We've found 1222 phrases for T_T (0.1 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 cold day in Hell »    An event that will never happen.

a different ballpark »    Something totally unrelated or of a vastly different scale or scope.

a dumb priest never got a parish »    (Irish) Those who fail to speak up fail to get what they want.

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

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

abound in »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

abound with »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

about time »    Close to the right time.

about time »    Far past the desired time.

about to »    Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates that something is imminent.

about turn »    A complete change of opinion, direction, etc.

about turn »    An about face; a military command to a formation of soldiers to reverse the direction in which they are facing.

accident of birth »    Reference to the fact that various benefits or detriments to the life of a person arise from the circumstances into which that person was born, these being entirely beyond his control.

according to »    Based on what is said or stated.

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

across the board »    A racing bet where one bets that the same competitor will place in first, second and third.

add insult to injury »    To further a loss with mockery or indignity.

add up »    To accumulate; to amount to.

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

against the clock »    In a time-restricted manner, to meet a deadline, hurriedly, timed.

against the collar »    In a tight spot.

against the grain »    Contrary to what is expected; especially, of behavior different from what society expects.

against the grain »    To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.

against the grain »    Unwillingly, reluctantly. It went much against the grain with him, i.e. it was much against his inclination, or against his pluck.

ahead of one's time »    Showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field; coming earlier than could be generally accepted.

all at once »    All at the same time; all together.

all but »    nearly; except that

all hell breaks loose »    Vi A place or state of fury, turmoil, destruction, or chaos.

all it's cracked up to be »    As good as claims or reputation would suggest.

all kidding aside »    Used to attempt to make a serious point in a jocular conversation.

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

all over but the shouting »    The substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.

all well and good »    Basically good, but with some shortcoming or limitation.

am I right or am I right »    Rhetorical question from somebody who has stated what they consider to be an unassailable truth.

an axe to grind »    A grievance, with implications of confrontation.

an offer one can't refuse »    An offer from one side in any transaction with terms so attractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

an offer one can't refuse »    An offer from one side in any transaction with the results of failing to accept so unattractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

and change »    And some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.

and counting »    Used to show that the number previously mentioned is continuously changing, i.e. increasing or decreasing.

and then some »    Used to confirm preceding utterance, while implying that what was said or asked is an understatement.

angle for farthings »    To beg out of a prison window with a cap, or box, let down at the end of a long string.

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

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

apron string hold »    An estate held by a man during his wife's life.

arm candy »    An attractive, seemingly romantic companion who accompanies a person in public simply so that one or both of the individuals can gain attention, enhance social status, or create an impression of sexual appeal.

arse over tit »    Tumbling; falling; upside-down; unstable or unbalanced.

as far as »    With respect to; as relates to.

as is »    In its present state or condition, especially as a contractual condition of sale.

as luck would have it »    As it happened; how it turned out; by good fortune; fortunately or luckily.

asleep at the switch »    Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.

at a stand »    In a state of confusion or uncertainty; undecided what to do next.

at all »    Indicating degree, quantity or frequency greater than zero; to the slightest degree, in any way, somewhat, rather.

at all hours »    Late into the night or early morning; when people ought to be sleeping.

at best »    In the most favorable of conditions; at the most.

at death's door »    About to die; in a life-threatening state of health.

at first »    Initially; at the start.

at hand »    Being at the moment the center of attention or the cause of trouble.

at once »    At the same time; simultaneously; together.

at rest »    Not moving; stationary.

at sixes and sevens »    In a state of confusion.

at sixes and sevens »    In a state of dispute or disagreement.

at that »    In addition to what has been said; furthermore; moreover.

at that »    Now that it has been mentioned.

at the best of times »    At most.

at the drop of a hat »    Without any hesitation; instantly.

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

at the end of the day »    In summary; ultimately.

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 high port »    At once; unhesitatingly; quickly and vigorously.

at the high port »    Or in a charge.

at the mercy of »    In the power of; defenceless/defenseless against.

at the moment »    As atm.

at the momont »    now

at the ready »    Ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation.

at the top of one's lungs »    Possible.

at the wheel »    Driving; in control of a vehicle.

at the wheel »    In control of the situation; in charge.

at this point in time »    Right now.

back burner »    A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance.

back down »    To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to.

back to square one »    Located back at the start, as after a dead-end or failure.

bad news »    An irritating, troublesome, or harmful person, situation, or thing.

badge bunny »    A woman who is romantically attracted to police officers and who seeks out their companionship.

balancing act »    An effort to manage many conflicting or competing items or interests.

balum rancum »    A hop or dance, where the women are all prostitutes. N. B. The company dance in their birthday suits.

bang on about »    To keep talking endlessly about the same subject.

bang to rights »    Caught red-handed; in a guilty state.

bank night »    An event where patrons are enticed to buy entry tickets into some venue, for example a movie theater, with the anticipation that they will be entered into a drawing to win an amount of money if their ticket is drawn and they are on-site at the time of the winning.

baptism by fire »    A change in initial attitude or ideals through a traumatic situation.

barge in »    To intrude; to enter or interrupt suddenly and without invitation.

barnburner »    Liberal faction of the New York state United States Democratic Party in the mid 19th century.

barrel »    The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31 1/2 gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds; of beer 31 gallons; of ale 32 gallons; of crude oil 42 gallons.

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 in for »    To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.

be mother »    To pour out tea for others.

be the way to go »    Represent the best of all possible options or courses of action; pre-eminate over all other choices or alternatives.

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.

bear on »    To be relevant to.

beat the crap out of »    To beat really badly.

beat the shit out of »    To beat really badly.

beddable »    [...] feminine, great body great legs great taste, trained and beddable, Jesus, how beddable.

bee's knees »    Something excellent, outstanding.

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

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt »    Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.

been there, done that, got the T-shirt »    Same as been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

beg off »    To avoid, or cancel some event that one has previously arranged with someone.

beg to differ »    To differ strongly in opinion or interpretation.

behind the bit »    An equestrian term, meaning that the horse is evading the bit.

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

bent on a splice »    About to be married.

bet dollars to donuts »    To suggest that something is very likely to be true or that one has a strong hunch about something.

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

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.

better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness »    In the face of bad times or hopelessness, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response than to complain about the situation.

big fat »    Complete, utter, total.

big picture »    The totality of a situation.

big shot »    A person with a reputation of importance or power.

bigger fish to fry »    A higher valued result or target to reach.

bite one's tongue »    An admonishment to someone who has said something unfeeling or harsh.

bitter end »    That part of an anchor cable which is abaft the bitts and thus remains onboard when a ship is riding at anchor.

bitter pill »    Something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.

blanket term »    A word or phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of related things. The degree of relation may vary. Blanket terms often trade specificity for ease-of-use; in other words, a blanket term by itself gives little detail about the things that it describes or the relationships between them, but is easy to say and remember. Blanket terms often originate as slang, and eventually become integrated into the general vocabulary.

blind »    A covering for a window to keep out light. The covering may be made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.

blind as a bat »    Nearly totally blind, having a very poor sense of vision.

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!

blot one's copy book »    To damage one's own reputation through bad behavior.

blow off »    To shoot something with a gun, causing it to come disconnected.

blow out of proportion »    To overreact to or overstate; to treat too seriously or be overly concerned with.

blow over »    To blow on something causing it to topple.

blue state »    A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.

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.

blurt out »    To say suddenly, without thinking.

boil down to »    to be equivalent to; to reduce to.

bolt bucket »    A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.

booby prize »    A prize or status, often unwelcome, awarded as a joke or disincentive to the loser of a contest or for poor performance.

boot up »    To start a computer using its bootstrap procedure.

bought the farm »    Simple past tense and past participle of buy the farm: died; often refers to death in battle.

box-office bomb »    A motion picture that generates relatively low revenue at the box office, especially that which is less than the budget for the motion picture.

