An example of figures of speech used in writing about science:
"Let any one who doubts the use of bees in the fructification of hermaphrodite flowers, watch and admire the manner in which the flat surface of the divided stigma of this Mimulus licks the back of the entering bees, which is generally well-dusted already with pollen; and then how admirably the two divisions of the stigma, endowed with a sensitive faculty, close like a forceps on the included granules of pollen!"
Charles Darwin (1841) Humble-bees. Gardeners' Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette
Licking strictly refers to the tongue, so here lick is used as a metaphor.
Read about metaphor in science
Read about examples of science metaphors
Many examples of science metaphors are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.
The reference to the stigma closing like a forceps is a simile.
Read about examples of science similes
Many examples of science similes are listed in 'Creative Comparisons: Making Science Familiar through Language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.
