This front page story from the Daily Mail uses language which would not be out of place in a report about war crimes or serial killers. First of all, in the headline we have 'cut-throat'. Cutting someone's throat is a nasty way of killing, but here the expression 'cut-throat' is used metaphorically. If you describe a situation as 'cut-throat', you mean that the people involved are prepared to use every possible means to achieve success, even if it means harming each other. The expression 'cut-throat competition' is very common in the business world.
Above the headline we find a tagline with the phrase 'price-slashing frenzy' and the word 'battle'. This continues the idea of shopping as war. 'Slash' is a very graphic verb. If you slash something, you make a long, deep cut in it. However, 'slash' is also used figuratively to mean 'reduce by a large amount' (prices, for example).
The warfare analogy is continued in the article itself. Note the use of expressions like 'go head to head', 'savage', 'price war' and 'guerrilla sales'.
Shoppers are going head to head in a savage Christmas price war. Desperate to get families to open their wallets, supermarkets and retailers are falling over each other to offer discounts. From today, Tesco is cutting prices by up to 50 per cent on 1,000 lines including bicycles, cameras and digital music players.
The move is a direct challenge to High Street rivals which are responding with longer opening hours and further last-minute 'guerrilla' sales. House of Fraser is to offer price cuts of up to 40 per cent in a two-day promotion, a tactic being pursued by department stores such as Beales and Selfridges. Marks & Spencer and Debenhams are planning repeats of last week's discount days.
