We've found 979 phrases for WA (0.116 seconds):

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

a day late and a dollar short »    Action that was taken too late and too feeble to be of any use.

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

a leopard cannot change its spots »    One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.

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

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

a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down »    An otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.

a watched kettle never boils »    Alternative form of a watched pot never boils.

a watched pot never boils »    A process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.

abide by »    To accept a decision or law and act in accordance with it; to conform to; to acquiesce; as, to abide by an award.

absence makes the heart grow fonder »    When someone or something is faraway, you realise how much you love (or miss) them or it.

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.

accident waiting to happen »    A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

according to »    According to him, every person was to be bought. - Thomas Babington Macaulay.

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

ache for »    To desire, or want something, or someone, very much.

adams ale »    water

admiral of the blue »    A landlord or publican wearing a blue apron, as was formerly the custom among men of that vocation.

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

all along »    The entire time; always.

all at once »    Unexpectedly; without warning; all of a sudden.

all ears »    Awaiting an explanation.

all eyes »    Watching alertly or attentively.

all over the place »    Everywhere, especially chaotically or in such a way as to make a mess.

all the same »    Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.

all the time »    Always; constantly; for the complete duration.

all the way to Egery and back »    The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.

all things come to those who wait »    (dated) A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.

all thumbs »    Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous.

all walks of life »    All professions, lifestyles or social classes.

all's fair in love and war »    unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict.

an apple a day keeps the doctor away »    Apples are healthy and stave off illness.Eat healthy and you won't get sick.

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

any way one slices it »    From any perspective; in every case.

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

Apa Sâmbetei »    Saturday's waters.

April showers bring May flowers »    April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains.By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.

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

ark ruffian »    Rogues who, in conjunction with watermen, robbed, and sometimes murdered, on the water, by picking a quarrel with the passengers in a boat, boarding it, plundering, stripping, and throwing them overboard, etc. A species of badger.

around Robin Hood's barn »    The long way around; a roundabout or circuitous route.

arse about face »    Something that is placed or arranged the opposite way to the way it should be.

as best one can »    In the best possible way, given the circumstances.

as you sow, so shall you reap »    The personal consequences of one's actions are in proportion to the good or bad intentions towards others.

ask for it »    To provoke an unwanted action.

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

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

at arm's length »    At a distance, away from one's body.

at once »    Immediately; now; right away.

at peace with »    Not menacing or hostile toward.

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

autem diver »    Pickpockets who practice in churches; also churchwardens and overseers of the poor.

avant la lettre »    An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.

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

back away »    Of your attention on the thing in front being avoided.

back burner »    A section of a stove used to keep some pots warm while one focuses on others.

back into »    To back up or walk backwards and hit something.

back off »    To move backwards away from something.

back up »    To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.

back up »    To move a vehicle backwards.

back water »    A very remote, rural area.

back-assward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

back-asswards »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

backassward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

backasswards »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

bad money drives out good »    Debased coinage (with low levels of precious metals) replaces purer coinage (with higher levels of precious metals).(metaphorically) Mediocre talent drives away real talent.

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

baggage »    Heavy baggage; women and children. Also a familiar epithet for a woman; as, cunning baggage, wanton baggage, &c.

baggage »    In a metaphorical sense, factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way: emotional baggage.

bail out »    To remove water from a boat by scooping it out.

balls-up »    Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.

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

barrel »    A waste receptacle.

barrel »    A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.

bass-ackward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

bass-ackwards »    Alternative form of ass-backwards.

bassackward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

bassackwards »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

bat an eyelash »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

bat an eyelid »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

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

bat away »    To avoid by diverting the focus of a discussion.

batten down »    To close or make watertight, referring to hatches and cargo.

battle cry »    Something the troops yell out when going to war or battle.

be at one's beck and call »    To be in the position of serving someone in any way they desire, usually unwillingly.

be off »    To be away from.

be on the edge of one's seat »    To be in suspense; to wait eagerly or anxiously for some resolution.

