Ride a white swan

AMONG Britain’s birds, the swan is the epitome of grace and beauty. Like a ship in full sail, this striking creature floats serenely downstream, occasionally stopping to dip its bill into the water to feed. Yet although this may look effortless, its feet are paddling rapidly beneath the surface; indeed, we use this image as a metaphor for someone who appears to be doing a task with ease, but is working frantically to maintain that deception.

This could be a metaphor for the life of a swan: it may appear superficially easy, but is often much harder than it looks. Like all birds, swans face