Tyranny of the Simile: Comparisons as Predictable as the Sunrise

Most nouns are closer to being generalists, sometimes because they have some reliable pairings because of distinct qualities (e.g., glass is smooth, fragile, transparent) or because of conceptually similar adjectives (e.g., the sun is bright, brilliant, radiant).

But like most things, the interesting stuff lies at the extremes. Certain nouns are so tightly coupled with a single adjective that they’ve become idioms. While others are so versatile or overused they’ve become generic.
— Read on pudding.cool/2026/05/similes/