When:
Lookups spiked on December 16, 2013.
Why:
As students prepare for exams at the end of the semester, there's an increased need to understand what teachers mean by "metaphor."
A metaphor is "a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar."
For example, as Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
Derived from the Greek word that means "to transfer," a metaphor transfers meaning from one word (e.g. "stage") to another (e.g. "world").
We see further evidence of academic effort in other top lookups these days: irony, culture, allusion, simile, and alliteration. To offer a couple of metaphors to those who've looked these up: We hope your exams were a breeze and your vacation is an oasis.
