Ideas - Horiculture or Construction

Metaphor of the day: idea

Posted by Macmillan Dictionary on April 17, 2011

Tweet

Metaphors for ideas

An idea or theory is like a building or structure. Developing an idea is like building something, and destroying an idea is like destroying a building. For example:

• It was a carefully constructed theory.
• She completely demolished his argument.
• The theory collapsed/fell apart after he produced new data.

An idea is also like a plant. Developing an idea is like helping a plant to grow, e.g.:

• The idea grew in her mind until she could think of nothing else.
• I had sown the seeds of doubt.
• This belief quickly took root.
• It was a fruitful line of research.

Source: http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/metaphor-of-the-day-idea