figurative vs hieroglyphic

figurative

adj
  • Emblematic, symbolic; representative, exemplative 

  • representing forms recognisable in life and clearly derived from real object sources, in contrast to abstract art. 

  • Metaphorically so called. 

  • Of use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures; as when saying that someone who eats more than they should is a pig or like a pig. 

  • With many figures of speech. 

hieroglyphic

adj
  • of, relating to, or written with this system of symbols 

  • difficult to decipher 

noun
  • Undecipherable handwriting or secret symbol. 

  • Any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph. 

  • A writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds as a rebus 

How often have the words figurative and hieroglyphic occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )