Seriously? THIS is the best title we've come up with?!?: I Eat Metaphor For Breakfast

What we have here is something that likely is, but most certainly could be, a very popular Stock Phrase that is surprisingly not very popular at all.

But really now, why is the word "metaphor" in the trope title? What does this trope even have to do with metaphors? Does the person responsible for coming up with this name even know what a metaphor actually is?

This is likely one of the most Egregious examples of seemingly picking a word at random out of a dictionary and sticking it in a title that I've ever come across. We can put literally any noun other than "metaphor" in the title space, and we'd have a significantly better title for people to find I Eat Danger For Breakfast, I Eat Batman For Breakfast, I Eat Lunch For Breakfast, even Trope and X would make better placeholders than "metaphor", which only makes this sound like there is something about metaphors involved in the trope's use (and contributes to what I view as this trope's underuse on the wiki).

If a [Trope Name] is going to mention a specific part of grammar in the title, then it very well should be a part of demonstrating the trope itself. However, this is clearly not the case here.

And on a related note, I'd say "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name is in the exact same boat as this.

edited 21st Mar '11 7:42:11 AM by SeanMurrayI

I'm okay with the name honestly. However, it seems to be hurting.

I don't think a simple rename to I Eat X For Breakfast will fully fix this issue.

Like I said though, if specific parts of language and grammar are going to be mentioned in a trope title, it's imperative that the said part of language and grammar plays a role in demonstrating the trope itself.

And every other trope out there with the word "metaphor" anywhere in the title for a trope that actually involves making metaphors sees a lot more use than these two pages that use the word for absolutely no reason.

edited 21st Mar '11 7:56:45 AM by SeanMurrayI

Fair enough.

There are also several (certainly a sizable handful) terrible entries on the examples lists on both I Eat Metaphor For Breakfast and "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name that are nothing more than the title of a work.

I'd also suggest Noun as the best general placeholder word for a main page title, if only because X, I believe, has become so commonplace lately that it makes me yearn to see the forbidden Trope placeholder more often. In the case of "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name, any of its current redirects would make a fine substitute.

edited 21st Mar '11 8:13:48 AM by SeanMurrayI

But this trope is about making metaphors. Anybody using this stock phrase is making a metaphor. They do not literally eat (whatever) for breakfast. (If they are discussing their literal breakfast habits, it's either a case of playing with the trope or not an example.)

And presumably anybody searching for this stock phrase is going to look for "eat for breakfast" or something similar, so I don't see why the choice of placeholder word would affect how findable this is.

^A metaphor specifically involves making an analogous comparison between two things—not just simply making any old "figure of speech."

Both phrases here are strictly Badass Boasts, period. They are not used to draw like comparisons to anything at all.

edited 21st Mar '11 9:42:31 AM by SeanMurrayI

Considering current trends (sch as the YKTTW for Once Killed A Man With Nothing But A Trope) I'd suggest I Eat Trope For Breakfast, which is as concise as it gets, matches the usage pattern for Stock Phrases on substitutable words, and has an added TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life kind of flavour to it.

We don't use "trope" as a placeholder any more.

edited 21st Mar '11 11:19:37 AM by DoktorvonEurotrash

"Metaphor" Is My Middle Name is absolutely a comparison; it doesn't even make sense as a literal boast. I Eat Metaphor For Breakfast has some examples that could possibly be considered as literal boasts, but not all of them can (e.g., "I eat evil for breakfast" is just as meaningless, literally speaking, as "Danger is my middle name"), and all of them can easily be read as saying "I consider this thing to be as trivial as that which I eat for breakfast."

On the other hand, "metaphor" as a placeholder is pretty much formally equivalent to "trope" as a placeholder. The metaphor isn't the thing being eaten, it's the entire sentence. "Noun" is a better idea.

A comparison to what?

If someone told me to be careful because there might be danger ahead, and I respond, "Danger Is My Middle Name"... what the hell would I be comparing in that sentence?

edited 21st Mar '11 12:25:12 PM by SeanMurrayI

You're comparing "danger" to your middle name, or to the general idea of middle names.

That is, when you unpack "danger is my middle name", it means something like "danger is as familiar/intrinsic to me as my middle name is".

edited 21st Mar '11 12:31:16 PM by Micah

That's not a comparison any more than saying "This is an apple." It's a declarative statement. Not a comparison and certainly not a metaphor which is a specific type of comparison.

I have a feeling that you read the unedited more-snippy-than-helpful version of my post; sorry about that. Or do you disagree with my unpacking?

Anyway, this is something of a side note. Whether or not examples of these tropes are metaphors, it's still a bad title.

I think I did reply to the snippy version, and I agree, it doesn't matter. This needs a better name.

Cereal? Hah! Why, I Eat Cereal For Breakfast!

The name isn't broken as far as I can tell, and other than I Eat X For Breakfast, nothing is more clear than this name. Anything actual word would make this seem narrower.

I suggest Entry Pimping this.

edited 21st Mar '11 2:41:27 PM by DragonQuestZ

I Eat Cereal For Breakfast isn't bad, actually, but why can't we go with the good old I Eat Nails For Breakfast?

I Eat Cereal For Breakfast? ...That is a joke, right?

edited 21st Mar '11 7:47:15 PM by Stratadrake

I was under the impression that this was such a common phrase that a joking title would be acceptable since people would be unlikely to take that completely literally.

I suggest a name change, but not to what everyone else suggested.

I Eat X For Breakfast really sounds like the best option so far.

How about I Eat That For Breakfast? I see no reason to stick with a placeholder when we could use a pronoun.

How about Eggs instead of X, or is that too easy to miss?

... if I'd been drinking something when I read that, you'd owe me a new keyboard now.

Probably not a good idea for a name, though.