a cut above »
Superior to; of a higher quality than.
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a cut below »
Inferior to; of a lower quality than.
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a notch above »
Superior to; of a higher quality than.
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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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absence makes the heart grow fonder »
When someone or something is faraway, you realise how much you love (or miss) them or it.
|
acid test »
A rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something.
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amateur hour »
A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism.
|
apple does not fall far from the tree »
A child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient
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asphalt jungle »
A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.
|
avoir du pois lay »
Stealing brass weights off the counters of shops.
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bawdy basket »
The twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.
|
be around »
To be alive, existent, or present.
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be on to »
To figure out; to realize the truth.
|
beyond the pale »
Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.
|
big gun »
A large-caliber artillery piece.
|
big mouth »
The mouth of someone who talks too much, especially by making exaggerated claims or by inappropriately revealing information.
|
big picture »
The totality of a situation.
|
birds of the feather flock together »
People who are alike physically tend to congregate and socialize together, despite government efforts at forced integration.
|
bite of the reality sandwich »
A wake-up call, a reality check.
|
blue note »
Notes added to the major scale for expressive quality in jazz and blues music, particularly the flatted third, fifth and seventh.
|
bottom of the line »
The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.
|
brass monkey »
An Australian beer.
|
bring out »
To elicit, evoke, or emphasize a particular quality.
|
burst someone's bubble »
To disillusion; to disabuse someone of a false notion or rationalization that has grown comfortable.
|
call out »
To yell out; to vocalize audibly; announce.
|
cancel out »
To neutralize the effect of something.
|
carry a torch for »
[2] To harbor feelings of love despite not being in a relationship; generally unrequited or after a relationship has ended, and sometimes implying secret feelings. There is the implication of keeping hope alive.
|
castle in the air »
A visionary project or scheme; a day-dream; an idle fancy; a pipe dream; any plan, desire, or idea that is unlikely to be ever realized; a near impossibility.
|
cat and mouse game »
Two individuals and/or groups repeatedly keeping check on each other in a suspicious or self-protective way, often with the goal of one or both parties trying to gain a malicious advantage over the other.
|
cat that ate the canary »
A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.
|
cat that ate the canary »
A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.
|
catch on »
To begin to understand; to realize or detect.
|
che sara sara »
Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1892 March 17, Cigarette,
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che sera sera »
Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.
|
clay »
An earth material with ductile qualities.
|
cock-and-bull story »
A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.
|
come out of the closet »
To tell others about homosexuality, bisexuality or any minority or disapproved-of belief, preference, etc., where previously this had been kept secret.
|
cotton on »
To realize; come to understand.
|
crab mentality »
A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.
|
crown jewels »
The male genitalia.
|
dawn on »
To occur to somebody; to be realized.
|
dead »
Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.
|
deep down »
Fundamentally; in essence; in reality; really.
|
devil's advocate »
One who debates from a view which they may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity, or simply for the sake of argument.
|
diamond in the rough »
A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.
|
different as chalk and cheese »
Two things which are superficially alike but very different in substance.
|
dog's breakfast »
An unappealing mixture; a disorderly situation; a mess.
|
down under »
In Australia.
|
down-to-earth »
Practical; realistic; pragmatic.
|
dummy out »
From a video game in the process of localizing that game from a foreign country.
|
dummy up »
To make a mock-up or prototype version of something, without some or all off its intended functionality.
|
e pluribus unum »
A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.
|
every silver lining has a cloud »
Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.
|
eye candy »
A very attractive person or persons, or the salient visible physical attributes of same.
|
fall over »
Of an argument, to fail to be valid.
|
fencepost problem »
In computer programming, a problem dealing with how to treat the initial or boundary values of a discrete problem.
|
first rate »
Superb, exceptional; of the best sort; very high quality.
|
flight of fancy »
An idea, narrative, suggestion, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.
|
fly the freak flag »
To behave in a unconventional or unrestrained manner; to exhibit the uninhibited side of one's personality.
|
fountain of youth »
Anything reputed to have the power to restore health and vitality or to restore a youthful appearance.
|
fourth estate »
Journalism or journalists considered as a group; the Press.
|
freak flag »
Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.
|
full-fledged »
Having full qualification, credentials or preparation; entire; real.
|
garbage in, garbage out »
(computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"
|
get back at »
To retaliate; to take revenge.
|
get it »
To "get what's coming to him/her"; to feel one's wrath; to receive punishment; to receive a retaliation; to receive a beating.
|
get it »
To realize or understand why a joke is funny.
|
get the boot »
To be voted off a competition in a reality television show.
|
get the chop »
To be eliminated from a competition in a reality television program.
|
getting even »
retaliating
|
give the devil his due »
To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.
|
go for »
To be equally valid or appropriate.
|
golden ticket »
A qualification, person or thing that can provide lucrative opportunities.
|
greasy spoon »
An inexpensive diner or other informal restaurant, especially one specializing in frying or grilling.
|
great minds think alike »
Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.
|
have an eye for »
To have good taste; to have the ability to discriminate or identify quality.
|
have one's head in the clouds »
To daydream; to think about matters other than the present reality.
