"He walked as fast as the undergrowth and snowdrifts would allow " What is the justification for the conditional in the second half of the sentence? Tough question. In some ways, it is not really a conditional, but an expression of

No sorry. I wasn't going for a metaphor or idiom of any sort just a sentence I wanted corrected.

In what way is she "like a tough cookie"? Is she half-baked? No. That would be like a soft cookie, I suppose. Or is she all dried out and stale? Maybe she needs to be dunked in coffee or hot chocolate. Or used as a doorstop. CJ

It's actually neither. It's a simile. (Simile = A comparison using "like" or "as".)

He was drowned in the raging torrent. His speech was drowned by the rabble. His plea was drowned in/by the clatter of hooves. It seems possible to me that we're confusing "drowned" as a metaphor with " drowned out " as an

It's an idiom and a metaphor. 'Letting out one's belt' is a metaphor for growing bigger. 'He needs to get some schooling under his belt.' Think of a child growing bigger through the school years, as if it was learning and

"I´m with your key." No. We don't have that idiom in English. It's not a matter of not joining people and things (metaphorically): Carol is a block of wood when it comes to math. It's just that we don't have the idiom

But it's what you do next that counts, possibly turning an opportunity into a triumph. Ah I see, Avangi. Thank you very much. So the phrase is applicable especially in an unfavorable situation then? Phrases or idioms (or even

My girlfriend is a bit of a tough cookie. Metaphor or Idiom? Both. Many idioms begin their existence as metaphors. If nearly everyone finds them clever, interesting, and/or useful, they become a fixed part of the language and are enshrined forever

. Not exactly an idiom, I think, but it is often used metaphorically. In place = in its (intended) place; in position; ready; MORE DEFINITIONS . .