Poetry has always spoken in figurative language as the Bible and early manuscripts show, usually by way of metaphor (this IS that) or simile (this is LIKE that), but metonymy also speaks figuratively (opposite of literally.)
Every region has its own way of adding color to conversation. If you grew up in the Southern U.S.A., as I did, you probably heard people talk in metonymy, which uses a word or two to replace something else.
For examples:
breeze – easy to do
collar – priest (noun) or (verb) arrest a suspect
crown – reigning king or queen (noun) or (verb) whack someone over the head
dish – deliciously good-looking woman
dough – money (unless you’re a baker)
foxy – sensually attractive person
frog – obstruction in throat
glitch – not working as smoothly as hoped
hot rod – super speedy automobile
hunk – good-looking, well-built man
lines – dialogue in a script, parts of a poem, or a pleasing shape
lip – sass, backtalk
nailed it – successfully accomplished
peachy – all is well – or pretending to be
pedal to the metal – go fast!
ride – car or other vehicle taking somebody somewhere
slice – wedge of pizza
star – actor whose work shines
suit – business person suitably attired
tub of lard – an insensitive, unkind slur for a very overweight person (Avoid these!)
tube – TV (or maybe an MRI machine that feels like a thermos.)
windows to the soul – eyes
Similar to metonymy is synecdoche, which uses part of something to refer to the whole thing. For instance, wheels as a synecdoche represents the whole vehicle or car.
Teens and young adults often create synecdoche or metonymy as their private code with imaginative variations according to the locale. With that in mind, you see why the successful use of metonymy works in a poem or other manuscript mainly if your targeted readers understand that particular word or phrase.
This potential glitch in comprehension makes it trickier to come up with your own new ways of saying something. Even so, the context can make your meaning clear. So, invent. Have fun. Make up new words and phrases – just because you can!
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