a cat may look at a king »
Even a purported inferior has certain abilities, even in the presence of a purported superior
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a question of »
The important question is; the necessary question is.
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according to »
In a manner conforming or corresponding to; in proportion.
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ad fontes »
Go to the sources: An expression emphasizing the importance of conducting fundamental research and of consulting primary sources.
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all cats are grey in the dark »
In the dark, physical appearance is unimportant.
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all important »
vital
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angel's advocate »
Someone who sees what's good about an idea and supports it.
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another nail in one's coffin »
One in a series of factors which lead, or purport to lead, to downfall.
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as you sow, so shall you reap »
The personal consequences of one's actions are in proportion to the good or bad intentions towards others.
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asleep at the switch »
Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.
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at the high port »
At once; unhesitatingly; quickly and vigorously.
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at the high port »
Or in a charge.
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back burner »
A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance.
|
back office »
The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.
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back up »
To provide support or the promise of support.
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back-burner »
Having low urgency; not currently important.
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bad penny »
A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.
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bail out on »
To abandon, or stop supporting someone or something.
|
barrow man »
A man under sentence of transportation; alluding to the convicts at Woolwich, who are principally employed in wheeling barrows full of brick or dirt.
|
battle cry »
By extension, a strong motto or purpose statement, especially in regards to winning a goal in sports, games or work.
|
be there for »
To be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty.
|
be-all and end-all »
Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.
|
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.
|
big cheese »
A very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
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big daddy »
Something or someone of importance.
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big deal »
Something very important, difficult, or of concern.
|
big enchilada »
A very important person, especially the highest-ranking individual in an organization.
|
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.
|
big shot »
A person with a reputation of importance or power.
|
big up »
To proclaim or exaggerate the importance of.
|
bigwig »
A person of importance to a group or organization.
|
blow one's chances »
To forfeit opportunities to achieve some goal.
|
blow out of proportion »
To overreact to or overstate; to treat too seriously or be overly concerned with.
|
bottom line »
The summary or result; the most important information; the upshot; the net-net.
|
bottom of the ninth »
By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.
|
bridge »
A particular form of one hand placed on the table to support the cue when making a shot in cue sports.
|
bridge »
The piece, on string instruments, that supports the strings from the sounding board.
|
bum rap »
An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.
|
burn one's bridges »
To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc.
|
bury the lead »
To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.
|
bury the lede »
To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.
|
bush league »
A professional sports association at the lower levels of minor league organization.
|
call off the dogs »
During a one-sided sports contest, to remove the first-string unit of a team from the game after dominating the opponent.
|
call up »
An order to report for military service.
|
carry off »
To transport away.
|
cash in »
To profit from; to use an opportunity to maximum advantage, especially financially.
|
catch-as-catch-can »
Intermittent; only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself.
|
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.
|
check in »
To announce or record one's arrival at a hotel, airport etc.
|
cheer on »
To cheer and support a team, to barrack, to root for.
|
cite chapter and verse »
To provide specific references from an authoritative book, as the Bible or a book of statutes or rules, to support a statement.
|
cry the blues »
To complain, especially in order to obtain sympathy for one's own purportedly sad situation.
|
dawn of a new day »
A new beginning; a fresh start; an important, promising turning point.
|
deadbeat dad »
A man, especially one who is divorced or estranged from his partner, who fails to provide monetary child support when he is legally required to do so.
|
depend on »
To be dependent on something or someone for support or help.
|
double Dutch »
A date where both man and woman pay for their portion of the bill.
|
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.
|
drive-by media »
Media professionals who "spray" a bunch of repetitive misstatements, mistaken and misinterpreted news reports to cause excitement and confusion. They then figuratively "drive off" leaving the cleanup of their mess and hysteria to others, to correct and properly explain and interpret.
|
drop a dime »
To make a phone call, usually means calling the police to report another's activities.
|
earn one's keep »
To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.
|
eat someone out of house and home »
To consume such a portion of one's store of food that little is left for the owner.
|
end of the line »
The termination point of a railway or similar transportation system.
|
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
|
faceplant »
The act of landing face first, often associated with bailing during extreme sports.
|
fall away »
To cease to support a person or cause.
|
feather one's nest »
To achieve benefits, especially financial ones, by taking advantage of the opportunities with which one is presented; to amass a comfortable amount of personal wealth.
|
feel one's oats »
To feel important; to be empowered.
|
field day »
A school day for athletic events; a sports day.
|
first port of call »
The first place to go to start a process.
|
first port of call »
The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.
|
fish or cut bait »
To choose between taking action now, or forgoing the opportunity and putting that energy into another endeavor; to decide.
