a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down »
An otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.
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agree to disagree »
To tolerate each other's opinion and stop arguing; to acknowledge that an agreement will not be reached.
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assault and battery »
. This legal distinction exists only in jurisdictions that distinguish assault as threatened violence rather than actual violence.
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bad taste in one's mouth »
A feeling of guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.
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bang to rights »
Caught red-handed; in a guilty state.
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beat out »
To extinguish.
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beat up »
To feel badly guilty and accuse oneself over something. Usually followed by over.
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blessing in disguise »
A misfortune that has an unexpected benefit.
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break a sweat »
' , Karon Karter - The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pilates Method page 119.
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burn out »
To extinguish due to lack of fuel.
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bury the hatchet »
To stop fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.
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cat that ate the canary »
A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.
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cover up »
To conceal or disguise.
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don't shit where you eat »
(idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation in which one regularly finds oneself.1998 April 14, Nelson Navarro, "Ever faithful, ever true," Manila Standard (Philippines) (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):The guiding principle is Don't shit where you eat. Office romances are always destructive of morale and objectivity.2003 Oct. 8, Jonathan Valania, "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Pussy," Philadelphia Weekly (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Limbaugh was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the NAB convention in, of all places, Philadelphia, thus violating the cardinal law of the animal kingdom: Don't shit where you eat.2006 Sept. 19, Michael Musto, "NY Mirror," Village Voice (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Mitchell refused to indulge in on-set romances with either gender. "You don't shit where you eat," he told me, plainly.
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far be it »
Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.
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go out »
To be turned off or extinguished.
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guilt trip »
A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.
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guilt trip »
Remarks intended to produce such a feeling.
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guilty as sin »
Unquestionably guilty.
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guinea pig »
A tailless rodent of the Cavia genus, with short ears and larger than a hamster; the species Cavia porcellus is often kept as a pet.
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hammer out »
To come to an agreement after much arguing.
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hard-nosed »
Guided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.
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hold somebody's hand »
To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details.
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in no uncertain terms »
With great clarity, emphasis, or exactness; without any ambiguity.
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in the clear »
Not guilty or not suspected of wrongdoing.
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just another pretty face »
Someone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.
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own up »
To acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt. Often used with to.
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painting rocks »
Pointless or futile work organised by the government, supposedly to increase employment but in fact merely disguising the unemployment level.
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penguin suit »
A tuxedo.
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pickin' and grinnin' »
Vigorously playing folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.
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play fast and loose »
To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.
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play possum »
To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.
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price on one's head »
A compensation for capturing or killing a person, especially someone guilty of a crime.
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rivet counter »
A person who has an obsession with the minutae of their particular interest. Anyone preoccupied with small distinguishing features between different items.
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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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smell test »
An assessment of a subject's ability to detect and distinguish odors.
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tell apart »
To be able to know the difference between things; to distinguish.
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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
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turn a phrase »
To create a particular linguistic expression which is strikingly clear, appropriate, and memorable.
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turn out »
To extinguish a light or other device.
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wolf in sheep's clothing »
Something harmful or problematic disguised as something peaceful or pleasant.
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