These mixed harm poets (9)

I believe the answer is:

metaphors

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'these' is the definition.
The definition suggests an adverb but the answer is not.

'mixed harm poets' is the wordplay.
'mixed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'harm'+'poets'='harmpoets'
'harmpoets' is an anagram of 'METAPHORS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for metaphors that I've seen before include "Sherpa Tom turns to figures of speech" , "Pom earths are figures of speech" , "Figures of speech, use of one thing to represent another, say" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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