Like Similes Are Like Ice Cream

You enjoy that first creamy spoonful or imaginative simile. If you ingest too much too quickly though, you suffer brain freeze. No matter how palatable like similes are, a bellyful will unsettle readers.

Likewise with similes that incorporate as.

Keep in Mind the Difference Between Similes and Metaphors

simile: a figure of speech that compares two things. It often includes like or as: eyes like marbles; yellow as a banana.

metaphor: a figure of speech that uses one kind of object or idea in place of another to suggest a likeness: She was green with envy.

Many Similes Can Be Eliminated by Showing

Colleen tossed the heirloom into the trash like a banana peel.

Let’s ignore the simile for a moment and analyze the sentence. Without a comma preceding like, the trash resembles a banana peel.

Colleen tossed the heirloom into the trash as though it were a banana peel.

Better. But we can remove the comparison and retain the banana-peel reference:

Colleen tossed the heirloom into the trash along with the banana peels.

Now we show Colleen’s disregard for the heirloom. Without a simile.

A Strong-Verb Punch KOs Many Similes

Example 1

Edwin talked like an angry ape.

Apes grunt, gibber, and bellow. They might even roar, screech, or ooh-ooh-ooh. In the spirit of the writer’s intent, let’s try:

Edwin bellowed.

Bellow means to utter a loud roar in anger or pain. No need for a simile.

Example 2

Carlos treated his three-year-old daughter like a princess.

Like a princess has lost its impact. A Google search yields millions of results.

Strong verb to the rescue:

Carlos doted on his daughter.

Dote means to adore, idolize, pamper.

Many authors would prefer to add details:

Carlos doted on his daughter, buying her expensive toys and designer clothing.

Example 3

Josh followed Dyanne, like a bloodhound sniffing after its prey.

Let’s rewrite this:

Josh stalked Dyanne, showing up “by accident” at least once a day.

A stronger verb and a specific example provide engaging details.

Example 4

With all its wrinkles, the old man’s face looked like tree bark.

A simple remedy:

With all its wrinkles, the old man’s face resembled tree bark.

Or we could remove the tree-bark analogy:

A tangled web of deep wrinkles obscured the old man’s face.

A tangled web of deep wrinkles evokes a different mental image than tree bark, but both images are compelling.

Ponder the Pig, a Creature That Frequents Many Similes

Rewording shows the meaning behind each comparison.

act like a pig

He made lewd propositions to every woman he met.

He picked his nose in public.

burp like a pig

His rumbling burp overpowered the blaring rock music.

A belch erupted from his maw.

eat like a pig

He devoured everything in sight and then asked for more.

He shoveled food into his mouth, belching and talking at the same time.

look like a pig

Food stains covered the front of his shirt, and his pants bulged at the seams.

His jiggling belly flopped over the top of his belt, hiding it under liberal layers of fat.

pink like a pig

His porky face gleamed, pink and sweaty, in the sunlight streaming through the window.

She chose a putrid piggy-pink for the living-room curtains.

snort like a pig

She snuffled while she slurped her soup.

Her swinish snort caught me by surprise. I couldn’t determine whether she was laughing or choking.

squeal like a pig

A high-pitched squeal was her only response when she spied the engagement ring.

His porcine squeal of fear echoed from the walls of the canyon.

stink like a pig

He reeked of body odor and garlic, with a fetid undertone reminiscent of pig feces.

To say the stench of her cooking reminded me of a pig farm would be an insult to the pigs.

sweat like a pig

His clammy shirt clung to his body, and sweat poured from his brow into his eyes.

She squirted perspiration from every pore, creating a muddy river that coursed down her chest and into her pock-marked cleavage.

waddle like a pig

He waddled away, butt cheeks waggling in his sloppy jeans.

She shuffled down the sidewalk, in a clumsy, swaying motion. I almost expected to see a curly pig’s tail peek out from under her jacket.