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

bear down »    To approach another vessel from windward.

bear down on »    To approach someone in a very determined way.

beat it »    To go away.

beat off »    To drive something away with blows.

beat off »    To waste time.

beat one's head against a stone wall »    To waste effort on a futile project.

beat up »    To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.

beaver away »    To busily undertake a large task.

beefed out »    Muscular, often in an exaggerated way.

below the belt »    Of a punch, landing illegally, below the opponent's waist.

bend over backwards »    To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.

better safe than sorry »    It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to suffer afterwards.

big enchilada »    Some item of high value, especially a top prize or reward.

bite of the reality sandwich »    A wake-up call, a reality check.

bite the bullet »    To accept a negative aspect of a situation in order to continue moving forward.

black-on-black »    Something that is invisible or intentionally obfuscated, such as warnings or fine print.

blame Canada »    A catch phrase for shifting attention away from a serious social issue by laying responsibility with Canada.

blaze a trail »    To show the way or proceed rapidly.

bleeding edge »    Something very current, or modern where there may actually be a hazard or risk in using it, such as with potentially unstable software. The term relates to a sword.

blind »    A player who is or was forced to make a bet.

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

blow a kiss »    To kiss one's hand, then blow on the hand in a direction towards the recipient.

blow away »    Flabbergast; scintillate; impress greatly.

blow away »    To be dispersed as a result of being blown.

blow away »    To cause to go away by blowing.

blow hot and cold »    To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

blow over »    To pass naturally; to go away; to settle or calm down.

blow someone out of the water »    To trounce; to defeat someone thoroughly, at a game or in battle.

blue moon »    The moon tinted towards blue as it appears in the sky, caused by dust or smoke in the atmosphere.

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.

bluewash »    To use a blue paint or glaze.

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

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

bouncing off the walls »    Moving hyperactively.

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.

break a sweat »    January 2008, The Age - Walkovers blaze a trail for women's equal-pay theory.

break away »    To leave suddenly.

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

brick wall »    An obstacle.

bring forward »    To call up for consideration.

bring forward »    To make something happen earlier than originally planned.

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.

bug out »    To abandon someone without warning.

bugger off »    Go away.

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

bump and grind »    A combination of movements resembling such a dance, as in road racing, whitewater kayaking, or exercising; any activity involving prolonged jarring or shaking.

bunk off »    We all bunked off school yesterday to watch the football.

buried treasure »    Treasure stashed underground or underwater.

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

butter fingers »    A clumsy person who always drops things, a klutz.

button up »    To fasten all the buttons on a coat, or similar item of clothing, to keep warm.

buzz off »    Used to tell someone to go away.

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

by the numbers »    To do something exactly, precisely, or in a formulaic way.

by the way »    His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.

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.

can't wait »    To eagerly anticipate; to find it unbearable to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.

carried away »    Made excessively emotional or excited.

carrot and stick »    Simultaneous rewards for good behavior and punishments for bad behavior.

carry away »    To break under sudden pressure of violent wind.

carry off »    To transport away.

carry someone's water »    To do someone's bidding; to serve someone's interests.

carry water for »    To perform menial tasks for; to serve; to assist.

cast away »    To discard.

cast away »    To abandon or maroon.

cat and mouse game »    Two individuals and/or groups repeatedly keeping check on each other in a suspicious or self-protective way, often with the goal of one or both parties trying to gain a malicious advantage over the other.

cat's pyjamas »    That new car was really the cat's pyjamas.

catch flies »    An ostensible product of awkwardly having one's mouth open wide.

caveat lector »    Reader beware.

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

check out »    To withdraw an item, as from a library, and have the withdrawal recorded.

cheese it »    A minced oath used as a warning to stop, hide, or flee.

chew the fat »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

chicken out »    To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.

chip in »    To make a contribution; help in a small way; especially, to pay for a part of something.

chuck away »    To discard, or throw away.

chump change »    An amount of remuneration, reward, or other monetary recompense considered to be insultingly small.

circle the wagons »    To draw a wagon train into a circle to allow the wagons to provide cover when under attack.

circle the wagons »    To prepare to defend against an attack.

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

clear cut »    Straightforward, obvious, simple, or basic.

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

climbing the walls »    Present participle of climb the walls.

close as wax »    Miserly.

cock of the walk »    A proud or conceited person.

cock of the walk »    W:The Pogues - w:The Irish Rover.

cold hands, warm heart »    Implies inner beauty; a caring person; warm-hearted

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

cold turkey »    The physiological effects of such a withdrawal.

cold turkey »    The sudden and complete withdrawal of a dependent substance, especially of a drug.

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

come hell or high water »    Regardless of the hardships.

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

come out in the wash »    Of problems or difficulties, to work out, resolve, or become understood eventually and naturally.

come to a head »    To suddenly make mature or perfected that which was inchoate or imperfectly formed.

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

come up »    To come towards, to approach.

comfort woman »    A woman forced, or supposedly recruited, into brothels by the Japanese occupation forces during World War II.

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

corporation pop »    Water.

country mile »    A long way, a great distance.

crab mentality »    A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.

