I liked your sidebar 'What is the Higgs?' (Nature 487, 147–148; 2012). This offers the first hint that there may be new explanations beyond the standard metaphor that it “endows particles with mass”. After reading words to that effect in so many news articles that simply leave it at that, this scientifically literate layman is ready for a metaphor upgrade.
If this turns out to be 'the end' for theoretical physicists, maybe they could find gainful employment working with science writers to develop metaphors that match the levels of scientific and mathematical sophistication of a wider range of target audiences.
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Packer, C. Time for a Higgs metaphor upgrade. Nature 488, 157 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/488157e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/488157e