We've found 1340 phrases for NO (0.116 seconds):

a bad workman always blames his tools »    It is not the tools we use which make us good, but rather how we employ them.

a closed mouth gathers no feet »    One who does not speak can be certain he won't say anything embarrassing.

a few sandwiches short of a picnic »    Exhibiting disquiet or unsoundness of mind; not sane; mad.

a good beginning makes a good ending »    Good beginnings promise a good end; start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.

a house is not a home »    A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.

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.

a lie has no legs »    You can't get away with a lie, the truth will always come out.

a little bird told me »    Of information which was gathered from a source not to be overtly exposed.

a man is known by the company he keeps »    People are similar in character to their friends.

a nod is as good as a wink »    The hint, suggestion etc can be understood without further explaining.

a notch above »    Superior to; of a higher quality than.

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

a picture paints a thousand words »    A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!

a rolling stone gathers no moss »    A person who never settles in one place will never be successful.A person who does not keep active will grow mouldy.

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.

a stopped clock is right twice a day »    A normally unreliable person or instrument can occasionally provide correct information, even if only by accident.

abominable snowman »    yeti

above the salt »    Of high standing or honor.

abstract nonsense »    Details which involve diagram chasing.

according to »    Our zeal should be according to knowledge. - Thomas Sprat.

ace up one's sleeve »    A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.

acknowledge the corn »    To cop a plea; to admit to a small error but not a larger one.

act one's age »    To be mature and not childish.

after all »    In the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be.

agree to disagree »    To tolerate each other's opinion and stop arguing; to acknowledge that an agreement will not be reached.

albatross »    Any of various large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae ranging widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific and having a hooked beak and long narrow wings.

all bark and no bite »    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

all duck or no dinner »    All or nothing.

all fur coat and no knickers »    Of superficial appearance and with no real substance beneath.

all good things come to an end »    Nothing lasts forever.

all hat and no cattle »    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

all in a day's work »    A nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment.

all mouth and no trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all mouth and trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all out »    The state of a side having no more men to bat, thus ending its innings.

all over the board »    Showing a wide range of values with no particular pattern.

all talk and no action »    Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little

all talk and no cider »    All talk and no results.

all that glitters is not gold »    Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so, things that look nice might not be as good as they look.

all the same »    Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.

all thumbs »    Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous.

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy »    Too much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably.Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.

all's well that ends well »    Problems do not matter if things turn out well in the end.

almost doesn't count »    Near success (or correctness) is not deemed success (or correctness).

and shit »    Used after a noun or list of nouns in place of "etc".

angle for »    To try to obtain something by subtle indirect means. Political manoeuvres, suggestion, etc.

another nail in one's coffin »    One in a series of factors which lead, or purport to lead, to downfall.

anything goes »    There are no rules or restrictions.

Apa Sâmbetei »    "for nothing", "to no result", or that what you have done was destroyed or is rendered useless after you finish it.

apple does not fall far from the stem »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

apple does not fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient

apple does not fall far from the trunk »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

apple never falls far from the tree »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

apples and oranges »    Said of a comparison of items that are not comparable.

are your ears burning »    Said of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

arse end of nowhere »    A very remote place.

as a rule »    normally

as far as one knows »    To the best of one's knowledge.

ask for the moon »    To claim or desire something that one cannot have.

ask my arse »    A common reply to any question; still deemed wit at sea, and formerly at court, under the denomination of selling bargains.

at a loss for words »    Having nothing to say; stunned to the point of speechlessness.

at a moment's notice »    Immediately; instantaneously; without need of warning.

at cross purposes »    Against one another; contrary in direction or goals.

at large »    On the loose; roaming freely; not confined.

at once »    Immediately; now; right away.

at peace with »    Not disturbed or upset by.

at peace with »    Not menacing or hostile toward.

at rest »    Not moving; stationary.

at that »    Now that it has been mentioned.

at the end of one's tether »    At the limit of one’s patience; frustrated or annoyed..

at the end of the road »    No longer in the competition. Voted off. Eliminated.

at the end of the road »    No longer living. Dead.

at the momont »    now

at this point in time »    Right now.

autem cackler »    Dissenters of every denomination.

away with the fairies »    Not with it, dreaming, not all there.

babe in the woods »    A person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless.

back up »    For the non-striker to take a few steps down the pitch, in preparation to taking a run, just as the bowler bowls the ball.

back-burner »    Having low urgency; not currently important.

bad apple »    A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.

bad penny »    A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.

bag of bones »    A skinny, malnourished person.

bail out »    To leave or not attend.

balance out »    To counteract one another so as to be balanced.

bang about »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

bang around »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

banyan day »    In British naval tradition, this originally referred to a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

baptism by fire »    A trying ordeal that was not experienced before.

bar none »    Without exception; excluding nothing else of the same kind.

bat away »    To knock an object, usually a ball.

be that as it may »    Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.

beam up »    To be teleported over a long distance by means of a specific imaginary technology, specifically from the surface of a planet to an orbiting starship.

beam up »    To teleport another person or object in the same manner.

bear down »    To approach another vessel from windward.

bear in mind »    Remember; consider; note.

beats me »    I don't know; I have no idea.

beauty sleep »    C. 1900, Ralph Connor, The Man From Glengarry, ch. 23.

been there, done that »    An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is now bored.

behind somebody's back »    Without somebody's knowledge; secretly.

below par »    Not up to the average or normal standard.

below the belt »    Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.

bench jockey »    A baseball term for a player, coach or manager who is annoying and distracts opposition players and umpires from his team's dugout bench with verbal repartee.

bend somebody's ear »    Sorry to bend your ear with the whole story, but I think you ought to know.

bet the farm »    To be absolutely certain, to have no doubts.

better an egg today than a hen tomorrow »    It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.

better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all »    Having experience of love, even if it ended, is better than having no experience of love.Love is worthwhile despite the pain involved in separation.

betwixt and between »    Neither one thing nor the other.

big break »    A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.

big fish in a small pond »    One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.

bird in the bosom »    A secret pledge that one makes for another.

birds of a feather flock together »    People of similar character, background, or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another.

bite me »    An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.

black »    Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and colourless.

black sheep »    A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person.

blaze a trail »    To set precedent or do something novel; to break new ground.

blessed event »    An occurrence or occasion which is particularly noteworthy and enjoyable.

blind »    An 1800s baseball term meaning no score.

blood is thicker than water »    Family relations and loyalties are stronger than relationships with people who are not family members.1866, Anthony Trollope, The Belton Estate, ch. 30,Blood is thicker than water, is it not? If cousins are not friends, who can be?circa 1915, Lucy Fitch Perkins, The Scotch Twins, ch. 5,The old clans are scattered now, but blood is thicker than water still, and you're welcome to the fireside of your kinsman!

blow smoke »    To speak with a lack of credibility, sense, purpose, or truth; to speak nonsense.

blue note »    Notes added to the major scale for expressive quality in jazz and blues music, particularly the flatted third, fifth and seventh.

bluewash »    To tout a business or organization's commitment to social responsibility, and to use this perception for public relations and economic gain; to present a humanitarian front in this manner.

bog standard »    Especially plain, ordinary, or unremarkable; having no special, excess or unusual features; plain vanilla.

bone of contention »    Something that continues to be disputed; something on which no agreement can be reached.

bone up »    To study or cram, especially in order to refresh one's knowledge of a topic.

borganism »    An organization of autonomous organisms that exhibit collectivism: individual "units" that have merged to yield a unified construct. Such an amalgam may possess a collective consciousness, arguably an emergent phenomenon of social networking.

born in a barn »    Engaging in the annoying behavior of inappropriately, and usually neglectfully, leaving open a door or window.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth »    Note. The original nautical expression is just born with a silver spoon and describes those young gentlemen who were able to enter the Royal Navy without examination and whose promotion was assured. the converse was born with a wooden ladle.

born yesterday »    New, naive, innocent, inexperienced or easily deceived.

boss about »    To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.

boss around »    To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.

box the compass »    To know, and be able to recite the 32 points and quarter points of the magnetic compass from North, both clockwise and anticlockwise.

boys will be boys »    It is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.

brain-dead »    Having no useful thoughts; stupid; ditzy.

brass monkey »    A cocktail of vodka, rum and orange juice, sometimes with the addition of galliano.

break even »    To neither gain nor lose money.

break even »    To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.

break the ice »    To start to get to know people, by avoiding awkwardness.

bridge »    A song contained within another song, often demarcated by meter, key, or melody.

bridge »    An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.

bridge »    The upper bony ridge of the human nose.

bright-line rule »    A clearly defined rule or standard, comprised of objective factors, which leaves little or no room for varying interpretation.

bring owls to Athens »    Perhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. — Herbert Burkert.

bring owls to Athens »    To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.

brown noser »    One who sucks up; a bootlicker, ass-kisser, sycophant.

browned off »    Annoyed, upset, angry, bored, fed up, disgusted.

bucket of bolts »    A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.

bugger all »    Nothing.

bugger up »    To break or spoil something, or make it inoperative, useless etc.

bum around »    To wander around idly to no purpose; to loaf or loiter.

burn down »    To burn to nothing.

burn down »    To completely burn, so that nothing remains.

burn up »    To anger; to annoy.

burst someone's bubble »    To disillusion; to disabuse someone of a false notion or rationalization that has grown comfortable.

bush league »    A professional sports association at the lower levels of minor league organization.

business as usual »    The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.

busted flush »    A potential flush which ultimately was not filled.

busy work »    Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

but who's counting »    Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to.

butterfly upon a wheel »    An innocent person crushed by life's adversities.

by heart »    Knowing completely; as having committed completely to memory.

by hook or by crook »    By any means possible; one way or another.

by no means »    Certainly not; definitely not.

by the skin of one's teeth »    Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.

by the way »    Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.

call out »    To yell out; to vocalize audibly; announce.

call someone's bluff »    To take action on the basis that another person is bluffing.

camel's nose »    A metaphor for a situation where the permitting of some small act will lead consequently to a larger undesirable act or circumstance.

can of worms »    A troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious, but not necessarily complex.

