Simile
Pattern
A is like B / A as B — comparison with explicit marker
Definition
An explicit comparison between two unlike things using 'like', 'as', or similar connectives.
Examples
Example 1
My love is like a red, red rose.
Robert Burns, "A Red, Red Rose"
"Like" signals the explicit comparison between the beloved and a rose
Example 2
Life is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you're gonna get.
Forrest Gump (1994)
One of the most quoted similes in popular culture, made memorable by its homespun wisdom
Example 3
The cafeteria food tasted as if it had been prepared by someone who actively resented the concept of flavor.
An everyday humorous simile that uses "as if" to transform a complaint into a vivid image
AI Detection Note
Very common in AI text, especially in creative writing. AI similes tend to be predictable and cliched ('like a beacon of hope', 'as sharp as a knife'). Novel, specific similes drawn from unusual domains are a human signal.
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