advancing

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 a New 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