a gentleman and a scholar »
An admirable person.
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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".
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a scholar and a gentleman »
An admirable person.
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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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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.
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all in all »
Generally; for the most part; mostly.
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along the lines »
In a general direction or manner.
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as a rule »
In general; most often.
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at a pinch »
in an emergency
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at large »
In general; as a whole.
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back burner »
A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance.
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back-burner »
Having low urgency; not currently important.
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be in for »
To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.
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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.
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below the belt »
Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.
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