I'm searching for a quotation that was paraphrased to me as

Talking about sustainability should not be like doing taxes, it must be like writing a love letter.

The person (architect, with interest in sustainable design) who paraphrased this to me is certain this is not the actual quotation and citation, and believes it came to her attention within the past seven years.
posted by Prince_of_Cups on Apr 15, 2013 - 2 answers

So an exec at my company walks into my office, looks at my pictures of my wife and kids and says, "You really overpunted your coverage there." I understand the (U.S.) football metaphor of punting past your coverage (i.e. giving the returner too much room to get a run started) ... but what is that metaphor supposed to mean here? That my birth control failed? That I married "out of my league" (ugh)? I couldn't figure it out, nor did I want to ask "what the hell does that mean?"
posted by mrgrimm on Apr 1, 2013 - 33 answers

What are some things that are both chaotic and calm simultaneously? [more inside]
posted by lesli212 on Sep 9, 2012 - 48 answers

Inspired by this post about retirement savings, I'm using my question to ask something I've always wondered about: where did the trope about senior citizens eating cat food come from? [more inside]
posted by sfkiddo on Apr 30, 2012 - 10 answers

Looking for stories, sayings, myths, etc dealing with hope. [more inside]
posted by actionpact on Mar 17, 2012 - 11 answers

Words, idioms, or colloquial expressions from various languages that express acceptance of a bad situation or outcome? [more inside]
posted by the young rope-rider on Sep 3, 2010 - 64 answers

Help me find a good metaphor or literary allusion for something that reflects whatever you'd like to see in it. [more inside]
posted by grrarrgh00 on Jun 7, 2010 - 16 answers

sportsmetaphorfilter: Is there a word/term for one player who is vastly, ridiculously better than everyone else in their league? extra credit: It's not "ringer" unless you can convince me the term can be applied to someone who comes by their advantages honestly.
posted by thinkingwoman on Jan 16, 2010 - 51 answers

Wolf imagery and depression. References? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis on Nov 30, 2007 - 10 answers

Fill in the blank: "He/she has the IQ of a _________." I've heard various phrases to refer to stupid people. Googling brings up interesting simple or inanimate objects such as a sugar beet, tapeworm and dirty sock. (I've always used doorknob for some reason...) I'm looking for the ultimate funny comparison!
posted by adverb on May 23, 2007 - 117 answers

English, non-cliched way to say gestalt/forest for the trees/see the big picture? [more inside]
posted by Gucky on Jan 12, 2007 - 11 answers

I keep seeing dead things everywhere. What's the symbolic significance of this? [more inside]
posted by sjvilla79 on Jan 8, 2006 - 25 answers

Is there a site that lists really good, humorous metaphors?
posted by wibbler on Jul 29, 2004 - 2 answers