Like angels dancing on the head of a pin
Ever notice that microscopic dimensions are often given in relation to the width of a single human hair? “That fiber there is less than a third the width of a single human hair.” It must be important to mention a “single” hair. Scientists don’t want us thinking they’re talking about our entire head.
Do you know “off the top of your head” how wide one of your hairs is? Upon hearing something like the above, do you immediately reach up, yank out a hair (sorry my bald friends, you can use armpit hair) and stare at it trying to conceptualize a third of it?
They ought to just state the measurement for all the good it’s doing them to try and create a metaphor for something that thin. And use the metric system. We don’t know what that’s all about, either.
And while I’m on the subject of worn-out metaphors, on the other end of the scale, why is everything compared to the length of a football field? Why not say 100 yards? Not everybody’s a fan of U.S. football. There’s also the economy of words to consider.
People need to use clichès and metaphors selectively, carefully. Sometimes they make more mischief than provide clarity.
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