Reading time: About 1 minute
I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about figurative language from Richard Osman….
If you’ve ever encountered comedian Richard Osman in person or on television, you’ll know him as a tremendously tall, very funny man. He’s 6 ft 7 inches (200 cm). If you’re a fan of the very funny British game show Taskmaster, (available on YouTube) you’ll also know him as a contestant in season two.
Osman began his career working as executive producer on British game shows, including Deal or No Deal, Channel 4 comedy panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats and satirical comedy 10 O’Clock Live. His other credits include Pointless, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Total Wipeout and the game show 24 Hour Quiz.
Turns out he can write, too. His first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, was a #1 million-copy international bestseller and a New York Times bestseller. Since that mega-success, he’s already published a second novel, The Man Who Died Twice. His third novel, The Bullet That Missed, is expected soon.
Richard Osman can not only write a funny and engaging murder mystery, he can also do it while displaying some terrific similes and metaphors. Here are my favourite examples:
- You would have found single beds, arranged in dorms; long, low tables for eating; a chapel so dark and quiet you would swear you heard God breathing.
- He is wearing an expensive polo shirt and a watch so large it might as well be a clock.
- Getting out of a garden chair at our [elderly] age is a military operation. Once you are in one, you can be in it for the day.
- Peter Ward’s shop, bursting with color, [provided] a little rainbow explosion on this gray street.
- Asima was not a religious woman either. She shook off her faith slowly, like the leaves from a tree, until nothing remained.
