Metalepsis is a figure of speech in which one thing is referenced by something else which is only remotely associated with it. Often the association works through a different figure of speech, or through a chain of cause-and-effect. Oftentimes metalepsis refers to the combination of several figures of speech into an altogether new one. A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetorical figure or device, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. ...
Examples:
"I've got to go catch the worm tomorrow morning." 'The early bird catches the worm' is a common maxim in english, advocating getting an early start on the day to achieve success. The subject, by referencing this maxim, is comparing herself to the bird. Therefore, the subject is conveying that she wishes to awaken early tomorrow in order to achieve success.
He's a lead foot.
We imagine a foot to be made of lead. We know lead is heavy. We imagine a heavy foot would press down on the accelerator all the time. Hence, he drives fast.
We only get the meaning by a) metaphorically transferring heaviness from lead to feet b) seeing that a heavy foot causes fast driving.
See also: catachresis. Catachresis is the (usually intentional) use of any figure of speech that flagrantly violates the norms of a language community. ...
Metalepsis, a rhetorical and narrative figure described as early as the 17th century by French rhetoricians, has become one of the favorite concepts of postmodern culture and contemporary critical discourse.
Metalepsis is an interpenetration of levels that challenges the hierarchical organization and the rigid order of processing of the stack.
In most of its manifestations metalepsis challenges the boundaries of fictional worlds located on the higher levels of the stack, without affecting reality, but the paper investigates the theoretical idea of a metaleptic take-over of the ground level of reality by the images that are stacked upon it.
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