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.

cry wolf »    To raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.

crying shame »    It's a crying shame that so much money has been wasted on this pointless political campaign.

cut a swath »    Variant form of cut a wide swath.

cut a wide swath »    To behave in an expansive, flagrantly showy, or pushy manner, especially in public venues; to exert sweeping influence.

cut a wide swath »    To clear a broad track through a grassland, woodland, geographical region, or other area, either by natural means or by human action.

cut and dried »    Simple, straightforward, clear, or certain.

dead giveaway »    Obvious, easily apparent.

dead in the water »    Nearly dead, doomed.

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

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.

deep end »    The part of a swimming pool with relatively deep water.

deep water »    A difficult or embarrassing situation.

deep water »    Waters suitable for deep-draft ships, especially ocean-going.

deep-six »    To get rid of something unwanted.

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.

dirty laundry »    Unflattering facts or questionable activities that one wants to remain secret, but which some other may use to blackmail with.

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

do away with »    To destroy, eliminate, or make an end of.

do one's damnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

do one's darnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

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 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.

down the drain »    Wasted, squandered; irretrievable.

drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »    (idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.

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

draw back »    To move backwards.

drive away »    To depart by driving a vehicle.

drive away »    To force someone or something to leave.

drive off »    To force to leave or go away.

drive one up the wall »    To make a person very angry or bored; to infuriate.

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

Drop out of warp »    Dis-engage the cruise control on the car

druthers »    Wishes, preferences, or ways.

dry out »    To have excess water evaporate or be otherwise removed.

dumb down »    To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending.

eat out of somebody's hand »    To behave in a docile, submissive way towards somebody.

eat the wind »    To take a walk.

elbow room »    Freedom or leeway.

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

err on the side of »    To behave in a manner which favours or which is biassed toward.

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 which way »    All over; in every direction.

every which way »    In all sorts of ways or manners.

execution style »    Resembling an execution; with the victim aware, but unable to defend himself or resist.

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** with »    To mess with; to interact with in a careless or inappropriate way.

facts on the ground »    A euphemism, similar to fait accompli, used as an oblique way of saying that discussions over the possession of a given piece of territory has been rendered moot by the presence of military forces.

fall away »    To cease to support a person or cause.

fall by the wayside »    To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out.

fall for »    To be fooled; to walk into a trap or respond to a scam or trick.

fall in »    To collapse inwards.

fall in line »    C. 2004, Career Soldiers, "Won't Waste My Life".

fall off the wagon »    To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.

familiarity breeds contempt »    The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.

far and away »    By a large degree or margin; greatly.

fear »    Extreme veneration or awe, as toward a supreme being or deity.

feast or famine »    A situation in which something is always either extremely abundant or in extremely short supply.

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

fend away »    To turn something away; to ward off.

fend off »    Away; to turn away; to defend against; to repel with force or effort.

field day »    A day of class taken away from school for a field trip.

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

file away »    To store in a file.

fire away »    To begin shooting at an enemy.

fire away »    To begin to talk or present information quickly.

fire hose »    A hose used to deliver water in case of fire.

fish out »    To deplete the supply of fish in a given body of water.

fix someone's wagon »    To punish someone; to cause injury, distress, or inconvenience for someone.

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

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

forewarned, forearmed »    Alternative form of forewarned is forearmed.

fourth wall »    The boundary between the fiction and the audience.

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.

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

from cover to cover »    All the way to the last page.

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

from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious »    So obvious it was unnecessary to say.

full speed ahead »    A command, especially on military vessels, to move forward at maximum speed.

gandy dancer »    A railway laborer, especially a member of a crew which carries rails and affixes them to ties.

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 away »    escape

get away »    make an escape

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

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

get carried away »    To become excessively involved, to take something too far.

get one's end away »    To have sex.

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

give as good as one gets »    To behave toward others in a manner resembling or commensurate with their behavior towards oneself, especially in a situation where one is insulted or otherwise ill-treated.

give away the store »    To transact, trade, or negotiate badly, by paying, providing, or conceding too much to the other party.

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

give somebody the slip »    To evade, escape, or get away from somebody.

gloss over »    To cover up a mistake or a crime; to hush up or whitewash.

go all the way »    To continue to the conclusion of a task or project.

go all the way »    To have sexual intercourse.

go away »    Command asking someone to leave them alone.

go away »    Go away, stop annoying me!.

go by the wayside »    To become obsolete or outmoded.

go down that road »    To settle a way of doing something; do decide to do something in a particular way.

go down the road »    A way of doing something; to do something in a particular way.

go down the wrong way »    To swallow food or drink so that it goes down the wrong tube in one's throat and makes one cough or for a short period lose one's breath or choke.

go for broke »    To wager everything.

