To defy interpretation, delay sense making and accommodate a process view, I propose metonymy as an alternative/complement to metaphor in organization studies. By way of three examples I attempt to show how the unpacking of metonymies, i.e. metonymic reading, can delay metaphorical interpretation to allow for the inclusion of alternative views of concrete experience. Thus, although metonymy ultimately yields to metaphor, it seems worthwhile to dwell on and delve into.