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.

brace of shakes »    A very short time.

brass ring »    Figuratively, a prize or goal. Often used with respect to employment goals e.g. promotion, better job, etc.

break ground »    To begin digging in the earth at the start of a new construction, or, originally, for cultivation.

break one's duck »    To do something for the first time.

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

bridge »    A particular form of one hand placed on the table to support the cue when making a shot in cue sports.

bridge »    A prosthesis replacing one or several adjacent teeth.

bridge »    A statement, such as an offer, that signals a possibility of accord.

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 round »    To resuscitate; to cause to regain consciousness.

brown bag »    A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.

build a better mousetrap »    To invent the next great thing; to have a better idea.

bum rap »    An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.

burn one's bridges »    To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc.

burnt to a crisp »    Inedible.

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

business before pleasure »    An admonishment that discharging one's obligations must take precedence over devoting time to pursuits meant solely for one's own gratification.

business girl »    A prostitute.

bust chops »    To nag; to berate or hound in an effort to elicit action.

but then »    Then again, on the other hand; used to show that the opposite viewpoint is possible.

by hand »    Manually; without the use of automation or machines.

by the Grace of God »    Used as part of the titles of royalty.

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.

by the way »    [...] I had counted on a life-lease of the profits, whereas I only received those of a few short years. But this is by the way.

call off »    To recall; to cancel or call a halt to.

calling card »    A small printed card which identifies the bearer, traditionally presented for introduction when making a social visit to a home or when attending a formal social event or business meeting.

cast off »    To finish the last row of knitted stitches and remove them securely from the needle.

cast on »    To start the first row of knitting by putting stitches on a needle.

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

cat that ate the canary »    A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.

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

catch out »    To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.

caucus race »    A political competition; the game of campaigning and one-upmanship to get votes and be elected.

caucus race »    The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, esp. presidential; a primary election via caucus.

champ at the bit »    To bite the bit, especially when restless.

champ at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

chat up »    In a friendly, open, or casual manner, sometimes also in a charming or affected manner, usually to curry favor, and sometimes flirtatiously with the intention of establishing a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship with that person.

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.

cherry-pick »    To pick out the best, or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light.

chew the cud »    To meditate or ponder before answering; to be deep in thought; to ruminate.

chicken feed »    A very small or insignificant quantity, especially of money.

chip in »    To put into the pot the amount of chips or money required to continue.

chip on one's shoulder »    A form of challenge in the same spirit as a medieval knight throwing down his gauntlet.

chip on one's shoulder »    A habitually combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove.

chomp at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

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.

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.

cite chapter and verse »    To speak authoritatively, providing detailed factual information.

clean someone's clock »    To defeat decisively, in a physical fight or other competition or negotiation.

clear cut »    Having had all vegetation removed.

clear the decks »    To remove, or fasten, all loose material, or partitions prior to a naval engagement.

climb the walls »    To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to feel very agitated.

close the stable door after the horse has bolted »    To attempt to prevent a problem only to find it has already happened.

cloud nine »    A state of happiness, elation or bliss; often used in the phrase on cloud nine.

collect one's thoughts »    To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.

come about »    To tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.

come around »    To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.

come on »    A statement or sometimes action reflecting sexual or relational interest.

come out »    To walk onto the field at the beginning of an innings.

come out of one's shell »    To become a naturist. To convert to naturism.

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

come short »    Fail to meet (expectations or standards)

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

come to »    To total; to amount to.

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

comfort girl »    A sex slave; prostitute.

coming out of one's ears »    In great or excess quantity.

company »    In legal context, an entity that manufactures or sells products , or provides services as a commercial venture. A corporation.

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

company »    It took six companies to put out the fire.

consume mass quantities »    To eat or drink abundant amounts of food or beverage.

consume mass quantities »    To use large amounts of any resource.

cool down »    To become less agitated.

cool down »    To cause to become less agitated.

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

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.

coug it »    To suddenly lose a contest through reversal of fortune, mistakes, or bad judgment. The phrase is analogous to "blow it", or "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory".

cough up »    To lose a competition by one's own mistakes, usually near the end of the contest.

couldn't happen to a nicer »    Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.

count sheep »    To attempt to go to sleep by thinking of something boring, traditionally by counting imaginary sheep.

crank up »    To start something mechanical, an act that often used to involve cranking.

creep into »    To enter surreptitiously.

cross my heart »    A declaration that the speaker is telling the truth.

cross paths »    To be, by chance, in the same physical place at the same time, as a result of two completely separate journeys.

cross someone's palm »    To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service.

cry all the way to the bank »    To be happy due to the receipt of money, although expressing sorrow about the cause of such receipt.

cry for help »    In her second year at the school Alexis stopped doing her homework and would often scribble on walls. Her teachers wondered whether this was a cry for help, or if she was simply misbehaving.

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

curveball »    A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".

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

cut somebody some slack »    To be patient or lenient with somebody; to relax standards or expectations.

cut the cheese »    To flatulate.

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

cut to the chase »    To get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.

damn with faint praise »    To provide praise that is so minimal or inconsequential as to actually amount to criticism.

damp squib »    Anything that doesn’t work properly, or fails to come up to expectations..

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

dead »    Stationary; static.

dead »    Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.

dead duck »    A project that is doomed to failure from the start.

dead last »    The standings, often by a considerable margin to the next-to-last-place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.

dead weight »    Weight that does not move.

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.

deer in the headlights »    A mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety fear, panic, surpriseand/or confusion, or substance abuse. The behavioral signs are like a deer subjected to a car's headlights, such as widely opened eyes and a lack of motor reactions.

deliver the message to Garcia »    ...grasp the demands and exactions of business life. He learns that the main thing to do is to "deliver the message to Garcia"....

deliver the message to Garcia »    ...heaves in a deep breath, gathers himself as though he's crossed a continent to deliver the message to Garcia.

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.

diamonds are a girl's best friend »    A statement that suggests, while love is a luxury, material wealth (particularly jewellery) is more valuable in the long run.

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

dishpan hands »    Hands which are rough, reddish, and dry, as from irritation and chafing caused by immersion in hot water mixed with detergent.

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

Do the best and live the rest »    First do your work with your 100% dont think about the result

do the hard yards »    To perform a difficult task or tasks.

do the honors »    Act as a host to guests.

do the honours »    Act as a host to guests.

do-or-die »    Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure.

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.

dog and pony show »    Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate.

don't drop the soap »    (idiomatic) Used as a mockery to someone who is about to be or should be confined in prison.

don't get me started »    About the subject currently being discussed.

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

don't go there »    Don't start talking about that.

don't hold your breath »    "Don't wait." Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned to is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

don't let the bedbugs bite »    Used to wish a person a good night's sleep.

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

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.

don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs »    Don't presume to give advice to those who are more experienced.

done a bunk »    Simple past tense and past participle of do a bunk.

done deal »    An agreement that has been finally resolved or decided.

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

double booked »    Of a single resource, reserved for two different users at the same time.

double Dutch »    Sex using a condom and the contraceptive pill at the same time.

double talk »    Lying, especially in a formal political statement.

double up »    To double the quantity, amount or duration of something.

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 on one's luck »    Unlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.

down the tubes »    Into a state of collapse or failure.

down to the wire »    At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

draw a bath »    To fill a bathtub with water in preparation for taking a bath.

draw the short straw »    To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.

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

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 the gloves »    To remove a prior impediment to action; to prepare for or engage in a dispute.

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

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

dummy up »    To make a mock-up or prototype version of something, without some or all off its intended functionality.

dyed in the wool »    Simple past tense and past participle of dye in the wool.

e pluribus unum »    A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.