More Common Similes With Simple Replacements

act like a bully: badger, browbeat, bully, harass, intimidate, persecute, terrorize, threaten, torment

act like a timid horse: balk, cower, cringe, flinch, recoil, retreat, shrink back, shy, spook, start, wince, withdraw

chatter like a magpie: babble, blabber, blather, burble, gabble, gibber, jabber, natter, prate, prattle, rattle on, yammer

climb like a monkey: clamber, monkey up, mount, scale, scrabble, scramble, shin up, shinny

cling like a burr: adhere, affix, attach, bond, cement, clasp, clutch, fuse, glue onto, hold fast, latch onto, stick

crawl like a snake: creep, glide, meander, slide, slink, slither, snake, sneak, twist, wind, worm, wriggle, writhe

crawl like a spider: creep, inch, lurk, prowl, scamper, scrabble, scramble, scuttle, sidle, skulk, slither, sneak, spider

cry like a baby: bawl, blub, blubber, boo-hoo, howl, mewl, pule, shriek, scream, sniffle, snivel, sob, wail, whimper

draw like a moth to a flame: allure, attract, beguile, captivate, dazzle, ensnare, entice, enthrall, lure, mesmerize, tempt

drink like a fish: booze, chug, fall off the wagon, gulp, guzzle, hit the bottle, imbibe, knock back, quaff, slurp, swig, swill, tipple

eat like a bird: nibble, nip, nosh, peck at, pick at, play with, sample, snack, take tiny bites, toy with

eat like a horse: bolt down, demolish, devour, gobble, gorge, guzzle, ingurgitate, overeat, scarf, shovel in, stuff, wolf down

explode like a volcano: blow a fuse, blow one’s top, blow up, erupt, go ballistic, hit the roof, lose one’s temper, vent

(eyebrows) like a caterpillar: bristly, bushy, coarse, frowsy, hairy, profuse, shaggy, unkempt, untamed, wild, woolly

(eyes) like headlights (1): alight, burning, flaming, glowing, on fire, luminous, radiant, smoldering

(eyes) like headlights (2): piercing, sharp, shrewd

(feet) like flippers (1): amphibious

(feet) like flippers (2): EEEE, enormous, humongous, large

(feet) like flippers (3): flat

(feet) like flippers (4): broad, splayed, wide

(feet) like flippers (5): awkward, clumsy

fight like cats and dogs: battle, brawl, clash, exchange blows, grapple, row, scrap, scuffle, tussle, wrangle, wrestle

(fist) like a hammer: crushing, dangerous, formidable, heavy, iron, overpowering, powerful, strong, unyielding, weighty

fit like a glove: cling, cocoon, cradle, cushion, envelope, fit perfectly, hug every curve, sheathe, snug, swaddle

fly like an eagle: drift, float, glide, hover, sail, soar, sweep, take wing, wing

follow like a puppy: chase, hound, hunt, pester, pursue, shadow, sniff after, sniff around, stalk, track, trail after

giggle like a schoolgirl: chortle, simper, snicker, snigger, tee-hee, titter, twitter

go over like a lead balloon: disappoint, disenchant, dishearten, disillusion, dismay, dissatisfy, fail, flop, upset

grow like a weed: balloon, burgeon, flourish, mushroom, shoot up, spread out, thrive

have eyes like a hawk: catch every detail, miss nothing, notice every aspect, see clearly, spy

hit like a ton of bricks: confound, daze, dumfound, flabbergast, numb, overwhelm, paralyze, shock, stun, stupefy

laugh like a hyena: bark, belly-laugh, chortle, convulse with laughter, guffaw, fall down laughing, hoot, laugh hysterically

leak like a sieve: dribble out, escape, ooze out, percolate through, pour out, pour through, seep, spurt out, trickle through

like a bear with a sore head: angry, choleric, enraged, fuming, furious, incensed, infuriated, livid, outraged