Cannon fodder »    Military personnel who are regarded as expendable when attacking the enemy.

carry a torch for »    [2] To harbor feelings of love despite not being in a relationship; generally unrequited or after a relationship has ended, and sometimes implying secret feelings. There is the implication of keeping hope alive.

carry off »    Knowledge, confidence, or familiarity.

cast pearls before swine »    To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it.

cast the first stone »    To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing that one is blameless.

cat got someone's tongue »    Why are you not saying anything?.

cat that ate the canary »    A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.

catch a buzz »    To become slightly inebriated, but not yet be drunk.

change horses in midstream »    To change plans or approaches at an inopportune time, such as when an effort is already underway, generally considered an inadvisable thing to do.

change of life »    Menopause.

cheat sheet »    A sheet of paper containing notes used to assist on a test.

cheaters never prosper »    One does not gain from cheating.

check in »    To announce or record one's arrival at a hotel, airport etc.

cheese off »    To annoy.

cheesed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

cherry pick »    To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.

children should be seen and not heard »    Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.

chopped liver »    A person or object which is not worthy of being noticed; someone or something insignificant.

chrome horn »    The front bumper of a car when used to bump another vehicle, usually to inform the driver of the other vehicle, that the first car would like to pass.

claim to fame »    That for which one has bragging rights; one's reason for being well-known or famous.

clean code »    Software code that is formatted correctly and in an organized manner so that another coder can easily read or modify it.

close enough for government work »    It is not worth investing additional time on perfecting this thing.

close off »    To seal or block the entrance to a road, an area, or a building so that people cannot enter.

close one's eyes »    To ignore.

close, but no cigar »    That's almost correct, but not quite.

closed book »    A person or thing that cannot be easily understood; someone or something incomprehensible or puzzling.

clothes don't make the man »    An aphorism meaning that you cannot judge a person solely by his appearance. Usually pertains to men.

cock a snook »    To spread one hand, place the thumb on the nose and wriggle some of the fingers as a gesture of disrespect.

Cold hands, warm heart; Dirty feet, no sweetheart! »    A few old timer's "fun" way to compliment a lady & to find out if she could be courted.

come by »    To obtain; to get, now especially by chance or involuntarily.

come down with »    To contract or get; to show symptoms of a minor illness.

come in »    Of a broadcast, such as radio or television, to have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.

come out of the closet »    To tell others about homosexuality, bisexuality or any minority or disapproved-of belief, preference, etc., where previously this had been kept secret.

come out of the woodwork »    To appear or emerge as though out of nowhere, frequently in large numbers or quantity.

come through »    Not to let somebody down, keep one's promise.

come to think of it »    By the way; now that I think about it; indicates something brought to mind.

come up »    To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly; to come to attention, present itself.

common or garden variety »    Ordinary, standard. Nothing special.

company »    In non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation.

cooking with gas »    Now doing something in an effective way.

copious free time »    A hypothetical time set aside for performing time-consuming tasks, however insinuating that the speaker really has no free time.

corner the market »    To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.

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.

could not get elected dogcatcher »    Is unpopular.

cover one's ass »    To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that one is not blamed or punished for one's conduct.

creep up »    To advance with stealth, unnoticed.

cross the aisle »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

cross the aisle »    To vote, unite, or otherwise co-operate with members of another political party in order to achieve governmental or political action.

cross the floor »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

crown jewels »    A part of a company sought by another in a hostile takeover.

cry someone a river »    To try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling.

cry someone a river »    To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.

cue up »    The act of taking aim on the cue ball with the cue in a game of snooker, or billiards, etc.

curiosity killed the cat »    One should not be curious about things that can be dangerous.

cut it fine »    To achieve something at the last possible moment, or with no margin for error.

cut off one's nose to spite one's face »    To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

cut the mustard »    To suffice; to be good or effective enough.

cut up »    To aggressively move in front of another vehicle.

daily grind »    The difficult, routine, or monotonous tasks of daily work.

dark horse »    A candidate who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.

day in, day out »    Every day; daily; constantly or continuously; especially, of something that has become routine or monotonous.

dead »     : So hated by that they are absolutely ignored.

dead »    Broken or inoperable.

dead »    Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.

dead »    No longer living.

dead »    No longer used or required.

dead »    Not in play.

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.

dead as a doorknob »    Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

dead end »    A path or strategy that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.

dead heat »    A close race or contest in which no winner is apparent.

dead men tell no tales »    Once someone is dead, they can no longer communicate, hence killing someone is the best way to keep him/her quiet.

dead ringer »    Someone or something that very closely resembles another; someone or something easily mistaken for another.

dead set against »    Completely opposed, with no possibility of a change of mind.

dead weight »    Weight that does not move.

dead wood »    Personnel no longer contributing to an organization.

death knell »    The tolling of a bell announcing death.

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.

deliver the message to Garcia »    Programmers are consistently dehumanized because so many do indeed deliver the message to Garcia only to be at best ignored.

deliver the message to Garcia »    What we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.

devil's advocate »    A canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate.

devil's advocate »    One who debates from a view which they may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity, or simply for the sake of argument.

dictated but not read »    Dictated, as to a secretary or stenographer, but not proofread by the person who dictated the text so annotated.

die »    Followed by with. Now rare as indicating direct cause.

dirty word »    A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.

dirty word »    The name of a topic that a person does not like to hear or discuss.

dismal science »    Nickname for economics or for the field of political economy.

divide and conquer »    A combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.(computing) Applied to various algorithms, such as quicksort, that solve a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial.(as imperative, proverb) In order to rule securely, don't allow alliances of your enemies.

do as I say and not as I do »    Don't imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.

do the honors »    Act as a host to guests.

do the honors »    Perform a duty.

do the honours »    Act as a host to guests.

do the honours »    Perform a duty.

does Macy's tell Gimbel's »    (US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.

don't count your chickens before they're hatched »    You should not count on something before it happens.

don't cry over spilt milk »    It is no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.

don't give up your day job »    Implying that they could not earn a living from it without other regular employment.

don't look a gift horse in the mouth »    Do not unappreciatively question a gift or handout too closely.

don't look at me »    A response indicating that one is not willing or able to perform a task.

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.

don't shoot the messenger »    The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.

don't take any wooden nickels »    Do not permit yourself be cheated or duped; do not be naive.

doss down »    To sleep on someone's sofa or floor because there is no bed spare.

dot the i's and cross the t's »    To take care of every detail, even minor ones; To be meticulous or thorough.

double entendre »    A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo..

double-edged sword »    A benefit that is also a liability, or that carries some significant but non-obvious cost or risk.

double-tongued »    Saying one thing to one person and something different to another; double talking; deceitful in speech.

down the road, not across the street »    Along the radial artery rather than across the wrist from side to side.

down with his apple-cart »    Knock or throw him down.

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.

drill down »    To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.

drink from a firehose »    To take a small amount from an enormous, hard-to-manage quantity.

drop a bomb »    To announce surprising or alarming information suddenly and without warning.

drop a dime »    To make a phone call, usually means calling the police to report another's activities.

drop a line »    A note or telegram.

drop in »    One who arrives unannounced or without an appointment.

drug on the market »    Something which is overabundant at the moment and thus not in demand.

dry eye »    An eye which is not crying, i.e. someone emotionally unmoved.

due course »    A. 1803, Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey.

duly noted »    In a due, fit, or becoming manner; as it ought to be; properly.

dummy up »    To not answer questions.

each to his own »    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion or tastes.My housemate is a strict vegan. I personally could never not eat meat, but each to his own.

ears are burning »    Being the topic of discussion in another place; or sensing that this is happening.

eat one's own dog food »    To use or consume the economic goods or services that oneself is producing; to be part of a closed household economy.

economical with the truth »    Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often used with sarcasm or satire.

elephant in the room »    A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.

emperor's new clothes »    Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.

empty promise »    A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless.

empty vessels make the most sound »    noisy, opinionated people are often stupid.

enough is as good as a feast »    Just the right amount is as good as more than enough: there is no value in excess.

enough is enough »    One should be satisfied, there should be no more

enough to make the angels weep »    Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.

even Homer nods »    Not even the most vigilant and expert are immune from erring.

even Jove nods »    Alternative form of even Homer nods.

every man Jack »    All the members of a group with no exceptions.

every nook and cranny »    Everywhere.

every silver lining has a cloud »    Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.

everything but the kitchen sink »    Almost everything, whether needed or not.

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

f** all »    Nothing at all or very little.

f** it »    An expression of great indifference or nonchalance.

f** knows »    I don't know; nobody knows; it is unclear.

f** this »    The phrase emphatically diminishes the activity or event referred to and expresses that the speaker will have no more to do with it.

face value »    No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.

face value »    The amount or value listed on a bill, note, stamp, etc.; the stated value or amount.

factor space »    A space obtained from another by identification of points that are equivalent to one another in some equivalence relation.

fair enough »    An expression used to concede a point; denotes that, upon consideration, something is correct or reasonable; an expression of acknowledgment or understanding.

fair game »    A game that is fair, that does not involve cheating etc.

fall on deaf ears »    Of a request, complaint, etc, to be ignored.

fall through »    To be unsuccessful, abort, come to nothing/naught; to be cancelled; not to proceed.

fall through the cracks »    To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

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.

far be it »    A disclaimer stating that the person speaking will not do something.

far be it »    Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.

farm out »    To subcontract some task to another; to outsource.

fat chance »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

fed up »    Frustrated, annoyed, tired .

feed a cold, starve a fever »    Eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds.", The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.

feed into »    To be a tributary of another river or waterway.

fiddle faddle »    nonsense

fight a losing battle »    To continue to wage war when it is clear that one is not going to win.

fight fires »    To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.

fine words butter no parsnips »    Talking about doing something does not get it done.

fire off »    To write a note or letter quickly.

fire-breathing »    That emits flame from the mouth or nostrils.

fish or cut bait »    To choose between taking action now, or forgoing the opportunity and putting that energy into another endeavor; to decide.

fishing expedition »    A non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.

flash in the pan »    A career notable for early success not followed by significant accomplishment.

flash in the pan »    A transient occurrence with no long-term effect.

flat out »    Bluntly, no holds barred.

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates an outlandish, discredited theory; a person who refuses to acknowledge the truth despite overwhelming evidence.

flipside »    The B-side of a phonograph record.

flog a dead horse »    To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more.

fly on the wall »    A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.

fly the coop »    To depart hastily or unannounced; to escape or flee.

fly-by-night »    A creatures which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler.

fool's errand »    A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.

fools rush in where angels fear to tread »    A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.

for crying out loud »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for goodness' sake »    This interjection expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

for heaven's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for my money »    Used to mark a statement made by the speaker as an opinion or something not known with certainty.

for Pete's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

for the birds »    Worthless; pointless; not deserving serious consideration.

for the heck of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

for the hell of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

for the nonce »    For the time being, with the expectation that the situation may change.

for the record »    Already publicly known.

for the sake of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

for XYZ reasons »    For reasons unknown and not worth speculating on.

forbidden fruit »    Illicit pleasure; something that one should not take or get involved with, such as an another person's spouse.

forewarned is forearmed »    Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 4:[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.1885, G. A. Henty, Saint George for England, ch. 4:Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.circa 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind":"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."

freak flag »    Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.

free range »    not intensively farmed

free ride »    An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.

fresh out of »    Of someone who has recently left one stage of life to begin another.

friend with benefits »    A friendship with no reserves when it comes to the release of shared sexual tension thus leading to sexual fraternization.

frig it »    An expression of frustration similar to, but not as coarse as f** it.

from my cold, dead hands »    A statement that something will not be taken away from you until the day you die.

from pillar to post »    To another; hither and thither, to and fro.

from scratch »    From the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation; starting from raw ingredients.

fruit of the poisonous tree »    And which is therefore excluded from being admitted as evidence in a trial.

fudge the issue »    Adopt a solution to a specific problem which does not address the larger, more general problem of which the specific problem is an instance.

full of it »    Speaking nonsense; lying, exaggerating, or boasting.

full of shit »    Characterized by speaking nonsense or falsehoods.

