I think people generally say "a slap in the face". It is a common idiomatic expression, especially when used metaphorically.
I am curious to know if "figuratively" could be used here to replace "metaphorically" without changing its meaning.
Hello, Quiet One,
Yes, it could, but there is a slight difference. A figure in this sense is an image. Images can be
implied, as in metaphor: she sailed into the room - she's like a ship but this is implied, or they can be
explicit, as in simile: she came into the room like a ship in full sail - this time we actually say she's like a ship.
So
figuratively is a broader category than
metaphorically, because
figuratively also embraces simile. However, most people don't go into the matter in such detail, and, in practice, I think the words are interchangeable.
