Commonplace metaphor: The resemblance is obvious to ordinary hearers, as courage in “I saw a lion shooting arrows.”
Distinctive metaphor: Either the original simile is unusual, as the saddle-pommel “adopting iḥtibāʾ,” or familiar similarity is transformed through uncommon expression, as the valley beds “flowing” with camel necks.
The criterion is the familiarity or rarity of the connection and its formulation, not automatic praise or blame. The next section will classify metaphor through the sensory or intellectual status of its source, target, and common feature.