When a comparison or metaphor omits elements that could otherwise be expressed, situational clues and the overall force of the discourse help determine the intended meaning.
Qarīnat al-ḥāl: information from the surrounding situation that clarifies the speaker's purpose.
Faḥwā al-kalām: the implication carried by the sentence's internal connections and broader sense.
“Zayd is a lion,” uttered to commend bravery, is understood as praise of a courageous human. “A lion was delivering a speech” can point to a figurative referent through the speaking action.
Thus one should not classify omitted comparison markers and borrowed nouns solely by looking at how short the expression is; context and meaning matter.