Re: I'm sure Tim knows this anyhows...
The word "simile" is Latin and the rough English translation is "similar" or "like". Metaphor is Greek.
So if you did Latin at school you use similes and say something is like (simile) something else. But if you learned Greek, you don't bother with the word "like", you just say "it's a metaphor".
This means that similes are for the less intelligent people who need to have it explained to them, metaphor is for the more intelligent people who don't.
Writing for the Sun - simile. Writing for the New Yorker - metaphor.
Simple really.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
