--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The elegant black-and-white ship, all…" description: "\"“The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it, loomed like a mountain in a dinner jacket.”\" — Michael Chabon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png" --- # The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it… ![“The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it, loomed like a mountain in a dinner jacket.” quote by Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png) > ““The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it, loomed like a mountain in a dinner jacket.”” [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ship’s size is exaggerated, likening it to a grand, formal garment. **In simple terms:** A massive ship described as a dinner jacket mountain. Key Takeaway Use vivid metaphor to convey scale. Themes imagery metaphor scale humor Mood playful descriptive Type literary creative When to use this quote - architecture - design - storytelling - marketing Key Concepts literary description visual analogy hyperbole Questions to Reflect On - What effect does this comparison have on the reader? - How does humor shape perception of size? A Different Perspective Metaphor may obscure technical details. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship/) ## Related quotes > [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. 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The kind of thing Professer Plum would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/crawley-reached-into-the-pocket-of-his-fancy-robe-a-dinner-jacket-i/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [There were loads of plays which were very popular before and after the war, where everybody wore a dinner jacket in the third act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/there-were-loads-of-plays-which-were-very-popular-before-and-after/) [Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/) > [One favourite find of mine has to be a 1980s black dinner jacket that I wear as a dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-donaldson/one-favourite-find-of-mine-has-to-be-a-1980s-black-dinner-jacket-that/) [Lily Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-donaldson/) > [Dress simply. If you wear a dinner jacket, don't wear anything else on it ... like lunch or dinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/dress-simply-if-you-wear-a-dinner-jacket-don-t-wear-anything-else-on/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Hence a ship is said to be tight, when her planks are so compact and solid as to prevent the entrance of the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-falconer/hence-a-ship-is-said-to-be-tight-when-her-planks-are-so-compact-and/) [William Falconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-falconer/) > [On board ship there are many sources of joy of which the land knows nothing. You may flirt and dance at sixty; and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/on-board-ship-there-are-many-sources-of-joy-of-which-the-land-knows/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [A small leak can sink a great ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-small-leak-can-sink-a-great-ship/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [A ship in harbour is safe, but it's not fulfilling its potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/a-ship-in-harbour-is-safe-but-it-s-not-fulfilling-its-potential/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [There are only two options for a ship: Either to sail to the sea and fight with the waves or rot in a port!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-are-only-two-options-for-a-ship-either-to-sail-to-the-sea-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [As has often been said, a ship is like a lady's watch, always out of repair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-henry-dana-jr-2/as-has-often-been-said-a-ship-is-like-a-lady-s-watch-always-out-of/) [Richard Henry Dana, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-henry-dana-jr-2/) > [Little leaks sink the ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/little-leaks-sink-the-ship/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [A leader is the wave pushed ahead by the ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-leader-is-the-wave-pushed-ahead-by-the-ship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Michael Chabon > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. 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In my panache is their hope for salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-he-said-jaunty-he-reminded-himself-always/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“I didn't want to be left alone with Timothy, not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid that somebody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-didn-t-want-to-be-left-alone-with-timothy-not-because-i-was-afraid/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“We figure he must have let him out. The perpetrator, I mean. 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From The Yiddish Policemen's Union: Nine months Landsman's been flopping at the Hotel Zamenhof without any of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/love-great-first-lines-and-paragraphs-from-the-yiddish-policemen-s/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Life blew in gusts from the hole in the side of the elephant with a rank smell and a comic flatulence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/life-blew-in-gusts-from-the-hole-in-the-side-of-the-elephant-with-a/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Not only would I never want to belong to any club that would have me for a member--if elected I would wear street shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/not-only-would-i-never-want-to-belong-to-any-club-that-would-have-me/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [That's the best thing about writing, when you're in that zone, you're porous, ready to absorb the solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/that-s-the-best-thing-about-writing-when-you-re-in-that-zone-you-re/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Most science fiction seemed to be written for people who already liked science fiction; I wanted to write stories for anyone, anywhere, living at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/most-science-fiction-seemed-to-be-written-for-people-who-already/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [ “For as long as I could remember, I'd been making vague and confident assurances that any day I would finish the thing \[my book\].… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/for-as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-d-been-making-vague-and-confident/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) [Explore all 436 Michael Chabon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## More River quotes > [The least unhappy persons do, in so fickle and so tempestuous a sea as this world, meet with many more either cross winds or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyle/the-least-unhappy-persons-do-in-so-fickle-and-so-tempestuous-a-sea-as/) [Robert Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boyle/) > [Somehow the river is louder when you cover your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-williams/somehow-the-river-is-louder-when-you-cover-your-ears/) [Niall Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-williams/) > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [One of the unique things is that whether we were out at sea or in the middle of the water tank, a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/one-of-the-unique-things-is-that-whether-we-were-out-at-sea-or-in-the/) [John C. 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I'm sort of like a Thames-nymph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/i-ve-never-been-far-from-the-river-i-m-sort-of-like-a-thames-nymph/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [“Mungu akikubariki kipaji chako watu watasema ni laana. Maisha yako ni sawa na mto. Unakoelekea ni baharini. Lakini sasa umefika kwenye mlango wa bahari.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-akikubariki-kipaji-chako-watu-watasema-ni-laana-maisha-yako-ni/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [Little leaks sink the ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/little-leaks-sink-the-ship/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wish-on-board-for-some-they-come/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [If you ask an actor what he'd prefer to act on, he'd probably say a tangible, real set, or even better, a real location…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/if-you-ask-an-actor-what-he-d-prefer-to-act-on-he-d-probably-say-a/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [In the road ships must ride in 30, 40, or 50 fathom water, not above half a mile from the shore at farthest: and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/in-the-road-ships-must-ride-in-30-40-or-50-fathom-water-not-above/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [I finished 'Hell or High Water' and started writing 'Wind River' literally the next day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/i-finished-hell-or-high-water-and-started-writing-wind-river/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) [Browse all 3,638 River quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it, loomed like a mountain in a dinner jacket.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Chabon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24-170-tons-of-it-loomed-like-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "River" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24-170-tons-of-it-loomed-like-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/michael-chabon-627_river_the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24_276395.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170 tons of it, loomed like a mountain in a dinner jacket.” — Michael Chabon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Chabon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The elegant black-and-white ship, all 24,170...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24-170-tons-of-it-loomed-like-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-elegant-black-and-white-ship-all-24-170-tons-of-it-loomed-like-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```