a picture paints a thousand words »
A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!
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ace in the hole »
A hidden or secret strength, or unrevealed advantage.
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baggage »
In a metaphorical sense, factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way: emotional baggage.
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behind the eight ball »
At a disadvantage.
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bottle out »
To fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage.
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bounce back »
To recover from a negative without seemingly any damage.
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catbird seat »
Expression used to describe an enviable position, often one of great advantage.
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come across »
To give an appearance or impression; to project a certain image.
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consume mass quantities »
To eat or drink abundant amounts of food or beverage.
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cradle robber »
A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.
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double Dutch »
Incomprehensible language.
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egg somebody on »
To tease, provoke or encourage.
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f** someone over »
To exploit somebody in a way which result in an advantage to oneself, at the cost of the other party gaining a considerable disadvantage.
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false friend »
A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.
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first port of call »
The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.
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from cover to cover »
All the way to the last page.
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get »
Lineage.
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hit the headlines »
To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.
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in Dutch »
Written or spoken in the dutch language.
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in its infancy »
Still in an early stage.
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inside track »
Any advantage.
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knocked up »
"pregnant", typically outside of marriage.
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lay off »
From employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.
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lemonize »
To damage something and then deny or be aloof from the damage.
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link whoring »
The practice of going out of one's way to place links to one's website on someone else's webpage.
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lion »
The arms of the University of the West Indies are Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure an open Book proper bound Gules garnished Or on a Chief of the third a Lion passant guardant Erminois. Crest: A Pelican proper. . See talk page.
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lose out »
To be at a disadvantage.
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marry in haste, repent at leisure »
Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.
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move the goalposts »
To alter the agreed basis, scope, standards or target of a procedure or task during its course, especially to do so to someone's advantage.
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nine lives »
Durability; near immunity to damage.
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nip in the bud »
To stop something at an early stage.
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on the make »
Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.
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pardon my French »
Please excuse my swearing or bad language.
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play around »
To engage in sexual practices outside of marriage.
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play dumb »
To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.
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pop the question »
To propose marriage.
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quote unquote »
Emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony, as used almost exclusively in spoken language.
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real job »
A job which requires the employee to, work regular hours for a consistent wage that often exceeds the provisions of applicable minimum wage legislation. A job that produces a living wage.
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red mist »
Uncontrollable rage.
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rob the cradle »
To use a young person for a purpose inappropriate to his or her age.
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run roughshod over »
To treat roughly or without care, respect, or moderation; to act without control; to damage.
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sell out »
To abandon one's supporters or principles to seek profit or other personal advantage.
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shroud »
The branching top of a tree; foliage.
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sitting pretty »
In a favorable situation, especially a situation in which one possesses an advantage.
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soft sawder »
"If she goes to act ugly, I'll give her a dose of "soft sawder"; that will take the frown out of her frontispiece...!" —Thomas Haliburton, "The Trotting Horse" — first usage.
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spanner »
A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.
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take a picture »
To photographically capture an image.
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take heart »
Be courageous; regain one's courage.
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talk like an apothecary »
To use hard or gallipot words: from the assumed gravity and affectation of knowledge generally put on by the gentlemen of this profession, who are commonly as superficial in their learning as they are pedantic in their language.
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tear up »
To damage.
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tear up the pea patch »
To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.
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thumb a ride »
To flag or signal a passing vehicle in hopes of securing passage.
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tin ear »
Insensitivity to and inability to appreciate the elements of performed music or the rhythm, elegance, or nuances of language.
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tip one's hand »
To inadvertently reveal any secret, particularly a secret that puts one at an advantage or disadvantage.
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turn off »
To repulse, disgust, or discourage.
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turn on »
To attract, give pleasure, or encourage.
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under one's wing »
Under one's protection, sponsorship, or tutelage.
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watch one's mouth »
To be careful about what one says, especially with regard to disrespectful or profane language.
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weather the storm »
To reach the end of a very difficult situation without too much harm or damage.
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white marriage »
An unconsummated marriage.
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zip up »
To convert a computer file into a smaller package.
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