a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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about turn »
A complete change of opinion, direction, etc.
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ahead of the game »
Having completed a task before it is due; ready, prepared, or anticipating.
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all over »
Done; finished; complete.
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all over but the shouting »
The substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.
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all over with »
Completely finished; over.
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all the time »
Always; constantly; for the complete duration.
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angle for farthings »
To beg out of a prison window with a cap, or box, let down at the end of a long string.
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avant la lettre »
An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.
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bad to the bone »
Completely bad and evil; pure evil.
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been there, done that, bought the T-shirt »
Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.
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bent on »
Completely determined; obstinate.
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best regards »
Used as a polite closing of a letter.
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big fat »
Complete, utter, total.
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bite the bullet »
To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to continue moving forward.
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bite the bullet »
To endure a punishment or consequence with dignity or stoicism.
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blow-by-blow »
Detailing every action or occurrence completely.
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bone dry »
Completely dry; without any trace of moisture.
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box the compass »
To make a complete reversal in stance or opinion.
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break a sweat »
' , Karon Karter - The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pilates Method page 119.
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bring owls to Athens »
Forgive me, then, for bringing owls to Athens as a thanks-offering. — Goethe, in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt.
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bulletproof »
Capable of withstanding a direct shot by a bullet fired from a gun.
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bulletproof »
Reliable, infallible, sturdy or error-tolerant.
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bulletproof »
Unbreakable, very tough.
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burn down »
To completely burn, so that nothing remains.
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butt-naked »
Stark-naked, completely nude.
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buy to let »
To purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it.
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by heart »
Knowing completely; as having committed completely to memory.
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cap it all off »
To finish or complete something.
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cast off »
To let go a cable or rope securing a vessel to a buoy, wharf etc so that she may proceed.
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catch-as-catch-can »
A. 1681, John Fryer, Richard Chiswell, Robert Roberts, Robert White, A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters, Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672 and Finished 1681.
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chalkface »
A musical concept or genre in which music is completely improvised and never played twice. Most often mixing elements of hip-hop, metal, punk and avant-garde jazz.
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chip on one's shoulder »
A form of challenge in the same spirit as a medieval knight throwing down his gauntlet.
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clean out »
To empty completely; to remove all money or possessions from.
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close in on »
To near a goal or completion.
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cold turkey »
The sudden and complete withdrawal of a dependent substance, especially of a drug.
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come full circle »
To complete a cycle of transition, returning to the point of origin.
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come full circle »
To make a complete change or reform.
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come through »
Not to let somebody down, keep one's promise.
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cover one's bases »
To be thorough; to prepare thoroughly or completely.
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cross off »
To finish; to mark something as complete.
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cross paths »
To be, by chance, in the same physical place at the same time, as a result of two completely separate journeys.
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crystal clear »
Completely clear and understood.
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crystal-clear »
Completely clear and understood.
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cut corners »
To do a less than thorough or complete job; to do something poorly or take short cuts.
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cut out »
delete
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darn tootin' »
Absolute, utter, complete, very.
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dead »
Completely inactive; without power; without a signal.
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dead »
Full and complete.
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dead set against »
Completely opposed, with no possibility of a change of mind.
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deathblow »
Something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc.
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debris field »
Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components, pieces, or other non-whole items.
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deep six »
To discard, cancel, halt; to completely put an end to something.
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dodge a bullet »
To have a narrow escape; to avoid injury or disaster.
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don't let the bedbugs bite »
Used to wish a person a good night's sleep.
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eat up »
To consume completely.
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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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fall off »
A hip hop term; to completely lose the plot in terms of artistic direction.
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familiarity breeds contempt »
The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.
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far be it »
Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.
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field day »
A school day for athletic events; a sports day.
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fill in »
To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information.
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finish off »
To finish completely.
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fire off »
To write a note or letter quickly.
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fish out »
To deplete the supply of fish in a given body of water.
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flesh out »
To complete; to create details from a basic outline, structure or skeleton.
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follow through »
To finish; to complete, especially, of a commitment.
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french letter »
A condom.
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from A to Z »
Covering a complete range; comprehensively.
