Simile

It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog The Beatles

pronounced: SIM-i-lee

A simile is a figure of speech that says that one thing is like another different thing. We can use similes to make descriptions more emphatic or vivid. We often use the words as...as and like with similes. Common patterns for similes, with example sentences, are:

something [is*] AS adjective AS something His skin was as cold as ice. It felt as hard as rock. She looked as gentle as a lamb. something [is*] LIKE something My love is like a red, red rose. These cookies taste like garbage. He had a temper (that was) like a volcano. something [does**] LIKE something He eats like a pig. He smokes like a chimney. They fought like cats and dogs.

* stative verb: be, feel, smell, taste etc ** action verb Here are some more examples of well known similes: [is] AS adjective AS something meaning as blind as a bat completely blind as cold as ice very cold as flat as a pancake completely flat as gentle as a lamb very gentle as light as a feather very light as old as the hills very old as sharp as a knife very sharp as strong as a bull very strong as white as snow pure white

as wise as an owl Longer list of AS...AS similes [is] LIKE something like a rose like a volcano like garbage like an animal like spaghetti like dewdrops like golddust like a tip like a dream like stars [does] LIKE something to drink like a fish to eat like a bird to eat like a horse to eat like a pig to fight like cats and dogs to sing like an angel to sleep like a log to smoke like a chimney to soar like an eagle to work like a dog

very wise possible meaning (depending on context) beautiful explosive disgusting inhuman entangled sweet and pure precious very untidy (tip = garbage dump) wonderful, incredible bright and beautiful meaning to drink a lot to eat very little to eat a lot to eat impolitely to fight fiercely to sing beautifully to sleep well and soundly to smoke heavily, all the time to fly high and free to work very hard

Note that with the AS...AS pattern, the first AS is sometimes suppressed, for example:

His skin was cold as ice.

The above patterns of simile are the most common, but there are others made with adverbs or words such as than and as if, for example:

He ran as fast as the wind. He is larger than life. They ran as if for their lives.

Similes can include other figures of speech. For example, "He ran like greased lightning" is a simile that includes hyperbole (greased lightning). Similes often make use of irony or sarcasm. In such cases they may even mean the opposite of the adjective used. Look at these examples:

His explanation was as clear as mud. (not clear at all since mud is opaque) The film was about as interesting as watching a copy of Windows download. (long and boring) Watching the show was like watching paint dry. (very boring)

Similes are often found (and they sometimes originate) in poetry and other literature. Here are a few examples:

A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle - Irina Dunn Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh - Wilfred Owen Death has many times invited me: it was like the salt invisible in the waves - Pablo Neruda Guiltless forever, like a tree - Robert Browning Happy as pigs in mud - David Eddings How like the winter hath my absence been - William Shakespeare As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean - Samuel Taylor Coleridge Jubilant as a flag unfurled - Dorothy Parker So are you to my thoughts as food to life - William Shakespeare Yellow butterflies flickered along the shade like flecks of sun - William Faulkner

Popular songs, too, make use of simile:

A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle - U2 Cheaper than a hot dog with no mustard - Beastie Boys I must do what's right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti Toto It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog - The Beatles Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan Like a bat outta [out of] hell - Meat Loaf My heart is like an open highway - Jon Bon Jovi These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall - Led Zeppelin Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull You are as subtle as a brick to the small of my back - Taking Back Sunday

Caution: Many similes are clichs (phrases that are overused and betray a lack of original thought). You should use well know similes with care, but it is certainly useful to know them so that you can understand language that contains them.

List of AS...AS Similes

as bald as a coot as big as a bus as big as an elephant as black as a sweep as black as coal as black as pitch as blind as a bat as blind as a mole as bold as brass as brave as a lion as bright as a button as bright as a new pin as busy as a beaver as busy as a bee as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof as calm as a millpond as clear as a bell as clean as a whistle as clear as crystal as clear as mud as cold as ice as common as dirt as cool as a cucumber as cunning as a fox as dead as a doornail as dead as the dodo as deaf as a post as different as chalk from cheese as drunk as a lord as dry as a bone as dry as dust as dull as dishwater as easy as A.B.C. as easy as apple-pie as flat as a pancake as free as a bird as fresh as a daisy as gentle as a lamb

completely bald very big very big completely black completely black completely black completely blind completely blind very bold very brave very bright very bright and shiny very busy very busy very busy very calm and still very clear very clean very clear not at all clear very cold very common, rude, vulgar cool cunning dead dead, extinct completely deaf very different completely drunk very dry very dry dull, boring very easy very easy completely flat very free to go anywhere very fresh very gentle

sweep = chimney sweep

may be exaggeration may be exaggeration usually in a negative sense

usually said of water of a sound

irony/sarcasm usually said of a person

the dodo is an extinct bird may be exaggeration

usually said of a person

usually said of a person

as good as gold as happy as a lark as hard as nails as hot as hell as hungry as a bear as hungry as a wolf as innocent as a lamb as large as life as light as a feather as light as air as mad as a hatter as mad as a hornet as nutty as a fruitcake as obstinate as a mule as old as the hills as pale as death as plain as day as poor as a church mouse as poor as dirt as proud as a peacock as pure as snow as pure as the driven snow as quick as a wink as quick as lightning as quick as silver as quiet as a church mouse as safe as houses as scarce as hen's teeth as sharp as a razor as sick as a dog as sick as a parrot as silent as the dead as silent as the grave as slippery as an eel as slow as a snail as slow as a tortoise as smooth as silk

very good and obedient very happy very tough in character very hot very hungry very hungry innocent, not worldly-wise conspicuously present very light very light completely crazy very angry completely crazy very obstinate, stubborn very, very old very pale or white in the face very clear poverty-stricken poverty-stricken very proud pure and innocent pure and innocent very quick(ly) very quick(ly) very quick very quiet very safe, secure very, very scarce very sharp very sick very sick completely silent completely silent slippery, evasive, not to be trusted very slow very slow very smooth

usually said of a person usually said of a person of a person

usually said of a person

of a person

irony (hens have no teeth)

of a person

as snug as a bug in a rug as sober as a judge as solid as a rock as solid as the ground we stand on as sound as a bell as sour as vinegar as steady as a rock as stiff as a board as straight as an arrow as strong as an ox as stubborn as a mule as sturdy as an oak as sure as death and taxes as tall as a giraffe as thin as a rake as timid as a rabbit as tough as leather as tough as nails as tough as old boots as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party as white as a ghost as white as a sheet as white as snow as wise as Solomon as wise as an owl Similes

in a very comfortable position sober solid solid very clear very sour very steady completely stiff straight very strong very stubborn, obstinate very strong and solid absolutely certain to happen very tall very thin very timid very tough very tough very tough not welcome at all very pale or white in the face pure white pure white very wise very wise

humorous

of a sound

an arrow flies straight

often said of a person often said of a person irony/sarcasm (skunks stink) of a person

King Solomon