But metaphors aren't just for poets.

They shape our beliefs, attitudes and actions

in ways we don't even realise.

At its simplest, a metaphor is X equals Y.

But more often metaphors are harder to unpick.

Take the end of The Great Gatsby...

On first glance, we're talking about rowers

fighting the pull of the current.

But the image is mixed up with time, the past, the power of nostalgia.

Many think...

Author James Geary says that...

But not everyone is a fan.

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes compared the use of metaphors to...

Which is of course a metaphor.

If we're trying to express anything abstract

metaphors are hard to avoid.

Take heartbreak. Imagine your friend is going through a break up,

they're probably...

Some metaphors have become so familiar, they almost feel literal.

Think about time again. There's the tired old metaphor...

What does it say about our society

that we equate time and money like this?

But dig a little deeper and you'll see...

The American linguist, George Lakoff, called these orientational metaphors.

Take the idea of up and down.

Lakoff also helped develop the idea of political framing.

The words we choose affect how we perceive and deal with social issues

and help decide what becomes publicly accepted common sense.

And metaphors play a huge role in that.

But a 2019 study suggests

military metaphors like this could actually undermine cancer treatment,

make people feel fatalistic about their chances

and even put implicit blame on those who don't survive.

Crime is another area full of metaphor.

But what effect might metaphors really have?

In 2011, a Stanford study gave one group

a pamphlet describing crime as a wild beast preying upon a city.

A second group were given a different pamphlet

describing crime as a virus plaguing the population.

When asked how to tackle the issue,

the first group were 20% more likely

to endorse stricter policing than the second.

So the metaphors we choose matter.

Lakoff and his co-author Mark Johnson put it like this...

Or to adapt a well-known example...