This paper applies metaphor theory to analyze social learning. An analysis of the sustainability and natural resource management (NRM) literature yielded seven metaphor types — performance metaphors, action metaphors, communication metaphors, governance mechanism metaphors, social learning as a paradigm, social learning as a form of cognition and social learning as a wheelbarrow full of frogs. Social learning can be defined in future discourse as cluster of revealing and concealing features, shifting the responsibility for clarity and rigour away from the concept and onto the user.