زَيْدٌ كَالْأَسَدِ
Zayd is like a lion.
The kāf remains, so the expression explicitly claims likeness. However, it no longer confines that likeness by saying “in courage.” Context determines which salient lion-like traits are intended, and the comparison can appear more extensive.
The respect is omitted, but the particle is not. Leaving the particular feature unspoken is different from expressing the subject as identical with the comparison term; the particle continues to signal two distinct terms linked by resemblance.