Metaphers

Tracking how new comparisons spread through language. Part linguistics lab, part cultural observatory. Mapping the evolution of figurative language in real time.

Explore Registry

Core Components

Metaphor Registry

Documented entries for emerging metaphors. Earliest usage, spread trajectory, variants, semantic drift, and obsolescence tracking.

Origin Investigation

Who coined it, what context birthed it, how it escaped its domain, key transmission vectors, competing claims adjudicated.

Conceptual Mapping

Which source domains dominate? What assumptions do metaphors embed? Alternatives that could exist but don't.

Future Shaping

How language constrains imagination. Metaphors that limit thinking. Proposed alternatives with different affordances.

Metaphor of the Year 2025

"The algorithm is the new editor"

First documented: March 2024, tech journalism. Spread via media criticism circles. Now appearing in mainstream political discourse. Implies curation as selection, raises questions of accountability.