Metaphors and Similes Quiz: Expressions with D

Expressive Metaphors and Similes with D

Figurative language is one of the fastest ways to make your English sound natural and vivid. When you study expressions alphabetically, you meet a manageable group at a time, you can track your progress and you can see how many you already know. This quiz focuses on metaphors and similes featuring D that are useful in reading, writing and exams, including as dead as a dodo (Completely dead, or no longer used), as dry as a bone (Completely dry), as deaf as a post (Almost completely deaf), a dark horse (A little-known person who surprises everyone), a damp squib (An event that disappoints; a letdown), a dream come true (Something wonderful you thought impossible).

English has fewer common metaphors and similes whose key word begins with D than with letters such as S, C or B. That is why this page has 33 questions instead of 50. Every expression included here is a genuine, widely used English expression that is worth learning.

What Is a Metaphor?

A metaphor says that one thing is another thing. The word comes from the Greek metaphora, meaning “a carrying across” — the writer carries a quality from one idea across to another. When we say “time is money”, we are not claiming that minutes are coins; we are carrying the idea of value across to time, so wasting time feels like wasting cash.

Metaphors are everywhere in everyday English, often so familiar that we stop noticing them. We “break the ice”, “hit the roof”, follow a “golden opportunity” and call a kind person a “heart of gold”. Learning a metaphor means learning the picture behind it: once you can see the hidden comparison, the meaning becomes easy to remember and easy to use.

What Is a Simile?

A simile compares two things using the words as or like. The word comes from the Latin similis, meaning “similar” — a simile openly admits that the two things are alike, while a metaphor boldly says they are the same. “As brave as a lion” and “runs like the wind” are similes: the comparison is on display for everyone to see.

Similes are the friendliest figures of speech to learn because they follow a pattern you can copy: as + adjective + as + noun, or verb + like + noun. Because the comparison is spelled out, the image is usually easy to picture — a busy bee, a quiet mouse, a feather-light bag. That strong mental picture is exactly what makes similes stick in memory.

Metaphor vs Simile: Spot the Difference

Both devices compare, but they make different claims. A simile suggests a likeness with “as” or “like”; a metaphor asserts that one thing is the other. “Brave as a lion” invites you to notice a similarity; “he IS a lion in battle” states it outright. The fastest check is to look for the signal words — and if they are missing, the sentence is usually a metaphor.

Three Kinds of Metaphor You Will Meet

Not every metaphor works in the same way. These three groups cover most of the expressions in this quiz.

Why Writers Use Metaphors and Similes

Figurative language does several jobs at once. It compresses meaning — one short image can replace a whole explanation. It appeals to the senses, so readers feel a scene instead of just reading facts. And it carries emotion: calling a decision a “double-edged sword” instantly adds caution and danger that plain words would need a paragraph to deliver.

How to Choose the Right Meaning

When two options both look possible, work through these steps before you answer.

1. Find the picture. Ask what image the expression contains — an animal, weather, an object — and what quality that image is famous for.
2. Take it non-literally. If an option describes the literal scene (“a lion is dangerous”), it is almost always a trap. The right answer gives the figurative meaning.
3. Test it in a sentence. Place the expression in a natural sentence. The correct meaning must fit without any strange jumps.
4. Check the feeling. Notice whether the image is positive, negative or neutral; a “rotten apple” cannot be a compliment.
5. Watch for near-miss meanings. Wrong options often describe a related idea — a cause instead of a result, or the opposite feeling. Read all four options before deciding.
6. Trust the pattern. “As … as …” and “like …” signal a comparison; “is”, “of” and verb phrases usually signal a metaphor.

Metaphor and Simile Tips for Exams

Direct “identify the figure of speech” questions appear in school exams, while tests such as the SAT, GRE, IELTS and TOEFL hide the same skill inside vocabulary-in-context, tone and reading comprehension questions. Examiners love figurative language because it separates surface readers from deep readers.

• Read the question carefully. Make sure you are asked for the meaning, not the device — mixing these up costs easy marks.
• Name the device first. Spotting “simile” or “metaphor” in seconds narrows the possible meanings straight away.
• Replace and check. Substitute your chosen meaning back into the sentence; it must sound natural to a native reader.
• Beware of literal traps. Options that describe the literal picture are usually distractors, not answers.
• Watch for ironic similes. “As clear as mud” means the opposite of what it appears to say — context decides.
• Practise with a timer. Try to finish all 33 questions on this page in under ten minutes.

7-Day Study Plan for D Expressions

Fifteen to twenty minutes a day is enough. Follow this plan, then move on to the next letter.

1. Day 1Play the full quiz without help and note every expression you missed.
2. Day 2Read the answer key and write each missed expression with its meaning on a flashcard.
3. Day 3Choose ten expressions and write one sentence for each, using the image inside it.
4. Day 4Sort your flashcards into similes and metaphors, then into positive and negative feelings.
5. Day 5Test a friend or family member with your flashcards, then swap roles.
6. Day 6Review all flashcards aloud and revisit the questions you missed twice.
7. Day 7Reset the quiz, play again and compare your score with Day 1.

Memory Tricks for Metaphors and Similes

• See the image. Every expression hides a picture. Imagine a real lion before “as brave as a lion” and the meaning follows for free.
• Say it aloud. Speak the whole expression with feeling — rhythm and sound make figures of speech far easier to recall.
• Anchor it to your life. Attach each expression to one person you know. Grandma is the “heart of gold”; your cousin is the “class clown”.
• Learn the opposites. Pair as cool as a cucumber with as mad as a hornet — contrast cements both.
• Group by topic. Collect weather metaphors, animal similes and food idioms in separate pages of your notebook.
• Use spaced repetition. Review new expressions after one day, three days, one week and one month.

Classroom and Home Activities

Teachers, tutors and parents can turn this letter quiz into a longer learning session with these simple ideas.

Common Mistakes Students Make

• Taking expressions literally. “Break the ice” has nothing to do with frozen water. Always look for the second, figurative layer.
• Confusing the device with the meaning. “Simile” is not an answer to “what does it mean?” — it is only the label for the pattern.
• Missing irony. As clear as mud and as much use as a chocolate teapot mean the opposite of their surface reading.
• Choosing a related but wrong idea. A “needle in a haystack” is about difficulty of finding, not about sewing or farms.
• Stopping at the first familiar option. Read all four choices; quiz writers place one almost-right option next to the right one.
• Not reviewing. Figurative expressions fade quickly without repetition, so repeat the quiz and the answer key regularly.