a penny saved is a penny earned »
A maxim for thrift that says that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime
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against the grain »
To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.
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balancing act »
An effort to manage many conflicting or competing items or interests.
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barge in »
To intrude; to enter or interrupt suddenly and without invitation.
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beat a dead horse »
To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
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bee in one's bonnet »
Something of particular interest or concern; an obsession.
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beg to differ »
To differ strongly in opinion or interpretation.
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birds of a feather »
People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.
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black-on-black »
A reference to interactions between black people .
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bright-line rule »
A clearly defined rule or standard, comprised of objective factors, which leaves little or no room for varying interpretation.
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buy straw hats in winter »
Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price is low, sell when demand and price is high.
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carry someone's water »
To do someone's bidding; to serve someone's interests.
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catch-as-catch-can »
Intermittent; only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself.
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charity mugger »
A person employed by a charity, or by an intermediary fundraising agency employed by the charity, who stands in the street and invites passersby to set up standing orders or direct debits to make regular donations to the charity.
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chip in »
To interrupt a discussion for the purpose of making a comment.
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circular firing squad »
A political party or other group experiencing considerable disarray because the members are engaging in internal disputes and mutual recrimination.
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clean house »
To clean the interior of a house.
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come on »
A statement or sometimes action reflecting sexual or relational interest.
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common ground »
A characteristic or interest shared by multiple people or systems.
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conversation piece »
interesting object
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cup of tea »
Whatever suits or interests one.
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cut in »
To intrude or interrupt.
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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 »
Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.
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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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do the nasty »
To engage in sexual intercourse.
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drive-by media »
Media professionals who "spray" a bunch of repetitive misstatements, mistaken and misinterpreted news reports to cause excitement and confusion. They then figuratively "drive off" leaving the cleanup of their mess and hysteria to others, to correct and properly explain and interpret.
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eat one's young »
To betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation; savaging.
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f** with »
To mess with; to interact with in a careless or inappropriate way.
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face value »
No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.
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fall by the wayside »
To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out.
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fits and starts »
Activity which is intermittent, variable in intensity, and prolonged by interruptions.
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flutter in the dovecote »
I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote. — Israel Confronts Its Past.
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for goodness' sake »
This interjection expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.
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for goodness' sake »
This interjection expresses surprise or amazement.
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for the love of »
Used to form interjections expressing exasperation.
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full of oneself »
Egotistical, believing oneself to be superior to others; preoccupied with one's own work, interests, point of view, etc.
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get in someone's hair »
To hinder someone or interfere with their actions.
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get off »
To stop touching or interfering with something or someone.
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go all the way »
To have sexual intercourse.
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go between »
an intermediary
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go by »
To pass, to go past, without much interaction.
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go in for »
To have an interest in or approve of something.
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go off the boil »
To lose interest; to pall.
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gray area »
A part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.
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grey area »
An area intermediate between two mutually exclusive states or categories where the border between the two is fuzzy.
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grow cold »
To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.
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halcyon days »
Period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.
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haul his ashes »
A euphemism for sexual intercourse.
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have it off »
To engage in sexual intercourse.
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hold that thought »
To pause in a conversation for an interruption.
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home run »
Sexual Intercourse.
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horizontal dancing »
Sexual intercourse.
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horizontal mambo »
Sexual intercourse.
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in other words »
Stated or interpreted another way; introduces an explanation.
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inside baseball »
Matters of interest only to insiders.
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inside track »
The lane or track nearest to the interior.
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joe job »
An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.
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left-handed compliment »
A complimentary remark which is ambiguous or ineptly worded, so that it may be interpreted as having an unflattering or dismissive sense.
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live one »
A person, thing, or situation which is particularly interesting, noteworthy, or urgent.
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look out for number one »
To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
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love nest »
A room, especially a bedroom or boudoir, used for sexual intercourse.
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mess with »
To interfere.
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middle of nowhere »
Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.
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mind one's own business »
To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.
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mind-numbing »
Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.
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muscle in »
To interfere, or intrude forcibly.
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muscle in on »
To interfere with, or intrude on something forcibly.
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ne'er cast a clout til May be out »
Advice not to change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May.
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nine day wonder »
Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.
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no slave to fashion »
A person whose style of clothing and appearance are unconventional, informal, or slovenly; a person who takes little interest in how he or she is dressed.
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not give a monkey's »
Not to have the slightest interest or concern.