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"

get a rise out of »    To obtain a reaction from someone, especially one of annoyance.

get along »    To survive; to do well enough.

get away with »    To do something which is prohibited, forbidden or generally not allowed, and not be punished for the action.

get away with murder »    To do something bad or illegal and not be punished.

get in someone's hair »    To annoy someone.

get off »    To move from being on top of to not being on top of it.

get off »    To move to not being on top of it.

get off with »    To befriend someone and snog them, especially in a public place.

get on somebody's nerves »    To annoy or irritate; to bother.

get on someone's wick »    To annoy or upset someone, usually by repeated disagreeable actions.

get out of bed on the wrong side »    To start the day in a bad mood for no apparent reason.

get somebody's goat »    To annoy, infuriate, bother, or incense.

get someone's back up »    To annoy a person either deliberately or inadvertently.

get someone's nose out of joint »    To become angry; to take offense or take exception.

get someone's nose out of joint »    To make someone angry.

get taken in »    To be unofficially fostered.

give 'em enough rope »    Allow one to function unhindered, or without further overbearing oversight.

give face »    To honor; to pay respect.

give head »    To perform oral sex on another person.

give him enough rope and he'll hang himself »    If one gives someone enough freedom of action, they may destroy themselves by foolish actions.

give hostage to fortune »    He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.

give me liberty or give me death »    A set-phrase indicating enormous displeasure at any over-authoritarian policy or law.

give notice »    To announce one's intent to leave a job; to inform an employer that one is leaving.

give or take »    Approximately; plus or minus some unknown amount.

give over »    To entrust something to another.

give the devil his due »    To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.

give the time of day »    To acknowledge somebody; to give somebody any respect or attention.

go all out »    To reserve nothing; to put forth all possible effort or resources.

go away »    Go away, stop annoying me!.

go by the board »    To be superseded, rejected, or obliterated; to pass by with little consequence; to amount to nothing.

go by the board »    To estimate the velocity of a boat or ship in knots by casting overboard the knotted line to whose end is attached the lead and thereafter counting the knots in the line as it goes aft along the side boards of the vessel.

go commando »    To not wear underpants.

go it alone »    To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups.

go jump in the lake »    Used to tell a person that to go away, or that their request will not be met.

go off »    To begin clanging or making noise.

go off the boil »    Cease to boil when heat is no longer applied.

go out the window »    To vanish or cease, especially due to lack of care, attention, etc.; to be discarded, disregarded, or ignored.

go public »    Make public, announce publicly or to the press.

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.

go the whole hog »    To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

go through the mill »    To experience the suffering or discipline necessary to bring one to a certain degree of knowledge or skill, or to a certain mental state.

go to Canossa »    To submit to the pope.

go to sleep »    An expression used to dismiss an extremely foolish statement, or to dismiss somebody that one does not feel like talking to.

God works in mysterious ways »    Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.Expressing that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways - maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...

gold mine »    A very profitable economic venture.

good enough for jazz »    Good enough.

good old boy »    A male friend or chum, especially a schoolmate; a man with an established network of friends who assist one another in social and business situations; a decent, dependable fellow.

good to go »    Ready for some specific task or ready for normal activity, especially after preparation or recovery.

good to go »    Ready for use or ready for normal operation, especially after repair or renewal.

goodbye cruel world »    An exclamation made before commiting suicide, or in a suicide note.

goose is cooked »    All hope is gone; there is no possibility of success.

grace period »    A length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.

grate »    A horizontal metal grille through which water, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot.

gratuitous violence »    Violence that is not justified.

gray area »    A part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.

grease monkey »    A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.

grease payment »    A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

green with envy »    Consumed by envy; envious to the point where it is noticeable to others.

grey area »    A topic that is not clearly one thing or the other.

grind one's gears »    To annoy or irritate.

ground rules »    The basic rules or standards; whatever someone must know before proceeding.

hack into »    To gain unauthorized entry to, particularly by exploiting little-known weaknesses.

hair-splitting »    The act of finding exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

hair-splittingly »    With exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

halcyon days »    A period of calm, often nostalgic: “halcyon days of yore”, “halcyon days of youth”..

halcyon days »    Period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.

halfway decent »    No more than adequate.

hang out »    To spend time doing nothing in particular.

hang out with »    To spend time with friends, doing nothing in particular.

hard-nosed »    Guided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.

hard-nosed »    Hardheaded.

hardwired »    Not changeable.

harsh one's mellow »    To annoy or irritate; to bother.

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.

hatchet man »    Someone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.

haul somebody over the coals »    To express anger with someone in no uncertain terms when they do something wrong.

have been around »    To be experienced in worldly matters; to be seasoned, not naive.

have it made »    To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty; to have achieved a lifestyle characterized by good fortune and comfort.

have one's back to the wall »    To have no other options remaining.

have the biscuit »    To be of no further use; to be near death.

have to do with the price of tea in China »    To have any relation or bearing whatsoever on the topic at hand, usually used to emphasize the lack of relationship of a non sequitur.

head scratcher »    December 2007, W:Daily News Tribune - Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher.

head-on »    Direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating.

heads-up »    A warning or call to pay attention; an advisory notice.

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned »    A woman will make someone suffer if they reject her.

hen's tooth »    Anything not naturally occuring.

here and now »    immediately

here and there »    In one place and another.

here goes nothing »    Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.

here's to »    Denoting proposed salutation while drinking alcohol, toast.

hic Rhodus, hic salta »    (politics) Prove what you can do, here and now.

hide nor hair »    A trace, indication, or evidence, especially of a person.

hide one's light under a bushel »    For a person to keep some talent or skill hidden from other people. The tone is that a person having a talent which they can be proud of ought not hide it.

hiding to nothing »    A situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.

high noon »    Exactly noon; midday; the middle of the day.

high road »    A course of action which is honorable, dignified, or respectable.

hill of beans »    Something of no importance.

hindsight is 20/20 »    (idiomatic) In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.

historical figure »    A person who lived long ago, usually of some historical note or importance.

hit someone for six »    To hit another person very hard.

hit the big time »    To become successful and widely known.

hoist by one's own petard »    To be hurt, or destroyed by one's own plot or device, of one's own doing which one intended for another; to be "blown up by one's own bomb".

hold a candle »    To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another.

hold one's breath »    To inhale and then intentionally close the epiglottis so that one's breath is not exhaled.

hold that thought »    Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what an speaker was saying.

hold the fort »    To assume responsibility, especially in another’s absence..

hold your fire »    Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.

home is where you hang your hat »    Rather than feeling nostalgic or sentimental, one should simply accept any place where one happens to reside as one's home.1948, Ruth L. Yorck, "D.P.

honesty is the best policy »    Honesty is the most honorable and fulfilling way to live one's life.

honorable mention »    An award or recognition given to something that does not make it to a higher standing but is worth mentioning in an honorable way.

horse around »    To play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.

horse pucky »    Nonsense; feces.

horse sense »    Common sense, especially with a connotation of folk wisdom independent from, and trumping, formal education.

Horsefeathers »    Absolute nonsense; poppycock

horses for courses »    A person suited for one job may not be suited for another job, regardless of their expertise in the former job.

hospital pass »    A throw that stays in the air long enough that it allows too many people to get underneath it, increasing the risk of injury and a trip to the hospital. Thus, a hospital pass.

hot on »    Knowledgeable about.

hot potato »    An awkward or delicate problem with which nobody wants to be associated.

household name »    A brand name that is well known to the great majority of households.

household name »    A very well-known public figure.

how are you »    An informal greeting, not requiring a literal response. Typical responses include.

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.

hustle and bustle »    A large amount of activity and work, usually in a noisy surrounding.

if it's all the same »    If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.

if pigs had wings they would fly »    (colloquial) Expresses speakers skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if the mountain won't come to Muhammad »    "If one cannot get one's own way, one must bow to the inevitable.".

if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen »    If you cannot handle the pressure, you should not be in a position where you have to deal with it.

ignorance is bliss »    Lack of knowledge results in happinessSometime you are more comfortable if you dont know something.

in a bind »    In a difficult situation, usually of one's own making; having a dilemma; faced with a problem or a set of problems for which there is no easy solution.

in a league of one's own »    Far excelling even the closest contender; not having any worthy competition.

in a pinch »    In an urgent or difficult situation; when no other solution is available.

in Abraham's bosom »    No longer living. Dead.

in character »    Acting as the character, not as oneself.

in evidence »    Visibly present; noticeable.

in focus »    Sharp and clear with no fuzziness.

in for an inch, in for a mile »    Given that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.

in front of one's nose »    Plain; clearly apparent; obvious.

in fun »    as a joke; not serious

in line »    Suitable or appropriate; keeping with expectations, norms, ideals, or rules.

in no time »    Very soon.

in no uncertain terms »    With great clarity, emphasis, or exactness; without any ambiguity.

in no way, shape, or form »    Not in any way at all; not at all, nohow.

in one's stockinged feet »    Wearing socks, stockings or other hosiery on one's feet but no shoes.

in other words »    Stated or interpreted another way; introduces an explanation.

in spite of »    Despite, irrespective of, notwithstanding.

in the clear »    Not guilty or not suspected of wrongdoing.

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king »    Among others with a disadvantage or disability, the one with the mildest disadvantage or disability is regarded as the greatest.Even someone without much talent or ability is considered special by those with no talent or ability at all.

in the wake of »    In the noticeable disturbance of water behind .

in vino veritas »    drunken folks speak truth, one tells the truth under the influence of alcohol

inside baseball »    Technical matters concerning baseball not apparent to spectators.

inside joke »    A joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are in the know about the details.

it ain't the whistle that pulls the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

it is not the whistle that pulls the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

it isn't the whistle that pulls the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

it pays to advertise »    Good qualities do not get rewarded automatically.

it's a long road that has no turning »    encouragement when things are not going well. Just as a long road eventually has a turning, problems also eventually have a solution, even though one might have to wait.

it's all Greek to me »    I don’t understand any of it; it makes no sense..

