- 1 What shape is the car in?
- 2 His prison stay failed to reform him.
Note: This metaphor may actually be more narrow: STATES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO PURPOSES ARE SHAPES.Thus one can be 'fit for service' or 'in no shape to drive'It may not be a way to talk about states IN GENERAL.This metaphor is often used transitively with SHAPES ARE CONTAINERS.
Social Interaction Is Containment In A Prescribed Shape
- 1 He doesn't fit in
- 2 She's a square peg
Ideal Physical State Is A Canonical Shape
- 1 She's getting in shape
- 2 I'm out of shape
- 3 He's physically fit
Change Of State Is Change Of Shape
- 1 Shape up!
- 2 He is a conformist
- 3 She's a reformed criminal
Note:
Appropriateness Of A State Is Fittingness
- 1 The consequences were fitting
- 2 He let the punishment fit the crime
Jenn Hasty (185, '89), Alan Schwartz