Witch as simile for dizziness
As Sister and Uncle Rondo watch Papa-Daddy swing in his hammock, Uncle Rondo complains that the movement of the hammock is making him "dizzy as a witch". This is not a reference to the Wiccan religion but to myth of witches -- women with supernatural powers -- supposedly dancing in circles. In reality Uncle Rondo is under the influence of an entire bottle of "prescription".
Poker as simile for stiffness
A poker, used to break up logs in a fireplace, is a straight metal rod. By comparing Mama's stiffness to that of a poker, the narrator indicates that Mama's steadfast insistence that Shirley-T is adopted is inappropriate.
Fish as simile for heavy alcohol consumption
When Mama says that Joe Whitaker "drank like a fish", she means that he consumed large amounts of alcohol regularly.
Biting a nail in two as metaphor for anger
When Sister takes her radio, which is the family's only real connection to the outside world, they are very angry and frustrated. They don't mind that she is leaving, but her preparations for departure inconvenience them. Nobody would literally have bitten a nail in half, but people often clench their jaws when they are angry.
Man in the Moon as simile for rude child
Sister asserts that Shirley T. has no more manners than "the man in the Moon". "The man in the Moon" is not a human being at all, but a pattern of crater shapes on the visible surface of the Moon that some people believe resembles a human face. Such an artificial image is obviously not capable of manners or communication, and neither -- Sister wishes to imply -- is young Shirley T., who picks up on the narrator's dislike of her and of the animosity of the rest of the adults toward the narrator. The toddler expresses her contempt by sticking out her tongue.
Another simile of the man in the moon having bad manners is he is out at night exposing people's action and witnessing those actions. He is intruding into peoples "private business." The anonymity of darkness hides people private actions and desires. Not only To shine a light reveling individuals true self against societal norms, but then full light witnesses it. Instead of respectfully turning away.
