Wait till the cows come home.

e.g. … every hour in every day she could wound his pride.

Allegory – Make hay while the sun shines.

Allusion – It’s his Achilles’ heel.

Personification – Mother Nature blushes before robbing.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Metonymyis based on contiguity, i.e. a semantic association of two references, one of which makes a part of the other or is closely connected with it.

The relations can be as follows:

a. the relation between the instrument & the action it performs:

e.g. She has a quick pen.

b. the relation between the concrete thing & the abstract idea:

e.g. She carried her cross patiently.

c. the relation between the symbol & the object it denotes:

e.g. the stars and stripes (= the US flag – the USA)

Synechdoche (the only original metonymy) – when apart stands for thewhole & vice versa.

e.g. Who is that suit?

Metonymy is observed when:

a) the names of animals are used instead of their furs, sometimes meat:

e.g. I had rabbit for dinner.

b) names of origins instead of their function:

Lend me your ears!

You’re the brain!

c) names of different containers instead of things contained:

e.g. The hall applaused.

d) the names of places to denote what’s going on in these places:

e.g. The whole city came to meet a hero.

e) the name of some material instead of the product:

e.g. iron – утюг;

brass – (латунь) духовые инструменты;

silver – столовое серебро;

f) the name of the author instead of his work:

Do you like Shakespeare?

g) the name of passion of its object:

My love!

h) proper names of inventors instead of the object invented:

e.g. Sandwich, Mackintosh;

i) geographical names instead of products:

China – фарфор.

Irony – e.g. Stoney smiled the sweet smile of an alligator.

Sarcasm

Zeugma and Pun

Zeugma depends on a certain structure while Punis more independent.

Zeugma is the realization of two meanings of a word: usually a verb which is aimed at referring to objects and adverbial modifier belonging to different classes of things.

e.g. - Mr. Stiggins… took his hat and his leave.

Pun

Ex. – What’s the difference between a schoolmaster and engine-driver?

- One trains the mind and the other minds the train.

- - Gentlemen! Order, please!

- - Beer, please.

Oxymoron

e.g. a low skyscraper;

a pleasantly ugly face;

deafening silence;

a foolishly intelligent face.

Hyperbole

e.g. Doctor X. drank his tea in oceans.

Understatement–

e.g. The little woman, for she was of pocket size, crossed her hands solemnly on her middle.