acknowledge the corn »
To cop a plea; to admit to a small error but not a larger one.
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after all »
In the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be.
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all wet »
Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed.
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banyan day »
In British naval tradition, this originally referred to a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.
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barge in »
To intrude; to enter or interrupt suddenly and without invitation.
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batten down »
To close or make watertight, referring to hatches and cargo.
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best of the bunch »
The best or most preferred person or item within a group.
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big wheel »
Ferris wheel.
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blow out of proportion »
To overreact to or overstate; to treat too seriously or be overly concerned with.
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born in a barn »
Of humble birth, especially when referring to Jesus Christ.
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bowl of cherries »
An enjoyable experience.
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bulletproof »
Reliable, infallible, sturdy or error-tolerant.
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call on »
To correct; to point out an error or untruth.
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cat's pyjamas »
A highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects.
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cherry pick »
To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.
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cherry pick »
To select only the best from a range of options.
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cherry picking »
Selecting only the best from a group or other range of choices.
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cherry-pick »
To pick out the best, or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light.
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chinese gooseberry »
kiwi fruit
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chip in »
To interrupt a discussion for the purpose of making a comment.
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cut in »
To intrude or interrupt.
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cut it fine »
To achieve something at the last possible moment, or with no margin for error.
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cut off »
To interrupt.
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cut short »
Interrupt and curtail before the planned end time.
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dead air »
An unintended interruption in a radio broadcast during which there is no sound; a similar interruption of a television broadcast in which there is neither sound nor a video signal.
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deliver the message to Garcia »
What we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.
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dirty money »
Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized. Especially money gained through forgery, bribery, or thievery.
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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.
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eat crow »
To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.
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err on the side of »
To behave in a manner which favours or which is biassed toward.
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err on the side of caution »
To act in the least risky manner in a situation where one is uncertain about the consequences.
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even Homer nods »
Not even the most vigilant and expert are immune from erring.
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f** this »
The phrase emphatically diminishes the activity or event referred to and expresses that the speaker will have no more to do with it.
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facts on the ground »
A euphemism, similar to fait accompli, used as an oblique way of saying that discussions over the possession of a given piece of territory has been rendered moot by the presence of military forces.
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false step »
An erroneous action or decision.
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fits and starts »
Activity which is intermittent, variable in intensity, and prolonged by interruptions.
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fool's errand »
A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.
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fool's errand »
Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank.
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get it »
To possess a preferred outlook on a given issue or issues.
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hold that thought »
To pause in a conversation for an interruption.
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home in on »
To focus or narrow down to something; to find or draw closer, as by trial and error or a gradual seeking process.
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huckleberry above a persimmon »
Something better than something else.
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in for a dime, in for a dollar »
Americanised form of in for a penny, in for a pound.1983, Allen Drury, Decision, p. 356:In for a dime, in for a dollar, he thought crazily, and said what he had to say in a voice he forced to stay level and calm.1998, Ellen Miller, Like Being Killed, p. 47:In for a dime, in for a dollar. I whispered to Gerry,
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it's all grist to the mill »
Everything referred to in the present context has some sort of use.1999, Simon Blackburn, Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford University Press paperback, ISBN 0199690871), ch. 7 section 6: "Kant
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it's not what you know but who you know »
For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.1951, G. P. Bush and L. H. Hattery, "Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers," Science, vol. 114, no. 2966, p. 456:Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know
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jump about »
To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.
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jump around »
To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.
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jump on »
To attack someone verbally, or criticise them over strongly for small errors.
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laughing stock »
C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, act 3, sc. 1.
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look over »
To scan-read and check for errors.
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lost errand »
A mission likely to fail.
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mess up »
To cause a problem with; to introduce an error or mistake in; to make muddled or confused; spoil; ruin.
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nudge nudge wink wink »
A phrase added at the end of the sentence to hint that the speaker is referring to something else, euphemistically.
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object lesson »
A punishment intended as a deterrent to others.
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off the deep end »
Crazy, erratic, or irrational.
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on accident »
Accidentally; not intentionally; because of error, misfortune, or lack of caution.
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on the blink »
Functioning erratically, malfunctioning; not working or not working well. Usually refers to a mechanical or electronic device.
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parade of horribles »
A rhetorical device employing a series of progressively more terrible results following from an act.
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peace and quiet »
Tranquility; freedom from stress or interruptions.
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play it by ear »
To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur.
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pop someone's cherry »
To deflower someone.
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pop the cherry »
To break the hymen; to lose one's virginity.
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pride comes before a fall »
A person who is extremely proud of his or her abilities will often suffer a setback or failure, because he or she tends to be overconfident and to make errors of judgment.
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pull out »
To use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control.
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pull somebody's leg »
To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.
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put through the wringer »
To interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.
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red herring »
A clue that is misleading or that has been falsified, intended to divert attention.
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red herring »
A smoke-cured herring.
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run on »
To continue without interruption.
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scare the bejeebers out of »
To thoroughly terrify.
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scared shitless »
Very scared, terrified.
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seat-of-the-pants »
Done by feel, guess, or trial and error rather than by careful planning, thought or technique.
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show up »
To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
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slip up »
To err, falter; to make a mistake.
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slip-up »
A mistake or error; a minor misstep.
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sticking point »
A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.
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stop press »
The event or news article important enough to delay or interrupt the print, or require a reprint, of a publication, particularly of a newspaper edition.
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strike through »
Partly obliterate text by drawing a continuous line through the centre thereof, usually to indicate the deletion of an error or obsolete information.
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suck donkey balls »
To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.
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take over »
To annex a territory by conquest or invasion.
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the map is not the territory »
Our models of the world, and our sensations of the world, are not the true world.
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the more the merrier »
It is more fun with more people.
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the terrorists will have won »
Phrase used following a description of an activity to indicate that if that activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, an which is an unacceptable result.
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third degree »
Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession.
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throw off »
To introduce errors or inaccuracies; to skew.
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to err is human »
Everyone makes mistakes.
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turf war »
A dispute over territory between rival gangs.
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virgin territory »
By extension, ideas or concepts or activities that have not yet been tried, explored or developed.
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virgin territory »
Land that has never been explored or developed.
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wade in »
To interrupt someone, or a situation, by doing or saying something abruptly, or forcefully, and usually without thinking about the consequences.
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walk in on »
To enter suddenly or unexpectedly while something is happening; to intrude or interrupt by entering.
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who's 'she', the cat's mother%3F »
A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to their mother, or any other woman in the third person, instead of using a properly respectful title or their name when appropriate.
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wild-goose chase »
A futile search, a fruitless errand; a useless and often lengthy pursuit.
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zig when one should zag »
To misstep or err.
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