Psychological Metaphors

verb to close and open one or both eyes quickly

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• She did not even blink at the outrageous proposal presented to her.
• I can't believe he didn't even blink at the high price of the concert tickets.
• I didn't even blink at the new slang word my friend used in conversation.
• The magician made the coin disappear in the blink of an eye.

noun a container typically made of wood or cardboard, used for storing or transporting items

verb to confine or enclose within a space or boundaries

• Please make sure to box in the fragile items before shipping them.
• Hey, can you box in those breakable things before we move?
• Yo, make sure to box in the delicate stuff before we haul it.
• It's important to box in your emotions and not let them control you.

noun a thin sphere of liquid enclosing air or another gas

verb to produce bubbles or be in the process of bubbling

adjective relating to or resembling a bubble

• The scientist studied the properties of the bubble to understand its behavior in different environments.
• My kids love blowing bubbles in the backyard during summer.
• I can't believe she's living in a bubble, completely unaware of what's happening around her.
• The stock market seems to be in a bubble, with prices rising rapidly without any real value backing them up.

noun the state of being surrounded or enclosed by something

• The military strategy involved the encirclement of the enemy forces.
• The cops set up an encirclement around the building to catch the suspect.
• We were totally encircled by the paparazzi at the event.
• The feeling of loneliness was like an encirclement that I couldn't escape from.

noun a religious or spiritual practice of attempting to drive out evil spirits or demons from a person or place

• The priest performed an exorcism to rid the possessed individual of the evil spirit.
• I heard they called in a exorcist to deal with the haunted house.
• They say exorcisms are the real deal when it comes to getting rid of ghosts.
• The team needed to perform an exorcism on their defense to get rid of the mistakes they were making.

noun flip of a coin - the specific act of tossing a coin to make a decision

• The outcome of the negotiation was decided by the flip of a coin.
• We'll let fate decide with a flip of a coin.
• Let's leave it up to chance and do a coin flip.
• Making a decision felt like a flip of a coin, with no clear answer in sight.

noun a dog that is aggressive or dangerous

adjective showing anger or aggression

• The mad dog was eventually captured by animal control officers.
• Did you hear about the mad dog roaming the neighborhood?
• That mad dog is causing chaos in the streets.
• His temper was like a mad dog, ready to lash out at any moment.

noun a part of the body that is used for smelling and breathing

verb the action of causing a tickling sensation on the nose

adjective describing the act of causing a sensation on the nose

• The sensation of a nose tickling can be quite distracting during a serious meeting.
• I can't stop sneezing, my nose is tickling like crazy!
• My nose was tickling so bad, I thought I was going to sneeze my brains out.
• The thought of her upcoming performance made her feel like her nose was tickling with excitement.

noun a sharp tingling sensation in a limb experiencing reduced circulation

conjunction used to connect the two separate sensations of 'pins' and 'needles'

• After sitting in an awkward position for too long, I started to experience pins and needles in my legs.
• I must have slept on my arm funny because now I have pins and needles.
• I hate that feeling of pins and needles when your foot falls asleep.
• As the suspense built during the movie, I felt like I was on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen next.

noun a dull, metallic sound

verb to pluck or hit a stringed instrument with a quick, sharp motion

• The musician plunked the keys of the grand piano with precision.
• I like to plunk around on my guitar when I'm bored.
• Let's plunk down on the couch and watch a movie.
• The decision to plunk down a large sum of money on a new car was a risky move.

adjective describing something that is smooth and difficult to hold onto or walk on, often because it is wet or covered in a slippery substance

• The path was covered in ice, making it very slippery to walk on.
• Be careful, the floor is really slippery when wet.
• Watch out for that patch of ice, it's super slippery!
• The situation was becoming more and more slippery as he tried to navigate through the conflicting information.

verb to move smoothly and quietly with a twisting or sliding motion

• The snake began to slither across the grassy field.
• I saw a snake slithering around in the garden yesterday.
• That guy can really slither his way out of any tough situation.
• The politician's words seemed to slither around the truth, never quite touching it.

noun a condition of being unable to breathe due to lack of oxygen

• The cause of death was determined to be suffocation due to a lack of oxygen in the confined space.
• I felt like I was suffocating in that crowded room with no fresh air.
• I can't stand being in this stuffy room, it feels like suffocation.
• The overwhelming pressure of the situation felt like suffocation to her.

noun a game in which players use a mallet to hit toy moles that pop up randomly from holes

• The children were entertained by playing a game of whack-a-mole at the carnival.
• Let's go play some whack-a-mole at the arcade!
• I totally dominated at whack-a-mole, I'm a pro!
• Dealing with all these unexpected problems is like playing a game of whack-a-mole.