Examples of literal sense and figurative sense

Literal sense and figurative sense

When we talk about literal meaning or figurative sense, we refer to a way of interpreting the meaning of words, taking it at face value (literal) or looking for hidden meanings (figurative). The difference between the two is determined by the context in which a word is used and the cultural evaluations that accompany it.

This expressive resource gives the speaker the possibility to express himself more graphically, to be more expressive or more emphatic in transmitting its message and that is why it is also widely used in literature.

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Differences between literal sense and figurative sense

The main differences between these two ways of interpreting a word have to do strictly with the connotation that we give to that word, and its variations depending on the context. A word can have a figurative use within the way of speaking of a region and those who do not belong to it, surely will not understand the figurative use of the word.

The literal uses are usually much more uniform in the language since they are those that the dictionary contains. On the other hand, figurative uses, depending on the creativity of peoples, vary and are part of a cultural code between speakers of the same language.

Examples of literal sense and figurative sense

1. Jump into the water. This phrase, whose literal meaning is clear, is often used in a figurative sense to refer to the making of important and momentous decisions that require a certain value. For example, it is often used to refer to the decision to marry: Sergio and Ana finally jumped into the water.
2. Go behind the ambulance. A phrase whose literal sense does not say much, in the Caribbean is used to say that someone or something is last, performs poorly or is behind: My baseball team is after the ambulance.
3. Be the daddy of ice cream. It is a Venezuelan expression whose figurative meaning implies that someone or something is the best or is at the top. For example: In marketing matters, our company is the father of ice cream.
4. Eat the snot. Although the literal meaning of this Argentine expression alludes to a very common habit among children and usually frowned upon, in this country it gets the figurative sense of not being encouraged to do something. For example: We proposed a rematch but they ate their snot.
5. Be a rat. This expression, whose literal meaning is impossible to apply to humans, nevertheless has many figurative meanings. It can be used to say that someone is evil, dishonest or not very generous, depending on the meaning of each country. For example: The management of the company is a nest of rats. / This rat never pays the bill.
6. Have or be a bag of cats. Usually no one walks around with a bag full of cats, but the figurative meaning of this expression indicates a mixture of things (real, objective or imaginary, mental) of various nature and all messy. For example: The institution's archive became a bag of cats over the years.
7. Take a look. This expression is very common to Spanish-speaking peoples and does not literally mean that we should do what it suggests, but look, look quickly and superficially, something that demands our attention. For example: Ana, please go and take a look at the boy, who is very quiet.
8. Dying of anguish. It is another figurative expression very common in the Spanish language, which can also be used for hunger (“dying of hunger”), fear (“dying of fear”), etc. It expresses a maximum degree of feeling, when compared to death. For example: Today my husband is operated on his heart and I am dying of anguish.
9. Get like a beast. This expression, whose literal meaning says that someone or something copied the behavior of a wild animal, is used in a sense figurative to refer to a fit of rage, indignation, anger or some similar emotion of a violent, unpredictable nature, intense. For example: They told him his wife was cheating on him and the man went wild on the spot.
10. Drop him like a kick. Another very universal expression of Spanish, whose literal meaning implies the act of receiving a kick, It is used to refer to a negative feeling obtained in front of a news item, a person or a situation. For example: Yesterday I was introduced to the father-in-law and I am sure I landed like a kick in the kidneys.
11. Be an ace. This expression takes its literal meaning from the realm of the deck, where the number 1 card, known as "ace", is highly valued. In this sense, the figurative meaning attributes to a person a great capacity and performance in a certain field or activity. For example: I'm going to introduce you to the ace lawyers.
12. Import a radish. This expression has lost its literal meaning throughout history, but not its common use. It is about comparing something unimportant with a radish, a cumin or a cucumber, objects that at some point in history were very cheap or insignificant from some point of view. For example: I don't give a damn if you're sleepy.
13. Be buggered. Also used with "talc" and other substances considered low, broken, little elaborated or disgusting, the figurative sense of this The expression generally refers to a state of fatigue, drunkenness, sadness or regret, which merits comparing one's own body with one's own dust. For example: Yesterday we went out to drink with Rodrigo and today I woke up in a dusty state.
14. Have butterflies in your stomach. This phrase, now a classic in the Spanish language, uses a metaphor to describe the physical sensation of nervousness, comparing it with the idea of ​​the fluttering of butterflies. For example: The first time we kissed, I had butterflies in my stomach.
15. Stand on the left side of the bed. Another classic of the Spanish language, which takes its literal sense from the now obsolete idea that one had to get up from the right side of the bed, the "correct" side, since the left has had a negative cultural assessment: "the sinister ”. The figurative meaning of the phrase lies in waking up in a bad mood, being irritable or touchy: Sergio got up today on the left side of the bed, apparently.