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full marks »
To exclaim complete satisfaction with someone's efforts.
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full to the gills »
Completely or overly full.
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garbage in, garbage out »
(computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"
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get by the balls »
To have complete control over someone, especially of a woman abusing a man's infatuation with her.
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get off »
To complete a shift or a day's work.
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go batshit »
To become completely irrational; to react in an irrationally extreme manner.
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go by the wayside »
To become obsolete or outmoded.
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go down the toilet »
To fail.
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go the way of the dinosaurs »
To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go off the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.
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go the way of the dodo »
To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go out of the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.
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go the whole hog »
To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.
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go up in smoke »
To be completely ruined.
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god forbid »
Don't let it be.
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have other fish to fry »
C. 1710, Jonathan Swift, The Journal to Stella, ch. 2, Letter 15.
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head to toe »
Entirely; completely; over one's full body.
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hear, hear »
Let us hear and applaud the previous speaker; I endorse the previous statement; Expression of support, agreement, or enthusiasm for what has just been said.
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hold up »
To fulfil / fulfill or complete one's part of an agreement.
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hole in one »
A round that is completed by sinking the ball in a single shot or attempt, with one hit.
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hook line and sinker »
completely
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if you love somebody, set them free »
One should be willing to let go of someone they love if they truly love them.
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in all one's glory »
Completely naked.
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in full swing »
Proceeding fully, quickly, or completely; thoroughly begun and in progress.
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in order »
Complete, finished.
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in the toilet »
Finished; to an end.
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it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog »
(rare or obsolete, proverb) If a person is determined to punish someone, they will find a way to do so.1596
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it takes all kinds to make a world »
Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.
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jump rope »
The activity, game or exercise in which a person must jump, bounce or skip repeatedly while a length of rope is swung over and under, both ends held in the hands of the jumper, or alternately, held by two other participants. Often used for athletic training and among schoolchildren. Variations involve speed, chants, varied rope and jumper movement patterns, multiple jumpers and/or multiple ropes.
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kick off the team »
In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.
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knock out »
To complete, especially in haste; knock off.
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lead »
Bullets.
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lead time »
The amount of time between the initiation of some process and its completion, e.g. the time required to manufacture or procure a product; the time required before something can be provided or delivered.
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let alone »
Much less; to say nothing of.
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let alone »
Or even.
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let down »
To disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.
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let down »
lower
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let go »
To no longer hold on.
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let go »
To dismiss from employment.
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let go an anchor to the windward of the law »
To keep within the letter of the law.
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let go and let God »
To consciously surrender one's free will to the will of God.
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let her rip »
To set off or allow to begin.
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let in »
allow to enter
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let in on »
To tell someone a secret.
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let it be »
To leave something to follow its natural course.
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let off »
To cause to explode.
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let off »
To forgive and not punish.
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let on »
To reveal, disclose, or divulge.
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let one's hair down »
To relax and enjoy oneself.
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let rip »
To get angry.
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let sleeping dogs lie »
To leave things as they are; especially, to avoid restarting or rekindling an old argument; to leave disagreements in the past.
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let slip »
To divulge a secret, as by accident or mistake.
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let slip »
allow to escape
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let somebody down »
To fail somebody; to disappoint or to fail to uphold a commitment.
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let somebody in on »
To disclose; to tell somebody a secret or share privileged information.
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let someone have it »
To attack someone with great force.
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let someone have it »
To verbally assail someone.
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let the cat out of the bag »
To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.
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let the good times roll »
To have fun or live fully; may imply letting things that are going well proceed.
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let up »
To lessen.
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let up »
slacken
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let's roll »
Used to suggest that an action should begin.
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let-down »
A disappointment or anticlimax.
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letters after one's name »
A list of abbreviations, separated by commas, representing the academic qualifications and civil or military honours achieved by a person.
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loose end »
A small job that needs to be done, or minor problem that needs to be resolved, before a task can be considered complete.
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magic bullet »
A simple remedy to a difficult or complex problem, especially a cure for a disease.
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matter of fact »
Something completely true.
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more haste, less speed »
When we are in a hurry, we often end up completing our task slower.
