A bridge too far: Was Sarah Palin’s crosshairs metaphor a political death threat?

2008 was an 11. After overdue consideration and numerous recounts, The Metaphor Observatory has reached a reluctant concensus among staff. The 2008 Top Ten Metaphors list was particularly difficult due to the enormous diversity of metaphors used to describe the candidates of the American election and the causes of the financial crisis. While the crisis [...]

Platforms afire! Obama gets over the Hill, goes with Joe. We saw it coming like a steamrolling train wreck. The early rhetoric, the matchmaking press and years of programming in the media. We could’ve simply pointed out that Barack and Hillary could somehow go by first name in the block-letter last-name world of campaign signery. [...]

The tsunami metaphor is conceived, born and labored. Rarely do we witness the conception, gestation and birth of a metaphor. Usually a metaphor slides into being, the product of say, poetry, witticism or observation. We grasp the conceptual links because the pathways in between are well worn: beaten subconsciously into life by familiarity; beaten to [...]