a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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a pull of the hair for being unfair »
The general response to "A kick and a flick for being so quick", which is in turn a response in itself to "A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month".
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act like a bull in a china shop »
To act rudely or clumsily in a delicate situation.
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all bark and no bite »
Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
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all ears »
Listening intently; fully focused.
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all hat and no cattle »
Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
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all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy »
Too much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably.Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.
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at full tilt »
At full speed; very quickly.
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at large »
In full, fully.
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au fait »
fully informed;
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balancing act »
A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.
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ball up »
To hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.
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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.
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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.
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bastardly gullion »
A bastard's bastard.
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