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good »    There is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.

it's not the whistle that pulls the train »    Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.1956, James Reston, "Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train," New York Times, 1 July, p. E8:

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

jack in »    To insert an electronic coupling into a receptacle; to connect to something, whether involving a physical medium or not.

jack it in »    An imperative to stop doing something that the speaker finds annoying.

jack of all trades »    One competent in many endeavors, especially one who excels in none of them.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A master of integration, who knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner; a polymath; a renaissance man.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one.

jet setting »    The actions of the jet set; travelling from one fashionable location to another by jet.

jet-setting »    The actions of the jet set; travelling from one fashionable location to another by jet.

joe job »    An act of e-mail spamming where the sender's identity and address are those of an innocent third party, intended either to tarnish that person's reputation or to flood that person's e-mail with bounces.

jug ears »    Ears whose plane is markedly not parallel to the plane of the head.

jump »    To employ a move in certain board games where one game piece is moved from one legal position to another passing over the position of another piece.

jump about »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump around »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump the gun »    To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.

just another pretty face »    Someone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.

just for fun »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

keel over »    Of a vessel: to roll so far on its side that it cannot recover; to capsize.

keep down »    To cause not to increase or rise.

keep down »    Not to vomit.

keep down »    To lie low. To stay concealed by not standing up.

keep mum »    Do not talk; especially keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep one's eye on the ball »    My ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.

keep one's lips sealed »    To keep quiet; to keep a secret; to not tell.

keep one's options open »    To not commit to a decision, to keep various options available.

kettle of fish »    A situation which is recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation, and which is not necessarily unfavorable.

kick the bucket »    Of a machine, to break down such that it cannot be repaired.

kick up a fuss »    To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little importance in reality.

kids will be kids »    You cannot expect children to act like adults.

kiss up »    To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

knock about »    An informal game, usually football.

knock around »    To spend time with someone as a friend.

knock around »    To do a relaxing activity.

knock around »    To be in an unknown place.

knock around »    To hit someone, or behave violently towards them.

knock back »    To drink an alcoholic beverage swiftly or often.

knock down »    To hit or knock (something), intentionally or accidentally, so that it falls.

knock down »    To demolish.

knock down »    Sold with a blow from the gavel.

knock down »    To reduce the price of.

knock down »    To drink fast.

knock for a loop »    To astonish; to surprise very much.

knock it off »    Stop doing something; desist.

knock off »    An imitation, especially one of poorer quality.

knock on wood »    A self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.

knock on wood »    To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.

knock out »    To strike or bump someone or something out.

knock out »    To render someone unconscious, as by a blow to the head.

knock out »    To put someone to sleep.

knock out »    To exhaust a personal or animal.

knock out »    To complete, especially in haste; knock off.

knock out of the box »    To cause a pitcher to be replaced by heavy hitting.

knock out of the box »    To cause something to be replaced by something else.

knock over »    To bump or strike something in such a way as to tip it.

knock over »    To rob; to stage a heist.

knock somebody's socks off »    To impress greatly; amaze; stun.

knock the living daylights out of »    To knock out; to hit and cause to be unconscious.

knock together »    To assemble something quickly; to knock up.

knock up »    To impregnate, especially out of wedlock. See knocked up.

knock up »    To put together, fabricate, or assemble, particularly if done hastily or temporarily. See also knock together.

knock up »    In the morning as by knocking at the door; rouse; call; summon; also, to go door-to-door on election day to persuade a candidate's supporters to go to the polling station and vote. See also knocker up.

knock up »    To exhaust; wear out; weary; beat; tire out; to fatigue until unable to do more.

knock up »    To become exhausted or worn out; to fail of strength; to become wearied, as with labor; to give out.

knock up »    To gently hit the ball back and forth before a tennis match, as practice or warm-up, and to gauge the state of the playing surface, lighting, etc. See knock-up.

knock-on effect »    A secondary, often unintended effect.

knock-on effect »    The continued running of an engine after the ignition has been turned off; dieseling.

knocked for a six »    to be defeated; outwitted; outfoxed; beaten

knocked up »    "pregnant", typically outside of marriage.

knocking on heaven's door »    Dying, close to death.

know like the back of one's hand »    To be intimately knowledgeable about something, especially a place.

know something inside and out »    To know something very thoroughly.

know the score »    Be aware of a situation, especially of the consequences of misconduct.

knowledge is power »    With knowledge and/or education, one's potential or ability to succeed in the pursuit of his objectives will certainly increase.

lapsed academic »    A person formerly employed as a professor or researcher in a university or other institution of higher education, especially one who no longer attempts to remain current in his or her former academic field.

larger-than-life »    Of greater size or magnitude than is naturally or normally the case.

larger-than-life »    Very imposing, renowned, or impressively influential.

lay down the law »    To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted.

lay low »    To knock out; to cause to fall.

lay off »    To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.

lead »    To estimate velocity in knots.

lead »    Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as leading.

lead nowhere »    To have no purpose, to result in nothing.

lean and mean »    Efficient because of having nothing in excess of what is needed, and single-minded in one's objective.

leather working »    The technology of making products from leather.

leave no stone unturned »    To do a task very carefully and thoroughly, not missing any step.

leave no stone unturned »    To search thoroughly for something, looking in every conceivable place.

leave nothing to the imagination »    He stripped down to a pair of see-through briefs that left nothing to the imagination.

leave nothing to the imagination »    To cover or hide very little or nothing.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient

let alone »    Much less; to say nothing of.

let go »    To no longer hold on.

let off »    To forgive and not punish.

let the cat out of the bag »    To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

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.

level up »    To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has aquired enough experience points.

lex dubia non obligat »    (law) A doubtful law is not binding.

life is like a box of chocolates »    Life is full of surprises, you never know what will happen next.

life's a bitch »    An expression of acceptance of misfortune.1950, Joy Davidman, Weeping Bay, page 184:She'd have been willing enough to use them, poor dead little bitch. Life's a bitch. Life's a bad joke.

life's not all skittles and beer »    Skittles and Beer refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life; skittles being a British pub game. Thus, life's not all skittles and beer means that not everything is about pleasure.

like it or lump it »    To accept a situation whether one agrees with it or not.

like nobody's business »    In an extreme manner; rapidly; excessively; like crazy.

lion »    The arms of the University of the West Indies are Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure an open Book proper bound Gules garnished Or on a Chief of the third a Lion passant guardant Erminois. Crest: A Pelican proper. . See talk page.

live one »    A person, thing, or situation which is particularly interesting, noteworthy, or urgent.

live one »    Someone who is eccentric, nonconformist, or otherwise peculiar.

loaded word »    Any word, set phrase or idiom that has strong positive or negative connotations beyond their ordinary definition.

long time »    Used as part of greeting of two people who have not been in contact for a long time.

long time no hear »    I haven't heard from you for a long time.

long time no see »    I haven't seen you for a long time.

look the other way »    To ignore something wrong. Similar to connive.

look what the cat's dragged in »    Used as an ironic acknowledgement of someone's arrival, especially to imply that they are unwelcome or disagreeable in some way.

Loose cannon »    A cannon that breaks loose during battle or a storm and causes serious damage to the ship and its crew.

Loose cannon »    An uncontrolled or unpredictable person who causes damage to his own friends, faction, political party, etc.

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.

loose end »    The end of a rope that has not been fastened.

loose ends »    Leftover items that have not been addressed or attended to.

love is blind »    A person who is in love can see no faults or imperfections in the person who is loved.

lubrication payment »    A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

lump it »    To endure, accept, put up with a situation one does not like.

mad money »    A sum of money kept in reserve or to insulate oneself financially in the event of the sudden breakdown of a relationship in which one is economically dependent.

make a living »    To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.

make a virtue of necessity »    To make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits.

make for »    ????, translator unknown, author Galileo Galilei, Two Chief World Systems.

make no bones about »    To see no difficulty in, have no objection to.

make over »    To renovate or to convert to a different use.

make the welkin ring »    To make a loud noise.

man of parts »    A man that is talented in multiple areas of life. This includes but is not limited to the area of seduction. He puts very little emphasis on memorized scripts or "peacocking" and instead relies on individualized ways to charm a woman.

managerial inbreeding »    Bad management, caused by managers making poor selection choices in recruitment, rewards, and promotions of the staff that report to them, leading to another generation of managers who lack the necessary skill sets to reward and promote the most effective staff.

manoeuvre the apostles »    To rob Peter to pay Paul; that is, to borrow money of one man to pay another.

march to the beat of a different drum »    To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.

mark time »    Marching in place; not going anywhere.

measure twice and cut once »    (literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn

memory lane »    A set of recollections available to be reviewed, especially accompanied by a feeling of nostalgia.

mess around »    To have a non-committal sexual relationship.

mess up »    To make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.

middle of nowhere »    Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.

middle of the road »    Having a centrist attitude or philosophy; not extreme, especially politically.

mills of the gods grind slowly »    Justice may arrive slowly, but it cannot be avoided.

mind one's own business »    To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.

misery loves company »    Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.1995, Chris Abbott,

miss out »    To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.

monkey business »    An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious.

more cry than wool »    Asserted but not grounded in reality.

morning, noon and night »    Constantly; ceaselessly; without stopping.

mouth breather »    A person who routinely inhales and exhales through the mouth, instead of through the nose.

move on »    To leave somewhere for another place.

muck about »    To do somethings with a piece of equipment when you do not understand how it works.

mum's the word »    The accompanying facts are a secret, not to be divulged.

mutual admiration society »    A group of two or more people, in a workplace or other social environment, who routinely express considerable esteem and support for one another, sometimes to the point of exaggeration or pretense.

nary a »    Not one; none.