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

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

go out »    1922, Alfred Edward Housman, XXVIII, lines 3-4.

go out of one's way »    To make an extra effort.

go the way of »    To end up the same way as. To receive the same fate as.

go the way of the dinosaurs »    To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go off the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.

go the way of the dodo »    To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go out of the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.

go to the mattresses »    To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.

go to the wall »    To make an all-out effort.

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...

golden handcuffs »    Any arrangement or agreement designed to provide extremely favorable benefits or pay, so as to discourage participant from wanting to leave, especially to retain a choice employee.

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

gongoozle »    To leisurely watch the passage of boats, from the bank of a canal, lock or bridge.

good things come to those who wait »    A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.

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

grasp all, lose all »    one who wants everything, may lose it all

grass widow »    A married woman whose husband is away.

grass widower »    A married man whose wife is away.

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

great unwashed »    A contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class.

greenwash »    A false or misleading picture of environmental friendliness used to conceal or obscure damaging activities.

grin like a Cheshire cat »    To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.

grow cold »    To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.

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

hair of the dog »    An alcoholic drink taken the morning after to cure a hangover or withdrawal symptoms.

halfway decent »    Good - better than expected.

halfway decent »    No more than adequate.

hand down »    To forward to the proper officer .

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

handwriting on the wall »    Alternative form of writing on the wall. A divine prediction or sentence to fate.

hang on »    wait

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

hard shoulder »    mortorway shopping area

haste makes waste »    One makes mistakes when being too hasty.

haul off »    To alter course so as to get farther away from an object.

have a way with »    To be skilled, adept, or graceful in something.

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

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

have one's ducks in a row »    To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal.

have one's heart set on »    To want or desire deeply, regardless of practicality or rationality.

have one's wits about one »    To remain calm, composed, or aware.

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 »    "He was head and shoulders above the others in the law firm.".

head and shoulders »    "She was head and shoulders better than any of her rivals.".

head for »    go towards

heads up »    Used as an informal warning, caution, or call for attention; pay attention!.

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

hear the grass grow »    To be very aware or discerning; to pay attention to every small detail.

heat wave »    A period of exceptionally hot weather.

heat wave »    spell of hot weather

hell or high water »    Highly adverse circumstances; acts of God.

high road »    A main road or highway.

highway robbery »    Said of excessive or exorbitant prices.

hike up »    To lift; to tug or pull upwards.

his back is up »    He is offended or angry; an expression or idea taken from a cat; that animal, when angry, always raising its back. An allusion also sometimes used to jeer a crooked man.

historical figure »    A fictional or fabricated person who was was given historical importance in legends and myth.

hit one's stride »    When walking or running, to reach a full or comfortable pace.

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

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

hold on »    Wait a short while.

hold one's breath »    To wait, as if breathlessly.

hold one's horses »    To be patient; to wait.

hold one's water »    To be patient; to control one's impulses.

hold one's water »    To hold one's urine.

hold out »    To hold something out; to extend forward.

hold sway »    Dominate.

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!.

hold up »    To wait or delay.

hold water »    To withstand scrutiny or criticism; to be valid.

hold your fire »    Wait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet.

holding pattern »    A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.

home away from home »    A place in which one is as comfortable as one's actual home.

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

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

hot chocolate »    warm drink

hot mess »    A warm meal, usually cooked in a large pot, often similar to a stew or porridge; or, service of such a heated meal to soldiers.

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

house warming »    Presented as a way of welcoming someone to a home into which he or she recently moved.

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.

ice over »    To become covered in ice, usually of a body of water.

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.

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

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

if you want a thing done well, do it yourself »    It is better to do something oneself, than rely on others to do it well.

in any way, shape, or form »    In any way at all; whatsoever.

in hot water »    In trouble; in the position of arousing somebody's anger or displeasure.

in line »    On a queue; waiting one's turn for something.

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

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

in the wake of »    As a result of.

in the wake of »    Following.

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

in the way »    Obstructing, blocking, or hindering.

it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog »    (rare or obsolete, proverb) If a person is determined to punish someone, they will find a way to do so.1596

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

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

it's 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:

ivory tower »    A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.

jump »    That is further forward.

jump »    To cause oneself to leave an elevated location and fall downward.

jump »    To propel oneself rapidly upward such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.

jump on the bandwagon »    To profit from a craze; to join a trend.

jump ship »    To depart a project without warning.

jump the queue »    To move into a queue ahead of others who have been waiting longer or that have a higher priority; push in.

