Plumcake (simile)
"It was a rich place, as rich as Plumcake" (33).
Digory described the wood between the worlds like this, as the wood had many levels and depths that came together to produce colors of extreme intensity at richness. The arrangement is like that of plum cake, which has flavors of such intensity that they seem exaggerated; although each ingredient can be tasted and appreciated individually the combination creates something unlike anything else.
peacock (simile)
"He was, in any case, as vain as a peacock" (89).
Uncle Andrew preened himself in front of the mirror in exactly the same way a peacock preens himself in anticipation of meeting a peahen whom he believes will be instantly attracted to him. The way in which he puts on his finest clothing made of rich fabrics is like the peacock fanning out his tail feathers with their rich colors and velvet-like appearance. The peahen who is the subject of his attention is the evil Queen; like the peacock, Andrew assumes he will be irresistible to her.
nine-pin (simile)
"The witch had brought the bar down on the chief policeman's helmet: the man fell like a nine-pin" (108).
Nine pin bowling was the bowling of the time, and the policeman fell just as though he had been hit at great speed by a speeding, well-aimed bowling ball. His fall was sudden and immediate without wavering.
smell of the apple (simile)
"The smell of the Apple of Youth was as if there was a window in the room that opened onto Heaven" (213).
The apple was so incredibly beautiful to look at and to smell that it seemed to be Heaven sent. It's color overshadowed every other color in the room and it seemed to generate as much light as the sun. The apple was more than fruit and its exquisite power seemed to be a link between the earthly world and the celestial one; thus, the apple seems heavenly because earth could not produce something this beautiful and intense.
heart jumping (metaphor)
"Polly's heart jumped in her body when she heard it" (161).
While hearts cannot literally jump inside one's body, here the metaphor is for the feeling Polly had when she heard the noise. The noise was so powerful and loud that she felt as if her heart jumped.
