Similes

Just had a thought - happens.

On yesterday's 'Wordtaste, -trick.... ' (Icel. Orðbragð) a widely used Icelandic expression - 'to take someone on the bone' (Icel. 'taka einhvern á beinið') was shown to derive from a specific, real bone, in the office of the Rector of Akureyri College (Icel. Menntaskólinn á Akureyri) where there is whalebone where supposedly former Rector Sigurður Guðmundsson would have his students sit when he had to give them a stern talking to - which is exactly what the expression means.

Now, also yesterday I listened/ watched this interview with China Mieville:  where he answers an interesting question on EmbassyTown, regarding how people could become similes so that the Arikei could express complex thoughts.... here we have a rare example of a metaphor / simile that could work for the Arikei - a real thing to base it on..... while most of our similes, expressions etc. have unclear and foggy roots.

From Orðbragð, current Rector Jón Már Héðinsson sitting on the bone, interviewed by Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir