Figuratively Speaking Quotes

“That goat has been nothing but trouble. And the dratted creature isn't even picturesque. Goats resemble nothing so much as badly dressed sheep."
"That's quite unfair," Beatrix said. "Goats have far more character and intelligence than sheep, who are nothing but followers. I've met far too many in London."
"Sheep?" Christopher asked blankly.
"My sister is speaking figuratively, Captain Phelan," Amelia said.
"Well, I have met some actual sheep in London," Beatrix said. "But yes, I was mainly referring to people. They all tell you the same gossip, which is tedious. They adhere to the current fashions and the popular opinions, no matter how silly. And one never improves in their company. One starts falling in line and baaing.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Love in the Afternoon

“No one is yet using figuratively to mean literally; the confusion, such as it is, is all in one direction.”
― Ammon Shea, Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation