Iron (metaphor)

Iron (metaphor)

Iron, when used metaphorically, refers to certain traits of the metal iron. Used as an adjective and sometimes as a noun, it refers to something stern, harsh, unyielding, inflexible, rigid, sturdy, strong, robust. It is sometimes used for something technological ("iron lung") or not technologically advanced ("iron bomb").

List of iron metaphors

This list is categorized superficially, rather than by the actual meanings of the expressions, to stress the metaphorical usage.

Persons and characters

*The name Timur, meaning "iron" in Turkic languages, has been a widespread name in Western and Central Asia since the days of the Mongol Empire.
*Iron Lady
*Iron Queen
*Iron Chancellor
*Iron Duke
*Iron Felix
*Iron Man
*Iron John
*Iron Mike
*Iron Sheik
*Iron Heroes
*Iron Eyes Cody, an actor.
*Iron Shell, a Brule Sioux chief.
*Iron Tail, an Oglala Sioux warrior.
*Iron Eye, an Omaha chief
*Iron Kid
*Iron Lad
*Iron Fan Princess
*Iron Maniac
*Iron Chef
*Iron Tail

Animals and plants

*Iron Monkey
*Iron Wolf
*Iron Bird
*Iron condor
*Iron Eagle
*Iron Butterfly
*Iron Dragon
*Iron cobra
*Iron Horse
*Iron Kong
*Iron bamboo
*Ironwood

Body parts

*Iron Eye
*Iron Fist
*Iron Hands
*Iron Heel
*Iron Knuckle
*Iron lung
*Iron Palm

Geography

*Iron Cities
*Iron Mountains
*Iron Range
*Iron Rivers

Other iron metaphors

*Iron bomb
*Iron Brigade
*Iron cage
*Iron Curtain
*Iron Fire
*Iron Guard
*Iron harvest
*Iron Helix
*Iron Seed
*Iron Shirt
*Iron Sunrise
*Iron Triangle
*Iron Will

Iron gallery

ee also

*Iron (disambiguation)
*Big Iron
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3APrefixindex&from=iron&namespace=0 Wikipedia articles starting with the word "Iron"]

References

*"Random House Unabridged Dictionary"
*"The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms"
* Theodore Wertime and James Muhly, eds., "The Coming of the Age of Iron" (Yale, 1980, ISBN 0-300-02425-8 (hardcover))
* [http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/ceras/iron/ "Iron, Master of Them All"] , University of Iowa Museum of Art and PASALA - Project for the Advanced Study of Art and Life in Africa. The article discusses various metaphors associated with iron in African cultures.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/506459.stm "Iron: The man in the mask"] , a "BBC News" article (6 November, 1999)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Iron Lady — is a nickname that has frequently been used to describe female heads of government around the world. The term describes a strong willed woman. This iron metaphor was most famously applied to Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed so in 1976 by the Soviet… …   Wikipedia

  • Iron (disambiguation) — Iron can refer to: * Iron, the chemical element * Iron (appliance), used to remove wrinkles from fabric * Iron (metaphor), a common adjective used in terms such as Iron Age and Iron Curtain * Iron (golf) * Iron (dialect), a dialect of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Iron — Fe redirects here. For other uses, see Fe (disambiguation). This article is about the chemical element. For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). manganese …   Wikipedia

  • Iron in folklore — Iron has a long and varied tradition in the mythology and folklore of the world. As human blood smells of the iron which its cells contain, and blood in many traditions is equated with the life force, so iron and minerals have been considered to… …   Wikipedia

  • Iron Cross (band) — Iron Cross is a hardcore/Oi! band from Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C.. They play a rough form of streetpunk, and is the first band in the United States to adopt the skinhead look and the Oi! musical style. The band had close ties to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Iron Curtain — The Iron Curtain was the symbolic, ideological, and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War, roughly 1945 to 1991. At both sides of the Iron Curtain, the states… …   Wikipedia

  • metaphor — metaphorical /met euh fawr i keuhl, for /, metaphoric, adj. metaphorically, adv. metaphoricalness, n. /met euh fawr , feuhr/, n. 1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in… …   Universalium

  • Iron Man — This article is about the superhero. For other uses, see Iron Man (disambiguation). Iron Man Promotional art for The Invincible Iron Man vol. 5, #25 (second printing) (June 2010) by Salvador Larroca …   Wikipedia

  • iron — The Iron Age in Palestine was from about 1200 to 330 BCE. The Philistines were makers of iron implements (1 Sam. 13:19) which David encountered (1 Sam. 17:7). Because of its hardness, iron is often used as a metaphor: the life of slavery in Egypt …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • iron curtain — 1. (sometimes caps.) a barrier to understanding and the exchange of information and ideas created by ideological, political, and military hostility of one country toward another, esp. such a barrier between the Soviet Union and its allies and… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”