I don't doubt that you're correct. I just think that as metaphors go, this usage is manque'. Is it supposed to evoke the violence, the quickness, the sure thing, the ostentation, all of the above? (I'm too lazy to write out

Slang moves much faster than I do! There are probably more than a million people contributing to Urban Dictionary. Some contributions are accepted , some rejected . I suppose "slam-dunk" is itself a slang term, but the usage you propose

Sorry, Pernickety. I didn't tie that up very well! The metaphor obviously alludes to the artist's brush. I should think it would be used figuratively to favorably describe the work of other creators, such as God's work in laying out a

Anything of good quality. That is, it may be used poetically, as a metaphor. I'm not sure about British English.

At 05:12:32 on Sat, 26 Sep 2009, Paul (Email Removed) wrote in (Email Removed): What does the group feel could be the possible connotations of this phrase? My immediate response to that phrase being used by an Indian is that he was referring,

. 1) Are there any definitive grammar rules guiding the usage of "out,in,up,down" after a verb? Or do I need to memorize each phrase separately?-- No grammar rules; the adverb generally indicates the direction, physically or

Welcome to the forum. I will first comment on hyperbole . Its other usage is for obvious exaggeration. In making any phrase, the words must make some sense together. The dictionary give examples of hyperbole: I'm so tired that I could sleep

Sign seen on a car park outside an Edinburgh school: "The dropping off or uplifting of children from this car ... than metaphorically. Anyone know if this is especially Scottish? Or is it just that I should be getting out more? It's

In our last episode, (Email Removed), the lovely and talented Evan Kirshenbaum broadcast on alt.usage.english: the lovely and talented Tony Cooper broadcast on alt.usage.english: An amazing coincidence of appearance and reality! I wonder how often

the lovely and talented Tony Cooper broadcast on alt.usage.english: The trees haven't been removed, though, so the neighborhood still looks like a disaster area. An amazing coincidence of appearance and reality! I wonder how often it happens