Add pattern: metaphor in place of a plain phrase

[mercurialsolo]

What

Adds a new pattern (#36) to the humanizer skill: metaphor in place of a plain phrase.

This covers mannered prose, where a metaphor or figure of speech is substituted for a direct statement:

• "a parameter worth varying" → "a dial worth turning"
• "this point still matters" → "this point earns its keep"

The metaphor adds no information, makes the reader work harder, and drags in connotations the writer did not choose. When a plain phrase says the same thing, use it.

Why it's distinct

The closest existing patterns are #27 (Pretending to reveal a deeper truth) and #32 (Formulaic sayings). #32 targets "X is the Y of Z" deep-sounding sayings; this pattern targets any metaphor/idiom that stands in for a literal phrase, which those don't cover.

Notes

• Written in the same plain-language format as the surrounding v2.11 patterns (Words to watch / Problem / Before / After).
• Includes a false-positive note: a metaphor can be the clearest option when it's the standard term in a field; flag only when a plain phrase would say the same thing.
• Bumps metadata.version to 2.11.3 and adds "figures of speech" to the description.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[blader]

Closing. §32 already teaches this: a figure of speech that sounds deep and adds no detail gets replaced with the specific claim. If mannered metaphors like "a dial worth turning" need naming, they fit as one clause in §32 rather than a new pattern.