pain

See Also: HEALTH

1. Ached from head to foot, all zones of pain seemingly interdependent … like a Christmas tree whose lights wired in series, must all go out if even one bulb is defective —J. D. Salinger
2. Ached like a bad tooth —Lawrence Durrell
3. The air burning my lungs like a red-hot iron or cutting into them like a sharpened razor —Albert Camus
4. Anguish poured out like blood from a gaping wound —Jonathan Kellerman

   In Kellerman’s novel, When the Bough Breaks, the anguish is being poured out by a patient to the psychologist hero.

5. Bruised like a half-back in a football game —Francis W. Crowninshield
6. [Rash] burned like dots of acid —William Kennedy
7. Cut like a whiplash —Ruth Chatterton
8. (Walked out into) the dazzling sun that cut into his eyes like a knife —John Dos Passos
9. A deadly vise of pain that clamped her head like a steel helmet —Arthur A. Cohen
10. Exposed it [pain] like a beggar used to making a show of his sores —Julia O’Faolain
11. Feel like somebody stuck thumbtacks all over my head —James Lee Burke
12. Felt as if I’d been crushed between two runaway wardrobes —J. B. Priestly

    This “similistic” comment is made by the hero of Lost Empires after being beaten up.

13. Felt as though his body were wrapped in layers of plaster cast —Kenzaburo Oë

    The plaster cast comparison was used by the author to describe a character who wakes up feeling stiff and achy all over.

14. Felt her head was going to break open like a coconut struck with a hammer —Marge Piercy
15. Felt pain like hot knives —Anon
16. A flash of pain darted through her, like the ripple of sheet lightning —Edith Wharton
17. For a second he remained in torture, as if some invisible flame were playing on him to reduce his bones and fuse him down —D.H. Lawrence
18. A gash … as wide as an open grave —Jimmy Sangster
19. Generalized racking misery that makes him feel as if his pores are bleeding and his brain is leaking out of his ears —T. Coraghessan Boyle
20. A head like a sore tooth —Anon
21. Her stomach reacted as though she’d eaten sulfuric pancakes —Rita Mae Brown
22. An hour of pain is as long as a day of pleasure —English proverb
23. The hurt had gone through her like the split in a carcass —Julia O’Faolain
24. The hurt I felt … was something like a thumb struck with a hammer —MacDonald Harris
25. Hurt … like a knot passing through an artery —Donald McCaig
26. (My brother’s laugh is small, sharp, and) hurts like gravel in your shoe —Sharon Sheehe Stark
27. It [the pain of failure] was like a gnawing physical disability, an ugly mark she wanted to hide —H. E. Bates
28. A knot of pain was set like a malignant jewel in the core of his head —Truman Capote
29. (Your letter was) like a bullet straight into my heart —Sholom Aleichem
30. My back ached as if someone were holding a welding torch against my spine, turning the flame on and off at will —W. P. Kinsella
31. My breast was contracted by a pain like screws clamped on my heart —Joyce Cary
32. My insides burned like pipes in a boiler —Governeur Morris
33. My intestines felt as if they were playing host to a Bears-Raiders game —Penny Ward Moser, Discover, February, 1987
34. My stomach feels as if I have swallowed razor blades —W. P. Kinsella
35. My stomach feels like the crop of a hen —Katherine Mansfield
36. My whole body glows with pain as if I were being electrocuted —Iris Murdoch
37. Nausea coiled like a snake in her stomach —A. E. Maxwell
38. Pain and pleasure, like light and darkness, succeed each other —Laurence Sterne

    See Also: PLEASURE

39. The pain between his eyes seemed to be whirling about like a pinwheel —R. Wright Campbell
40. Pain comes billowing on like a full cloud of thunder —Dante Gabriel Rossetti
41. Painful … like cutting the heart out of her body —Phyllis Bottome

    The pain described in Bottome’s short story, The Battle Field, is that of never seeing someone again.

42. The pain goes ringing through me like alarms —Delmore Schwartz
43. Pain … hard as blows —John Berryman
44. The pain in his chest was like a tight breastplate —Graham Swift
45. Pain is immune to empathy … like love —Barbara Lazear Ascher, New York Times/Hers, October 16, 1986
46. Pain is like a love affair. When it’s over, it’s over —Elyse Sommer
47. Pain lifted like a fog that gives way to bright sunlight —Maurice Edelman
48. Pain … like a metal bar —Graham Swift
49. Pain (lingering) … like a stone pit lodged in the stomach —Anon
50. Pain rising as periodically as high water —William H. Gass
51. (The sympathy that it arouses is as) painful as charity —Mihail Lermontov
52. Pains are flinging her about like an old rag, a filthy torn rag doll —Vicki Baum
53. The pain seemed to rock inside him like a weight that would overturn him —Graham Swift
54. Pains … like streams of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable temperature —Ambrose Bierce
55. Pain … slopped through his head like water into a sand-castle —Kingsley Amis

    See Also: TURNING AND TWISTING

56. Pains that shrieked like alarm bells —Jane Rogers
57. Pain tightens like a strip of hot metal across Martin’s chest —Robert Silverberg
58. Pain … twisting like currents in a river —Martin Amis
59. Pain whistled through my body like splintered glass —Ross Macdonald
60. Pain would advance and recede like waves on a beach —Nathaniel Benchley

    See Also: ADVANCING

61. People in pain are like the wandering minstrels of the Renaissance. Any occupied space becomes their court. If the story’s told often enough, perhaps the demons will become manifest. Made visible and mastered through words —Barbara Lazear Ascher, New York Times/Hers, October 16, 1986
62. A persistent jabbing in her chest that tapped back and forth like an admonishing finger —Molly Giles
63. Pierce … like misplaced trust —John Drury
64. (Though we love pleasure, we) play with pain like a tongue toying with a bad tooth —George Garrett
65. The pounding in his head was like ten thousand hammers —Niven Busch
66. Press like a blunt thumb —Lawrence Durrell
67. Prolonged pain is like a fire in the house, it causes you to flee and wander homeless —Barbara Lazear Ascher, New York Times/Hers, October 16, 1986
68. Shudder at the thrust of pain like a virgin at the thrust of love —George Garrett

    See Also: TREMBLING

69. Spine ached as if it had been twisted like a cat’s tail —Bernard Malamud
70. Sting you like scorn —Thomas Hardy
71. (Irony …) stung like squirts from a leaky hose —Geoffrey Wolff
72. Suffering is cheap as grass and free as the rain that falls on saint and sinner alike —George Garrett
73. A sweet bewildering pain, like flowers in the wind and rain —Thomas Ashe
74. [A broken ankle] swelled like a soccer ball —Clive Cussler
75. Swollen face throbbing as if it has been pumped up with a bellows —Elena Poniatowska
76. Throat … like sandpaper soaked in salt —H. E. Bates
77. Throat … like a thicket of nettles —Arthur Train
78. [The lack of respect] tormented him like a raging thirst —Marge Piercy
79. Woke up feeling as if someone had tied sandbags to my hair —Jonathan Valin
80. Writhed like a trampled snake —Oscar Wilde
81. (Sat on a bench) writhing like a woman in labor —Isaac Babel
82. Writhing … like the poor shell-fish set to boil alive —John Greenleaf Whittier