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not be caught dead »
To refuse completely to do something.
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not touch something with a ten foot pole »
Ambrose Bierce , The Fiend's Delight In conclusion, his respect for letter-writing ladies is so great that he would not touch one of them with a ten-foot pole.
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number one with a bullet »
Superlative; impossible to beat.
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on board »
It's a good idea, but let's see if we can get a few more of the management team on board.
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on high »
"The Lord our God who dwelleth on high" Psalms 63:5.
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on the same wavelength »
In rapport or complete accord.
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one step at a time »
Slowly and carefully, ensuring that each action has been completed successfully before taking the next.
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opposites attract »
people who are completely different make ideal partners.
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out the window »
Made obsolete; altered drastically as a result of situational change.
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out-and-out »
Complete, utter.
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pachyderm »
A member of the obsolete taxonomic group Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant, pig and horse.
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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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payback's a bitch »
Usually a complete sentence: I will get revenge when you least expect it.
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poison »
A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism.
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put down »
To drop someone off, or let them out of a vehicle.
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put through its paces »
To test completely; to exercise the full range of abilities or functions.
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red letter day »
Usually very positive, sometimes very negative.
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round off »
To complete or finish something.
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round out »
To make more complete by adding details.
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rub out »
delete, erase
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run through »
To use completely, in a short space of time. Usually money.
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shape up or ship out »
To either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave; to either improve one's performance in an activity or else withdraw from that activity completely.
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shoot off at the mouth »
Don't let [presidential press secretary Ron] Ziegler shoot off at the mouth without our knowledge.
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shrinking violet »
A very shy person, who avoids contact with others if avoidable.
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shuffle »
A rhythm commonly used in blues music. Consists of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note. Sounds like a walker dragging one foot.
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silver bullet »
A bullet made of silver, usually with reference to the folkloric belief that such bullets are the only weapons which can kill a werewolf.
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silver bullet »
A cocktail somewhat like a martini.
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silver bullet »
Any straightforward solution perceived to have great effectiveness or bring miraculous results.
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skeleton crew »
The minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency or shut down, and at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.
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so far so good »
Up to this point, all is OK.Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good, now let's get to Minorca without any troubles.
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soup-to-nuts »
Comprehensive; complete; covering all of something.
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spell out »
From its component letters.
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spend a penny »
To use the toilet.
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square away »
To finish, complete, tidy or put in order.
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stand stock still »
To stand completely motionless.
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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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swallow up »
To completely enclose or envelop.
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swear off »
To quit or cease completely, or to promise to quit, as of a bad habit.
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sweat bullets »
To sweat profusely; especially, to be very nervous or anxious.
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take a bullet »
To purposely receive a gunshot that was intended for another.
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take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves »
If you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ?used to say?Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.1999,
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take up »
That which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a stitch.
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take up the gauntlet »
To accept a challenge.
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the whole nine yards »
All the way; with everything done completely or thoroughly.
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through and through »
Completely; entirely; fundamentally.
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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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throw down the gauntlet »
To issue a challenge.
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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
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tie up »
To complete, finish, or resolve.
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tie up loose ends »
To deal with the minor consequences of a previous action; to tidy up, finish, or complete.
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to a fare-thee-well »
To the greatest extent or to completion; to a state of refinement or perfection.
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to the letter »
Literally, exactly, to follow the rules as they're written.
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top off »
To fill completely; to fill or refill the final portion of something not empty.
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totus porcus »
Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version totus porcus.
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trailer trash »
Deleted from the movie trailer. Not included in theatrical run.
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turn on its head »
To completely change.
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turn over »
To produce, complete, or cycle through.
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turn to stone »
To become completely still, not moving.
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two birds with one stone »
Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
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under one's thumb »
Completely controlled by someone; at someone’s command..
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wash down »
To wash something completely from top to bottom.
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what goes around comes around »
The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.
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worth every penny »
Completely worthwhile.
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wrap up »
To finish off a task completely.
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you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs »
In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.
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you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette »
In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.
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yours sincerely »
A polite formula to end a letter, especially when the recipient’s name is known to the sender.
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yours truly »
A closing in a note or letter.
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