|
have one's heart set on »
To want or desire deeply, regardless of practicality or rationality.
|
have truck with »
To have dealings with.
|
hit on »
To discover, pinpoint; to think up; to realize; to invent.
|
hit the jackpot »
To realise a huge load of luck; to receive a more favorable outcome than imagined.
|
hit upon »
To think of; to invent; to realize.
|
hold a candle »
To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another.
|
hold water »
To withstand scrutiny or criticism; to be valid.
|
hold your fire »
Wait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet.
|
honey trap »
The use of a seductive woman to entice a man into revealing secret information.
|
horse's ass »
A thing or person which is visually unappealing.
|
hospital pass »
An unwinnable case, often passed to a newly-qualified member of the firm.
|
hunker down »
To take shelter; to prepare oneself for some eventuality; to focus on a task.
|
it pays to advertise »
Good qualities do not get rewarded automatically.
|
it takes all kinds to make a world »
Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.
|
ivory tower »
A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
|
jump the shark »
To undergo a storyline development which is so ridiculous that previous quality is considered to have been lost.
|
jumped-up »
Describes a person who thinks he is superior in some way that the speaker disagrees with. For instance, of a higher class, or has more authority than they have in reality.
|
keep one's cards close to one's chest »
To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.
|
keep your friends close, and your enemies closer »
One should be on their toes and alert of their surroundings if malicious people are around, to ensure such people can't wreak havoc in one's life.
|
kick up a fuss »
To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little importance in reality.
|
knock off »
An imitation, especially one of poorer quality.
|
l'esprit de l'escalier »
The experience of thinking of a devastating rejoinder only after leaving the scene of the debate.
|
lemon law »
A law dealing with defective items, especially automobiles, and consumers' rights.
|
letters after one's name »
A list of abbreviations, separated by commas, representing the academic qualifications and civil or military honours achieved by a person.
|
lick one's chops »
To use one's tongue to remove moistness from the sides of one's mouth, as when salivating or at the conclusion of a meal.
|
little pitchers have big ears »
Small children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).
|
longpig »
Human flesh when cooked in cannabalistic rituals in certain Pacific Islands, due to the allegeded similarity to cooked pork.
|
lose the plot »
To have one's results decline severely in quality or suddenly fall below an acceptable standard, especially when compared to past excellence.
|
made in China »
Of poor or low quality.
|
made in Japan »
Of poor or low quality.
|
make for »
????, translator unknown, author Galileo Galilei, Two Chief World Systems.
|
man of parts »
A man that is talented in multiple areas of life. This includes but is not limited to the area of seduction. He puts very little emphasis on memorized scripts or "peacocking" and instead relies on individualized ways to charm a woman.
|
more cry than wool »
Asserted but not grounded in reality.
|
more equal »
Ostensibly equal, but in reality more privileged.
|
mother hen »
An outspoken and overprotective woman dealing with others' affairs.
|
move on »
To start dealing with something else.
|
nobody's perfect »
Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best
|
not a pretty sight »
Something visually unappealing, ranging from mildly unattractive to utterly disgusting in appearance.
|
of course »
Acknowledges the validity of the associated phrase.
|
old money »
The monetary system used in the United Kingdom before decimalisation and consisting of pounds, shillings, and pence.
|
on the bubble »
Having qualification for an event depend on the upcoming performances of other competitors.
|
on the bubble »
Holding the last qualifying position with qualification still in progress, and thus liable to lose that position.
|
on the mend »
Healing or recovering, as from an injury or illness.
|
one of his majesty's bad bargains »
A worthless soldier, a malingeror.
|
ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny »
(biology, social sciences, art, philosophy) The physical, cultural, moral, or intellectual development of each individual passes through stages similar to the developmental stages of that individual's species, society, or civilization.1905, J. A. Harris, "The Importance of Investigations of Seedling Stages," Science, New Series, vol. 22, no. 554, p. 186:With reference to seedling stages the statement that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny must be made with great reserve.1961, M. E. Wolfgang, "Pioneers in Criminology: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)," The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, vol. 52, no. 4, p. 367:Haeckel maintained that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and this idea was incorporated by Lombroso into his parallelism between the criminal and the child.2002, B. S. Jackson, "Models in Legal History: The Case of Biblical Law," Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 11:For even if we accept that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," those responsible for the drafting of ancient legal documents were not children, and are hardly to be endowed with some form of infantile mentality.
|
out of bounds »
Beyond the bounds of civility or morality; extremely unreasonable.
|
out of character »
Inconsistent with one's personality, disposition, or usual expected behaviour.
|
out of character »
Not acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.
|
out of this world »
Exceptionally high quality; wonderful; marvellous.
|
out of touch »
No longer conversant with facts; not aware or realistic.
|
out of whack »
Not in proper alignment.
|
out the door »
The exact image, a lookalike.
|
people person »
Someone who is happier or more skilled at dealing with people rather than things or concepts.
|
press the flesh »
To shake hands and socialize, especially in a political gathering.
|
proverbs run in pairs »
Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.
|
put into practice »
To take a theory and make it a practical reality.
