See Also:ENTRANCES/EXITS,MOVEMENT

1. Advanced like armies —Anon

   This is used to describe forward sweeps in a figurative as well as literal sense. For example, book critic Anatole Broyard used it about William Faulkner’s sentences in aNew York Times Book Review, May 17, 1987.

2. (The terrible old miser) advanced, like the hour of death to a criminal —Honor de Balzac
3. Advance like the shadow of death —John Ruskin
4. Approached … as stealthily as a poacher stalking a hind —Donald Seaman
5. Bearing down like a squad of tactical police —Marge Piercy
6. Bearing down like a tugboat busily dragging a fleet of barges —Frank Swinnerton
7. Came on like a last reel of a John Wayne movie —Line from “L. A. Law,” television drama segment, 1987

   The simile describes a sexually aggressive woman.

8. Came [toward another person] … like a tidal wave running toward the coast —Isak Dinesen
9. Came with slow steps like a dog who exhibits his fidelity —Honor de Balzac
10. Come down, like a flock of hungry corbies, upon them —George Garrett

    Garret is comparing the corbies to a group of beggars.

11. Come like a rolling storm —Beryl Markham
12. Coming after me … like a wave —Calder Willingham
13. Coming at him like a fullback —Wallace Stegner
14. (She’d seen it) coming like a red caboose at the end of a train —Denis Johnson
15. (Cancer) coming like a train —William H. Gass
16. Coming like a truck —James Crumley

    Here the strong advance describes an aggressive woman.

17. (People) converged upon them, like a stream of ants —Hortense Calisher
18. (Faith’s father) descended … like a storm —Charles Johnson
19. Descend on me like age —Margaret Atwood
20. Forges ahead, lashing over the wet earth like a whipcrack —T. Coraghessan Boyle
21. Glide toward them, as softly and slyly as a fly on a windowpane —Donald Seaman
22. He was upon them like a sun-flushed avalanche —Frank Swinnerton
23. Invade like weeds, everywhere, but slowly —Margaret Atwood
24. Leaned forward like a magnificent bird of prey about to swallow its victim whole —Mike Fredman
25. Like a figurehead on the prow of a foundering ship his head and torso pressed forward —John Updike
26. Like fowls in a farm-yard when barley is scattering, out came the children running —Robert Browning
27. Moved forward [towards an attractive woman] like so many iron filings to a magnet —J. B. Priestley
28. (He was) moving toward me like a carnivorous dinosaur advancing on a vegetarian sibling —Joan Hess
29. Pressing forward like the wind —Sir Walter Scott
30. Pushed forward like the nervous antennae of a large insect —Rita Mae Brown
31. [An odor] roll up … like fog in a valley —C.D.B. Bryan
32. Slid forward slowly as an alligator —Rudyard Kipling
33. (He could hear the roar of darkness) sweeping toward him like a fist —Jay Mclnerney
34. Swooped like chickens scrambling for a grain of corn —Aharon Megged
35. Went firmly on as if propelled —Stephen Crane