Said by an Olympic announcer about a swimmer:
"He has an incredibly wide wingspan."
Sure, he flew down the pool, but I didn't see any wings. I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but it would probably be better to say he has a wide "armspan," although my dictionary doesn't say that is a word. Perhaps, "he has very long arms."
I see nothing wrong with using "wingspan." It works well metaphorically -- especially for the butterfly, where swimmers truly are making flying motions.
ReplyDelete