Metaphor example

On my daughter’s homework she was supposed to write a sentence with a metaphor in. She wrote:

“After engaging in a 30-second battle with the chimney, a man dressed in red....”

It was marked wrong because the teacher said it wasn’t a metaphor but didn’t explain why it was wrong.

Doesn’t the fact it says he “engaged in a battle” make it a metaphor? He wasn’t literally engaging in a battle.

Can someone please explain why it’s wrong?

Solution 1:

The word battle is defined with several meanings. One of the noun definitions is "any conflict or struggle". As a verb it can mean "to work very hard or struggle; strive".

It seems to me that that meaning applies literally rather than metaphorically in the sentence you've quoted. I wouldn't describe getting down a chimney as a conflict, but it could be a struggle depending on the size and shape of both the chimney and the man.