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.

nearly never bulled a cow »    (Irish) Near enough is not good enough.

necessity is the mother of innovation »    Alternative form of necessity is the mother of invention.

necker's knob »    A knob attached to the steering wheel of an automobile, especially before the widespread availability of power steering, helping the driver steer with one arm and leaving the other arm free to provide romantic attention to a companion.

neither fish nor fowl »    Said of something not easily categorized or not fitting neatly into any established group.

neither here nor there »    Not important; having no significance or influence on the question at hand; not related; not relevant; not germane; not pertinent.

nervous hit »    A production which receives generally favorably notice, but is not assured of success.

never in a million years »    Absolutely not.

never in a month of Sundays »    At no time whatsoever.

never mind »    Do not be concerned.

never mind »    It is not important; do not fret.

never you mind »    Do not concern yourself with it; it is none of your business.

nightcap »    A warm cloth cap worn while sleeping, often with pajamas. Nightcaps were common in northern Europe before central heating was available, when homes were cold at night.

no biggie »    Not a big deal, not something to worry about.

no brainer »    Something that supposedly doesn’t take much intellectual thought. Whoever says that something is a no brainer is usually the one with no brains.

no comment »    A refusal to say the obvious impolite retort.

no comment »    An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.

no cover »    Without a cover charge.

no dice »    An unacceptable alternative.

no dice »    An unfavorable result.

no fear »    certainly not

no frills »    Basic or simple; providing only what is necessary, without anything extra or fancy.

no glove, no love »    Without a condom, there will be no sex.

no good deed ever goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no good deed goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no great shakes »    Unexceptional; not special or noteworthy; not very effective.

no holds barred »    Without reserve; in an especially ruthless or vicious manner.

no holds barred »    Without restrictions on holds or what opponents may do.

no ifs, ands, or buts »    Period; exactly so; without modification, limitation, or addendum.

no joy »    A negative outcome.

no love lost »    Dislike, animosity.

no man is an island »    All people are connected to other people and dependent on other people.1623, John Donne,

no matter »    regardless of

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney »    Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.

no nevermind »    No difference.

no news is good news »    A lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.

no pain, no gain »    One must be willing to endure some inconvenience or discomfort in order to achieve worthwhile goals.

no pressure »    The situation at hand is rife with emotional pressure.

no prize for guessing »    Used to form expressions emphasizing the unsurprising nature of what follows.

no rest for the wicked »    (humorous) People who are wicked must work harder than normal people.

no score »    In a sporting event, a score of zero to zero.

no screaming hell »    Something that is not particularly effective or impressive; something that is below expectations.

no skin off one's back »    No harm to one.

no skin off one's nose »    No harm to one.

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.

no slouch »    Pretty good; not bad.

no smoke without fire »    Indicative of the fact that gossip or accusations are often substantiated by fact.

no spring chicken »    Said of a person who is no longer particularly young.

no strings attached »    Without conditions or obligations; without a catch.

no sweat »    See: no problem.

no time like the present »    A shortened form of there's no time like the present

no two ways about it »    No other possible action, choice or option.

no way »    In no way; nowise.

no-show »    An absence; somebody who doesn't show up or a failure to show up.

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.

nobody's perfect »    Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best

nod off »    To fall asleep, especially while in a seated position or in inappropriate circumstances.

nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat »    The idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.

non-starter »    An idea or argument that cannot be sensibly debated.

non-starter »    Someone or something who was listed to start in a race, but did not start in the race.

non-starter »    Something that is not going to happen.

none of someone's business »    A matter that someone is not entitled to be involved in or informed about.

none too »    Not very

nose candy »    Cocaine.

nose test »    An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

nose test »    An inspection of an object using the sense of smell, as for freshness of food.

nose test »    An inspection of the nasal passages or a trial of their function, as for breathing difficulties.

nose to the grindstone »    Hard at work.

nose-pick »    To pick boogers from the nose.

nose-picker »    One who picks their nose.

nose-picking »    To insert a finger into one's nostril, especially to remove mucus.

nosebleed seat »    A seat high in the back of bleachers, stands, or the balcony at a theater.

not a chance »    Absolutely not; no way.

not a pretty sight »    Something disappointing, disquieting, disreputable, or otherwise unworthy of admiration.

not a pretty sight »    Something visually unappealing, ranging from mildly unattractive to utterly disgusting in appearance.

not a sausage »    Absolutely nothing, none of something.

not a sausage »    Jill: Not a sausage I'm afraid, I'm just visiting.

not a sausage »    John: Do you know how I get to the town center from here?.

not a zack »    No amount of money; no money at all.

not all it's cracked up to be »    Not as good as claimed; falling short of expectations.

not at all »    Not.

not at all »    Used similarly to you're welcome, as a conventional reply to an expression of gratitude.

not bad »    Reasonably good.

not be able to get a word in edgeways »    To be unable to say a single word because of someone else's talkativeness.

not be caught dead »    To refuse completely to do something.

not cricket »    Unsportsmanlike.

not give a monkey's »    Not to have the slightest interest or concern.

not half bad »    Pretty good; okay; decent.

not have a leg to stand on »    To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.

not have the faintest »    To not know; to have no idea.

not in Kansas anymore »    No longer in quiet and comfortable surroundings; in the big city.

not leave one's thoughts »    Said when one keeps thinking about something.

not long for this world »    Unlikely to remain for much time.

not much of anything »    Very little; not a lot.

not on your life »    Absolutely not; under no circumstances.

not on your nelly »    Not on your life, an emphatic form of no.

not on your tintype »    An answer indicating outright rejection or denial; no way; absolutely not.

not quite »    Almost, very nearly.

not the end of the world »    It's of minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.

not to put too fine a point on it »    Used to apologise for a possibly impolite statement one is making.

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.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Ambrose Bierce, The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. 8.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Francis Lynde, The Quickening.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    To approach something or someone.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; signifies a strong aversion.

not very »    Not.

not win for losing »    To repeatedly fail in one's gambles or efforts.

not worth a brass farthing »    Worth nothing or next to nothing.

not worth a dime »    Worthless, lacking in value.

not worth a plug nickel »    Having no or almost no value; worthless.

notch up »    To achieve something.

nothing flat »    Amount of time; no time at all.

nothing special »    Ordinary, run-of-the-mill.

nothing to it »    Easy; simple or straightforward.

nothing to sneeze at »    Not bad; decent; acceptable; worthwhile.

nothing to write home about »    Not exceptional; not noteworthy or especially good.

nothing ventured, nothing gained »    If one takes no risks, one will not gain any benefits.

noughts and crosses »    pen and paper game

now and then »    Sometimes; occasionally.

now you mention it »    The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling.

now you're cooking »    A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.

now you're talking »    A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.

nut-cutting time »    Time to gather nuts before they are taken by other animals or buried in snow.

odd one out »    A visual puzzle where the guesser has to choose which word/picture/symbol etc. does not fit with the others.

odd one out »    Something or someone in a group that is different or exceptional, that does not fit.

of course »    Acknowledges the validity of the associated phrase.

of course »    Asserts that the associated phrase should not be argued, particularly if it is obvious or there is no choice in the matter.

of sorts »    Resembling; similar to; in a way; partial or not entire; somewhat.

off balance »    Not physical balanced; not having physical equilibrium.

off board »    Not on or in a means of transportation.

off board »    Not participating.

off chance »    A condition of not being likely or probable.

off the beaten path »    In a secluded location; in a place which is not frequently visited or not widely known.

off the beaten track »    In a place or places not commonly visited.

off the hook »    Of a telephone, having an open connection; not hung up.

off the mark »    Inaccurate; not correct or appropriate.

off the rails »    In an abnormal manner, especially in a manner that causes damage or malfunctioning.

off the wagon »    No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.

old hat »    Something widely or long practiced, known, or accepted; something conventional.

old school »    Characteristic of a style, outlook, or method employed in a former era, remembered either as inferior to the current style, or alternately, remembered nostalgically as superior or preferable to the new style, the older denoting something that would be considered out of date or out of fashion to some, but as such, is considered by others as cool and hip.

on accident »    Accidentally; not intentionally; because of error, misfortune, or lack of caution.

on at »    to pester; to irritate; to annoy

on average »    Usually, typically; as a rule; as often as not.

on high »    "According to those on high there is no global warming".

on ice »    Not being used, or not to be used e.g.

on the back burner »    Not immediate; inactive; receiving less than full or regular attention.

on the blink »    Functioning erratically, malfunctioning; not working or not working well. Usually refers to a mechanical or electronic device.

on the cheap »    Economically, especially if too economically.

on the face of »    Notwithstanding.

on the fly »    Spontaneously or extemporaneously; done as one goes, or during another activity.

on the loose »    Not incarcerated or in captivity; not under control.

on the nose »    Exactly; precisely.

on the nose »    Smelly, malodorous.

on the other hand »    From another point of view.

on the sly »    Slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily.

on the spur of the moment »    On very short notice; spontaneously.

on the tip of one's tongue »    Known but not quite remembered.

on tiptoe »    We crept out on tiptoe so as not to wake the children.

once you go black, you never go back »    An expression assuming that once a person of another race gets in a sexual relationship with a black person they won't return to their own race.

one another »    Used of a reciprocal relationship among a group of more than two people or things; compare each other.

one another »    each other

one brick short of a full load »    Not mentally sound; insane.

one can run but one can't hide »    There is nothing someone can do to evade something.You can run but you can't hide.

one can't hold two watermelons in one hand »    do not attempt to take on more than you can handle

one candle short of a box »    not bright; stupid

one good turn deserves another »    One act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness.

one in the eye for »    An event or achievement which is unpleasant for someone, especially for those who considered it impossible or unwelcome; an annoyance.

one swallow does not a summer make »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one swallow does not make a summer »    A sign is not proof

one swallow doesn't make a summer »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one thousand »    Used in a common chronometric counting scheme, in which each iteration is sequentially numbered and supposed to be approximately one second in length.

one-hit wonder »    A musical performer or musical group known for a single hit song, especially after failing at later attempts at success.

one-hit wonder »    A person or group known for achieving only a single major accomplishment.

one-night stand »    A single sexual encounter between two individuals, where at least one of the parties has no immediate intention or expectation of establishing a longer-term sexual or romantic relationship. As the phrase implies, the relationship lasts for only one night.

one-note »    Having only one opinion, outlook, tone, etc., especially as expressed repetitively; without variety or range.

one-trick pony »    A performing animal that knows only one trick.

one-trick pony »    A person or group noteworthy for only a single achievement, skill, or characteristic.

only fools and horses work »    Philosophy of life that people who do not look for an easy way of earning a living are foolish.

ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny »    (biology, social sciences, art, philosophy) The physical, cultural, moral, or intellectual development of each individual passes through stages similar to the developmental stages of that individual's species, society, or civilization.1905, J. A. Harris, "The Importance of Investigations of Seedling Stages," Science, New Series, vol. 22, no. 554, p. 186:With reference to seedling stages the statement that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny must be made with great reserve.1961, M. E. Wolfgang, "Pioneers in Criminology: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)," The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, vol. 52, no. 4, p. 367:Haeckel maintained that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and this idea was incorporated by Lombroso into his parallelism between the criminal and the child.2002, B. S. Jackson, "Models in Legal History: The Case of Biblical Law," Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 11:For even if we accept that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," those responsible for the drafting of ancient legal documents were not children, and are hardly to be endowed with some form of infantile mentality.

opposite number »    A person who holds a position in an organization that corresponds to that held by another person in an other organization; a counterpart.

opt out »    To choose not to participate in something.

or else »    Go now, or else you'll have to stay all night.

orphan drug »    But which is not manufactured or marketed because the demand is insufficient to cover the costs of supply.

out loud »    Using the voice; not silently; aloud.

out of character »    Not acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.

out of character »    Not in character; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance. See also break character, drop character.

out of date »    Not current, outmoded, out of style, or too old to be used.

out of fix »    Wrong, broken, nonfunctional.

out of house and home »    Global Checkup: How Healthy is Earth?, Science NOW.

out of it »    Disoriented; not thinking clearly.

out of it »    Not participating in some trend or group.

out of kilter »    Disturbed; out of order; not working or adjusted properly.

out of nowhere »    In an unexpected or inexplicable manner of arrival or occurrence.

out of order »    Not functioning properly.

out of order »    Out of normal sequence.

out of place »    Not in the proper situation or arrangement, or inappropriate for the circumstances.

out of place »    She comes in out of the storm with not a hair out of place.

out of proportion »    Not in a proper or pleasing relation to other things, especially in terms of size.

out of sight »    Not accessible to view.

out of sight »    The notice was out of sight behind the door.

out of sight, out of mind »    When something is not nearby, it is forgotten about.

out of the loop »    Not informed up to date; current; not kept part of the discussion.

out of the mouths of babes »    The greatest wisdom comes from children, who are not afraid or weary of the world and its pressures.

out of the running »    No longer in competition.

out of the way »    Not obstructing or hindering; not in the way.

out of thin air »    From non-existent resources.

out of touch »    No longer conversant with facts; not aware or realistic.

out of touch »    No longer maintaining contact or communications.

out of wedlock »    Of parents not legally married.

out of whack »    Not in proper alignment.

out of whack »    Not in proper balance; unbalanced.

out of whack »    Not working or operating properly.

out of work »    Unemployed, or having nothing to do.

out on the tiles »    I've had a pint of bitter and now I'm feeling better and I'm out on the tiles." Led Zeppelin in their song "Out on the tiles", 1970.

outshout »    To shout louder or for longer than another.

outsider »    A newcomer with little or no experience in an organization or community.

outsider »    One who is not part of a community or organization.

over my dead body »    Under no circumstances; absolutely not.

over the top »    Bold; beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; outrageous.

overleap »    To ignore.

own up »    To acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt. Often used with to.

pachyderm »    A member of the obsolete taxonomic group Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant, pig and horse.

pain in the butt »    A nuisance; a source of trouble or annoyance.

pain in the neck »    Someone or something which is annoying, irritating or inconvenient.

paint oneself into a corner »    To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.

paint with a broad brush »    To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.

par for the course »    To be expected; normal; common; usual.

park the car in Harvard Yard »    A sentence used to illustrate that the Boston accent is non-rhotic; typically pronounced "pahk the cah in Hahvad Yahd".

parking lot »    An open area, generally paved, where automobiles may be left when not in use.

party animal »    A person known for frequent, enthusiastic attendance at parties, especially one whose partying behavior is exuberant or excessive.

party crasher »    Someone who attempts and often gains entry to a party or club to which they were not invited, often using social engineering techniques. The party crasher usually tries to blend into the party so as not to be kicked out.

party to »    Privy to; having knowledge of.

pass the buck »    To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.

pay the bills »    To provide enough income to sustain one's lifestyle.

pay through the nose »    To pay a high price, especially an exorbitant or excessive amount, either in money or in some other manner.

peachy keen »    Extremely good, exactly right; all right. Often used in the negative or with an ironic or sarcastic connotation to mean the opposite.

peanut gallery »    Any source of heckling, unwelcome commentary or criticism, especially from a know-it-all or of an inexpert nature.

pencil whip »    To approve a document without actually knowing or reviewing what it is that is being approved.

penny for your thoughts »    Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones »    Do not criticize others if you have weaknesses yourself.

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.

peter out »    To dwindle; to trail off; to diminish to nothing.

pick one's nose »    The act of picking one's nose, insertion of a finger or other object into one's nostril.

pick somebody's brain »    To seek information from someone knowledgeable; to ask questions of someone.

pick up »    To notice, detect or discern, often used with "on".

piffy on a rock bun »    A person ignored or sidelined from an activity.

pig in a poke »    Something whose true value is concealed or unknown, especially something offered for sale.

pig out »    To eat voraciously or ravenously; to gorge oneself.

pinch-hit »    To bat in place of another player.

pinch-hit »    To do something in the place of another person who is not able to perform or is less skilled; to substitute or stand in for somebody.

pink slip »    Notice of the termination of employment.

pipe down »    To be quiet; to refrain from being noisy.

pipe dream »    A plan, desire, or idea that will not likely work; a near impossibility.

piss money up the wall »    To waste money, normally through ineptness in business.

piss off »    To annoy, anger.

pissed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

play around »    To work with in a non-serious manner.

play dumb »    To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.

play fast and loose »    To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.

play fast and loose »    To ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits ones purpose.

play one against another »    To manipulate two persons into competing against one another in a way that benefits the person carrying out the manipulation.

play possum »    To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.

play the race card »    To assert that race or racism is responsible for a course of events, especially when race is not of particular significance to the issue in question; to attempt to inspire a particular reaction by raising the issue of race.

poacher turned gamekeeper »    A person who now works against the same people they once supported.

point blank »    The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.

point of no return »    The point in an aircraft's flight when there is insufficient fuel to reverse direction and return to the place of origin.

point of no return »    The point in any journey, process, or sequence of events when it is no longer possible to reverse course or stop the process.

point out »    To identify with a bodily gesture, notably by pointing a finger or implement.

pope's nose »    The tail end piece of a cooked chicken.

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.

practice makes perfect »    If one practices an activity enough, one will eventually master it.

pretzel »    A toasted bread or cracker usually in the shape of a loose knot.

pretzel »    Anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled.

price out of the market »    To charge an exorbitant price for a service or product so that no one will purchase it.

problem child »    Someone or something persistently difficult or vexing; a frequent source of trouble or annoyance.

pronunciamiento »    A pronouncement or "declaration".

proverbs come in pairs »    Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.1979, Irving Howe, John Hollander, David Bromwich, Literature as Experience: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ISBN 0155511130, page 325:Sometimes proverbs come in pairs, the first one providing the context, the second, the revision.

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.

pulcher »    Noble, honorable, excellent.

pull a face »    To make an abnormal facial expression.

pull out all the stops »    To reserve or hold back nothing.

pull the other leg »    In imperative/precative form, used to imply that the speaker does not accept or believe what another has just said.

put a lid on it »    To be quiet; shut up; to stop talking about something or making noise.

put aside »    To ignore or intentionally forget something, temporarily or permanently, so that more important things can have one's attention.

put back »    To drink fast; to knock down alcohol.

put oneself across »    To explain one's ideas and opinions clearly so that another person can understand them and get a picture of your personality.

put someone's back up »    To annoy someone deliberately.

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.

put up with »    To tolerate, suffer through, or allow, esp. something annoying.

put words in somebody's mouth »    To attribute to somebody something he or she did not say; to claim inaccurately that somebody said or intended something.

quick-and-dirty »    Done or constructed in a hasty, approximate, temporarily adequate manner, but not exact, fully formed, or reliable for a long period of time.

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.

rain cheque »    Any voucher or note issued by a store to allow a customer to get a special or sale price later if an item is out of stock.

rainy day »    A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.

rake »    A set of coupled rail vehicles, normally coaches or wagons.

rank and file »    Those lacking any particular title or status; those having no station.

read between the lines »    To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.

real Macoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McCoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McKoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real men don't eat quiche »    (aphorism, humorous) The stereotypical man does not do things that are considered effeminate, as to do so would imply they are effeminate.

rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic »    To do something pointless or insignificant that will soon be overtaken by events, or that contributes nothing to the solution of a current problem.

reckon without »    To ignore that which cannot readily be ignored.

red face test »    A hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.

rediscover fire »    To relearn fundamental concepts, principles or practices that had been previously well known and widely practiced at a prior time in human society.

remains to be seen »    Is not yet known.

rest assured »    Be sure; no need to worry; trust.

ridden hard and put away wet »    Mistreated; not properly cared for.

ring back »    To make another phone call to the same person.

road to Damascus »    That was my Road to Damascus moment. They played one hit after another and this is the song I remember most clearly.

rob Peter to pay Paul »    To solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse.

rock up »    To turn up to a place or function unexpectedly, or without notice or prior warning.

rocking horse shit »    A metaphor for something exceedingly rare or, more likely, nonexistent.

roll out the red carpet »    To extend the utmost hospitality; to treat someone as an honored guest; to welcome or host, especially in a showy or extravagant manner.

rough and ready »    Crude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.

round down »    To the greatest integer that is not greater than it, or to some other lower value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.

round the clock »    Nonstop, 24 hours per day.

round up »    To the smallest integer that is not less than it, or to some other greater value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.

rub it in »    To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.

rub somebody the wrong way »    To bother, disturb, irritate, or annoy.

rub up against »    To touch another person with one's body in a sexually stimulating manner.

rule of thumb »    A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.

run a mile »    To escape, flee or leave a situation or relationship, usually as a result of a shocking or sudden announcement or revelation.

run around after »    To spend a lot of time doing things for another person or group of people. Often used when that person could reasonably do the things for themselves.

run around with »    To spend a lot of time with a person or group of people. Often used to talk about a person's group of friends that one does not like much.

run away »    To leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.

