Age inspires many a simile. . .

The blog Daily Writing Tips just published  a feature  called "45 Synonyms about   Old  and  Old-Fashioned" in which  the editors backed up   their reflection  about the    abundance of  synonyms    our cultural  attitudes  about  age  have seeded  with  45 words that refer to people, places, and things that are, or are considered, old or old-fashioned.

 A  quick  jump  to the heading   AGE  in  Similes Dictionary   expands  the  synonym  list with an  even larger sampling  of   similes.   Naturally the  over a hundred  similes  listed includes  the   English  language's   most  famous   simile  coiners,  William Shakespeare. with
Age like winter weather … age like winter bare  from  “Sonnet 73,” The Passionate
Pilgrim an  My age is as a lusty winter, frosty but kind  from A
— William Shakespeare, As You Like It

A  clever  mix of  a  metaphor simile  added to the Second Edition   of  the Similes Dictionary  came  from novelist Louis Begley  in a March 17, 2012  New York Times  piece entitled Age and It's Discontent".

 My body … continues to be a good sport. Provided my marvelous doctor pumps steroids
into my hip or spine when needed, it runs along on the leash like a nondescript mutt
and wags its tail —

The IRS scandal seeds a simile. . .

Collapse and Disintegration are  among the full to the brim headings in  

The Similes Dictionary.   Here's  an addition from today's 

New York Times  Op-d piece, "The Real IRS Scandal by Sheila Krumholtz 

and Robert Weinberger o (May 15, 2013)

The agency folded like wet cardboard

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Misplaced praise a la Nora Ephron: like giving a hooker points for turning a trick

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The Simile sDictionary  as a fluid   linguistic tool:  


Nora Ephron  is no longer with us  to enjoy the success of  her play Lucky Guy starring  Tom Hanks.  As part of  its  push  to  promote  the play's  chances  of a Tony Award,  a  beautifully bound copy of  the play as well  as  a Vintage Paperback    of  two  of  Ephron'   column collections -- Crazy Salad (some things about women) & Scribble Scrible (notes on the media)  have been  sent to  critics.

Reading these wonderful essays,   some for the first time,   reinforces  what I already knew:  That Ephron was one  of  our best and wittiest  journalistic voices.  While it's  wonderful  that she left such a rich legacy -- it's  sad   not to  have   a more  current  bunch of  essays on these 1970s  pieces.

While not  someone  who  used similes  excessively,   she did come up with some pungent ones.  Here are a couple, I wish I'd  caught in time to  include  in the   new edition of  Similes Dictionary.

Television was covering the war.  But giving television points for that was a little like giving a hooker points for turning a trick.  -- Ephron   using a simile to make her point about   praise  incorrectly given  ("Bob Haldeman and CBS" from  Scribble Scribble).  In the same piece  she  noted  Mike Wallace's  preparedness  for  doing the Haldeman interview  thorough but  still not  enough  since  she felt  a  print rather than television interviewer was need.  Her simile to sum this up:  "Wallace was stuffed like a Strasburg goose with papers and facts and questions and quotes.

 Here's a link to my review of Ephron's  play
www.curtainup.com/luckyguy.html

 

Did Pippin send joy flowing fresh and strong as new wine gushing?

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The Simile sDictionary  in Action:  
  Pippin, the   last Broadway musical  of  the season has opened .    The  renvisioned shows   mix  of  circus  feats and Fosse dancing didn't   send  joy flowing  fresh and strong  as new wine gushing from   every audience member and critic.   All   agreed that Patina Miller,,  the  show's  ringmaster,    is a terrific dancer and singer, but some  found  her  smile  too fixed  -- like a mousetrap  and  stretched across her face like a rubber band.

I  think  this  Pippin  is  imaginative   and enormously  entertaining.  You can read my   Curtainup review   by clicking  on this  link:  www.curtainup.com/pippin13.html

 Watch for more   sample  entries  from  Similes Dictionaries used to  blog abou my    theater going and reading.  



 

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Here's the cover of the new, 2nd edition of Similes Dictionary, published by Visible Ink Press. (Available at   www.vwww.visibleinkpress.com)

Simile of the Day:  I/m as corny as Kansas in August, I'm as normal as blueberry pie.— One of the many similes from songs in the new edition by the musical theater's one and only Oscar Hammerstein. This one from  "A Wonderful Guy" in   South Pacific