a pull of the hair for being unfair »
The general response to "A kick and a flick for being so quick", which is in turn a response in itself to "A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month".
|
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.
|
all in all »
Generally; for the most part; mostly.
|
along the lines »
In a general direction or manner.
|
as a rule »
In general; most often.
|
at large »
In general; as a whole.
|
be in for »
To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.
|
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.
|
below the belt »
Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.
|
bend the truth »
To change or leave out certain facts of a story or situation, generally in order to elicit a specific response in the audience.
|
blanket term »
A word or phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of related things. The degree of relation may vary. Blanket terms often trade specificity for ease-of-use; in other words, a blanket term by itself gives little detail about the things that it describes or the relationships between them, but is easy to say and remember. Blanket terms often originate as slang, and eventually become integrated into the general vocabulary.
|
blue state »
A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.
|
boot camp »
A short, intensive, quasi-military program generally aimed at young offenders as an alternative to a jail term.
|
box-office bomb »
A motion picture that generates relatively low revenue at the box office, especially that which is less than the budget for the motion picture.
|
break wind »
To flatulate; fart; to expel gases generated during digestion through the anus.
|
bring forth »
To create, generate, bring into existence.
|
by and large »
Mostly, generally; with few exceptions.
|
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.
|
cash cow »
A product, service, or enterprise that generates ongoing, high net free cash flows.
|
change horses in midstream »
To change plans or approaches at an inopportune time, such as when an effort is already underway, generally considered an inadvisable thing to do.
|
chew the fat »
To chat idly or generally waste time talking.
|
clogs to clogs in three generations »
(UK) Wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild
|
cut of one's jib »
Someone’s general appearance or the implications thereof, especially in relation to making an impression or one’s style..
|
devil is in the details »
The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.
|
die »
Followed by from. General use, though somewhat more common in medical or scientific contexts.
|
die »
Followed by of. General use.
|
do a »
To emulate the behavior/behaviour that is generally attributed to the individual named.
|
drum up »
To generate or encourage; to campaign for.
|
dusty miller »
A formulaic phrase for a miller, related to the dust generated in the milling process.
|
every cloud has a silver lining »
In every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,
|
factotum »
A general servant.
|
fall in with »
To accept a set of generally agreed rules, or a suggestion.
|
for the most part »
Mostly; in general; usually.
|
fudge the issue »
Adopt a solution to a specific problem which does not address the larger, more general problem of which the specific problem is an instance.
|
get away with »
To do something which is prohibited, forbidden or generally not allowed, and not be punished for the action.
|
get the drift »
To understand, at least at some basic or general level.
|
go down the pan »
To fail or degenerate rapidly.
|
go down the tubes »
To fail or degenerate rapidly.
|
go downhill »
To worsen or degenerate.
|
golden handshake »
A generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.
|
grain of salt »
A bit of common sense and skepticism. Generally used in some form of to take with a grain of salt.
|
gravy train »
An occupation or any lucrative endeavor that generates considerable income whilst requiring little effort and carrying little risk.
|
hardwired »
In humans and animals, genetically determined, instinctive behavior, as opposed to learned behavior.
|
heebie-jeebies »
A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.
|
household name »
A genericized trademark or anepronym.
|
idiot mittens »
Mittens connected by yarn or string running through one sleeve, along the back and out the other sleeve of a coat, to prevent the mittens becoming lost. Generally worn by small children.
|
in the long run »
After a very long time; eventually; over a long period of time; more generally.
|
licence to print money »
A means of generating a large income with little effort.
|
lion's share »
The majority; a large or generous portion.
|
made in the shade »
In a condition characterized by comfort, success, easy living, or general well-being.
|
managerial inbreeding »
Bad management, caused by managers making poor selection choices in recruitment, rewards, and promotions of the staff that report to them, leading to another generation of managers who lack the necessary skill sets to reward and promote the most effective staff.
|
nervous hit »
A production which receives generally favorably notice, but is not assured of success.
|
nine day wonder »
Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.
|
nugget of truth »
A small amount of truth in a generally untrue statement.
|
odd and curious »
On the Isle of Man, the common or general man.
|
old money »
Families that have been wealthy for generations or members of such families.
|
on the right track »
Using the correct general approach to a particular task or problem; pursuing something in a promising way.
|
paint with a broad brush »
To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.
|
paper »
A written document, generally shorter than a book , in particular one written for the Government.
|
parking lot »
An open area, generally paved, where automobiles may be left when not in use.
|
pull a »
To emulate a behaviour generally attributed to the individual named.
|
put one's money where one's mouth is »
More generally, to take an obvious stake in the truth of a claim that one is making.
|
rag-chewing »
A phrase used by morse code operators for a longer than usual conversation, generally a conversation extending about 30 minutes.
|
raise the flag and see who salutes »
It generates, usually as a preliminary step.
|
red state »
A state of the United States voting Republican in a given election, or tending to vote Republican in general.
|
ring out »
To make a phone call from an internal phone system to a general telephone network number.
|
roses are red »
The start of a generic poem about love.
|
rule of thumb »
A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
|
rules OK »
To be popularly accepted, or supported by the general majority of people.
|
see the forest for the trees »
To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the bigger picture, or the broader, more general situation. Generally used in the negative.
|
set one's cap at »
. Or, more generally, to choose something as a goal.
|
sex up »
To make more palatable or acceptable to the general public; to improve the image or perception.
|
shoo-in »
A candidate or contestant generally agreed upon as the presumptive winner; somebody who is well-liked or widely agreed upon.
|
shoot the breeze »
To chat idly or generally waste time talking.
|
so-and-so »
A placeholder name, used when a name is not known; a generic name.
|
so-and-so »
Anything generic.
|
sow one's wild oats »
To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females.
|
spit it out »
To overcome reluctance to say something particular or to speak in general.
|
stick in the mud »
More generally, one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive; an old fogey.
|
such-and-such »
A placeholder or generic thing.
|
suck up »
To adulate or flatter somebody excessively, generally to obtain some personal benefit or favour.
|
swing for the fences »
To act in a way that might generate a very good result, but which also has a large chance of failing.
|
swing state »
A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally; a purple state.
|
talk like an apothecary »
To use hard or gallipot words: from the assumed gravity and affectation of knowledge generally put on by the gentlemen of this profession, who are commonly as superficial in their learning as they are pedantic in their language.
|
that's the way life is »
That is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything [1], page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption [2], ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.
|
there but for the grace of God go I »
A recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.
|
there's more than one way to skin a cat »
A problem generally has more than one solution.
|
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.
|
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
|
thus and so »
A generic thing; a placeholder name.
|
thus and such »
A placeholder or generic name for something.
|
to be the cat's whiskers »
To perform better than was generally supposed possible.
|
top of the morning »
A generic greeting said to someone in the morning.
|
whomp up »
To incite or generate.
|
world »
Human collective existence; existence in general.
|
you shouldn't have »
Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.
|
| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
[