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.

run out »    Alternative spelling of runout.

run-of-the-mill »    Ordinary; not special.

sabre-rattling »    Any threat, such as one company threatening another with a lawsuit.

sacred cow »    Something which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry.

safe and sound »    Having come to no harm, especially after being exposed to danger.

same difference »    It makes no difference; it amounts to the same thing.

same old story »    What usually happens, a happening which is not surprising.

save face »    To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour.

saw wood »    To snore loudly.

school of hard knocks »    An education consisting of real-world experiences, especially harsh experiences.

scratch that »    To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.

scream »    A form of singing associated with the metal and screamo styles of music. It is a loud, rough, distorted version of the voice; rather than the normal voice of the singer.

screw it »    "I don't care enough to continue"; whatever.

screw the pooch »    To screw up; to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion.

screw this »    "I don't care enough to continue"; "This is too stressful for me"; whatever.

scrimp and save »    To scrimp greatly; to economize; to live very frugally, particularly when saving for something.

second string »    Not as good; of a lower quality or condition.

see the light »    To gain an understanding of something previously not understood, especially in a sudden insight.

see you later »    A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.

seeing is believing »    You need to see something to believe it; visible facts cannot be denied.

seize the day »    To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.

sell a bargain »    A species of wit, much in vogue about the latter end of the reign of Queen Anne, and frequently alluded to by Dean Swift, who says the maids of honour often amused themselves with it. It consisted in the seller naming his or her hinder parts, in answer to the question, What? which the buyer was artfully led to ask. As a specimen, take the following instance: A lady would come into a room full of company, apparently frightened, crying out "It is white, and follows me!" As soon as someone responded "What?" she sold him the bargain, by saying "Mine arse".

seller's market »    An excess of demand over supply, leading to abnormally high prices; a market condition favoring the seller.

send to Coventry »    To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone.

senior note »    A bond that takes priority over other debt securities sold by the issuer. In the event the issuer goes bankrupt, senior debt must be repaid before other creditors receive any payment.

sent to Coventry »    Ostracised, ignored.

settle for »    To accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.

she'll be right »    OK, no problem, everything will be all right.

shift gears »    To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.

shirtless »    Not wearing a shirt. Having a bare torso.

shit happens »    Bad things happen, and there is nothing we can do about it.

shit or get off the pot »    To choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.

shoot 'em up »    A short story, novel, television show, film, computer game, or other narrative which depicts considerable gunplay.

shoot first and ask questions later »    To take action with serious consequences without delay, preserving the benefit of surprise by not providing indication of one's intent.

shoot off at the mouth »    Don't let [presidential press secretary Ron] Ziegler shoot off at the mouth without our knowledge.

shoot one's bolt »    To use up one's resources, especially a singular one or one not readily restored.

shot in the dark »    A guess, attempt, or choice made with little or no evidence or knowledge.

shotgun »    A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line. Mostly heard in the southern United States.

shotgun shack »    A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.

shoulder to cry on »    Someone offering emotional support to another in distress.

showstopper »    A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive reaction strong enough to pause the production.

shrug off »    To ignore or disregard; to be indifferent.

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.

shy bairns get noot »    (Geordie) Alternative spelling of shy bairns get nowt.

shy bairns get nowt »    If you're too shy, or don't ask, you will not get what you want.A' forgot te ask hor for me money back!Wye, shy bairns get nowt

side issue »    An issue or topic which is not of direct significance to a primary concern.

sight unseen »    Not having seen the object beforehand.

silence is golden »    Peace and quiet have immense value.Often the best choice is to say nothing.

sing soprano »    To perform vocal music in a higher pitch than alto.

sing soprano »    To suffer castration or an injury to the testicles.

singing soprano »    Castrated or injured in the testicles.

sink or swim »    To fail or succeed, no matter what.

sit back »    To relax, to not exert oneself.

sit on the fence »    To remain neutral on a certain topic, to not have a stance or opinion.

six feet under »    Buried six feet underground; not alive; dead.

slam dunk »    A task expected to present no difficulty.

sleep together »    To be intimate with another person in the same bed.

sleeves from one's vest »    Something non-existent; something of no value or cost.

slim chance »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

slip through the cracks »    To escape notice or lack sufficient attention.

slip-up »    A mistake or error; a minor misstep.

slippery as an eel »    So crafty, or cunning that they cannot be caught by the police, although it is known that they are acting illegally.

slippery slope »    A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.

small change »    A minor or insignificant amount of money.

snake oil »    A fraudulent, ineffective potion or nostrum; panacea.

sniff out »    To find, especially to find something that cannot be seen.

snipe hunt »    A prank in which a gullible victim is sent off on a fruitless search for a nonexistent item.

snot-nosed »    Young and arrogant or conceited.

snow in »    By a large snowfall.

snow job »    An attempt to persuade a person using flattery or deception.

snow on the mountaintop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

snow on the rooftop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

snowball's chance in hell »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

snowed under »    Have too much work.

so far »    Until now; previously; yet.

so far »    as yet; up till now

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.

so quiet one can hear a pin drop »    Said during a lull in a normally bustling place or scene, or as the result of a sudden dramatic or tense moment.

so-and-so »    A placeholder name, used when a name is not known; a generic name.

so-called »    Same as above, without the negative connotation.

so-called »    So named; called by such a name, with a very strong connotation that the item is not worthy of that name.

social death »    The alienation of certain people from society to the point of being forgotten, excluded, or ignored in society.

sod all »    Nothing.

soft sawder »    "How the old boy swallowed my soft sawder and Brummagem notes!" —Tom Taylor, The Ticket-of-Leave Man.

soft touch »    A person or group which is sympathetic, accommodating, easily overcome, or easily persuaded, especially one which loans or readily gives money to another.

some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you »    One cannot always overcome a powerful adversary.

some people »    Expresses disgust at the actions of a person; a response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.

sort of »    Approximately; in a way; partially; not quite; somewhat.

sour grapes »    A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.

spare the rod and spoil the child »    If one does not discipline a child, he or she will never learn obedience and good manners.

speak for oneself »    Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.

speak out »    To assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.

speak up »    To make oneself or one's opinions known; to advocate or assert oneself.

spill over »    To enter into another zone by way of accident or overcrowding; to overflow.

spin one's wheels »    To make no progress despite making an effort; to get nowhere.

spur of the moment »    Impluse; short notice; a lack of planning.

stand by »    To do nothing. To be inactive in a situation.

stand corrected »    Said to acknowledge someone who corrects something that one says or writes that was not correct.

stand in someone's shoes »    To see from another's point of view; to feel what another feels.

standard fare »    Something which is normal, routine, or unexceptional; something which is commonly provided or encountered.

standard fare »    The usual price for travel by air, rail, or another means of transport.

stay up »    To remain awake, to not go to bed.

step in front of a moving train »    To sacrifice one's own life for a noble and loyal cause.

stepping razor »    A dangerous person, who is not to be messed with.

stick in someone's craw »    To cause lasting annoyance, irritation, or hard feelings.

stick in the mud »    A person unwilling to participate in activities, often because he or she believes the activity is not wholly kosher; a party pooper.

stick one's nose in »    To be nosy; to meddle or interfere in the affairs of another.

stick out »    To be prominent, noticeable, or obtrusive.

sticking at nothing »    Being ruthless

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.

straight face »    A face that is expressionless, especially not laughing.

straw poll »    A survey of opinion which is unofficial, casual, or ad hoc.

strip away »    To ignore a factor which obscures the reality.

stroke of work »    With "do not do a", to do none of the assigned task at all.

stuck up »    Snobbish, conceited; believing oneself to be better than others; haughty.

stuffed shirt »    One who is overly official or officious; somebody in charge but not necessarily in power or effective.

suck in »    To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.

suck into »    To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.

sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof »    No need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.

sure enough »    Just like one would expect.

swing the lead »    To pretend to be unwell so that you do not have to work.

sword and sorcery »    Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines wizardry and other fantastical supernatural elements with violent combat using medieval weaponry..

take a bullet »    To purposely receive a gunshot that was intended for another.

take a dive »    To feign a knockout in order to lose intentionally.

take a leaf out of someone's book »    To adopt an idea or practice of another person.

take a number »    Recognize that many others are in the same situation; recognize that one's concerns are not of high priority; be prepared to wait.

take a powder »    To leave in a hurry; run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.

take a shot in the dark »    To try on something without having any knowledge about the subject.

take a walk in the snow »    See walk in the snow.

take away »    To remove something, either material or abstract, so that a person no longer has it.

take away »    To make someone leave a place and go somewhere else. Usually not with the person's consent.

take away from »    To make something seem not so good or interesting.

take down »    To write a note. Usually to record something that is said.

take into account »    Or pay attention to; to notice.

take it easy »    Immediately calm yourself down; your state of panic does not help.

take it to the bank »    Said to emphasize that something is known for sure.

take no notice of »    To ignore.

take out of context »    To interpret something in a manner in which it was not intended to be understood, often deliberately.

take sitting down »    To tolerate, accept, or acquiesce; to take no action.

take something in one's stride »    Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.

take the biscuit »    To be of no further use; to be near death.

take the rap »    To be blamed or punished for something, especially for the actions of another.

take the red pill »    To understand the world in its previously unknown reality.

take up the cudgel for »    To make a defense for in lieu of another person.

take with a pinch of salt »    Not take entirely seriously.

talk is cheap »    It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.

talk like an apothecary »    To use hard or gallipot words: from the assumed gravity and affectation of knowledge generally put on by the gentlemen of this profession, who are commonly as superficial in their learning as they are pedantic in their language.

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.

talk out one's ass »    To speak authoritatively on a subject which one actually knows little about; to exaggerate.

talk the talk »    Speak like an expert, claim to be knowledgeable about something.

talk through one's hat »    To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.

team up with »    To associate with another in a joint enterprise.

tear up the pea patch »    To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.

tee off »    To irritate, vex, or annoy.

teed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

tell all »    To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.

tell apart »    To be able to know the difference between things; to distinguish.

tell it to Sweeney »    I do not believe what you said.

tell it to the marines »    I do not believe what you said.

ten foot pole »    See not touch something with a ten foot pole.

tenon saw »    hand tool

thanks for nothing »    Expression of displeasure towards a person who has not provided what was wanted.

that does it »    Expression of annoyance or frustration; indicates that one has reached the limit of one's patience or temper.

that's that »    There is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter.

that's the way life is »    That is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything [1], page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption [2], ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.

the die is cast »    The future is determined; there are no more options; events will proceed in an irreversible manner.

the end of one's rope »    At the limit of one’s patience, when one is so frustrated or annoyed that one can no longer take it..

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."

the grass is always greener on the other side »    Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not

the jig is up »    An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered.".

the map is not the territory »    Our models of the world, and our sensations of the world, are not the true world.

the more things change, the more they stay the same »    A proverb making the observation that turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.

the nose knows »    Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.

the sky is the limit »    Nothing is impossible or out of reach

the terrorists will have won »    Phrase used following a description of an activity to indicate that if that activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, an which is an unacceptable result.

the whistle does not pull the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

the whistle doesn't pull the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

then again »    From another point of view; on the other hand; on second thought.

there are two sides to every question »    One should not make a judgement until one hears the other side.

there but for the grace of God go I »    A recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.

there is nothing new under the sun »    There is nothing truly novel in existence. Every new idea has some sort of precedent or echo from the past.

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace »    Even if a person is in his or her senior years, with gray hair, he or she can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual energy.

there's no accounting for taste »    When it comes to subjective matters of taste, people have wildly different opinions.Disagreements about matters of taste can't be objectively resolved.

there's no fool like an old fool »    Age does not bring wisdom.

there's no I in team »    A team game is focused on the team, not on the individual.

there's no place like home »    one feels the most comfortable at home

there's no point crying over spilt milk »    You should not be upset over something that cannot be undone.

there's no such thing as a free lunch »    Nothing is free; everything has a price.

there's no time like the present »    Now (i.e., the present time) is an appropriate time to take a particular action.

there's nowt so queer as folk »    Nothing is as strange as people can be.

think one's shit doesn't stink »    To be arrogant or snobbish; to feel superior to others.

third hand »    Not new, having more than one previous owner.

third wheel »    A person or thing that serves no useful purpose.

thorn in someone's side »    A persistent annoyance.

thorn in the flesh »    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay »    (archaic) One should take immediate advantage of an opportunity that may not be available later.

three Rs »    The basic education any child can expect to receive, but not necessarily limited to reading, writing and arithmetic.

