Like a lobster pot (Simile)
In the first scene, Madge affectionately scolds Gar, telling him, "Don't come into your tea smelling like a lobster pot." She uses a simile to suggest that he ought to be clean and presentable when he comes in to drink his tea.
Dance like an angel (Simile)
Another simile from Scene 1 is when Gar tells Madge, his longtime housekeeper and the closest thing he has to a mother, that she dances "like an angel." This simile is used somewhat ironically, as Madge is resisting dancing with the young Gar and instead is trying to get her work done as efficiently as possible. Gar's usage of this simile says more about his own exuberance and buoyant mood than it does about Madge's dancing style.
Like stuffed ducks (Simile)
In the flashback to Lizzy's visit, Gar's aunt struggles to make it through a simple nostalgic story. In the midst of telling it, she uses a simile to describe how she and her siblings felt in the car on the way to Gar's mother Maire's wedding. She says, "...There we are, all sitting like stuffed ducks in the front seat."
Tranquility is their enemy (Metaphor)
In a play, the audience is not always witness to the metaphors Friel uses. Stage directions sometimes offer valuable advice for creating the right tone and mood of a scene. When Gar's friends enter, Friel writes: “…their bluster is not altogether convincing. Something is false about it. Tranquility is their enemy; they fight it valiantly.” He uses a metaphor to describe the fact that the boys are afraid of quiet and peacefulness, suggesting that they are in a metaphorical "battle" with tranquility.
Like they worked in a post-office (Simile)
When Ned and the other boys talk about the two English girls they met recently, Tom uses a simile to suggest that the girls seem prim and stiff. He says, "they're sort of stiff looking—like—like, they worked in a post-office or something."