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.

early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise »    platitude from Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym Poor Richard.

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

eat one's own dog food »    To test the beta programs that are in the test phase on one's own computers; to dogfood.

eat one's young »    To betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation; savaging.

eat the wind »    To take a walk.

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.

end of the line »    Final cessation or discontinuance of a process, institution, or person, especially one which has existed for a considerable period of time; death.

end of the line »    The termination point of a railway or similar transportation system.

end of the world »    Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.

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

enquire after »    To ask about the health of someone.

err on the side of caution »    To act in the least risky manner in a situation where one is uncertain about the consequences.

estate agent »    property seller

even keel »    A state of having one's emotions under control and balanced.

even money »    By extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.

every cloud has a silver lining »    In every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,

every little helps »    Even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal.

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 and the kitchen sink »    Alternative form of everything but the kitchen sink.

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

experience is the best teacher »    Lessons learned from experience are the most lasting.

extract the urine »    To mess around, cajole.

f** someone over »    To exploit somebody in a way which result in an advantage to oneself, at the cost of the other party gaining a considerable disadvantage.

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 off »    Either an actual or a figurative face to face confrontation, especially a bitter one.

face the music »    To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.

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.

factotum »    A general servant.

factotum »    A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.

factotum »    Jack of all trades.

fade out »    A type of transition used in movies usually at the end of a scene, in which the transition fades to black from the cut.

fair and square »    Totally fairly and undoubtedly.

fair game »    An goal or object that may legitimately be sought.

fall apart »    To break into pieces through being in a dilapidated state.

fall between two stools »    To attempt two tasks and fail at both, when either one could have been accomplished singly.

fall in line »    To submit to the rules of a higher authority; obey; conform.

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

fancypants »    Alternative spelling of fancy pants. The condition of being overly showy; concerned more about one's reputation than anything else.

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

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.

fencepost problem »    In computer programming, a problem dealing with how to treat the initial or boundary values of a discrete problem.

field day »    A great time or a great deal to do, at somebody else's expense.

field day »    A great time or a great deal to do.

fifteen minutes of fame »    A very short time in the spotlight or brief flurry with fame, after which the person or subject involved is quickly forgotten.

fight a losing battle »    To try to do something so difficult that it will probably end in failure.

fight tooth and nail »    To use every means possible to overcome a difficult opposition.

fill in »    To substitute for somebody or something.

fine line »    A difference, albeit vague and difficult to discern.

firm up »    To make tentative plans more definite.

first among equals »    A person or position that if formally equivalent to others in a group, but is superior in some attribute.

first loser »    The second place finisher in auto racing competition.

first port of call »    The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.

first things first »    Deal with matters of highest priority first; deal with matters in logical sequence.1922, H. G. Wells, The Secret Places of the Heart, ch.4,"First things first," said Sir Richmond. If we set about getting fuel sanely, if we do it as the deliberate, co-operative act of the whole species, then it follows that we shall look very closely into the use that is being made of it.1999, Frank Pellegrini, "House Republicans Quell Mutiny Over Tax Bounty," Time, 23 Jul.,Judging by the polls

fit into »    To be of similar cultural or social status as the members of a group of people.

fit to be tied »    Very agitated or distressed; enraged.

flag down »    Use a flag or some kind of signal to get the attention of someone.

flat out »    At top speed.

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates the theory that the earth is flat.

flog a dead horse »    To attempt to get extra work out of a ship's crew during the dead horse period.

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

flower »    A plant that bears flowers.

flower »    Of plants, a state of bearing blooms.

flower »    The best examples or representatives of a group.

flower »    The best state of things; the prime.

flutter in the dovecote »    I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote. — Israel Confronts Its Past.

fly the freak flag »    To behave in a unconventional or unrestrained manner; to exhibit the uninhibited side of one's personality.

follow in someone's footsteps »    To follow the same path as someone.

follow suit »    To follow an example; to imitate.

fool's paradise »    A state of happiness due to illusion or false hope.

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

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

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

forbidden fruit is the sweetest »    Forbidden things have more worthwhile short-term consequences.

force of habit »    An act that has been repeated to the point where the performance of the act becomes automatic.

force someone's hand »    Bring about a situation which necessitates an agent to act, often causing a plan to be executed prematurely.

fork over »    Hundreds of spectators forked over the 70 bucks for tickets.

fork over »    I forked over half the allotment this morning.

fourth estate »    Journalism or journalists considered as a group; the Press.

fourth estate »    Which governed legislation.

fourth wall »    The imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play.

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

fresh legs »    Somebody who has yet to play in a match, and therefore has plenty of energy.

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

full tilt boogie »    At the most extreme level.

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 bent out of shape »    To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset.

get into trouble »    To perform an action which is illegal, prohibited, forbidden or proscribed and to become subject to punishment for such action.

get off »    To disembark from mass transportation, such as a bus or train.

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

get one's act together »    To become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.

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

get stuck in »    To dedicate a large amount of effort towards.

get taken in »    To be fooled; to fall for.

get taken in »    To be unofficially fostered.

get the axe »    To be fired, axed, terminated.

get the bacon bad »    To be morbidly obese.

get the ball rolling »    To begin; to start some action; to set in motion.

get the better of »    To overwhelm or overcome; to influence heavily; to tend to control or persuade.

get the boot »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the boot »    To be voted off a competition in a reality television show.

get the chop »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the chop »    To be eliminated from a competition in a reality television program.

get the drift »    To understand, at least at some basic or general level.

get the sack »    To be fired

ghost train »    fairground attraction

gimme a five »    A request to receive a high five.

give a sneck posset »    To give someone a cold reception; to close the door on someone; to reject them.

give hostage to fortune »    To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later.

give it the gun »    Literal meaning.

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

give someone the eye »    To show flirtatious signs with the eye.

go against the grain »    To defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.

go blue »    Of states and counties, to be carried by a Democratic candidate in a given U.S. election.

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

go Dutch »    To pay for one's own food and bills, or split the cost, when eating at a restaurant or going out for entertainment.

go for broke »    To try everything possible or do last thing possible in a final attempt.

go for the gold »    To attempt to achieve the maximum reward or result in an endeavor.

go in for »    To enter a competition.

go in off »    To pot the cue ball accidentally after hitting the object ball.

go in one ear and out the other »    Failed to pay attention.

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

go large »    To have the wind at such an angle to the sail that the vessel gains its highest speed.

go mad »    Used to indicate that the second verb represents an action that is out of character.

go native »    To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.

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

go out with »    Often in hopes that the relationship will become more longterm as in definition 1.

go red »    Of states or counties, to be carried by a Republican candidate in a given U.S. election.

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.

go too far »    To exceed an unstated limit, especially a limit of acceptable behaviour.

go with the flow »    To act as others are acting, conforming to common behavior patterns with an attitude of calm acceptance.

God helps those who help themselves »    Fortune comes to those who make a genuine effort to accomplish things.

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...

going to the dogs »    In such a poor state that it should be left to the dogs.

golden handshake »    A generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.

golden hello »    A payment offered to an employee as an inducement to join, especially if currently working for a competitor.

golden opportunity »    Ideal moment to do something.

golden rule »    The principle that one should treat other people in the manner in which one would want to be treated by them.

golden syrup »    light treacle

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

grand total »    The entire or final sum.

grass roots »    People and society at the local level rather than at the national centre of political activity.

