The point of a metaphor is intimacy. It offers a unique way of drawing people closer to one another: “The speaker issues a kind of concealed invitation. The hearer expends a special effort to accept the invitation. And this transaction constitutes the acknowledgement of community.’ (Cohen, 1978,8).

 It is remarkable how Cohen describes metaphor as if he were describing Wittgenstein’s language-games. Language-games are indirect ways of drawing people closer together into a community.