairy as a gorilla
As gentle as a dove
As hairy as a mastodon (a spider)
As gentle as a fawn (as a turtle dove)
As handsome as paint
As gentle as a lamb
As happy as the day is long
As gentle as sleep (as falling dew)
As happy as a king
As glad as a fly (as blooming tree)
As happy as a lark
As glib as glass
As happy as a lord
As glossy as the finest silk
As hard as flint (as granite as steel)
As gloomy as night
As hard as horn
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As hard as iron As hungry as a hunter

As hard as nails As hungry as the grave (as a church mouse)
As hard as a stone (marble) As hungry as a wolf (as a bear, as a horse)
As harmless as a babe As hushed as a midnight
As harmless as a dove As idle as a Lazzarone (as air)
As harsh as truth (as a grating wheel) As ignorant as a child
As hasty as a fire As illimitable as the boundless sea
As hateful as death As illusive as a dream
As haughty as a devil As imitative as a monkey
As healthy as a May morning As immaculate as an angel
As hearty as an oak As immense as the sea
As heavy as an elephant As immortal ad the stars
As heavy as lead As immutable as the laws of the Medes and the
Persians
As heavy as sand (as a bag of sand)
As impatient as a lover
As helpless as a babe
As imperishable as eternity
As hideous as the witch of Endor
As impetuous as a poet
As high as heaven (as the stars)
As inconstant as the as the moon (as the waves)
As hoarse as a raven (as a crow)
As indolent as an old bachelor
As hollow as a drum
As industrious as a beaver
As honest as a mirror
As inevitable as death
As hopeful as the break of day
As inexhaustible as the deep sea
As horny as a camel’s knee
As inexorable as a grave
As horrid as a murderer’s dream
As inflexible as a granite rock
As hot as fire (as molten lead)
As innocent as a babe
As hot as a furnace (as an oven)
As innocent as a dove
As hot as pepper (as hell)
As innocent as a lamb
As hueless as a ghost
As invisible as the air
As huge as high Olympus
As jealous as a Spaniard
As humble as a worm (as Uriah’s heap)
As jealous as a cat
As humorous as wind
As jolly as a shoe brush (as a sand boy)
As hungry as a hawk
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As joyful as a fly As light as thistle down

As joyous as the laughter of a child As like as two herring
As jubilant as old sleigh bells As like as two beans
As keen as a razor As like as two peas
As keen as hunger As like as two drops of water
As keen as mustard As lithe as a panther (as a tiger)
As killing as a plague As little as Tom Thumb
As kind as consent As little as a squirrel
As knowing as the stars As lively as a cricket
As languish as a love-sick maid As loathsome as a toad
As large as life As lonely as a deserted ship (as the Arctic Sea)
As lasting as the pyramids As loose as a rope of sand (‘loose’ here means
‘incoherent’ as of a person’s speech)
As lavish as the moon
As loquacious as Polonius
As lawful as eating
As loud as a horn
As lawless as the stormy wind
As loud as thunder
As lax as cut string
As lovely as Venus
As lazy as a toad (as a lobster)
As lovely as the violet
As lazy as a pig
As low as the grave
As lazy as a ship in the doldrums
As lowly as a slave
As lean as Sancho’s ass (as a lath)
As loyal as an apostle
As lean as a skeleton
As loyal as a dove
As lenient as soft opiates to the wind
As mad as a hatter
As level as a pond
As mad as a March hare
As liberal as the sun
As magnanimous as Agamemnon
As lifeless as the grave
As malicious as Satan
As light as air
As mean as a miser
As light as down
As meek as a dove
As light as a butterfly (‘light’ here is opposed to
‘grave’) As meek as a lamb
As light as a feather (‘light’ here is opposed to As meek as a mouse
‘heavy’)
As merciless as the grave (as Othello)
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As merciless as ambition As nimble as lizard (as quicksilver)

