at one's beck and call »
In servitude to; at one’s command.
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be at one's beck and call »
To be in the position of serving someone in any way they desire, usually unwillingly.
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bite of the reality sandwich »
A wake-up call, a reality check.
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brass neck »
A person with gall.
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brass neck »
Gall, shamelessness, cheek.
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brass-neck »
To behave boldly or shamelessly.
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brass-necked »
Nervy; cheeky; shameless.
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breathe down someone's neck »
To follow someone too closely, making it uncomfortable for them.
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bridge »
An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.
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button-down »
Of a collar, able to be buttoned down to the shirt, as over a necktie.
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carry on »
To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.
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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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check in »
To announce or record one's arrival at a hotel, airport etc.
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check is in the mail »
A common excuse used by debtors to put off creditors.
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check out »
To pay the bill, and record one's departure, as from a hotel.
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check out »
To leave in a hurry.
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check out »
To die.
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check out »
To have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.
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check out »
To withdraw an item, as from a library, and have the withdrawal recorded.
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check out »
To examine or inspect; to espy.
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check out »
To obtain computer source code from a repository.
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check out »
Used to draw attention to something and stimulate excitement about it.
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cheese down »
To coil the tail of a rope on deck so as to present a neat appearance.
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clear the decks »
To prepare for action.
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clear the decks »
To remove, or fasten, all loose material, or partitions prior to a naval engagement.
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death by spellcheck »
The problems caused by spellcheckers being incapable of correcting most homophone confusions.
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debris field »
Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components, pieces, or other non-whole items.
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drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »
(idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.
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egg on »
To encourage or coax a person to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.
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for the heck of it »
For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.
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give a sneck posset »
To fasten the door latch.
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give a sneck posset »
To give someone a cold reception; to close the door on someone; to reject them.
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hang paper »
To write a bad check.
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hold down »
To restrain; to check.
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jack up »
To ruin; wreck; mess up; screw up; sometimes as a bowdlerized substitution for f** up.
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keep one's pecker up »
Remain cheerful; keep smiling.
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live paycheck to paycheck »
To spend all that one earns without saving anything.
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look over »
To scan-read and check for errors.
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make sure »
To verify; to recheck; to use extra care or caution.
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measure twice and cut once »
(literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn
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neck and neck »
Very close in progress, as in a race or contest.
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neck of the woods »
A local neighbourhood or region.
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necker's knob »
A knob attached to the steering wheel of an automobile, especially before the widespread availability of power steering, helping the driver steer with one arm and leaving the other arm free to provide romantic attention to a companion.
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necktie party »
An execution by hanging, especially a lynching.
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one card shy of a full deck »
Mentally deranged; demented; insane.
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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.
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out of house and home »
Global Checkup: How Healthy is Earth?, Science NOW.
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pain in the neck »
Someone or something which is annoying, irritating or inconvenient.
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peanut gallery »
Any source of heckling, unwelcome commentary or criticism, especially from a know-it-all or of an inexpert nature.
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pencil-neck »
A person with a very thin neck.
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pencil-neck »
An insubstantial person; a weakling.
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pencil-necked »
Having a very thin neck.
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pencil-necked »
Insubstantial; weak.
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pencilneck »
A person with a very thin neck.
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pencilneck »
An insubstantial person; a weakling.
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play fast and loose »
To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.
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play silly buggers »
To act in a stupid or reckless manner.
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rag bagger »
A sailboat, usually a cruising sailboats which tend to carry and store lots of supplies along the deck, or any sailboat that looks like a neglected vessel, or messy vessel.
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rain check »
In social interactions, a polite way to turn down an invitation, with the implication one is simply postponing it and that another time would be acceptable.
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rain check »
To provide a service at a later date.
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reality check »
A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.
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reality check »
A wake-up call, reminder.
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rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic »
To do something pointless or insignificant that will soon be overtaken by events, or that contributes nothing to the solution of a current problem.
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reckon for »
To answer for; to pay the account for.
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reckon on »
To count on or depend on.
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reckon on »
To plan on; to expect.
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reckon upon »
To count upon or depend upon.
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reckon upon »
To plan upon; to expect.
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reckon with »
To settle accounts with or to settle claims with.
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reckon with »
To deal with.
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reckon with »
To take into account.
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reckon without »
To ignore that which cannot readily be ignored.
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rule of thumb »
A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
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run rampant »
To go unchecked or without control; to be wild or excessive.
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scope out »
To examine; to scout; to investigate; to check out.
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sea legs »
The ability, when walking aboard ship, to anticipate the motion of the deck so as to walk steadily without losing balance.
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shoot one's mouth off »
To make reckless or exaggerated statements.
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sneck posset »
A cold reception, closing the door on a visitor.
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sneck posset »
A fastened latch.
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sniff test »
An informal reality check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
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spot check »
A cursory inspection or examination or the inspection or examination of a sample of something.
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stick one's neck out »
To take a risk, putting oneself in a vulnerable position.
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take a gander »
To take a look; to check or examine.
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throw enough mud at the wall and 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.2005, Mike Busson (poster on UKScreen forum) Re: Voiceovers!, read at [1] on 02 Nov 06,In terms of places to send your URL or CD's, there's no easy answer. It really is a case of throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.2005, "forwardone" (administrator posting on the HYIPForum), re: Alertpay phishing email, read at [2] on 02 Nov 06,I also think that sometimes they send out phishing e-mails in the hope that it`ll hit people who do have an account with a particular organization. You know, throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick theory.2006, Rob Manuel, How to be funny, read in Comedy Soup on the BBC website at [3] on 02 Nov 06,Throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick. Be prolific and don't be afraid to make stuff that's rubbish. If you keep trying eventually you'll get there.2006, Rex Pierce, Re: [303rd-Talk] D Day read on 303rd Bomb Group Talk Forum at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Believe the planners worked on the principle of "throw enough mud at the wall, and some of it will stick".If enough (perhaps false or reckless) accusations are made against someone, his reputation will suffer, whether or not this is deserved2006, "money" (poster on eTalk Money), Some thoughts about compact surfing, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,Word of advice NVUS time to distance yourself from LuukH as quickly as possible and dish some dirt, otherwise well the saying goes - throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.
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to give a person line »
To allow a person more or less liberty until it is convenient to stop or check him/her, like a hooked fish that swims away with the line.
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train wreck »
An inevitable disaster.
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train wreck »
The aftermath of a train crash.
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trigger-happy »
Inclined to behave recklessly, especially with machinery.
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when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's easy to forget that the initial objective was to drain the swamp »
Only because it seems so urgent.
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wreck havoc »
cause destruction
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