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off and on »
Intermittently.
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old hat »
Something uninteresting, hackneyed, or passé due to overuse or long-standing familiarity..
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old masters »
great painters
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on a regular basis »
Regularly, occurring in regular time intervals or patterns.
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on an irregular basis »
Irregularly, occurring in irregular time intervals or patterns.
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out of the box »
Immediately, without intervention from the customer.
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palace politics »
The relationships and interactions of top-level officials, advisors and other powerbrokers within a government, especially as involving internal rivalry and intrigue.
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payback's a bitch »
Usually a complete sentence as an interjection: I am amused that someone got their revenge on you...but you certainly had it coming.
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peace and quiet »
Tranquility; freedom from stress or interruptions.
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pep up »
To make stronger or more interesting.
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perfect storm »
A situation where a calamity is caused by the convergence and amplifying interaction of a number of factors.
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perp walk »
The intentional public display before news cameras of someone in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the authorities' effectiveness, or shaming the person.
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piece of ass »
An act of intercourse, especially a one night stand.
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power chord »
A chord or combination of notes used in rock music and typically selected to sound good at high volume and high levels of distortion. Power chords make extensive use of intervals such as open fourths and fifths.
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pull out »
To use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control.
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put through the wringer »
To interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.
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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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ring out »
To make a phone call from an internal phone system to a general telephone network number.
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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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roadwarrior »
A person who carries a mobile device such as a laptop or PDA and uses wireless internet connections to work.
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root cause »
An initiating cause of a chain of events which leads to an outcome or effect of interest.
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run hot and cold »
To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.
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run on »
To continue without interruption.
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sell ice to Eskimos »
To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.
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sexual congress »
Intercourse.
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sexual enjoyment »
Sexual intercourse that produces physical and psychological pleasure.
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shell out »
To use a program's "shell escape" function to execute an unrelated command or to invoke a subsidiary, interactive shell.
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shoot oneself in the foot »
To act against one's own interests, e.g., by saying what one is really thinking.
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shotgun shack »
A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.
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silver surfer »
An elderly person who regularly uses the Internet.
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sleep with »
To have sexual intercourse with.
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smoke signal »
A method of long-distance communication sometimes used in ancient and undeveloped societies, consisting of messages conveyed by means of columns or intermittent puffs of smoke.
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smooth operator »
A person who accomplishes tasks with efficiency and grace, especially one with verbal skills who is persuasive in interpersonal relationships, negotiation, etc.
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space out »
To plant seedlings etc at regular intervals with a calculated space between them.
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stick one's nose in »
To be nosy; to meddle or interfere in the affairs of another.
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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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stop the lights »
An interjection expressing exasperation or incredulity. or to illustrate the humour in a situation.
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summer and winter »
Endured.
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summer and winter »
To spend extended periods of time with; to test.
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switch off »
To lose interest, and start thinking about something else.
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take away from »
To make something seem not so good or interesting.
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take out of context »
To interpret something in a manner in which it was not intended to be understood, often deliberately.
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the beast with two backs »
Two people engaged in sexual intercourse.
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there you have it »
Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.
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they're only after one thing »
Men are only interested in sex.
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think tank »
A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.
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third degree »
Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession.
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tiger team »
A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.
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treat them mean, keep them keen »
A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.
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turn one on »
To increase interest.
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twiddle one's thumbs »
To circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored.
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up for »
Willing to participate in; interested in.
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up one's alley »
Matching a person's interests or abilities well.
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ups and downs »
Periods of positive and negative events, moods, or interactions; highs and lows.
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variety is the spice of life »
Variety is what makes life interesting
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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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walk the line »
To maintain an intermediate position between contrasting choices, opinions, etc..
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wax lyrical »
To talk about something with much interest or excitement.
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what of it »
So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.
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winter rat »
An old, unattractive automobile, purchased for little money, to be driven during brutal Great Lakes winters while the owner's "good" car remains garaged and protected from corrosive road salt for the season.
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word on the wire »
The rumour or news going around on the Internet, in business, on the street, or in social circles.
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work the room »
To interact enthusiastically with the attendees at an event, by moving among them, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation.
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work the room »
To interact with one's audience, taking queues from its reactions and adapting one's performance or words to elicit the audience's attention and enthusiasm.
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wrap it before you tap it »
wear a condom before sexual intercourse.
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yak shaving »
Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem.
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