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

just like that »    Unexpectedly, without warning.

just the same »    Anyway; despite.

keep a close watch on »    To pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.

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

keep an eye on »    To watch and pay attention to.

keep an eye out »    To watch for, look for, or search for.

keep away from »    To avoid.

keep away from »    To evade.

keep away from »    To deny access to.

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

keep one's eyes peeled »    To watch closely; to look for.

keep oneself to oneself »    To be introverted; to stay away from others.

keep out »    After being warned, he kept out.

keep out »    The warning kept him out.

keep out of »    To stay away from a place or condition.

keep tabs on »    To monitor; to keep track of; to watch.

keep the wolf from the door »    To ward off poverty or hunger.

keep up with »    To manage to remain beside or just behind that is moving away from one.

kettle of fish »    An awkward situation; a predicament.

kick around »    To wander loose; to float around; to hang around.

kick in »    To kick or strike so as to cause the object struck to collapse or fall inwards.

kick up »    Into the air while running or walking or driving.

kill the fatted calf »    To begin a festive celebration and rejoicing for someone's long-awaited return.

kitchen table software »    Especially in the early years of personal computers, a set of computer programs developed by an entrepreneurial advanced amateur or self-employed professional computer programmer in his or her own home; software developed by a small business using the services of such programmers.

knee high to a grasshopper »    Short; especially relating to when the subject was a small child.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

la goutte d'eau qui fait d%C3%A9border le vase »    The drop of water that makes the vase overflow.

lame joke »    An attempt at humor which is perceived to have been used previously to the point of being cliche, or was never funny to begin with.

landing strip »    A runway for aircraft, especially one which is auxiliary or temporary.

last burst of fire »    A final effort or warning.

last resort »    The only remaining, unwanted, option or choice.

laugh all the way to the bank »    To be happy due to the receipt of money.

lay out »    To arrange in a certain way.

lead a charmed life »    To always be lucky and safe from danger.

lean towards »    To favor in a decision.

legwork »    Work, especially research or preparation, that involves significant walking, travel, or similar effort.

let go an anchor to the windward of the law »    To keep within the letter of the law.

lick one's chops »    To look forward avidly to eating something.

lie in wait »    prepare an ambush

like water off a duck's back »    Without immediate or lasting effects.

lily-livered »    Cowardly, lacking bravery.

link whoring »    The practice of going out of one's way to place links to one's website on someone else's webpage.

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

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).

long absent, soon forgotten »    Love fades away when people are distant and don't keep close physical contact.

long arm »    A pole tool used for handling things too far away to reach.

long ways, long lies »    Someone who comes back from a far-off country can tell lies without fear of being contradicted.

look after »    To watch or protect; to keep safe.

look forward »    To anticipate or expect; especially, to expect something to be pleasant.

look forward to »    To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure.

look off »    To mislead by directing one's apparent attention away from one's true object of intent.

look on »    To watch; to observe.

look out »    Be vigilant and aware.

look out »    warning

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

look up »    To look in an upwards manner.

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.

look-in »    A quick short pass to a receiver running diagonally toward the center of the field.

low blow »    An unfair or illegal blow that lands below the opponent’s waist; a groin attack..

lucky dip »    September 2005, BBC News - Dome sale 'was like a lucky dip'.

make a meal of »    To spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants; to make something overly complicated.

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

make an example of »    To punish someone so as to be a warning to others.

make for »    To move towards.

make for »    head towards

make headway »    To progress; to move forward.

make off »    To run away; to exit.

make oneself scarce »    To leave or depart, or to avoid or stay away.

make tracks »    To leave or depart; to go away.

make waves »    To cause a disturbance.

make waves »    To upset the status quo.

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

man proposes, God disposes »    Things don't always work out as they were planned.

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.

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

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

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

miner's canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miner's canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

miners' canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miners' canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

misfortunes never come singly »    bad things or situations always come in groups, they never come in a single way.

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

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.

monkey business »    An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.

monkey business »    Wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project.

morning person »    A person whose who wakes up without difficulty early each morning and who is alert and active during the first part of the day.

move the goal posts »    To unilaterally change the rules, or terms of an agreement, especially in an unfair or underhand way.

murder will out »    A murderer will always be discovered.

my way or the highway »    Will be excluded.

necessity is the mother of invention »    A person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it.

new school »    A style, way of thinking, or method for accomplishing a task that is typical of the current era, as opposed to former eras.

night person »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours, and who usually sleeps during part of the daytime.

