Mixed Metaphors

Dear Members and Constituents,

Last night, after hearing from a friend he might need to re-schedule our lunch today, I indicated that would be fine, of course, and that we should “play it by ear”. His response?  “Play it by ear? Just remember that it takes two to tango, and that when the music stops we don’t want to end this lunch on a bad note J”. This provided a brilliant insight into the metaphors we use every day. It got me thinking we ought to be deliberate in keeping our analogies in the same realm for any given conversation. I’ve sometimes chuckled to myself when someone mentions we’re on a “fourth down and long situation” and we therefore need to “knock this one out of the park” (to which I’m tempted to respond, “don’t you mean this is the bottom of the ninth so we need to push it over the goal line?”). Bottom line (accounting), once you pull an analogy out of the bag (magic), be prepared to stay in the same domain (feudal politics?). If you speak of someone as being a diamond in the rough, stick with jewelry and mention the fact she wants to build a gold-pated network. If you observe two people are cut from the same cloth, you might tailor your message to observe they both believe a stitch in time can save nine. And so on. So, put on your game face and advance down the field to score yourself a donut.

Happy Friday!