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.

great minds think alike »    Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.

greatest thing since sliced bread »    A relatively recent invention likely to significantly improve people's lives.

green about the gills »    Having the appearance of being ill.

green light »    A traffic light in its green state .

green state »    A state that is, or is perceived as, environmentally friendly.

grey area »    An area intermediate between two mutually exclusive states or categories where the border between the two is fuzzy.

grind one's gears »    To annoy or irritate.

guilt trip »    A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.

guilt trip »    Remarks intended to produce such a feeling.

gut reaction »    An instantaneous reaction made without thought.

had better »    Should; ought to; need to.

hand it to somebody »    To give somebody credit or praise.

hand over fist »    Quickly or in great quantity, especially in reference to earning money.

hand waving »    Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.

hang a Louie »    Make a left turn while driving a vehicle.

hang a Ralph »    Make a right turn while driving a vehicle.

hang out to dry »    To abandon someone who is in need or in danger.

hang out to dry »    To attach washing to a clothesline to dry.

harden someone's heart »    To make someone more resistant to something.

harsh one's mellow »    Disturbing someone otherwise in a state of calm.

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

hatchet job »    A treatment which serves primarily to disparage its subject; a piece of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.

have a flat »    To have a flat tyre.

have a screw loose »    A phrase meaning that the subject is insane or irrational.

have ants in one's pants »    To be agitated and constantly fidgeting.

have egg on one's face »    To suffer embarrassment or humiliation; to damage one's reputation.

have it your way »    Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.

have other fish to fry »    To have more important things to do.

he who smelt it dealt it »    (colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a fart is likely trying to pretend it wasn't his or her own.(colloquial, by extension) Used to suggest that a person calling attention to or complaining about a given problem may in fact be the source of the problem.

head and shoulders »    To a considerable degree; better; outstanding.

head over heels »    At top speed; frantically.

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.

heart of glass »    A very fragile romantic state.

heart of gold »    A kind, compassionate, or caring attitude; kindheartedness.

heart to heart »    A sincere, serious, or personal conversation.

herd cats »    To attempt to control those resistant to control.

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

here you are »    Said when you hand something over to someone or do a favour to them, usually to draw the recipient's attention to the exchange; Equivalent to “thank you” when receiving something..

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

high ground »    A position of advantage or superiority in a conflict or competition.

hind tit »    An inferior source of food or other resources.

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.

hit one out of the ballpark »    To hit a fair ball so well that the ball flies over all of the spectators' seats and lands outside the stadium.

hit someone for six »    Be affected in a devastating way by some unexpected news.

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

hit the books »    To study, especially with particular intensity.

hit the bottle »    To continually drink alcohol to excess, particularly in response to a setback.

hit the bricks »    To leave or depart; to get out.

hit the bricks »    To participate in a workplace strike or other job action; to participate in a public protest, especially one involving picketing.

hit the bricks »    To travel about, especially on foot.

hit the ceiling »    To be explosively angry. To lose one's temper.

hit the gas »    Go, go faster.

hit the ground running »    To begin an activity immediately and with full commitment.

hit the hay »    To go to bed.

hit the headlines »    To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.

hit the jackpot »    To realise a huge load of luck; to receive a more favorable outcome than imagined.

hit the nail on the head »    To identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.

hit the pavement »    Literal meaning.

hit the pavement »    To get moving in an automobile or other road vehicle.

hit the road »    To begin traveling in an automobile or other road vehicle.

hit the road »    To leave a place; to go away.

hit the rock »    To make a gesture to show celebration, friendship, or to be part of a secret handshake by one person raising their fist so the fist is pointing at the person and the other person lightly punches the fist.

hit the rock »    To use crack cocaine.

hit the rocks »    To be at a low point in one's pursuits.

hit the roof »    To be explosively angry.

hit the sack »    To go to bed.

hit the spot »    To be particularly pleasing or appropriate; to be just right.

hit the trail »    To leave or depart.

hog heaven »    A state of contented bliss.

hold one's liquor »    To be resistant to intoxication or to show few signs of intoxication, even after consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

hold one's own »    To stand up to; to give a respectable performance; to provide worthy competition.

hold someone's feet to the fire »    To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce him or her to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for his or her actions.

hold that thought »    To pause in a conversation for an interruption.

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

hold the phone »    Stop; wait; woah. What's this? Look at this!.

honest-to-goodness »    Real; genuine.

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

hot desking »    The working practice of sharing desks or workstations between workers, as a means of saving space and resources.

hot mess »    Refers to a person, thing, or situation in such a state of disarray or disapproval by peers, often in reference to physical appearance, perceived to be disastrously embarrassing, pitiful, or beyond repair.

hot potato »    A child's game in which players pass a ball or other item between them, with the object of avoiding being left holding the item when time expires.

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

hot to trot »    Eager for sexual activity.

hot to trot »    Eager to begin; anxious to get going.

how do I get to Carnegie Hall »    A set phrase, spoken as a rhetorical question, which is answered "Practice, practice, practice!" or sometimes with the humorous literal directions to Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th.

how's the weather »    An inquiry about the weather.

how's the weather »    Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.

how's tricks »    Informal greeting roughly equivalent to How are you?.

how-d'ye-do »    A troublesome state of affairs.

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.

hunger is the best sauce »    Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.

idiot light »    Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard of a car, designed to alert the driver of problems, such as the parking brake being on or the oil being low.

idiot mittens »    Mittens connected by yarn or string running through one sleeve, along the back and out the other sleeve of a coat, to prevent the mittens becoming lost. Generally worn by small children.

if the shoe fits »    If it has all of the characteristics of a thing, it probably is that thing.

if you can't beat them, join them »    If your adversaries are stronger than yourself, it is better to join the adversaries.

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.

if you love somebody, set them free »    One should be willing to let go of someone they love if they truly love them.

ill health »    A state of illness, or bad health.

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

in a state »    Agitated and anxious.

in cold blood »    In a ruthless and unfeeling manner; premeditated and deliberate.

in for a penny, in for a pound »    Expressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof; accepting that one must

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

in one's pocket »    Subject to one's whims because of bribery.

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

in shape »    In a good state of physical fitness or bodily appearance.

in shape »    In good condition, repair; in a good state.

in so far as »    With respect to.

in the dock »    Under scrutiny; subject to critical inspection.

in the first place »    To begin with; earlier; first; at the start.

in the hot seat »    Under pressure to perform; under scrutiny; at the center of attention.

in the nick of time »    At the last possible moment; at the last minute.

in the short run »    Lasting only a short time, shortsightedly.

in this day and age »    In the current time period of years.

inquire after »    To ask about the health of someone.

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.

inside track »    The lane or track nearest to the interior.

installed base »    The number of units of a system or product that are currently in use.

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings »    There are more developments yet to come.

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 never rains but it pours »    Unfortunate events occur in quantity.

it takes all kinds to make a world »    Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.

it takes two to tango »    Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.

it's about time »    Used to express impatience at the eventual occurrence of something that the speaker or writer considered to be long overdue.

it's all grist to the mill »    Everything referred to in the present context has some sort of use.1999, Simon Blackburn, Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford University Press paperback, ISBN 0199690871), ch. 7 section 6: "Kant

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

jack up »    To ruin; wreck; mess up; screw up; sometimes as a bowdlerized substitution for f** up.

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.

jump at the chance »    To immediately accept an offer.

jumped-up »    Describes a person who thinks he is superior in some way that the speaker disagrees with. For instance, of a higher class, or has more authority than they have in reality.

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

just deserts »    A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.

just the same »    Anyway; despite.

just what the doctor ordered »    Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation.

keep a weather eye open »    To maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occupying your full attention.

keep down »    To cause not to increase or rise.

keep down »    Not to vomit.

keep it real »    In the imperative, an exhortation used as a departing salutation.

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

keep one's eye on the ball »    To maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.

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.

keep shtum »    Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep somebody in stitches »    To keep somebody laughing hard or amused.

keep up with the Joneses »    To do or buy things for status, show, or image rather than out of need, especially for the purpose of competing with friends or neighbors.

kernel of truth »    A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictitious elements.

kick someone when they are down »    To make it worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs »    To seek short term gain at the sacrifice of long term profit.

kindred soul »    Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself; kindred spirit.

kindred spirit »    Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself.

kiss of death »    Something that may seem good and favourable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc.

kiss of life »    Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

knacker's yard »    A place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.

