ad fontes »
Go to the sources: An expression emphasizing the importance of conducting fundamental research and of consulting primary sources.
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all the marbles »
Everything; all that is to be had.
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at the end of the day »
In summary; ultimately.
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autem mort »
A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity.
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beat Banaghan »
An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.
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beat out »
To win by a narrow margin.
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beauty mark »
Or artificially using cosmetics.
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bent on a splice »
About to be married.
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blood mary »
Vodka and tomato juice
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bog standard »
Especially plain, ordinary, or unremarkable; having no special, excess or unusual features; plain vanilla.
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boot camp »
Indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps.
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bottom line »
The summary or result; the most important information; the upshot; the net-net.
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bottom of the line »
The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.
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break a leg »
A wish for a successful performance; primarily a valediction to an actor wishing him or her a successful theatrical stage performance.
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break rank »
To march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit.
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brickbat »
A criticism or uncomplimentary remark hurled at artwork or other recipient.
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bridge »
A song contained within another song, often demarcated by meter, key, or melody.
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bring out »
On the market; roll out.
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burn rubber »
To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.
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by a long shot »
By a wide margin; indicates a very big difference or disparity.
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by the skin of one's teeth »
Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.
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cast aspersions »
To make damaging or spiteful remarks.
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cast away »
To abandon or maroon.
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cat and dog life »
Unhappy married life.
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caucus race »
The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, esp. presidential; a primary election via caucus.
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che sara sara »
Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1892 March 17, Cigarette,
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che sera sera »
Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.
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cheat sheet »
Any summary or quick reference used as a shortcut or reminder, a crib sheet.
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check out »
To have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.
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clean up »
To become clean, handsome, smart in appearance, e.g. for a special occasion, especially when it is out of character to be seen as such.
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clean up »
To make a large profit; to win by a large margin, or to win a large amount, especially in gambling. Also clean house.
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corner the market »
To have exclusive possession; to possess something to a high or excessive degree.
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corner the market »
To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.
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correlation does not imply causation »
(statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.
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court martial »
military trial
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cradle robber »
A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.
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cross off »
To finish; to mark something as complete.
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cut it fine »
To achieve something at the last possible moment, or with no margin for error.
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dead last »
The standings, often by a considerable margin to the next-to-last-place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.
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diamond in the rough »
A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.
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drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »
(idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.
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draw on »
To sketch or mark with pencil, crayon, etc., on a given surface.
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dress up »
To wear smart clothes for an occasion.
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drug on the market »
Something which is overabundant at the moment and thus not in demand.
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edge out »
To win in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.
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everything happens for a reason »
All events are purposeful.Everything happens for a reason, so there is no such thing as failure. Mary-Kate OlsenPeople like to say "everything happens for a reason." If you repeat that in your head long enough that starts to sound like "anything can happen with a razor." Laura KightlingerI believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it's important to seek out that reason - that's how we learn. Drew Barrymore
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far and away »
By a large degree or margin; greatly.
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far be it »
Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.
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for my money »
Used to mark a statement made by the speaker as an opinion or something not known with certainty.
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fruit of the union »
A child, especially from a marriage or similar union.
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full marks »
To exclaim complete satisfaction with someone's efforts.
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get one's marching orders »
To be dismissed disgracefully.
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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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grass widow »
A married woman whose husband is away.
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grass widower »
A married man whose wife is away.
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guilt trip »
Remarks intended to produce such a feeling.
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has-been »
A formerly popular or influential person whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline. Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose primary success is behind them.
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hatchet job »
A treatment which serves primarily to disparage its subject; a piece of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.
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hole in one »
Any rare, wonderful, or remarkable accomplishment.
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household name »
A genericized trademark or anepronym.
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hunger is a good sauce »
(dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.
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in a nutshell »
In summary; briefly or simply.
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in the doghouse »
Unmarried and unlikely to marry.
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in the driver's seat »
Having the most important role in a storyline or recognition. Of primary importance.
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it's not what you know but who you know »
For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.1951, G. P. Bush and L. H. Hattery, "Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers," Science, vol. 114, no. 2966, p. 456:Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know
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jug ears »
Ears whose plane is markedly not parallel to the plane of the head.
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knock on wood »
A self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.
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knock on wood »
To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.
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knocked up »
"pregnant", typically outside of marriage.
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lay rubber »
To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.
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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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less is more »
That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieres
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live in sin »
To cohabit as if man and wife without being married.
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long shot »
A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.
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long shot »
Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working. The term arose from the accuracy of early ship guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.
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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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lose one's marbles »
To go crazy.
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mad as a March hare »
Crazy, demented.
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march to the beat of a different drum »
To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.
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mark down »
To reduce the price of.
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mark down »
To write a memorandum about.
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mark my words »
Listen to me; used before a statement one wishes to emphasize.
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mark time »
Marching in place; not going anywhere.
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mark up »
To increase the price of something between its wholesale and retail phase.
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mark up »
To add coding to text so that it will display properly on a computer.
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marry in haste, repent at leisure »
Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.
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marry in haste, repent at leisure »
Two things together too soon will lead to problems.
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match made in heaven »
A marriage that is likely to be happy and successful because the two people are very compatible with each other.
