Allegory

A story or fable employed for its similarity and symbolic portent for a real-world situation. e.g An army of sheep led by a lion would destroy an army of lions led by a sheep.

Expletive

A brief interruption to normal syntax for an interjection accentuating a particular point, idea, or statement.

Hysteron proteron

(the last put first)

A phrase that subverts or misrepresents the proper order of time or cause and effect. e.g shoes and socks.

Metaphor

Referring to a thing using the name of something else with which it has a quality in common.

Metonymy

Referring to something by referring to a quality or aspect of it.

Periphrasis

The use of a proper name of something exemplifying a quality in place of the descriptive word for the quality.

Simile

Likening one thing to another by virtue of a quality the two have in common. Like metaphor except that the figurative usage is made explicit by the use of the indicator ‘like’ or ‘as’. E.g Mind like a sieve, mad as a hatter, like getting blood from a stone, crazy like a fox.

Synecdoche

In which the name of a part of something is used to represent the whole, or a name for something used to represent a part

Systrophe

Giving an extended definition or list of qualities for something instead of naming it