(Fair shake, an 1830 Americanism, may be a metaphoric extension of the even hand.)

By metaphoric extension, to spoon-feed means "to explain or persuade in small, understandable portions; to make easy to swallow and digest information."

I asked the reporter, who continues to cover business in Washington for the newly invigorated Monitor, how he came up with the historic metaphoric extension.

In American usage, another verb was added, and the name of the game, though not its metaphoric extension, is hide-'n'-go-seek.

In one sense, the word has drawn on physical quickness and, by metaphoric extension, has come to mean mentally "nimble, adroit, skillful."

The verb, still associated with the pits and pockmarks left by bombs, then gained its metaphoric extension.

By metaphoric extension, a gambit can range from an enticing opening in conversation to a tactic in gaining advantage in business.

From this we get a metaphoric extension: to ping a person, you send an e-mail message to see if your friend is alive and online.

In Pentagonese, the word has gained a new metaphoric extension.

The metaphoric extension - to the meaning of "accusing, often unfairly" - is tougher to find.