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

throw enough mud at the wall and 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.2005, Mike Busson (poster on UKScreen forum) Re: Voiceovers!, read at [1] on 02 Nov 06,In terms of places to send your URL or CD's, there's no easy answer. It really is a case of throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.2005, "forwardone" (administrator posting on the HYIPForum), re: Alertpay phishing email, read at [2] on 02 Nov 06,I also think that sometimes they send out phishing e-mails in the hope that it`ll hit people who do have an account with a particular organization. You know, throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick theory.2006, Rob Manuel, How to be funny, read in Comedy Soup on the BBC website at [3] on 02 Nov 06,Throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick. Be prolific and don't be afraid to make stuff that's rubbish. If you keep trying eventually you'll get there.2006, Rex Pierce, Re: [303rd-Talk] D Day read on 303rd Bomb Group Talk Forum at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Believe the planners worked on the principle of "throw enough mud at the wall, and some of it will stick".If enough (perhaps false or reckless) accusations are made against someone, his reputation will suffer, whether or not this is deserved2006, "money" (poster on eTalk Money), Some thoughts about compact surfing, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,Word of advice NVUS time to distance yourself from LuukH as quickly as possible and dish some dirt, otherwise well the saying goes - throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.

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

throw one's hat in the ring »    To announce one's candidacy in a contest.

throw shapes »    To act tough or put up a front. For example, to threaten a person by making "karate chops" at them, without actually doing harm or knowing karate.

thumb one's nose »    To act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect.

thumb one's nose »    To place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, usually while simultaneous wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.

tick off »    To annoy, aggravate.

tickle the ivories »    To play the piano.

tie the knot »    To marry, wed, get married.

tie up loose ends »    To deal with the minor consequences of a previous action; to tidy up, finish, or complete.

tiger team »    An engineering or other group assembled to tackle especially difficult or critical problems, often outside the normal chain of command.

time and tide »    Shortened form of time and tide wait for no man

time and tide wait for no man »    action is necessary without delay

time is money »    When a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.

time off »    A period of time where one is not required to work.

timeserver »    A device, node or program that distributes the correct time to clients in a network.

timing is everything »    Consideration of other events can greatly influence some desired outcome (such as an audience laughing to a comedian's joke).Telling the old joke about a butt-crack was not a good idea, just as the plumber arrived, Bob.You know what they say: "timing is everything." I'm sure we can find another plumber before the house floods.

tip of the hat »    A gesture of acknowledgement; often, an expression of gratitude.

tip one's hat »    To acknowledge or show respect; to honor.

to date »    Until now; until the present time.

to go »    Belonging to the subgroup that have not passed or have not been finished or have not been addressed yet.

to thine own self be true »    The easiest person to deceive is oneself."This above all:to thine own self be true,and it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man." -William Shakespeare

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

tongue-in-cheek »    Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.

too hot to hold »    A place that has too much police activity to harbor a fugitive unnoticed.

top notch »    Very good; of the highest quality.

top off »    To fill completely; to fill or refill the final portion of something not empty.

torque off »    To annoy, distress, or anger.

torqued off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

toss-up »    A decision in which neither choice is clearly favorable or unfavorable, or for which the outcome does not matter.

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.

touch%C3%A9 »    An acknowledgement of a hit.

touch%C3%A9 »    An acknowledgement of the success, appropriateness or superiority of an argument, sometimes used sarcastically to mock one's opponent's absurd logic.

touchy-feely »    Driven by intuition or emotion, with a connotation of de-emphasis of rational thought or logic.

trailer trash »    Deleted from the movie trailer. Not included in theatrical run.

treat them mean, keep them keen »    A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.

trench mouth »    Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, typically characterized by inflammation, bleeding, deep ulceration, necrotized tissue, pain, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and halitosis.

tried and true »    Well-established and tested; known to work or succeed based on extensive experience.

tune out »    To fail to pay attention to; to ignore.

turn a blind eye »    To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.

turn away »    To rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something.

turn back »    No turn a dial anticlockwise or adjust a clock or other meter to an earlier time or reading.

turn one's back »    To forsake, to abandon; to ignore.

turn the other cheek »    To accept a punishment or an injury and not act out revenge or retaliate.

turn to stone »    To become completely still, not moving.

turn up one's nose »    To refuse, especially as due to pride or status.

turn up one's nose »    To sneer.

twiddle one's thumbs »    To circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored.

twiddle one's thumbs »    To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.

two wrongs don't make a right »    (ethics) A wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to correct or cancel a previous wrongful action.1915, William MacLeod Raine, The Highgrader, ch. 15:"But when it comes to taking what belongs to another

two wrongs make a right »    A logical fallacy whereby a wrongful action is justified by the commission of another

under lock and key »    Imprisoned with little or no chance of escape.

under one's breath »    Softly, so as not to be heard.

under one's nose »    Directly in front of one; clearly visible.

under one's nose »    Obvious or apparent.

under the radar »    Without attracting notice; in an undetected or secretive manner.

under way »    A vessel is said to be underway when she is not anchored, moored, aground, or beached[1]. Compare with make way.

until hell freezes over »    Forever; One will never in their life get the results that they want, no matter what they're doing involving the situation.

up the creek without a paddle »    In a difficult situation with no means of rectifying it.

up to »    As much as; no more than.

up to no good »    Misbehaving, being mischievous.

urban fabric »    The physical aspect of urbanism, emphasizing building types, thoroughfares, open space, frontages, and streetscapes; while excluding without prejudice to this useful term, environmental, functional, economic and sociocultural aspects.

virgin territory »    By extension, ideas or concepts or activities that have not yet been tried, explored or developed.

vote in »    To collectively approve a nominee into an office or position as a result of voting.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.

wake up on the wrong side of bed »    To feel grumpy, irritable; to be easily annoyed.

walk around »    To walk with no real planned destination, but to just walk, to meander "around".

walk in the snow »    An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.

walk on eggshells »    To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

walk the talk »    To do what one said one could do, or would do, not just making empty promises. To walk one's talk is to be innocent of hypocrisy.

wank off »    To sexually stimulate another's penis.

wash out »    To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.

wash over »    To pass unnoticed so that one is unaffected by it.

washed up »    Finished; having no future in a particular role.

waste breath »    To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded.

waste not, want not »    If one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.

water over the dam »    An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

water under the bridge »    Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.

wear down »    To have one's long hair styled in a free, low-hanging, unencumbered style; i.e., not in an up-do or ponytail.

wear out »    To exhaust; to cause or contribute to another's exhaustion, fatigue, or weariness, as by continued strain or exertion.

wear out »    Of a shirt, not tucked into the pants; worn in a casual manner.

weekend warrior »    A person who indulges in a sport or pastime on an infrequent basis, usually on weekends when work commitments are not present.

wet behind the ears »    Inexperienced; not seasoned; new; just beginning.

whack-a-mole »    The practice of trying to stop something that persistently occurs in an apparently random manner at the point where the occurrence is noticed, such as terminating spammers' e-mail accounts or closing pop-up advertisement windows.

what do I know »    Implies that a statement is based on a guess or assumption rather than on knowledge or evidence.

what's eating you »    What is annoying or bothering you?.

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander »    If something is acceptable for one person, it is acceptable for another.

when Hell freezes over »    Never; not in this lifetime; not a chance.

whistle in the dark »    To speak of something despite having little knowledge of it.

whistle past the graveyard »    To attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome.

whistle past the graveyard »    To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.

whistle walk »    The path slaves took to deliver food from the kitchen building of a plantation to the main dining room. Slaves were expected to whistle during this walk in order to assure their masters that they were not eating the food.

white elephant »    An albino elephant.

white lie »    A deliberate, untrue statement which does no harm or is intended to produce a favorable result.

whoop it up »    To have a great time; to party or revel excessively or noisily.

wild horses »    A force not subject to human control and normally stronger than a man.

wild-goose chase »    A task whose execution is inordinately complex relative to the value of the outcome.

willful ignorance »    A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision.

willy nilly »    Whether desired or not.

wine tosser »    A person who buys wine, but does not drink it.

wine tosser »    A person who talks a great deal about wine but actually knows very little.

wing it »    To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; or to perform with little or no preparation.

with flying colors »    Extremely well; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner.

with no further ado »    Without any other formalities; with no further delay.

without further ado »    With no further ado.

work against the clock »    To work very quickly because you know you only have a very limited period of time to do something.

worth one's while »    Good and important enough for one to spend time, effort, or money on.

wouldn't you know it »    Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at bad luck or misfortune.

write off »    To record an notional expense such as amortization or depreciation.

yell silently »    To think very strong thoughts, that one wishes to yell out loud but does not.

you can hang your hat on that »    It's something to put faith in, to rely upon or trust (when used in a positive connotation).

you can't always get what you want »    It is not always possible to get what is wanted.

you can't fight city hall »    (chiefly US) Nothing can be done to change the situation, because it is a governmental decision.I see they're going to build the airport after all. I suppose you can't fight city hall.

you can't get a quart into a pint pot »    What is being discussed is not possible.They've asked me to get to New York by five o'clock, but you can't get a quart into a pint pot!

you can't judge a book by its cover »    It is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.

you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear »    It is not possible to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

you can't polish a turd »    (vulgar) Something inherently bad cannot be improved.

you can't say fairer than that »    That is good, reasonable, or fair; one cannot hope for a better decision or outcome.

you can't take it with you »    It is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause which

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows »    You don't need an expert to tell you what you already know.

you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone »    It is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice.

you know it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you know what »    A phrase used to get someone's attention before announcing something.

you knows it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you knows it »    You're right; I wholeheartedly agree with your statement.

you made your bed, now sleep in it »    A moralizing rejection said to someone looking for an easy out, especially of a situation they put themselves into.

you make the bed you lie in »    A person's circumstances are normally the result of his or her own actions.

you never know what you've got till it's gone »    Good friends and acquaintances shouldn't be taken for granted.

you snooze you lose »    If you are not alert and attentive, you will not be successful.

yours sincerely »    A polite formula to end a letter, especially when the recipient’s name is known to the sender.

yours truly »    A closing in a note or letter.

zone out »    To stop paying attention and think about something else, or to think about nothing.

BTW, Why won't you become an editor?