all nations »
A composition of all the different spirits sold in a dram-shop, collected in a vessel into which the drainings of the bottles and quartern pots are emptied.
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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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arm candy »
An attractive, seemingly romantic companion who accompanies a person in public simply so that one or both of the individuals can gain attention, enhance social status, or create an impression of sexual appeal.
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balls-up »
Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.
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bat for both sides »
To be a batter for both teams in an amateur baseball game.
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be in a spot of bother »
To have a slight problem, to be in a predicament.
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best of both worlds »
A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.
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bottle out »
To fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage.
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bottle up »
Put into bottles.
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bottle up »
Keep suppressed and hidden.
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bottom line »
The final balance; the amount of money or profit left after everything has been tallied.
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bottom line »
The summary or result; the most important information; the upshot; the net-net.
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bottom of the line »
The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.
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bottom of the ninth »
By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.
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bottom of the ninth »
In baseball, the second part of the ninth and final inning. The end of the game.
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bottoming the house »
The process by where someone cleans their house 'from top to bottom'. It is a very thorough clean indeed, even more so than 'spring cleaning'.
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box the compass »
To know, and be able to recite the 32 points and quarter points of the magnetic compass from North, both clockwise and anticlockwise.
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break ground »
To lift off the sea bottom when being weighed.
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broad across the beam »
Without fat on the hips and the bottom.
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broad in the beam »
Without fat on the hips and the bottom.
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bunny hop »
A jump made where both wheels leave the ground.
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burn one's candle at both ends »
To work extremely or excessively hard; to work too hard for good health or peace of mind.
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buy straw hats in winter »
Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price is low, sell when demand and price is high.
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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.
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caught between the devil and the deep blue sea »
Having a choice between two alternatives, both undesirable.
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copper-bottomed »
Having lower parts made of or covered by copper.
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copper-bottomed »
Thoroughly reliable.
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dead as a doornail »
Unquestionably dead. Used for both inanimate objects and once living beings.
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double Dutch »
A date where both man and woman pay for their portion of the bill.
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fall between two stools »
To attempt two tasks and fail at both, when either one could have been accomplished singly.
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feed a cold, starve a fever »
Eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds.", The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.
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field day »
Top-to-bottom all-hands cleaning.
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foul up »
To botch; to make a mess of.
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from the bottom of one's heart »
In earnest; sincerely; with one's full feeling.
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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"
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get on somebody's nerves »
To annoy or irritate; to bother.
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get somebody's goat »
To annoy, infuriate, bother, or incense.
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harsh one's mellow »
To annoy or irritate; to bother.
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hit the bottle »
To continually drink alcohol to excess, particularly in response to a setback.
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hold with the hare and run with the hounds »
To remain neutral by attempting to placate two factions or both sides of a controversy.
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if it's all the same »
If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.
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it takes two to tango »
Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.
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jump rope »
The activity, game or exercise in which a person must jump, bounce or skip repeatedly while a length of rope is swung over and under, both ends held in the hands of the jumper, or alternately, held by two other participants. Often used for athletic training and among schoolchildren. Variations involve speed, chants, varied rope and jumper movement patterns, multiple jumpers and/or multiple ropes.
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make someone's skin crawl »
To disturb or bother; to frighten or disgust.
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make someone's teeth itch »
To bother or unsettle a person; to put someone on edge.
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mess up »
To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.
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misery loves company »
Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.1995, Chris Abbott,
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mixed bag »
Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.
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mixed blessing »
Something that has both good and bad features.
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odd and curious »
A way to designate special coins, namely coins that are both odd and imperfect or seriously damaged.
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on wheels »
Having wheels affixed to the bottom, and so transportable.
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pick on »
To bully or make fun of a victim; to bother or harass.
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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.
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rock bottom »
The very lowest possible level.
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rub somebody the wrong way »
To bother, disturb, irritate, or annoy.
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scrape the bottom of the barrel »
To use the least desirable parts of something.
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shoot oneself in the foot »
To deliberately sabotage an activity in order to avoid obligation, though it causes personal suffering. Origins in first world war trench warfare.
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skip rope »
To jump over a rope, both of whose ends are held by the jumper or by two others, while the rope is moved under the jumper's feet in a continual rhythm; to play the game of jump rope or exercise by jumping rope.
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thick and thin »
Both good and bad times.
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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.
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tuck in »
To push the fabric at the bottom of a shirt under the pants.
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turn over »
To flip over; to rotate top to bottom.
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turn upside down »
To flip over; to rotate top to bottom.
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two for two »
Successful at both of two efforts.
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under erasure »
Of a bit of text, written and strickenthrough; hence, figuratively in some sense both present and absent.
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wash down »
To wash something completely from top to bottom.
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what's eating you »
What is annoying or bothering you?.
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wind up one's bottoms »
To finish a job.
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you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds »
You can't have it both ways.
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