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

nighthawk »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours.

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

no way »    In no way; nowise.

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

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

not a chance »    Absolutely not; no way.

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

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

nothing to it »    Easy; simple or straightforward.

object lesson »    Anything used an example or lesson which serves to warn others as to the outcomes that result from a particular action or behavior, as exemplified by the fates of those who followed that course.

odd and curious »    A way to designate special coins, namely coins that are both odd and imperfect or seriously damaged.

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

off one's game »    Performing in any activity below one's usual level; behaving in an irregular, inept, or awkward manner; feeling unwell.

off the bat »    From the start; immediately; right away.

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

off-the-wall »    Greatly inappropriate.

off-the-wall »    Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.

offer affordances »    To give elbow room or leeway for something to happen.

on end »    Upright; erect; endways.

on good terms with »    Friendly towards; having good relations with.

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

on hold »    Waiting on a telephone call.

on one's watch »    During the period of time when one is in a position of authority or responsibility.

on the fence »    Undecided; wavering in one's opinion.

on the level »    Honest, sincere, straightforward.

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

on the same wavelength »    In rapport or complete accord.

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

on the spot »    Having to answer or decide without warning or preparation.

on the wagon »    By extension, maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.

on the wane »    In a period of decrease or decline.

on the wane »    The moon was on the wane.

on the way »    Coming, approaching.

on tiptoe »    Moving carefully, quietly, warily or stealthily.

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

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

one side »    You should move to one side and allow me to go through the passageway you are blocking.

one step forward, two steps back »    A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.

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

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

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

one two »    wall pass

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

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

or what »    Or something else; allows for the existence of an unexpressed alternative to what was said.

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

out of sight »    How was the party? Out of sight, man!.

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

out of the blue »    Unexpectedly; without warning or preparation.

out of the way »    Improper or offensive.

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

out of the way »    Remote or secluded.

out of the way »    Taken care of.

out of the way »    Unusual or out of the ordinary.

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

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

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

pack away »    To store away, place out of the way, or stash, especially for the longer term.

pack away »    To eat a great deal.

pack up »    To clear away.

pan out »    By swirling dirt or crushed rock in a pan of water, in the manner of a traditional prospector seeking gold.

paper »    A sheet material used for writing on or printing on , usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.

paper »    Wallpaper.

parking lot »    A major thruway blocked by stop and go traffic.

pass away »    To die.

pave the way »    To make future development easier.

peg it »    To run away; to leg it; to scarper.

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.

pendre la cr%C3%A9maill%C3%A8re »    To have a housewarming party.

penny wise and pound foolish »    Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful and profligate with large amounts.

perp walk »    The intentional public display before news cameras of someone in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the authorities' effectiveness, or shaming the person.

pig out »    They watched the game and pigged out on chips and pizza.

piss away »    To spend wastefully.

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

piss off »    To leave, to go away.

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

play around »    To behave in a silly, or childish, or irresponsible way.

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

plug away »    To persist or continue, as with an effort.

plus  »    (literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.

pocket money »    child's allowance

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

poison pen »    A usually intentionally rude, spiteful, and/or condescending piece of writing directed at a person, group, lifestyle, way of thought, or other target.

pop up »    To appear without warning.

potter »    One who makes pots and other ceramic wares.

pound the pavement »    To travel on foot; to walk or run.

pour oil on troubled waters »    To calm something or someone who is tenacious or misbehaving.

pre-war »    Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.

pre-war »    Describing the period before a war.

pre-war »    Describing the period before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

prone out »    In order to be propelled shorewards by a broken wave.

proverbs run in pairs »    Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.

pull away »    To move ahead.

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

pull up »    Lift upwards or vertically.

punch bowl waterfall »    A plunging waterfall descending from a narrow stream into a pool.

put away »    To store away, place out of the way, clean up, or organize.

put away »    To eat a great deal.

put away »    To send someone to prison.

put away »    Divorce.

put away »    To strike out a batter.

put away »    To catch a fly ball or tag out a baserunner.

put away »    To take a large lead in a game.

put forward »    To propose for consideration.

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

put on »    To cook or warm.

put one foot in front of the other »    To move forward, progress steadily.

put one foot in front of the other »    To walk, decomposed to stress the fundamentality of the task.

put one's best foot forward »    To show oneself in the best or most positive way possible; to make a favorable impression.

put out feelers »    To explore or watch for; ask around; investigate.

put someone in mind of »    To remind someone of; to inspire a mental image or awareness of; to cause thoughts concerning.

