MP takes up arms in House of Commons

According to recent raw copy:

Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers has taken up arms on behalf of the road haulage industry in the House of Commons.

I do hope that's a metaphorical rather than literal taking up of arms (although others may not be of the same opinion).

I changed it – just because it threw me on first read. I wonder how common it is to use 'take up arms' metaphorically...




Update 21/07: A very famous use of 'take up arms' (or rather, 'take arms') has just occurred to me, from Hamlet's most famous speech:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

'Sea of troubles' is definitely metaphorical here, but 'take arms'? Not sure.

Really turning on the metaphorical sixpence

Some copy recently submitted to the subs' desk contained a sentence that has been messing with my head:

You really can turn this vehicle on the metaphorical sixpence

As opposed to what, being able to metaphorically turn it on the metaphorical sixpence? But isn't that what the writer actually means? After all, you can't literally turn the vehicle on either a literal or a metaphorical sixpence. Surely?

I think I have been subbing too hard today.