|
for all intents and purposes »
For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.
|
for keeps »
To compete seriously, with a strong resolve to win or succeed, as in sports or business.
|
four score and seven years ago »
As an opener, a sometimes sarcastic indicator to indicate a past event being mentioned is particularly important.
|
free ride »
An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.
|
get down to brass tacks »
Deal with the important details.
|
get off »
To disembark from mass transportation, such as a bus or train.
|
golden opportunity »
Ideal moment to do something.
|
golden ticket »
A qualification, person or thing that can provide lucrative opportunities.
|
grand poobah »
A person who is important or high-ranking.
|
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.
|
have other fish to fry »
To have more important things to do.
|
hear, hear »
Let us hear and applaud the previous speaker; I endorse the previous statement; Expression of support, agreement, or enthusiasm for what has just been said.
|
hill of beans »
Something of no importance.
|
historical figure »
A fictional or fabricated person who was was given historical importance in legends and myth.
|
historical figure »
A person who lived long ago, usually of some historical note or importance.
|
hold up »
To support or lift.
|
home run »
The portion of a journey that ends at home.
|
horse around »
To play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.
|
how's the weather »
Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.
|
if you lie with dogs you will get fleas »
It is important whom to choose as one's closest acquanitances.
|
in the driver's seat »
Having the most important role in a storyline or recognition. Of primary importance.
|
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
|
jump at »
To accept something enthusiastically. Usually an opportunity, or chance, or job etc.
|
jump in »
To enter something quickly. Usually a mode of transport.
|
jump on »
To board a public transport vehicle.
|
keep one's eye on the ball »
To maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.
|
kick off the team »
In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.
|
kick oneself »
To reproach oneself for making a mistake or missing an opportunity.
|
kick up a fuss »
To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little importance in reality.
|
kill off »
To represent or portray as being dead.
|
kill the messenger »
To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.
|
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.
|
land of opportunity »
A nickname for the United States.
|
laughing stock »
An object of ridicule, someone who is publicly ridiculed; a butt of sport.
|
lean on »
To depend upon for support.
|
legwork »
Skillful or vigorous use of the legs, as in dance or sports.
|
lie back and think of England »
. "think of England" refers to the importance of children.
|
lion's share »
The majority; a large or generous portion.
|
make a living »
To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.
|
make a mountain out of a molehill »
To treat a problem as greater than it is; to blow something out of proportion; to exaggerate the importance of something trivial.
|
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 hay »
To take advantage of an opportunity.
|
make hay while the sun shines »
To act while an opportunity exists; to take action while a situation is favorable.
|
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.
|
mete out »
To distribute something in portions; to apportion or dole out.
|
miss out »
To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.
|
miss the boat »
To fail to take advantage of an opportunity; to overlook or be too late to pursue an option or course of action.
|
moses basket »
portable cradle
|
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.
|
neither here nor there »
Not important; having no significance or influence on the question at hand; not related; not relevant; not germane; not pertinent.
|
never mind »
It is not important; do not fret.
|
no comment »
An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.
|
no score »
In a sporting event, a score of zero to zero.
|
not cricket »
Unsportsmanlike.
|
not have a leg to stand on »
To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.
|
not the end of the world »
It's of minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.
|
off board »
Not on or in a means of transportation.
|
off the radar »
Unlikely to happen, or be important in the near future or tending to escape detection or attention.
|
on board »
Agreeing or supporting.
|
on board »
On or in a means of transportation.
|
on the clock »
In the official time expired in a game or other sporting event.
|
on the clock »
In the official time remaining in a game or other sporting event.
|
on the make »
Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.
|
on the same wavelength »
In rapport or complete accord.
|
on wheels »
Having wheels affixed to the bottom, and so transportable.
|
one who hesitates is lost »
A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.
|
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.
|
out of proportion »
Not in a proper or pleasing relation to other things, especially in terms of size.
|
out the window »
A missed opportunity.
|
paper »
A written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting .
|
parcel out »
To divide into portions or chunks; to ration.
|
pay the freight »
To pay for the cost of transport.
|
play down »
To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.
|
play up »
To make or attempt to make something appear more important, likely or obvious; to showcase or highlight.
|
poacher turned gamekeeper »
A person who now works against the same people they once supported.
|
prawn cocktail offensive »
A strategy of the Labour Party in winning over important people in the world of finance.
|
puddle jumper »
A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports.
|
pull one's finger out »
To stop wasting time in preliminaries, and concentrate on the important task.
|
pull one's head in »
To withdraw as a turtle might; to discontinue support of a particular argument.
|
pull the plug »
To cease life support.
|
pull the plug »
To cease to support; to halt.