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

put up »    To store away.

quick-and-dirty »    Of or pertaining to the creation or repair of software or hardware in a manner which permits operation within a brief period of time, although with compromised functionality or reliability.

quicumque vult »    A forward girl, ready to oblige every man that shall ask her.

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.

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

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

read somebody's lips »    To discern what somebody is saying by watching the shape of the mouth rather than by hearing the sounds of the words.

real job »    A job which requires the employee to, work regular hours for a consistent wage that often exceeds the provisions of applicable minimum wage legislation. A job that produces a living wage.

reality check »    A wake-up call, reminder.

reap what one sows »    To receive as a reward or harvest in the same measure as one's exertions, in a good or a bad sense. To receive justice.

red flag »    A cue, warning, or alert; a sign or signal that something is wrong.

red light »    A warning light, especially as a traffic signal indicating ‘stop’..

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

ride roughshod over »    To act in a bullying or inconsiderate manner; to display disregard towards someone or something.

ride the rails »    To travel by railway train, trolley, etc.

right away »    Very soon; quickly; immediately.

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

roadwarrior »    A person who carries a mobile device such as a laptop or PDA and uses wireless internet connections to work.

roadwarrior »    Alternative spelling of road warrior.

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

robber baron »    In Europe, an aristocrat who charged exorbitant fees or otherwise exacted money from people who journeyed across land or waterways which he controlled.

rock up »    To work one's way vertically up a chimney or cleft using a rocking movement.

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

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

rose-colored glasses »    An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.

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.

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

run away »    To flee by running.

run away »    To leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.

run away »    escape

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 away with »    To be misled by imagining that one's desires can come true.

run off »    To chase someone away.

run out on »    To leave a partner suddenly and without prior warning.

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

run up »    Of a bowler, to run, or walk up to the bowling crease in order to bowl a ball.

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

screw back »    To cue the cue ball in such a way as to impart backspin. On impact, the ball will follow a reverse trajectory according to the spin.

sea legs »    The ability, when walking aboard ship, to anticipate the motion of the deck so as to walk steadily without losing balance.

sell »    To promote a particular viewpoint; to manipulate towards a desired end.

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".

send away »    To dismiss from one's presence.

send away »    To send to a particular place for a long time, as a family member, an employee, etc.

send away for »    To write to a business or other organisation, requesting a thing.

set in one's ways »    Driven by habit; inclined or determined to continue according to one's custom or established preferences.

sexual tension »    Physically induced libidinal unrest arising between two individuals when aware of each other's presence.

shanks' mare »    One's own legs used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride on shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.

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

shit-eating grin »    A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.

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

shoot oneself in the foot »    To deliberately sabotage an activity in order to avoid obligation, though it causes personal suffering. Origins in first world war trench warfare.

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

shoot the bull »    To chinwag; to talk idly.

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

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

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.

show somebody the door »    To dismiss or reject; to exclude someone who was formerly included.

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.

shuffle »    A rhythm commonly used in blues music. Consists of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note. Sounds like a walker dragging one foot.

shuffle »    An instance of walking without lifting one's feet.

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

sick puppy »    In a morbid or gruesome way.

silver bullet »    Any straightforward solution perceived to have great effectiveness or bring miraculous results.

silver-tongue »    The trait of being clever at speaking, often in a deceitful way.

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 tight »    To wait patiently.

skin diver »    underwater swimmer

sleep with the fishes »    To be killed and have one's body disposed off in the sea or other body of water.

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.

sod off »    Go away.

soft sawder »    "How the old boy swallowed my soft sawder and Brummagem notes!" —Tom Taylor, The Ticket-of-Leave Man.

softroader »    . This involves increased ground clearance with tyre, wheel, and suspension tweaks, skid plates and refers to mini SUV or wagons.

some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you »    One cannot always overcome a powerful adversary.

something awful »    Intensely or extremely; badly; in the worst way.

sort of »    Approximately; in a way; partially; not quite; somewhat.

spare tire »    Excess weight or fat accumulated near the waist.

spare tyre »    A large stomach and rolls of fat around the waist.

