A metaphor I like on technical debt is a reoccuring monthly power utility bill that is mailed to the team.

Everyone pays bills, so there is no abstratcion.

Teams prefer to keep it constant and portitonal to the utility of the structure standing and building.

Every so often it goes up and phoning it "in" to the company to pick up discounts.

If the bill is unchecked, eventually it will sap away all of the monthly expentiure.

When the rate is unmanageable, the team members look at each other in disbelief.