like a log: immobile, motionless, stationary, still

like a rock (1): dense, durable, firm, indestructible, inflexible, resilient, rigid, rugged, solid, stiff, tough, unyielding

like a rock (2): consistent, dependable, levelheaded, reliable, sound, stable, steadfast, trustworthy, unfailing, unswerving

like taking candy from a baby: easy, effortless, painless, simple, straightforward, trouble-free, uncomplicated

look like a drowned rat: brush sodden hair out of the eyes, drip buckets, leave a damp trail wherever one walks, squish while walking

look like a penguin (1): don a tuxedo

look like a penguin (2): wear a black suit and white shirt

look like a penguin (3): flap about

look like a penguin (4): shuffle, strut, waddle

look like a penguin (5): preen, primp

look like two peas in a pod (1): bear a pronounced resemblance, echo, harmonize, match, mirror, parallel

look like two peas in a pod (2): share identical ideologies

move like a snail (1): crawl, creep, edge, glide, inch, sidle, slide, slither, worm

move like a snail (2): chillax, dawdle, idle, laze, loll, lounge, postpone, procrastinate

(neck) like a pipe: angular, bony, emaciated, fragile, gaunt, pipe-thin, rickety, scrawny, skeletal, skinny, spindly, unstable

roar like a dragon: bellow, blare, blast, boom, gnarl, resound, reverberate, rumble, snarl, thunder

run like a cheetah: arrow, barrel, bolt, dash, fly, hurtle, pelt, race, rocket, speed, sprint, tear, whizz, zip, zoom

run like a frightened rabbit: bolt, break away, cut and run, escape, flee, hare, hop and run, take flight, zig-zag

scream like a schoolgirl: caterwaul, howl, keen, screech, shriek, shrill, squall, squawk, squeal, wail, yelp, yowl

sing like an angel: cantillate, carol, chime, chorus, croon, harmonize, serenade, trill, warble

sit like a bump on a log: dawdle, diddle, dog it, doze, goof off, idle, laze, loaf, loll, lollygag, malinger, shirk

sleep like a log: conk out, crash, cuddle up with Sleeping Beauty, die for eight hours, emulate Rip Van Winkle, saw logs, snore, zonk out

smell like a rose (1): appear innocent, seem respectable

smell like a rose (2): carry off, cope, manage, overcome, pull off, succeed

smell like a rose (3): smell sweet

smell like garbage: give off putrid fumes, offend the nose, pong, reek, smell rotten, smell foul, stink, stink to high heaven

sound like fingernails on a blackboard: grate, grind, rasp, screech, scratch, scritch, shrill

stick out like a sore thumb (1): contradict, contrast, differ, diverge

stick out like a sore thumb (2) bulge, distend, jut out, mismatch, project, protrude

sting like a bee: bite, burn, jab, pound, prick, prickle, punch, smart, spear, stab, throb, tingle, wound

swim like a fish: cruise, fin, float, glide through the water, pollywog, sail, scud, skim, wiggle

taste like ambrosia: delight the palate, seduce the tongue, titillate the taste buds

taste like crap: cause one to gag, end up in the garbage, turn food into a four-letter word, leave a nasty aftertaste

twinkle like stars: flicker, glitter, shimmer, sparkle, wink

walk like a duck: dodder, flatfoot-it, hobble, meander, pad, shamble, shuffle, toddle, totter, waddle, wiggle, zig-zag

walk like an elephant: clomp, clunk, galumph, lead-foot, lumber, plod, pound, stomp, stump, thump, thunder, tramp

work like a dog: graft, grind, drudge, grapple, hustle, labor, moil, slave, slog, strain, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, wrestle

Your Turn

Examine something you’ve written, and select half a dozen like similes. If you can’t find any, pat yourself on the back. Otherwise, proceed to the next paragraph.

Are the similes cliché? Do a Google search. If you find more than a hundred results matching each phrase, the answer is yes. Can you harness stronger verbs or adjectives? Rewrite as unique metaphors? Or create distinctive like similes?