Idiom, simile, or metaphor

[FirstandGoal]

My son is doing his English homework and is having to give different examples, and needed my help.
What are the differences in these??

[handcrafted]

An idiom is a figure of speech, like "you're barking up the wrong tree", some phrase that has meaning to the culture other than what the words say.

Simile is an explicit comparison (something is "like" something else), such as "my faithful dog is like a child to me."

A metaphor is an implicit comparison or characterization of something, for instance, when we say "time flies when you're having fun" we don't mean that time is physical and has wings, we just mean that it has the quality of moving quickly, which flying things do.

A really great and famous metaphor is the Carl Sandberg poem "Fog":

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.


Obviously, fog is not feline. The metaphor paints a word-picture of the character of the thing spoken of, and treats it as something other than its true nature, to communicate something about it and evoke an image.

[FirstandGoal]

Thanks for the info, but it really seems difficult to compare idioms and metaphors

[handcrafted]

I suppose an idiom could be considered a "cultural metaphor". What makes the idiom different is that it only has meaning to a particular group of people. A real metaphor can be universally understood.

Idioms also can be just phraseology, like saying "much obliged" instead of "thank you."

[yermom]

a metaphor is more like a comparison, without the like or as

i'm thinking the fog poem is more of an anthropomorphism

[Soonrboy]

I taught my fifth graders that the difference between a simile and metaphor is that a simile used "like" or "as" when comparing two things.

An idiom is just a saying...

[Beano's Fourth Chin]

an idiom has meaning that doesn't come from the literal definition of the words used to create it. A lot of times it's just a figure of speech.

Nose to the grindstone.
Kick the bucket.

Neither of these phrases will have their intended effect if you only know the definitions of the words "nose" and "grindstone" or "kick" and "bucket."

Similies use the words "like" or "as" to say that two things are similar to each other. The snickers bars sat upon his head like ebony fluff.

Metaphor seems a little more difficult to grasp. Seems real close to similies, analogies, allegories, etc.

There are two subjects in a metaphor. The one being described, and the one that you're borrowing from to do the describing. All the world's a stage. The only difference between this and a similie is that similies use "like" and "as."

[Okla-homey]

Idiom: "Boomer Sooner!"

simile: "that kid is sharp as a tack"

metaphor: "black hearted bastage"

you're welcome.:D

[GDC]

All the world's a stage.

great live album by Rush