ABSTRACT
From the point of view of translation, a useful basic distinction to make is that between lexicalized metaphors and non-lexicalized metaphors. What we mean by lexicalized metaphors are uses of language that are recognizably metaphorical but whose meaning in a particular language is relatively clearly fixed. ‘Rat’ in the sense ‘a person who deserts his friends or associates’ is an example. The fact that the meaning of ‘rat’ in this sense is relatively clearly fixed allows this meaning to be subjected to attempted dictionary definition. Accordingly, for practical purposes, we may say that lexicalized metaphors are metaphors whose meanings are given in dictionaries.