As merry as a cricket As nimble as squirrel
As merry as a lark As noisy as a menagerie
As merry as spring As numerous as the sands upon the ocean shore
As mild as a dove As obedient as a puppet (as a scabbard)
As mild as moonlight As obnoxious as an alligator
As mischievous as a kitten As obstinate as a mule
As mischievous as a monkey As obstinate as a pig
As mobile as humanity As old as creation (as Methuselah, as Trilobites)
As modest as a dove As old as the hills
As modest as a primrose As opaque as the sky
As monotonous as the sea As open as day
As motionless as a corpse As open as a mile
As mournful as the grave As opposite as the poles
As muddy as sheep dogs As pale as a ghost
As mum as an oyster As pale as death
As mute as a fish As passionate as young love
As mute as mice As patient as the hours
As mute as the grave As patient as Job
As mute as the tomb As patient as an ox
As mysterious as an echo (as a sphinx) As peaceful as sleep
As naked as night As persistent as a mosquito
As naked as a peeled apple As piercing as light
As natural as life As placid as a duck pond
As near-sighted as a mole As plain as a pikestaff
As neat as a nail (as ninepins) As playful as a butterfly
As needful as the sun As playful as a rabbit
As nervous as a mouse As playful as a kitten
As new as day As playful as a puppy
As nice as nine pence As playful as a squirrel
As nimble as a bee As pleasant as health
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As pleased as punch As quick as a weasel

As plentiful as ants As quiet as a mouse
As plentiful as blackberries As quiet as a lamb
As plump as mastiffs As ragged as Lazarus
As plump as partridge As rapid as lightning
As polite as wax As rare as a blue rose
As poor as a church mouse As rare as a comet
As poor as Job As ravenous as a winter
As poor as Lazarus As real as the stars
As populous as an ant hill As rebellious as the sea
As positive as a Scotsman As red as a cherry
As powerful as death As red as a rose
As powerful as a lion As red as fire
As powerless as an infant As red as blood (as a poppy)
As pretty as an a picture As red as a crimson
As pretty as paint As red as scarlet
As progressive as time As red as a turkey-cock
As prolific as rabbits As refractory as a mule
As proud as a peacock As regal as Juno
As proud as Lucifer As regular as the clock (as clockwork)
As punctilious as a Spaniard As regular as sunrise
As punctual as a springtime As relentless as fate
As pure as a lily As remote as a dream as resistant as the wind
As pure as a winter snow As restless as ambition
As pure as faith As restless as the sea
As purple as the heather As rich as Croesus (as a Creole)
As quarrelsome as the weasel As rich as a Jew
As quick as a flash As right as nails
As quick as a lamplighter As right as rain
As quick as lighting As right as a cherry
As quick as thought As rosy as a bride (as the morn)
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As rotten as dirt As shameless as sin

As rough as hemp As shameless as a nude statue
As rough as a storm As shapeless as an old shoe
As round as a barrel As sharp as a needle
As round as the O of Giotto As sharp as a razor (as a thistle)
As round as a ball As sharp as a lance
As round as an orange (as an apple) As short as any dream
As round as a globe As short as the life of a wave
As rude as a bear As shy as a school girl
As rugged as a rhinoceros As shy as the squirrel
As ruthless as the sea As shy as the fawn
As sacred as a shrine As sick as the dog
As sad as night As silent as the grave (as the dead)
As sad as doom As silent as thought
As safe as houses (as the bank) As silent as the stars
As safe as a tortoise under its shell As silent as a stone
As safe as black house (as sardine) As silly as calves
As salt as sea sponge (as brine) As silly as a sheep (as a goose, as a goat)
As salt as a herring As simple as A.B.C
As saucy as the wave As simple as a child
As scarce as hen’s teeth As sincere as sunlight
As scarce as feathers on a fish As sleek as a mouse
As secret as thought As sleepless as owls
As secure as the grave As slender as gossamer
As seedy as a raspberry As slender as a thread
As selfish as a fox As slippery as an eel
As senseless as stones As solid as bricks
As sensitive as a flower As solitary as a tomb
As serious as a doctor As soothing as the breath of spring
As serious as an owl As sound as a bell
As shallow as a pan As sour as lime (crab)
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As sour as vinegar As stupid as a sloth

