Negation as a metaphor-inducing operator Rachel Giora, Ofer Fein, Nili Metuki and Pnina Stern This paper is dedicated to the White Rose resistance whose motto was: We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace!/ 1. Introduction: Processing Negation Consider the following cartoon (Babin 2008): (1) Ilow do we go about processing it? How do we make sense of it? Suppose we start by trying to make sense of the negative statement which cites McCain's in the third presidential debate (York 2008): I am not President Bush. Taken at face value, this statement is literally true but redundant. I\yen replacing tbe negated concept - Bush - with an available alternative McCain - is literally true but similarly uninformative. This, then, is most probably not (,he way we represent the statement. Suppose then that we at- IUllIpt un ultcrnaliv<.: nOlllitcral inlcrpr<.:latioll such us 'I am not like/similar I hll p://ull.wildp\.ldill,or~/wili i/W hllu /(IlN~lll()lIojlIN(I~i.lt riuvud I), Ol:lohul', 200H).