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

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

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 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.

knuckle down »    To get to work; to focus on a task.

l'esprit de l'escalier »    The experience of thinking of a devastating rejoinder only after leaving the scene of the debate.

labor of love »    A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement; an altruistic work or undertaking.

lady of the night »    Prostitute.

land of opportunity »    A nickname for the United States.

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.

last burst of fire »    A state of exertion where one gives one's all; expending all of one's remaining energy in a final effort to achieve one's goal.

last trump »    Forever.

last trump »    The moment of God's final judgement on Earth.

last word »    A final decision, or the right to make such a decision.

last word »    The final statement uttered by a person before death.

last word »    The finest, highest, or ultimate representative of some class of objects.

laundry list »    Originally, a list of articles of clothing that had been sent to be laundered.

lay down »    To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate .

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

lay down the law »    To present the law that applies to a given case.

lay it on the line »    To state something, for example an ultimatum, strongly and clearly.

leader of the free world »    The President of the United States.

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

let the good times roll »    To have fun or live fully; may imply letting things that are going well proceed.

let's roll »    Used to suggest that an action should begin.

level best »    The very best that one can do.

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.

lick one's chops »    To use one's tongue to remove moistness from the sides of one's mouth, as when salivating or at the conclusion of a meal.

light up »    To bring light to something, to brighten.

like a cat on a hot tin roof »    Jumpy, nervous.

lion »    A stylized representation of a large cat, used on a coat of arms.

little pitchers have big ears »    Small children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).

live up »    To fulfil the expectations placed upon.

loaded for bear »    Mentally prepared for a daunting situation or confrontation.

loaded for bear »    Thoroughly equipped, as for a demanding task or confrontation.

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

long finger »    A state of postponement or procrastination.

long shot »    Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working. The term arose from the accuracy of early ship guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.

look back »    To reminisce about a past time.

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.

lost cause »    A cause, attempt, or effort that is hopeless or futile.

lot lizard »    A prostitute at a truck stop.

louse up »    Mess up; confuse; put into a state of disorder.

lucky break »    A stroke of luck; a fortunate event, particularly of the sort that propels one to success, fame, etc.

lump together »    To put different items or groups together and treat them, or think of them as one single group.

make a go of it »    To attempt; especially, to attempt to make a living.

make a meal of »    That is the eleventh edit that you have made to that word, you are really making a meal of it.

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

make up »    To constitute; to compose; to form.

make waves »    To upset the status quo.

man up »    His station, prepared for departure of an aircraft, ship, etc.

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.

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

mark my words »    Listen to me; used before a statement one wishes to emphasize.

measure up »    To meet expectations; to be as good as.

meatball surgery »    A nickname for surgery that is meant to be performed rapidly to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.

mend one's ways »    To recognise one's failings and attempt to remedy them.

mess up »    To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.

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

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

mind-numbing »    Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.

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

miss the mark »    To fail to hit the target.

miss the mark »    To fail to reach the result that was intended.

mix apples and oranges »    To mix two totally different things.

mixed bag »    By extension, a group of entities with few characteristics in common; an assortment.

mocking is catching »    An admonishment to be careful of criticising others, lest the same happen to you.Mocking is Catching was the title of a 1726 song by Henry Carey.

money can't buy happiness »    Money can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.

money talks »    It is easier to accomplish goals using money instead of just talk.

monkey on one's back »    A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.

mop the floor with somebody »    To trounce or defeat thoroughly or in a humiliating manner.

mouse potato »    A person who spends excessive amounts of time using a computer.

muckety muck »    A person in a position of power, authority, or status.

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

mutton dressed as lamb »    A mature woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if a deliberate attempt to appear young.

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.

never mind »    I withdraw my previous statement.

next to »    Almost; nearly.

nip and tuck »    So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.

nip in the bud »    To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from forming.

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 ifs, ands, or buts »    Period; exactly so; without modification, limitation, or addendum.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 worth a brass farthing »    Worth nothing or next to nothing.

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.

nudge nudge wink wink »    A phrase added at the end of the sentence to hint that the speaker is referring to something else, euphemistically.

nugget of truth »    A small amount of truth in a generally untrue statement.

nut-cutting time »    Time to exert maximum effort, for example, due to an approaching deadline or a looming competitive situation.

object lesson »    A punishment intended as a deterrent to others.

object lesson »    An example that typifies a principle.

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

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

off the top of one's head »    Without great thought or investigation; extemporaneous; natural; offhand.

on a whim »    Done without thinking seriously about the consequences.

on all fours »    Similar in nature or effect to something else; consistent.

on at »    to pester; to irritate; to annoy

on board »    It's a good idea, but let's see if we can get a few more of the management team on board.

on board »    On or in a means of transportation.

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

on one's own »    Alone; by oneself; without the companionship or assistance of others.

on one's soapbox »    Stating or professing one's opinion; attempting to persuade others of something.

on pins and needles »    Feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.

on tenterhooks »    In a state of suspense or apprehension.

on the bubble »    Having qualification for an event depend on the upcoming performances of other competitors.

on the cuff »    On credit, with payment to be made later.

on the dot »    Exactly; precisely, especially of a numerical quantity.

on the game »    Working as a prostitute.

on the line »    On a level with the eye of the spectator; said of a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures.

on the right track »    Using the correct general approach to a particular task or problem; pursuing something in a promising way.

on the ropes »    Leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, as when exhausted and nearing defeat or collapse.

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

on the spot »    At that very moment; right away.

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

on top of the world »    Delighted; ecstatic; exceptionally pleased, happy, or satisfied.

on-the-spot »    In the right place at this very moment.

one and the same »    The same person or thing. Used to emphasize the identity or equivalence of two things.

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

one up »    To outdo, to do something slightly better than a competitor's prior effort.

one who hesitates is lost »    A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.

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-up »    To outdo, to do something slightly better than a competitor's prior effort.

one-upmanship »    A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor.

one-upmanship »    The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.

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.

open one's big mouth »    To speak about things, when it would be better to stay silent.

open prison »    penal institution

opt out »    To choose not to participate in something.

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

other days, other ways »    People of the past thought and acted differently.

out of house and home »    Helping Your Dog Adjust to a New Home, The Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

out of house and home »    In a manner that deprives one of dwelling or some aspect thereof.

out of it »    Disoriented; not thinking clearly.

out of the running »    No longer in competition.

out of the woods »    Out of peril; likely to recover or prevail over trouble; finished with the worst or most threatening part of a problem or illness.

out of whole cloth »    Fabricated, fictitious.

out the door »    The exact image, a lookalike.

out the door »    Exact, correct.

out the wazoo »    Out the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

out the window »    A missed opportunity.

out the window »    Made obsolete; altered drastically as a result of situational change.

out to lunch »    Away eating lunch or for a midday break; especially, away from work or a job.

out to lunch »    Clueless, inattentive or careless.

outshout »    To merit the most attention or praise.

outsider »    A competitor or contestant who has little chance of winning; a long shot; a dark horse.

over the hill »    Old, past the prime of life.

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

paint the town red »    To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.

palm off »    To attempt to pass off a counterfeit or inferior product as genuine.

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 .

park that thought »    Alternative form of hold that thought.

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".

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.

pass out »    To graduate, usually marked by the ceremony at the end of their training.

patience is a virtue »    it is better to be patient than impatient

patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels »    The appeal to patriotism is often used to distract the public from real issues.

pay one's dues »    To acquire status or to earn the right to enjoy certain benefits, especially through lengthy experience, hardship, or service to an organization.

pay up »    To pay for something in total, after a certain amount of time after receiving a purchase.

