On specifying metaphor: an idea and its implementation

The Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, first published in 2002, includes a series of forty special features on metaphor. Positioned within entries for ordinary dictionary headwords, they set out examples of words and phrases which realize conceptual metaphors. This paper discusses the structure of the features and their development from initial idea to published text. It also contextualizes them by exploring issues in relation to metaphor theory and research, and examining the treatment of metaphor in monolingual English dictionaries.