University of Chicago's wording, checked October 26, 2026“Sometimes metaphors get mixed up. For one reason or another, one could say, “we'll burn that bridge when we get there” or “the world is your china shop”. Make up your own mixed metaphor. Explain how it could make sense, be understood, or even applied.”
UChicago sets no word limit: write as much as the answer needs and no more.
How to approach it
- 1Choose two images with a real tension between them.
- 2Argue for its meaning with examples.
- 3Apply it to something in your life.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1Your invented metaphor.
- 2What each half means and why they belong together.
- 3Where it applies, with a real example.
- 4What it says that no ordinary phrase could.
Mistakes to avoid
- A list of funny mixed metaphors.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your UChicago answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the no set limit limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| Takes the form seriously | It follows the prompt's premise and form (a note reads like a note, an imagined event has rules) instead of turning into a standard essay. |
| An angle of your own | The idea goes past the first one most applicants would have, with a specific, surprising choice. |
| Shows who you are | The play reveals the applicant's mind, values or humor; a reader learns something real about them. |
| UChicago's ask | Invents one mixed metaphor and explains how it could make sense, be understood or applied. |
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