|
put one foot in front of the other »
To walk, decomposed to stress the fundamentality of the task.
|
put one past somebody »
To deceive, trick, or fool, especially by concealing something.
|
put oneself across »
To explain one's ideas and opinions clearly so that another person can understand them and get a picture of your personality.
|
quick-and-dirty »
Of or pertaining to the creation or repair of software or hardware in a manner which permits operation within a brief period of time, although with compromised functionality or reliability.
|
reality check »
A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.
|
reality check »
A wake-up call, reminder.
|
rocket scientist »
One specializing in the science or study of rockets and their design.
|
rocket scientist »
Someone qualified to understand or handle that which is overly complex, detailed or confusing; a genius.
|
roll out the red carpet »
To extend the utmost hospitality; to treat someone as an honored guest; to welcome or host, especially in a showy or extravagant manner.
|
run for the roses »
A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.
|
run through »
To pervade, of a quality that is characteristic of a group, organisation, or system.
|
second string »
Not as good; of a lower quality or condition.
|
see a man about a horse »
A message signaling one needs to go missing for a short while, for any reason, without giving a real explanation.
|
set aside »
To declare something invalid or null and void.
|
short fuse »
The personality trait of being quick to anger.
|
short temper »
The personality trait of being quick to anger.
|
sign on the dotted line »
To formalize an agreement.
|
six feet under »
Buried six feet underground; not alive; dead.
|
smell like a rose »
To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.
|
snake oil »
Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.
|
snazz up »
To improve appearance or appeal by increasing stylishness or functionality, or by adding other attractive features.
|
sniff test »
An informal reality check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
|
social death »
The alienation of certain people from society to the point of being forgotten, excluded, or ignored in society.
|
socialized medicine »
A politically charged term used to contrast such systems with free market alternatives and emphasize the perceived link to socialism.
|
socialized medicine »
An umbrella term for any system of government-run health care.
|
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.
|
spaghetti western »
Nickname for a motion picture produced by an Italian-based company and filmed in Europe, depicting a tale of cowboys and desperadoes set in the American Old West.
|
stick it to the man »
To take some action intended to defy a source of oppression such as globalization, commercialization, big business or government.
|
stiff upper lip »
The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, associated with stereotypical British people.
|
stitch up »
To maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone.
|
strip away »
To ignore a factor which obscures the reality.
|
suck donkey balls »
To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.
|
sugarcoated »
Made superficially more attractive. This often implies the reality has faults that are being hidden.
|
take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves »
If you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ?used to say?Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.1999,
|
take the red pill »
To understand the world in its previously unknown reality.
|
talk is cheap »
It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.
|
talk through one's hat »
To assert something as true or valid; to bluff.
|
the end justifies the means »
Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome.
|
the grass is always greener on the other side »
Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not
|
the long and short of it »
The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.
|
the more things change, the more they stay the same »
A proverb making the observation that turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
|
third string »
Of a decidedly lower quality or condition.
|
throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick »
Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at [1] on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at [2] on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at [3] on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at [6] on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isn
|
tiger team »
A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.
|
top drawer »
Of the highest quality.
|
top notch »
Very good; of the highest quality.
|
top of the line »
The best, fanciest, or highest quality, especially among selections in a product line.
|
top shelf »
Best, or high quality.
|
toss-upness »
The quality of being a toss-up, usually used in reference to a toss-up state in American presidential elections.
|
trench mouth »
Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, typically characterized by inflammation, bleeding, deep ulceration, necrotized tissue, pain, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and halitosis.
|
trick out »
To trick out; to mod or customize an object, typically for the purpose of both personalization as well as enhancing the object's performance capabilities and more particularly for the purpose of performing stunts with that object.
|
turn the other cheek »
To accept a punishment or an injury and not act out revenge or retaliate.
|
turnabout is fair play »
It is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.
|
unwashed masses »
Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.
|
up to scratch »
Sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality.
|
up to snuff »
Adequate; of acceptable or quality; satisfying an appropriate standard.
|
wake up and smell the coffee »
To face reality and stop deluding oneself.
|
walk on eggshells »
To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.
|
walk the line »
To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.
|
what you see is what you get »
The image corresponds to the reality.
|
when he's at home »
In reality; in fact; when it comes down to it.
|
whole enchilada »
All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.
|
win over »
To persuade someone, gain someone's support, or make someone understand the truth or validity of something.
|
with no further ado »
Without any other formalities; with no further delay.
|
yellow journalism »
Material published in a broadcast or periodical, such as a tabloid newspaper or magazine, which is sensationalistic and of questionable accuracy and taste.
|
yellow press »
Newspapers which publish sensationalist articles rather than well researched and sober journalism.
|
you get what you pay for »
In commercial transactions, the quality of goods and services increases as the prices increase, i.e., the more one pays, the better the merchandise.2003, Michael Blumenthal, "For Whom the School Bell Tolls," Time, 7 Dec.:Though it may sound unapologetically capitalistic to say so
|
you made your bed, now sleep in it »
A moralizing rejection said to someone looking for an easy out, especially of a situation they put themselves into.
|
| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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