When people use language that is not meant to be taken literally, it is said to be figurative. For example:

Time is running out Is time really "running"? No, but we know what is meant by the saying.

He talked her ear off Oh, dear, what a horrible sight that would be!

He bit off more than he could chewMy, what terrible manners!

He was in over his head Poor fellow!

She was under the weather. When will she be over the weather?

It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Really, what kind of fun is that?

You get the idea. Now, what I'd like you to do is to get with a partner or group and come up with some more examples of figurative language. Select one or two, and then illustrate them just as they would mean if taken literally. In other words, if you selected 'time flies', you could draw a picture of a clock with wings. Decorate your classroom with your wonderful examples of figurative language.

A good place to find some examples is the sports pages in either The Desert Trail or The Hi Desert Star