a life of its own »
An independent existence with some characteristics of life.
|
ahead of one's time »
Showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field; coming earlier than could be generally accepted.
|
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
|
beauty mark »
Or artificially using cosmetics.
|
behind its time »
Showing characteristics of the past; present in one's work after later advances in the field; coming later than could be generally accepted.
|
bridge »
Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit.
|
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 »
A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
|
correlation does not imply causation »
(statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.
|
dismal science »
Nickname for economics or for the field of political economy.
|
from the ground up »
From the beginning; starting with the basics, foundation, or fundamentals.
|
go to the mattresses »
To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.
|
hic Rhodus, hic salta »
(politics) Prove what you can do, here and now.
|
hold somebody's hand »
To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details.
|
how's the weather »
Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.
|
if the shoe fits »
If it has all of the characteristics of a thing, it probably is that thing.
|
lay the groundwork »
To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.
|
make up »
To apply cosmetics or makeup.
|
middle of nowhere »
Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.
|
mixed bag »
By extension, a group of entities with few characteristics in common; an assortment.
|
mixed bag »
Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.
|
noarch »
Short for "no architecture". It is a term used mainly in package management systems to mark packages which are architecture independent. Such packages usually contain graphics, documentation or similar data that can be used on any architecture.
|
nuts and bolts »
The basic, inner workings of something; the fundamentals or basics; that which makes something operate, on a basic level.
|
old time used to be »
Roberta, lyrics by Leadbelly.
|
old time used to be »
Somebody Loan Me A Dime. lyrics by Boz Scaggs.
|
on steroids »
To a greater degree, exaggerating the characteristics of the previously named object.
|
on top of the world »
Delighted; ecstatic; exceptionally pleased, happy, or satisfied.
|
out of one's league »
In a situation in which one is mismatched with one or more others, whose accomplishments, preparedness, or other characteristics are on a significantly higher or lower level than one's own.
|
palace politics »
The relationships and interactions of top-level officials, advisors and other powerbrokers within a government, especially as involving internal rivalry and intrigue.
|
personal computers »
PCs
|
play hardball »
To act rough and ruthless, especially in politics or business.
|
pronunciamiento »
A military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. They received this designation because coups were usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void.
|
quantum mechanics »
Something overly complicated or detailed.
|
quantum mechanics »
The branch of physics which studies matter and energy at the level of atoms and other elementary particles, and substitutes probabilistic mechanisms for classical Newtonian ones.
|
think tank »
A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.
|
throw dirt enough, and some will stick »
If enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at [1] on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say
|
today we are all »
March 11, 2004: Denis MacShane, Guardian Unlimited.
|
two can play that game »
The tactics and/or strategies of an enemy can be used against him.
|
two wrongs don't make a right »
(ethics) A wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to correct or cancel a previous wrongful action.1915, William MacLeod Raine, The Highgrader, ch. 15:"But when it comes to taking what belongs to another
|
warts and all »
Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.
|
| Like Phrases.net? Why won't you tell a friend about us? |
[