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match made in hell »
A marriage that is likely to be unhappy or abusive and unsuccessful because the two people are very incompatible with each other.
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matter of course »
An expected or customary outcome.
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meat market »
A market where meat is sold.
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meat market »
Or night club.
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miss the mark »
To fail to hit the target.
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miss the mark »
To fail to reach the result that was intended.
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mouthful of marbles »
An indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking.
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noarch »
Short for "no architecture". It is a term used mainly in package management systems to mark packages which are architecture independent. Such packages usually contain graphics, documentation or similar data that can be used on any architecture.
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off the mark »
Inaccurate; not correct or appropriate.
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on end »
Remarkably long; continuously.
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orphan drug »
But which is not manufactured or marketed because the demand is insufficient to cover the costs of supply.
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out of this world »
Exceptionally high quality; wonderful; marvellous.
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out of wedlock »
Of parents not legally married.
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pass out »
To graduate, usually marked by the ceremony at the end of their training.
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peel out »
To start abruptly from a standing stop, accelerating rapidly, especially so as to produce skid marks.
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play around »
To engage in sexual practices outside of marriage.
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play the race card »
Mark Fuhrman, Murder in Brentwood p.153.
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pop the question »
To propose marriage.
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price out of the market »
To charge an exorbitant price for a service or product so that no one will purchase it.
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proverbs run in pairs »
Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.
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pull my finger »
A phrase used when playing a prank regarding flatulence, in which a mark is asked to pull the finger of the person playing the prank, who simultaneously flatulates so as to suggest a causal relationship between the pulling of the finger and the resulting expulsion of gas.
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put paid to »
To mark a bill or a debt record as "paid".
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put the cat among the pigeons »
Professor Stephen Hawking put the cat among the pigeons last week with his cheery remarks about comet Machholz-2, which some astronomers believe could be heading our way. — The Times, 19 September 1994.
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question mark »
Doubt or uncertainty.
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question mark »
The punctuation mark “?”, used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question..
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rest his soul »
Used parenthetically to mark the referent as being deceased.
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rob the cradle »
To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person.
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run away with »
To leave secretly with another person. Usually with the intention of getting married or of living together against the wishes of the family.
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run off with »
To leave with someone with the intention of living with them or marrying them. Usually in secret because other people think it is wrong.
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run through »
To briefly summarise.
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scrape through »
To marginally manage to progress.
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seller's market »
An excess of demand over supply, leading to abnormally high prices; a market condition favoring the seller.
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shack up »
To live together, especially of an unmarried couple.
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shanks' mare »
One's own legs used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride on shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.
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side issue »
An issue or topic which is not of direct significance to a primary concern.
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silver bullet »
A cocktail somewhat like a martini.
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sleep in »
To sleep late; to go on sleeping past one's customary or planned hour.
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smart arse »
One who is particularly flippant or insolent or tends to make snide remarks or jokes.
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smart chance »
A substantial quantity of something.
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smart off »
To show disrespect verbally.
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snake oil »
Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.
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snap someone's head off »
To suddenly and sharply rebuke or insult a person, especially in response to a harmless remark.
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socialized medicine »
A politically charged term used to contrast such systems with free market alternatives and emphasize the perceived link to socialism.
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soft shoe »
A speech, explanation, sales pitch, or other set of remarks delivered in a restrained or conciliatory manner in order to persuade, distract, or otherwise influence someone.
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spruce up »
To dress or arrange smartly, elegantly, and neatly.
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steal a march »
To start early.
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steal a march on »
To get ahead of someone or something by starting earlier.
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stepping stone »
A stone that can be stepped on in crossing something, especially a marsh or creek.
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sum up »
To summarize.
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talk out of turn »
To make a remark or provide information when it is inappropriate or indiscreet to do so, or when one does not have permission or the authority to do so.
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tell it to the marines »
I do not believe what you said.
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the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »
(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."
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the long and short of it »
The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.
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three Rs »
The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic.
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three-martini lunch »
A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.
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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 the knot »
To marry, wed, get married.
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today we are all »
March 11, 2004: Denis MacShane, Guardian Unlimited.
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today we are all »
September 12, 2001: Jean-Marie Colombani, "Today, We Are All Americans", Le Monde.
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tomorrow is another day »
Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket:Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,whether shall I flie?Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,while she passeth by.Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,remember, remember,to morrow is another day:1896, Amelia E. Barr, A Knight of the Nets, ch. 8:"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch. 63:"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."2005, Fran Schumer, "JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women," New York Times, 19 June (retrieved 18 Aug. 2009):"Half of me is depressed
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touch a nerve »
To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.
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trump up »
Heavily publicise, promote or market a product.
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walk the line »
To mark or secure a boundary by walking along it.
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war bride »
A woman who marries a man who is on active duty military in wartime.
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white marriage »
An unconsummated marriage.
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wide of the mark »
Inaccurate.
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wide of the mark »
Missing the target.
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work spouse »
A man or woman in the workplace with whom one shares a special relationship having bonds similar to those of a marriage: special confidences, loyalties, shared jokes and experiences, and unusual degree of honesty or openness.
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wrap up »
To summarize or recapitulate.
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