The article deals with the sound-visual mechanisms of phrase formation, which are not described in the phonosemantic and linguoculturological aspects. The study is conducted on the material of comparative phraseological units (figurative comparisons) that reflect the sound of speech. In accordance with the goal, their motivational models are revealed and methods of vocabulary representation are developed. To achieve the goal, methods of phonosemantic, component, linguoculturological analysis, methods of structural-semantic modeling and lexicographic design are used. It has been established that most of the sound-visual comparative phraseological units are based on associations that connect the acoustic characteristics of speech with the sounds of the animal world — the voices of birds and mammals. The models of metaphorical transfer and the most productive zoolexemes involved in the acts of formation of phraseological units in this sphere are revealed. The parameters of assessment of sounding speech relevant for the listener and the axiological orientation of the corresponding figurative comparisons are determined. The possibilities of representation of sound-visual comparative phraseological units in the thesaurus-type dictionary with the alphabetic-rod arrangement of the material and in the educational discursive-type dictionary, which implements the author’s methods of linguoculturological commenting and etymological paraphrasing, are shown. The results of the study will be useful in the development of theoretical problems of phrase formation, and can be used in the practice of academic and educational lexicography.