|
put aside »
To ignore or intentionally forget something, temporarily or permanently, so that more important things can have one's attention.
|
put on the dog »
To dress up; to put on airs; to make a show of wealth and/or importance; to be pretentious.
|
road to Damascus »
A road to Damascus moment, or change, is an important point in someone's life where a great change, or reversal, of ideas or beliefs occurs.
|
rugby league »
sport
|
rules OK »
To be popularly accepted, or supported by the general majority of people.
|
run for one's money »
A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.
|
second banana »
A comedian who plays a secondary or supporting role, especially as straight man and traditionally in vaudeville or burlesque theatre.
|
second banana »
A person who serves in a supporting, secondary, or subsidiary capacity; an assistant.
|
second string »
In sports, a unit of players that plays behind the first string.
|
sell out »
To abandon one's supporters or principles to seek profit or other personal advantage.
|
shanks' nag »
Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.
|
shanks' pony »
Transportation by foot.
|
shit or get off the pot »
To choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.
|
shoot the messenger »
To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.
|
shoulder to cry on »
Someone offering emotional support to another in distress.
|
show one's true colors »
To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed.
|
show the flag »
To represent one's country or some other group in a manner intended to suggest the authority or importance of that country or group.
|
shroud »
A rope or cable serving to support the mast sideways.
|
sigh of relief »
A reassurance or support, something that reduces stress from an arduous activity.
|
small fry »
One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
|
small potatoes »
One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
|
spectator sport »
A sporting activity which has a relatively high ratio of watchers to direct participants.
|
spectator sport »
An activity which consists of watching or observing.
|
spectator sport »
Something, especially a process or activity, which is a popular object of observation; an activity which a person prefers to watch rather than to participate in.
|
spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar »
To have something important fail for want of a small amount of money or effort.
|
stand for »
To advocate, to support.
|
standard fare »
The usual price for travel by air, rail, or another means of transport.
|
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.
|
stop the presses »
An imperative form used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.
|
straight man »
A member of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in preparatory dialog with the principal comedian; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy.
|
strike while the iron is hot »
To act on an opportunity promptly; to avoid waiting.
|
take a back seat »
To be second to someone or something; to be less important or have a lower priority.
|
take one's eye off the ball »
To lose one's concentration on what is most important.
|
take sides »
To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.
|
talk is cheap »
It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.
|
tear up the pea patch »
To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.
|
tempus fugit »
time flies (used as an alternative to this phrase)."Meanwhile, the irreplaceable time escapes", expressing concern that one's limited time is being consumed by something which may have little intrinsic substance or importance at that moment.
|
the early bird gets the worm »
Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are only available to the first competitors.
|
the long and short of it »
The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.
|
the thing of it »
The important point to consider.
|
the world is one's oyster »
All opportunities are open to someone, the world is theirs.
|
the world is one's oyster »
In order to achieve something in this world, one has to grab the opportunity.
|
there are plenty more fish in the sea »
There are many more potential opportunities available.
|
there are plenty of fish in the sea »
There are many more potential opportunities available.
|
think tank »
A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.
|
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.
|
tide over »
To support or sustain someone, especially financially, for a limited period.
|
timeserver »
A person who conforms to current opinions, especially for reasons of personal advantage; an opportunist.
|
to all intents and purposes »
For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.
|
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
|
top off »
To fill completely; to fill or refill the final portion of something not empty.
|
turn against »
To rebel or oppose something formerly supported.
|
turn on »
To rebel; to go against something formerly supported.
|
under the table »
Secretly or without reporting, especially of payments made or business transacted.
|
victory at sea »
Ocean conditions very windblown and messy, possibly to the point of being inimical to surfing and other water sports.
|
vote with one's feet »
To show a lack of support for something by departing or otherwise absenting oneself.
|
vote with one's feet »
To show support for something by going to or otherwise being present somewhere.
|
wash out »
To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.
|
weekend warrior »
A person who indulges in a sport or pastime on an infrequent basis, usually on weekends when work commitments are not present.
|
wheel around »
To transport someone or something to various locations by pushing a wheeled transporter such as a wheelchair or a wheelbarrow or trolley.
|
whistle-blower »
One who reports a problem or violation to the authorities; especially, an employee or former employee who reports a violation by an employer.
|
win over »
To persuade someone, gain someone's support, or make someone understand the truth or validity of something.
|
without fail »
Certainly; by all means; as a matter of importance.
|
worth one's while »
Good and important enough for one to spend time, effort, or money on.
|
wrap in the flag »
To claim one's cause deserves support for patriotic reasons or that one's own motives are patriotic.
|
you bet »
Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.
|
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.
|
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