Example of Figurative Sense

The figurative meaning is the meaning other than literal that a word can have, expression or sentence. The figurative meaning that we can find in different expressions and words and that refers us to a meaning beyond the literal one can vary culturally, historically or socially. That is why to understand the figurative meaning of expressions in other languages ​​we have to be familiar with that language and culture.

To better understand what the figurative sense is, it is important to first understand the literal. The literal meaning it is the common meaning that we attribute to words; it is the linear meaning that refers us to language itself, to what the words refer to.

For exampleIn the phrase "I'm dead tired", if we stick to the purely literal meaning, this phrase would mean that the person who said it is really dead. However, what the phrase actually means is that the person is extremely tired. This other meaning would be the figurative sense.

To interpret the figurative sense we have to understand both the literal meaning of the phrase and the other meaning it wants to suggest. The figurative sense is always related in some way to the literal. For example, in the same sentence, "I'm dead tired," the figurative sense of being extremely tired is related to the literal meaning of "dead": we relate the idea of ​​being dead and being unable to move with the idea of ​​great fatigue that exhausts the forces.

Uses of the figurative sense

The uses of the figurative sense they are very wide. Some examples are listed below:

• In colloquial speech the figurative sense can be used, for example, in sayings, albures Y set phrases.
• In the For example, it is used in poetry to aesthetically suggest a meaning beyond the literal.
• In different types of speeches, political, argumentative, etc., can be used as a style element.
• In the construction of the humor or the jokes the figurative sense is also used to give a humorous turn or provoke laughter.

The figurative sense in the sayings:

The sayings They are said that are transmitted orally and are used to give a lesson or sentence. They are phrases that remain constant and are used in colloquial speech. Many are built with sentences whose literal meaning is not enough to decipher the saying. In these cases, the figurative sense of prayer to understand the teaching or lesson. This figurative sense is transmitted orally; Sayings are widely used in everyday speech and that is why their meaning is already in the collective imagination and does not need to be explained. Here are some sayings and their explanation.

• "A god begging and with the hammer giving"

The figurative meaning of this saying wants to imply that even if you ask God for something or expect something in general, at the same time you have to fight or strive to achieve that goal.

• "Barking dog does not bite"

The figurative meaning of this saying refers to people who threaten, yell, or brag but ultimately fail to act. It is related to the literal meaning of the dog's barking as a threat.

• "Candil of the street, darkness of his house"

The figurative meaning of this saying refers to people who have a behavior or attitude positive behavior on the street (with friends and acquaintances) and a negative attitude or behavior at home (with family). The meaning of this saying is explained by the opposition between light and darkness. The light related to the positive part of a person; and the dark, with the negative part.

• "A talker falls sooner than a lame man"

This saying means that people who tell lies or presume (speak for the sake of talking) quickly fall for their lies. To understand the figurative sense, it has to be related to the literal sense of lame: it is easy for a person with a limp to stumble.

• "Not all that glitters is gold"

This phrase is understood literally. It is true that not everything that glitters is gold. However, the phrase has a figurative sense and refers to things or people that give a good appearance but deep down it is not like that.

The figurative sense in poetry

On poetry the use of the figurative sense. A poet looks for beautiful forms of expression to capture his subjectivity, his ideas, feelings, opinions, experiences, beliefs, and so on. He does not express what he feels literally, but rather seeks to make the reader decipher what he is saying on many occasions. This means that in poetry the real meaning remains "hidden" by different resources that have to be interpreted.

Let's take from example some verses from song 2 of Altazor from Vicente Huidobro:

• "If you died / The stars despite their lit lamp / They would lose their way / What would become of the universe?"

In that example the poetic voice is speaking to a person. If we interpreted it literally, these verses would mean that if this person died the stars would really lose their way and something could happen in the universe. Actually, if we interpret the poem and look for the figurative meaning, we realize that the poet is using a metaphor and hyperbole (exaggeration) to express the pain and loss of meaning that would cause the absence of that person.

Let's take this other example. Some verses by Pablo Neruda:

• "I remembered you with a tight soul / of that sadness that you know me."

In these verses Pablo Neruda uses in the metaphor “alma tight of that sadness ”the figurative sense to talk about the feeling of sadness and the feeling of nostalgia that the memory of a person can cause.

50 examples of expressions in the figurative sense:

1. I'm up to the crown.
2. She is crazier than a goat.
3. I put it like chicken coop.
4. After so much effort he is going to give up.
5. Their spirits they are on the ground.
6. He is like water for Chocolate.
7. That person it's a viper.
8. Before they were friends but war was declared.
9. The deal is cooking.
10. Yesterday the president kicked the bucket.
11. The man he hung up the tennis shoes last year.
12. They brings dead to all.
13. Costmore expensive the broth than the meatballs.
14. When you speak to him you add a lot of cream to the tacos.
15. I am starving.
16. I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.
17. It is stubborn as a bull.
18. You have to grab the bull by the horns.
19. I they abandoned like a dog.
20. The baby is crying to the seas.
21. Hearing the joke, I I started laughing.
22. That man is quieter than a grave.
23. Don't be so negative, always you see the glass half empty.
24. You are equal to your father: Like father Like Son.
25. I'm in love. He is my half orange.
26. You are crazy.
27. The news of my dismissal it fell on me like a bucket of cold water.
28. This opportunity can be a gold mine.
29. You have to put your feet on the ground.
30. At yesterday's party there was not a soul.
31. This place is the eighth wonder.
32. He it's a sealed envelope; will never tell your secret.
33. You talk so much that you make me dizzy.
34. I am all ears.
35. I'm so mad i could break his face.
36. Don't let me shatter your illusions.
37. They they broke communication.
38. I feel in the clouds.
39. I enter like Juan for his house.
40. Do not raise water to the tank.
41. These mathematical operations they look likehieroglyphs.
42. Forever ago that I am not going to the dentist.
43. She is still in the spring of his life.
44. She gave me a scared to death.
45. She got sick and she's vomiting as fountain.
46. That man is so tall that you look like giraffe.
47. I feel that i'm in a mousetrap.
48. I got to the mouth of the wolf.
49. I'm scared.
50. Is strong like a bull.

20 examples of sayings with figurative meaning:

1. Shrimp that falls asleep, it carries current.
2. The early bird God helps.
3. The cute even though she dresses in cute silk she stays.
4. The lion thinks that they are all of his condition.
5. Curiosity killed the cat.
6. She raises crows and they will gouge out your eyes.
7. Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are.
8. Everything fits in a jar knowing how to accommodate it.
9. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
10. Not so much that it burns the saint nor so much that it does not illuminate him.
11. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
12. Better to be the head of a lion than the tail of a mouse.
13. Tree that grows crooked hard the branch of it straightens.
14. Who walks with wolves is taught to howl.
15. Not by much getting up early it dawns earlier.
16. Better step that lasts and not trot that tires.
17. The devil knows more as an old man than as a devil.
18. The dog dances for money.
19. A book is not judged by its cover.
20. Whoever wants sky blue that costs him.