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In literary use, a metaphor is defined as a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects. In the simplest case, a metaphor takes the form: "The [first subject] is a [second subject]." More generally, a metaphor casts a first subject as being or equal to a second subject in some way. Thus, the first subject can be economically described because implicit and explicit attributes from the second subject are used to enhance the description of the first. Examples of metaphors abound in all types of language and metaphors are at the root of many word meanings.