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence as an interjection: I am amused that someone got their revenge on you...but you certainly had it coming.

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

peed off »    Simple past tense and past participle of pee off.

pelt of the dog »    An immoderate, excessive quantity of alcohol drunk the morning after whilst suffering withdrawal symptoms or a hangover, which goes beyond alleviating the complaint to causing drunkenness; cf. hair of the dog.

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

petits pois »    small peas

pick up »    To clean up; to return to an organized state.

pick up stitches »    Stitches to the knitting needle that were previously bound off, or that belong to the selvage, during the process of knitting or entrelac.

piece of ass »    A male prostitute.

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.

pissing contest »    A boys' prankish competition to determine who can urinate the furthest up a wall.

pitched battle »    An intense, rancorous argument or confrontation.

play ball »    An expression used at the beginning of a game of baseball.

play down »    To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.

play it by ear »    To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur.

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 the field »    To date more than one person at the same time.

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.

play up »    To make or attempt to make something appear more important, likely or obvious; to showcase or highlight.

plead the fifth »    To invoke the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves.

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

point the finger »    To accuse; to direct or imply blame.

point the finger at »    To accuse or blame.

pop off »    To leave, and return in a short time.

pop out »    To leave a room or building with the expectation of returning soon.

possession is nine-tenths of the law »    One who has possession of a thing has some right to it; a popular statement of the doctrine of adverse possession.

poster child »    One who is a prototypical or quintessential example of something.

pound of flesh »    Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.

power behind the throne »    Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.

power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely »    The corrupting influence of power is total when one's power is total.Lord Acton see: Wikiquote

pretty pictures »    Image supplements in a presentation: graphs, charts, etc.

prevention is better than cure »    it is better to prevent the creation of a bad thing, than to destroy it.

problem child »    A child who is particularly difficult to raise or educate, especially due to a lack of self-control and disruptive and antisocial behavior.

pronunciamiento »    A military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. They received this designation because coups were usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void.

prop up the bar »    To spend time drinking alcohol at the bar in a pub.

pull an all-nighter »    Work diligently throughout the night.

pull one's finger out »    To stop wasting time in preliminaries, and concentrate on the important task.

pull oneself up by one's bootstraps »    To begin an enterprise or recover from a setback without any outside help; to succeed only on one's own effort or abilities.

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

pull the trigger »    To commit to a course of action.

put across »    To explain or state something clearly and understandably.

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

put down »    To drop someone off, or let them out of a vehicle.

put down to »    To state the cause of a situation.

put one's back into »    To make a strenuous effort to do something.

put out »    The statistic of the number of outs a defensive player directly caused.

put the bee on »    To beg; to borrow money from.

put the bee on »    To finish off, to beat.

put the boot in »    To kick a fallen opponent.

put the boot in »    To kick someone when they are down.

put the cart before the horse »    To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities.

put the cat among the pigeons »    If you set the cat among the pigeons, you will cause a flutter in the dovecote.

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 the cat among the pigeons »    To cause alarm.

put the clock back »    To change the time in a time zone to an earlier time.

put the clock forward »    To change the time in a time zone to a later time.

put the feedbag on »    To dine; to eat.

put the hammer down »    To drive quickly; to step on the accelerator.

put the kibosh on »    To halt, stop, or squelch.

put the pedal to the metal »    To exert maximum effort.

put the pedal to the metal »    To press the gas pedal to the maximum extent.

put the wind up »    To frighten or disturb.

put through its paces »    To test completely; to exercise the full range of abilities or functions.

put through the wringer »    To interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.

put to the test »    To test something or someone; to evaluate, scrutinize or explore by testing or experimentation.

put together »    To assemble, construct, or build.

put two and two together »    To figure out; to deduce or discern.

quantum mechanics »    The branch of physics which studies matter and energy at the level of atoms and other elementary particles, and substitutes probabilistic mechanisms for classical Newtonian ones.

quarter of »    "I need twenty minutes to get to the shop." "You'll be late. It's already a quarter of.".

question mark »    The punctuation mark “?”, used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question..

rabble rouser »    Someone or something that tends to inspire mobs; something controversial or provocative.

rag bagger »    A sailboat, usually a cruising sailboats which tend to carry and store lots of supplies along the deck, or any sailboat that looks like a neglected vessel, or messy vessel.

rag doll »    soft toy

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 or shine »    Regardless of what the circumstances are, and how the weather is.

raise the bar »    To raise standards or expectations, especially by creating something to a higher standard.

rake »    The sloped edge of a roof at or adjacent to the first or last rafter.

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

rat run »    A small road that people venture down when they want to sneak off the motorway and take a short cut.

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

real job »    A hobby that takes all of a person's free time.

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.

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.

red mist »    Anger sufficient to cloud judgement, to stop clear thinking.

red state »    A state of the United States voting Republican in a given election, or tending to vote Republican in general.

reinvent the wheel »    To redo work unnecessarily when it has already been done satisfactorily; to rethink an already working system, technique, etc. in a pointless attempt to improve it.

rev up »    To increase the speed of an engine, especially that of a stationary motor car.

ride shotgun »    To ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.

rock the boat »    To disturb the status quo or go against rules or conventions, as in an effort to get attention.

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.

Rome wasn't built in a day »    It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

round off »    To change the shape of an object to make it more circular.

rub in »    To irritatingly make a point.

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

rub off on »    To adapt to a way of behaving after constant exposure to it.

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

rubber-chicken dinner »    A formal dinner or event thrown by politicians to raise funds.

run a bath »    To fill a bathtub with water in preparation for taking a bath.

run about »    To be very busy doing many different things.

run after »    To make a determined effort to win someone's affections.

run around »    To be very busy doing many different things.

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 back »    To take someone home by car. Give someone a lift to their house.

run down »    To read quickly a list or other short text.

run for one's money »    A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.

run for the roses »    A hard-fought competition or demanding challenge of any kind.

run into »    To blend into; to be followed by or adjacent to without there being a clear boundary.

run out the clock »    To preserve a lead in a game by retaining possession, to waste time.

runner up »    second-placed competitor

sabre-rattling »    A flamboyant display of military power as an implied threat that it might be used.

sainted »    Simple past tense and past participle of saint.

salad years »    The inexperienced, youthful prime of an individual, group, organization or entity.

save face »    To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour.

scare out of one's wits »    To frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

scissorbill »    And railroad term for someone who refused to join the union or who openly colluded with management to thwart the union.

scissorbill »    The black skimmer bird native to the Atlantic states, USA.

scratch that »    To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.

second childhood »    A childlike state in any adult, resulting from mental illness, trauma, or other conditions.

second childhood »    The period or state of cognitive decline of an elderly person, characterized by childlike judgment and behavior.

see red »    To be angry or irritated.

see someone through »    To constitute ample supply for one for.

see you later »    A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.

see you next Tuesday »    A euphemism for cunt.

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".

sell ice to Eskimos »    To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

sell out »    To sell all of a product that is in stock.

send up »    To imitate someone or something for the purpose of satirical humour.

