# Film or book titles which are commonly used as metaphors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865 "2009-09-28T17:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/41 "2009-09-30T17:57:11Z")
In the past week I have seen the term “Kafka-esque” multiple times to describe absurd but horrific situations (I assume because of the similarity to Metamorphosis). ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/42 "2009-09-30T18:17:38Z")
**The Stepford Wives** certainly fits the bill. Oops. Annie-Xmas got it before me. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/43 "2009-09-30T18:57:09Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > _Duke Nukem Forever_ is commonly used as a metaphor for “Vapourware” in the PC Gaming industry (referring to a product which is hyped and hyped and promised to be “coming soon”, but never actually materialises). _Duke Nukem Forever_ has been in production (or “coming soon”) for quite literally 12 years now. The official release date is now “When it’s done.” If a game that had no real likelihood of being released in the first place can be said to have a setback, DNF is it. 3D Realms is no more. Bereft of life, it has ceased to be. They fired all of their developers in May of this year. The publishing rights are still held by Take-Two, and they’re suing 3D Realms for their alleged mishandling of development. But that, of course, brings DNF no closer to release (or even freaking prototype) than it ever was. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/44 "2009-09-30T18:58:49Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > In the past week I have seen the term “Kafka-esque” multiple times to describe absurd but horrific situations (I assume because of the similarity to Metamorphosis). Usually with an added dollop of “opaque”, as in a situation where nobody knows why or how they ended up there, or who was responsible, or even where they could go to resolve it. Again, much like most of Kafka’s work (The Trial is an excellent type specimen for that). ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/45 "2009-09-30T20:27:48Z")
**Don Quixote** , and as a subset, the notion of tilting at windmills. Which reminds me of another one: **Don Juan** ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/46 "2009-10-01T00:03:58Z")
Both ‘wonderland’ and ‘looking-glass’ are used to denote anything fantastical or highly imaginative. I often hear people who are complaining about hopelessly bad service invoke comparisons to ‘Fawlty Towers’, if TV titles are allowed. The title ‘Fatal Attraction’ hasn’t passed into common usage, but ‘bunny boiler’ has. Perhaps this could be a subset of the OP or a spinoff thread… metaphors derived not from movie/book titles, but specific scenes, events or imagery. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/47 "2009-10-01T01:41:56Z")
I know the OP said “commonly used” but for a long time **[Superfly](http://hahamusic.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/superfly.jpg)** was used to mean cool, stylish and smoove with the ladies. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/48 "2009-10-01T01:58:02Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > _Sherlock (Holmes)_ has become a byword for “Talented Detective”. Strangely, that one is actually used to mean an idiot that should have gotten the clue, or who states the obvious. “No shit, Sherlock”. Sarcasm has taken that expression so completely, that I don’t think I have ever heard it used to mean ‘talented detective’. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/49 "2009-10-01T02:11:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If a game that had no real likelihood of being released in the first place can be said to have a setback, DNF is it. 3D Realms is no more. Bereft of life, it has ceased to be. They fired all of their developers in May of this year. The publishing rights are still held by Take-Two, and they’re suing 3D Realms for their alleged mishandling of development. But that, of course, brings DNF no closer to release (or even freaking prototype) than it ever was. I’m positive there’s a Ph.D Thesis on DNF and how it proves that there is eventually a point at which it is impossible for a potential product to meet consumer expectations, and that the inertia involved in its (lack of) development is too great for the product to ever actually get made… ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/50 "2009-10-01T02:30:07Z")
_Lord of the Flies_ whenever youth gangs run amok and similar situations. ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/51 "2009-10-01T03:03:39Z")
**His Girl Friday** - talented female assistant/protegee (this can be sexist … or not) **The Godfather** **Rocky** ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/52 "2009-10-01T03:38:32Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m positive there’s a Ph.D Thesis on DNF and how it proves that there is eventually a point at which it is impossible for a potential product to meet consumer expectations, and that the inertia involved in its (lack of) development is too great for the product to ever actually get made… [Chinese Democracy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_democracy), for example. I wrote off DNF about a decade ago. I’m amazed that they were so recently still acting like it would ever come out. Back on topic, I’ll say _Citizen Kane_, as in “The Ron thread is the Citizen Kane of SDMB threads.” ---
**Author:** ![SleepyDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SleepyDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleepyDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/53 "2009-10-03T04:16:39Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > In the past week I have seen the term “Kafka-esque” multiple times to describe absurd but horrific situations (I assume because of the similarity to Metamorphosis). A better caption would have been “Please ma’am, no meat touching” \ ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/54 "2009-10-03T08:45:00Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If a game that had no real likelihood of being released in the first place can be said to have a setback, DNF is it. 3D Realms is no more. Bereft of life, it has ceased to be. They fired all of their developers in May of this year. The publishing rights are still held by Take-Two, and they’re suing 3D Realms for their alleged mishandling of development. But that, of course, brings DNF no closer to release (or even freaking prototype) than it ever was. Believe it or not, 3D Realms still lives and is still working on games as we speak. According to company execs, they only fired the DNF team, not the whole company. And while 3D Realms has botched everything related to Duke in the last 15 years or so, the ultimate goal of Take-Two’s lawsuit is to obtain the rights to the character from 3D Realms. In fact, part of the original publishing agreement allowed Take-Two to develop their own Duke game, which may or may not be completed as well. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/55 "2009-10-03T13:36:08Z")
Walter Mitty ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/56 "2009-10-03T17:21:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Rambo** – a person who wants to solve things by violence. Ironic, considering the first movie. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/57 "2009-10-03T17:24:08Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Walter Mitty This too is ironic, because Walter did man up and be a hero in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/58 "2009-10-04T14:44:22Z")
And also, ‘bambi-eyes’ - that awesomely ‘sad and cute’ look which would melt hearts of stone. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865/59 "2009-10-07T13:59:36Z")
Jump The Shark–Not only a recent coinage, but a phrase that needed coining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-or-book-titles-which-are-commonly-used-as-metaphors/511865.md?page=2)