The paper discusses some cognitive processes that underlie emergence, development and disappearance of image (“one-shot”) metaphors. It is claimed that expressions with a primarily literal meaning can function in a particular discourse so that they become elevated to the status of rich image metaphors. The first step on the way towards metaphorization involves the emergence of metonymic expressions, which are based on the speakers’ choice of salient elements of events or situations. Two or more such metonymies can then coalesce via conceptual integration to create an image metaphor. The metaphor, in turn, can be transformed into an idiomatic expression, separated from its original non-verbal context. The discussion is illustrated with a slogan used in connection with recent social and political developments in Poland.

The paper discusses some cognitive processes that underlie emergence, development and disappearance of image (“one-shot”) metaphors. It is claimed that expressions with a primarily literal meaning can function in a particular discourse so that they become elevated to the status of rich image metaphors. The first step on the way towards metaphorization involves the emergence of metonymic expressions, which are based on the speakers’ choice of salient elements of events or situations. Two or more such metonymies can then coalesce via conceptual integration to create an image metaphor. The metaphor, in turn, can be transformed into an idiomatic expression, separated from its original non-verbal context. The discussion is illustrated with a slogan used in connection with recent social and political developments in Poland.