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.

serve somebody right »    To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.

serve time »    To be in prison or a similar institute.

set the stage »    To prepare; to establish the basis or required conditions.

set the Thames on fire »    To achieve something amazing; to do something which brings great public acclaim.

set to »    begin work

set to work »    To begin working at.

set to work »    To begin working.

set to work »    To cause to begin working.

sexual congress »    Loose translation of the title of Aristophanes' play Ecclesiazousae, more literally translated as Assemblywomen.

shacked up »    Simple past tense and past participle of shack up.

shake the pagoda tree »    To find a source of easy enrichment; to become absurdly rich in a short time.

shanks' nag »    Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.

shanks' pony »    Transportation by foot.

shift gears »    To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.

shitstorm »    A violent situation.

shitstorm »    Considerable backlash from the public.

shoot down »    To shoot , so that the one shot goes down.

shoot off at the mouth »    Don't let [presidential press secretary Ron] Ziegler shoot off at the mouth without our knowledge.

shoot off at the mouth »    To boast, or brag, or talk too much.

shoot off at the mouth »    To disclose some information that was supposed to be secret.

shoot one's mouth off »    To make reckless or exaggerated statements.

shoot the boots »    To kick swiftly and violently, especially in the groin.

shoot the breeze »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

shoot the bull »    To chinwag; to talk idly.

shoot the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

shoot the moon »    To achieve the lowest score possible, such that the player is usually rewarded with bonus points.

shoot the moon »    To attain great heights, a high value, or a numerically high measurement.

shoot the moon »    To hit the moon, with a rocket or by other means.

shoot the moon »    To take a risk which may result in great rewards; to succeed after taking such a risk.

shoot the shit »    To chat casually; to gossip.

shoot through like a Bondi tram »    To leave in haste.

short temper »    The personality trait of being quick to anger.

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 »    The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver.

shotgun approach »    An approach in which the subject is indiscriminate and haphazard, using breadth, spread, or quantity in lieu of accuracy, planning, etc.

shoulder to cry on »    Someone offering emotional support to another in distress.

show the flag »    Of a naval vessel or military force, to identify itself by displaying the flag of its country of origin, especially in order to establish an authoritative presence and to exert diplomatic or political influence.

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.

showstopper »    Any impediment that prevents all further progress.

shroud »    A rope or cable serving to support the mast sideways.

shroud »    One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.

shut the hell up »    Indicating disbelief.

shut the hell up »    Shut up intensified by "the hell".

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

sign in »    In order to get into the office after hours, you'll have to sign in at the security desk.

sign off »    Term used to describe the closing of a radio or television station's studios and cessation of a broadcasting signal, usually during the overnight hours.

sign on »    The time of day when a radio or television station begins broadcasting, usually after being off the air for several hours.

simmer down »    To decrease in intensity of anger, agitation, or excitement.

since when »    From what time.

since when »    Used to indicate doubt as to the veracity of a statement.

sing from the same hymnbook »    To make the same or similar statements, especially to express the same opinions in public as a result of a prior agreement.

sit in for »    To substitute; to take somebody's place.

sit on it »    To wait or hesitate.

sit out »    To lean out to the windward side of a sailboat in order to counterbalance the effects of the wind on the sails.

sit through »    To unwillingly stay seated until the end of an event.

sit tight »    To wait patiently.

skeleton crew »    The minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency or shut down, and at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.

sleeping at the switch »    Variant form of asleep at the switch.

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 logical argument that follows a chain of events or causes and effects to some conclusion.

slop bowl »    One of the four components of the traditional tea set. Tea drinkers emptied their unwanted, cold tea into the slop bowl before refilling their cups with fresh, hot tea.

small potatoes »    One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

smart chance »    A substantial quantity of something.

smear campaign »    An effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda.

snake oil »    A type of 19th century patent medicine sold in the United States that claimed to contain snake fat, supposedly a Native American remedy for various ailments.

snow job »    An attempt to persuade a person using flattery or deception.

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-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.

soapbox »    Especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.

soft touch »    A comfortable situation; an easy task or undemanding occupation, especially one which is comfortably remunerative.

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.

speak one's mind »    To state one's thoughts or opinions honestly or frankly.

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.

spit the dummy »    To a situation childishly, in an angry or frustrated manner.

spring in one's step »    Enthusiasm, energy or a positive outlook or cheerful attitude.

stand by »    To wait in expectation of some event; to make ready.

stand in »    temporary substitute

stand in for »    To replace; to act as a double or substitute for.

stand one's ground »    To attempt to hold a position in battle.

stand out »    To be obvious or conspicuous, in contrast to one's surroundings.

stand up »    To stand immediately behind the wicket so as to catch balls from a slow or spin bowler, and to attempt to stump the batsman.

stars in one's eyes »    The state of being overly or extremely impressed with something; enchanted with romance.

stat whore »    Through unscrupulous or tacky means.

state of affairs »    A specific situation; a set of circumstances.

stately home »    mansion

step out »    To exit a place on foot, often for a short time.

stepping razor »    A dangerous person, who is not to be messed with.

stew in one's juices »    To be alone and self-absorbed in an uncomfortable state of mind, especially while experiencing the unpleasant effects of one's own actions.

stick in someone's craw »    To cause lasting annoyance, irritation, or hard feelings.

stick it to the man »    To take some action intended to defy a source of oppression such as globalization, commercialization, big business or government.

stick up »    To protect one's status.

sticking point »    A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.

sticking point »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking-place.

sticking-place »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking point.

stitch up »    To close by sewing.

stitch up »    To maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone.

stone's throw »    A short distance, roughly equivalent to how far a person can throw a stone.

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 up »    To increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.

straight out of the chute »    Something done immediately, or "from the beginning". Taken from rodeo routine: the bucking bronco, or bull, or the calf for the calf-roping contest is kept in a narrow pen, a chute, until it is released and dashes out to its fate.

strut one's stuff »    To behave, or to perform in a showy or ostentatious manner, especially in a way to impress others; to show off.

suck hind tit »    To be last in line.

suck hind tit »    To be the youngest or most neglected child.

suck hind tit »    To feed from an inferior source of food.

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.

surprise surprise »    An indication that the unsurprising happened, especially contrary to someone's hopes or assertions.

sweet tooth »    A liking for foods that are sweet; a weakness for sweets.

swing for the fences »    To swing at the ball as hard as possible, with the aim of getting a home run, increasing the chance of missing the ball.

swing state »    A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally; a purple state.

switch off »    To lose interest, and start thinking about something else.

tail between one's legs »    A reaction to a confrontation, specifically one with excessive shame and hurt pride.

take a bow »    To accept applause at the end of a performance in a theatre. Often this includes actually bowing to the audience.

take a bullet »    To purposely receive a gunshot that was intended for another.

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 back »    To retract an earlier statement.

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 off »    To imitate, often in a satirical manner.

take on »    To attempt to fight or compete.

take out the trash »    To forcefully remove people from a place.

take out the trash »    To remove rubbish from a place.

take over »    To buy out the ownership of a business.

take sides »    To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.

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 cake »    To be especially good or outstanding.

take things as they come »    To accept and deal with events as they occur, with a composed state of mind.

take to »    To adapt to; to learn, grasp or master.

take to the cleaners »    To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through gambling, unfavorable investing, fraud, litigation, etc.

take up »    That which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a stitch.

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.

tart up »    To dress like a prostitute.

tear one's hair out »    To react with extreme agitation.

tee off »    To hit the first shot of the hole.

tee off »    To irritate, vex, or annoy.

tell it to Sweeney »    I do not believe what you said.

tell it to the marines »    I do not believe what you said.

tell you the truth »    Used to positively assert the frank honesty of an associated statement of set of statements; equivalent to "to you tell the truth".

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.

ten foot pole »    See not touch something with a ten foot pole.

test bed »    Any venue, setup, etc. used for experimentation, testing, proving a concept, etc.

test the waters »    To explore or probe, as before making a commitment.

that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

that's just me »    Indicates the expression of a personal opinion, but often used ironically as an understatement.

the Devil »    Used to add emphasis to a question or statement.

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on »    Life goes on, even if some will try to stop or talk against progress.

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 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 icing on the cake »    Something wonderful at the end of something good.