As spacious as the element As stupid as a log (as a post)
As speechless as a stone As stupid as an oak
As spineless as a jelly fish As subtle as a serpent
As spiteful as a monkey As sudden as a snap
As spotless as snow (as lilies) As sudden as lighting
As spruce as an onion As sulky as a bear
As stale as old beer As superfluous as a fifth wheel
As stately as an oak As superstitious as sailors
As steadfast as a queen As talkative as a magpie
As steady as the sun As tall as a giant
As stealthy as a rock As tall as a steeple (mast)
As stealthy as a cat As tall as maypole
As stern as a judge As tall as a poplar
As stiff as a poker As tame as a sheep
As stiff as a stone (as a ramrod) As tame as a chicken
As stiff as death As tame as a hare
As still as a log (as a statue) As tame as a house cat
As still as the grave As taut as a fiddle string
As still as a post As tedious as a guilty conscience
As stink as a polecat (as carrion) As tenacious as a bull-dog
As stolid as a cow As tender as a bud
As straight as an arrow As tender as a chicken (i.e. in eating flesh)
As straight as a candle (as a lance) As tender as a lamb
As strange as a vision As tender as a shepherd
As strong as brandy As tender as tears
As strong as Hercules (as Samson) As terrible as Jove
As strong as a horse (as a lion) As terrible as hell
As strong as an ox As thick as ants
As stubborn as a mule As thick as a castle
As stupid as an ass (as a donkey) As thick as thieves
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As thick as hail (as hailstones) As ugly as sin

As thick as blackberries As ugly as a toad
As thin as a groat (as a lath) As unapproachable as a star
As thin as a wafer As unattractive as a gargoyle
As thin as a rake As uncertain as the weather
As thirsty as a sponge (as Tantalus) As unchangeable as the past
As thoughtless as a lark As unclean as a sin
As tidy as a candy shop As uncomplaining as a lamb
As tight as a drum head As uncompromising as justice
As tight as teeth As unconquerable as chewing gum
As tight as wax As uncontrollable as the wave
As timid as a mouse As unfeeling as rocks
As timid as a fawn As unhappy as King Lear
As timid as a rabbit (as a hare) As universal as seasickness
As tired as tombstones As universal as light
As tough as leather (said of food hard to chew) As unmerciful as the billows
As tough as nails As unprofitable as smoke
As trackless as the sea (as the desert) As unreal as a dream
As tranquil as the summer sea As unstable as water
As transient as lightning As unsteady as the ocean
As transparent as glass As unusual as a sailor on the horseback
As treacherous as the memory As upright as a tower
As tricky as an ape (a monkey) As useful as a cow
As trivial as a parrot’s prate As vague as a shadow (as futurity)
As troublesome as a monkey As vain as a peacock
As true as steel As various as the weather (as variable as the
weather)
As true as the gospel
As vast as eternity
As truthful as a knight of old
As venomous as a snake
As tuneless as a bag of wool
As vigilant as the stars
As ugly as a bear (as an ape)
As vigorous as fire
As ugly as a scarecrow
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As violent as steam As white as sheet

As virtuous as holy truth As white as snow
As vulgar as money As white as wool
As wan as moonlight (as ashes) As wide as hope
As warlike as the wolf As wilful as a mule
As warm as sunbeams As wily as a fox
As warm as wool As wise as an owl
As wary as a fox As wise as a serpent
As wasteful as a hen As wise as Solomon
As watchful as a hawk As wise as Solon
As watchful as a sentinel As witless as a jackdaw
As wavering as Hamlet As yellow as a crow’s foot
As weak as a baby (as a child) As yellow as a guinea
As weak as a kitten (as a cat) As yellow as saffron (as jaundice, as sulphur)
As weak as water As yielding as wax
As weak as a reed As young as morn
As weather-beaten as a fisherman’s oar As young as dawn
As welcome as dew on parched flowers As youthful as the month of May
As welcome as a star As zigzag as a lightning
As welcome as rainstorm in hell
As wet as a fish
As wet as a drowned rat REFERENCE
As white as fleece (as ivory, as a lily) http://www.englishdaily626.com/similes.php
As white as a ghost
As white as porcelain