# Online simile finder?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 17, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109 "2003-03-17T21:45:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tonbo0422](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@tonbo0422](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonbo0422)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/1 "2003-03-17T21:45:40Z")

</div>

I’m writing an article for my local newspaper and I’m in fine-tune mode.

I want to create a picture of frenzied activity in a restaurant, and the line I have so far goes “Once inside, it’s busy and noisy, with waitstaff buzzing everywhere like (?)” I’ve tried “chickenhawks,” but that doesn’t fit. Neither does “Africanized bees.” It has to be something the waitstaff wouldn’t mind being compared to.

Can anyone point me to an online simile finder, where I might type in “as fast as” or something similar, and get a list of similes?

Or maybe come up with an appropriate one? If it’s good enough, I’ll use it. However, I only pay 1 cent/word 😃

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/2 "2003-03-17T22:34:02Z")

</div>

Don’t know about any similie look-up sites online but here’s what I could find. I know that it might not all be helpful, but it might get you on track.

From [this](http://www.thestranger.com/2001-08-16/chow.html) website:

> [@](#):
>
> All of Ballard was there, it seemed, planted before colorful plates of steaming omelets and biscuits, waitresses buzzing around like caffeine fairies:

A google search of ‘buzzing around like’ turns up some of the following:

-hummingbird  
-aluminum death gnat  
-huge green tiger beetles  
-dragonflies  
-overcaffeinated teens  
-drunken mosquitos  
-scooters at a Harley rally  
-an epileptic slug  
-an electric serpent  
-bullets  
-electrons in an atom  
-planes at (insert name here) airport  
-bees on a Tuesday  
-bees on the ocean floor (?)  
-a hive of drunken fireflies  
-a large demented white chocolate button  
-a caffeinated mouse  
-little beavers  
-crazed dodgem-cars

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tonbo0422](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@tonbo0422](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonbo0422)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/3 "2003-03-17T23:00:04Z")

</div>

I LOVE “aluminum death gnat” but the editors would probably have something to say about that.

“Caffeinated” is a great adjective, although adding “fairies” might constitute plagiarism. However, if I changed it to “faeries” it might work . . . or leprechauns, even . . .

When the article comes out (sometime in April) I’ll post a link to it in this thread.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/4 "2003-03-17T23:05:12Z")

</div>

I also like Aluminum Death Gnat. What a mental image!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tonbo0422](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@tonbo0422](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonbo0422)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/5 "2003-03-18T04:18:32Z")

</div>

Hmm–hate it when a “revelation” sweeps my brain, but how about “Crack-pixies?”

Somehow I don’t think the editors will go for that either, but doesn’t that sound great?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-simile-finder/162109/6 "2003-03-18T07:48:35Z")

</div>

Here is a [Cliche Finder](http://www.westegg.com/cliche/). It might have something.