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 plot thickens »    Used, often ironically, to describe an increasingly complex or mysterious situation.

the rabbit died »    A statement spoken to indicate one's own pregnancy, or that someone has found out they are pregnant.

the shoemaker's children go barefoot »    One often neglects those closest to oneself.

the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak »    (proverbs) For much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible.

the straw that broke the camel's back »    A small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that renders it too much to bear; the small thing which causes failure, or causes inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.

the thing of it »    The important point to consider.

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.

the world over »    All over the world; globally; throughout the world.

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 you have it »    That is it; that is the situation or state of things.

there you have it »    Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.

there's no time like the present »    Now (i.e., the present time) is an appropriate time to take a particular action.

three Rs »    The basic education any child can expect to receive, but not necessarily limited to reading, writing and arithmetic.

throw down »    To fight, incite to fight, or approach with the intent to fight; to make a stand.

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 in at the deep end »    To introduce a person to a new situation without adequately preparing him or her.

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.

throw smoke »    To consistently pitch fastballs that are difficult to hit.

throw the book at »    To apply the harshest possible punishment to.

throw to the wolves »    To sacrifice someone, especially in an attempt to save oneself.

tickled pink »    Simple past tense and past participle of tickle pink.

tiger team »    A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.

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 hand »    To inadvertently reveal any secret, particularly a secret that puts one at an advantage or disadvantage.

tit for tat »    Equivalent retribution, an eye for an eye, returning exactly what you get.

tit for tat »    Hat.

to a fare-thee-well »    To the greatest extent or to completion; to a state of refinement or perfection.

to beat the band »    Very vigorously; at a frantic pace; to a high degree; in large quantities.

to date »    Until now; until the present time.

to each his own »    Every person is entitled to his or her personal preferences and tastes.

to give a person line »    To allow a person more or less liberty until it is convenient to stop or check him/her, like a hooked fish that swims away with the line.

to hell in a handbasket »    To a bad state of affairs quickly.

to say the least »    Used to suggest that what was previously stated was an understatement.

to tell the truth »    An attestation to the truthfulness and frankness of an associated statement.

to the victor go the spoils »    The winner of a conflict wins additional benefits, beyond just the subject of the conflict.

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

today we are all »    An expression indicating that the speaker empathizes with members of an identifiable group that was the subject of a disaster, and projects that others empathize as well.

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

too hot to hold »    A place that has too much police activity to harbor a fugitive unnoticed.

top dog »    In a competition, the one expected to win.

toss-upness »    The quality of being a toss-up, usually used in reference to a toss-up state in American presidential elections.

totus porcus »    Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version totus porcus.

touch up »    To touch or to grope someone in flirtatious or sleazy way.

touchy-feely »    Driven by intuition or emotion, with a connotation of de-emphasis of rational thought or logic.

tough call »    A choice or judgment which is difficult to make, especially one involving only two alternatives.

tough love »    The compassionate use of stringent disciplinary measures, to attempt to improve someone's behavior.

tough nut to crack »    A difficult or sticky problem.

treat them mean, keep them keen »    A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.

trigger-happy »    Inclined to react excessively or violently at the slightest provocation.

tuck in »    To push the fabric at the bottom of a shirt under the pants.

tuck in »    To start to eat.

tuckered out »    Simple past tense and past participle of tucker out.

tune in »    To select a channel, station, etc., as on television or radio.

turf war »    A fight or confrontation between two divisions or parties for access to resources or capital.

turn a blind eye »    To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.

turn against »    To rotate against or in opposition to something.

turn away »    To rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something.

turn out »    It turns out.

turn out »    To turn or rotate outwards or out of something.

turn over »    To flip over; to rotate top to bottom.

turn the tables »    To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.

turn tricks »    To work as a prostitute, providing sexual services for money.

turn up »    To reposition by rotating, flipping, etc. upwards.

turn up one's nose »    To refuse, especially as due to pride or status.

turn upside down »    To flip over; to rotate top to bottom.

two birds with one stone »    Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.

under a cloud »    Under suspicion; subject to critical inspection.

under one's breath »    Softly, so as not to be heard.

under one's wing »    Under one's protection, sponsorship, or tutelage.

under the wire »    At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.

underwater basket weaving »    "Sure, somewhere out there, college slackers were taking broom ball and underwater basket weaving." — The Columbus Dispatch, September 15, 2005.

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 to »    Against; next to; near; towards.

up-to-date »    Informed about the latest news or developments.

upset the applecart »    To spoil carefully laid plans or arrangements; to spoil something.

valley of death »    The phase of a startup business beginning with the entrepreneur's fulltime commitment to it and ending when the business has achieved sustainable cash flow.

wade in »    To interrupt someone, or a situation, by doing or saying something abruptly, or forcefully, and usually without thinking about the consequences.

wade through »    To do a boring, repetitive research task.

walk and chew gum at the same time »    To do something very easy.

walk around »    To walk with no real planned destination, but to just walk, to meander "around".

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.

warm down »    Gentle excercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.

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.

water under the bridge »    Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.

wear out »    Of a shirt, not tucked into the pants; worn in a casual manner.

weather the storm »    To reach the end of a very difficult situation without too much harm or damage.

weekend warrior »    A part-time soldier, or reservist.

well ain't that the catfish in the trap »    A sentence commonly spoken in the Southern United States. It can often be used in place of "well, I'll be damned". Used to express surprise.

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 doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

what goes around comes around »    The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.

what the Devil »    Used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question.

what the dickens »    Euphemism for what the Devil, used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning a question.

whatever it takes »    Anything that may be required to achieve an objective.

when in Rome »    Adjust to local customs.

when the cat's away the mice will play »    In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.

when the going gets tough, the tough get going »    in difficult times, it is the strong-willed who take action.

when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's easy to forget that the initial objective was to drain the swamp »    Only because it seems so urgent.

whipped cream »    dessert topping

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.

whistle-stop »    A small train station.

white coat hypertension »    Elevated blood pressure measured by a medical practitioner and deemed to result from the patient's emotional response to the medical environment.

white hole »    A theoretically possible but physically highly unlikely singularity which would emit matter and energy; the antithesis of a black hole.

white lie »    A deliberate, untrue statement which does no harm or is intended to produce a favorable result.

white trash »    A poorly educated white person with low moral and social standards and low social status.

who's 'she', the cat's mother%3F »    A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to their mother, or any other woman in the third person, instead of using a properly respectful title or their name when appropriate.

whole enchilada »    All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.

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.

will on »    To wish intensely that someone succeeds in what they are doing. Often implies a silent, or almost inaudible wish.

wits' end »    A. 1911, John Muir, in John Muir and Michael P. Branch, John Muir's Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa, 2002, page 138.

wooden spoon »    An ironic prize for finishing last in a competition.

work against the clock »    To work very quickly because you know you only have a very limited period of time to do something.

work at »    To make a physical or mental effort to progress some specified task.

work over »    To improve a prototype, or first draft.

work the room »    To interact with one's audience, taking queues from its reactions and adapting one's performance or words to elicit the audience's attention and enthusiasm.

working girl »    A prostitute.

wrap around one's fingers »    To make one susceptible to desire, in that their behavior or actions are influenced.

wring out »    To squeeze a wet material, either by twisting with one's hands, or by passing it through a wringer, to remove the water.

write up »    To document the faults of.

you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar »    It's easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude than with rude demands and negativity.

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 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 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 can't teach an old dog new tricks »    It is impossible, or almost impossible, to change people's habits or traits or mindset.

you can't tell a book by its cover »    Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover.

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 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 name it »    Used after a short list to show that further examples are unnecessary; all kinds of things.

you never know what you've got till it's gone »    Good friends and acquaintances shouldn't be taken for granted.

you shouldn't have »    Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette »    In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.

zero in on »    To concentrate or focus one's attention on at task.

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