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.

spill over »    To enter into another zone by way of accident or overcrowding; to overflow.

spit-and-polish »    Paying much attention to outward appearance.

spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar »    To have something important fail for want of a small amount of money or effort.

spring fever »    A feeling of invigoration and restlessness associated with the arrival of the warm weather and renewal of nature in the spring season.

spring fever »    A feeling of laziness or listlessness associated with the arrival of the warm, comfortable weather of the spring season.

spy on »    To secretly watch; to surveil.

square away »    To finish, complete, tidy or put in order.

squint like a bag of nails »    To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

squirrel away »    To stash or hide; to hoard, collect, save, or accumulate; to create a reserve, stash, or hoard of some supply, so as to recall a squirrel's burying of nuts.

stand back »    To stand a long way behind the wicket so as to catch balls from a fast bowler.

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

stand corrected »    Said to acknowledge someone who corrects something that one says or writes that was not correct.

stand down »    To wait; to stop pursuing or fighting.

stave in »    To stave from the outside, to crush inward, to cause to collapse inward.

stay up »    To remain awake, to not go to bed.

steal away »    To leave secretively.

step on a rake »    To step on the tines of a garden rake, causing the handle of the rake to rise from the ground rapidly, invariably striking the person walking in the face.

stepping stone »    Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

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.

still water runs deep »    A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect

still waters run deep »    A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect.

stone cold »    Very cold; lacking any semblance of warmth.

stop someone in his tracks »    To prevent someone from continuing along a path or way, literal or figurative, he has begun going along.

straight away »    Very soon; quickly; immediately.

stretch one's legs »    To walk about, especially after prolonged time sitting or lying down.

strike while the iron is hot »    To act on an opportunity promptly; to avoid waiting.

strip away »    To ignore a factor which obscures the reality.

strip away »    To remove something bit by bit.

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.

swallow one's pride »    To set aside one's feelings of pride and adopt a more humble or appropriate stance.

swallow up »    To completely enclose or envelop.

swan song »    A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

sweeten the pot »    To increase a wager.

swing for the fences »    To act in a way that might generate a very good result, but which also has a large chance of failing.

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

take a hike »    To go away; to leave or depart.

take a number »    Recognize that many others are in the same situation; recognize that one's concerns are not of high priority; be prepared to wait.

take a powder »    To leave in a hurry; run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.

take a walk in the snow »    See walk in the snow.

take against »    He took against me when I was promoted over him.

take apart »    To move someone away from others to be able to talk to, or give them something in private.

take away »    To remove something and put it in a different place.

take away »    To remove something, either material or abstract, so that a person no longer has it.

take away »    To subtract or diminish something.

take away »    To leave a memory or impression in one's mind that you think about later.

take away »    To make someone leave a place and go somewhere else. Usually not with the person's consent.

take away »    To prevent, or limit, someone from being somewhere, or from doing something.

take away from »    To make something seem not so good or interesting.

take down »    To remove something from a wall or similar vertical surface to which it is fixed.

take liberties »    To behave disrespectfully, especially to make unwanted sexual advances.

take out of context »    To interpret something in a manner in which it was not intended to be understood, often deliberately.

take to »    To enter; to go into or move towards.

take to one's heels »    To leave; especially, to flee or run away.

take to the hills »    To flee or vanish; to run away.

taking to ones heels »    running away

talk someone's ear off »    To talk excessively or far more than is wanted or appreciated.

talk up »    In such a way as to make the thing or person sound better than it actually is.

task force »    A group of people working towards a particular task, project, or activity, especially assigned in a particular capacity.

tear away »    To remove oneself reluctantly; often expressed in the negative.

tell off »    To speak to someone rudely, disrespectfully or angrily; to berate; to unleash one's fury verbally towards someone.

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

thanks for nothing »    Expression of displeasure towards a person who has not provided what was wanted.

that's the way life is »    That is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything [1], page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption [2], ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.

that's the way the ball bounces »    That is the way things happen

that's the way the cookie crumbles »    That is the way things happen; that's life.

that's the way the mop flops »    That is the way things happen.

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents in the way they act and in their physical abilities.

the course of true love never did run smooth »    There will always be problems in a relationship.

the grass is always greener on the other side »    Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not

the nose knows »    Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.

the shoe is on the other foot »    The roles of people in a situation have been reversed, such the advantage has shifted to a party which was previously disadvantaged.

the way to a man's heart is through his stomach »    Cooking for a man is a good way to win his affections.

the whole nine yards »    All the way; with everything done completely or thoroughly.

them's the breaks »    (idiomatic) That is the way things happen; that's life.

there's a sucker born every minute »    There are a great number of fools in the world, and there always be.

there's many a slip twixt cup and lip »    In any situation, however well planned, something can always go wrong.

there's more than one way to skin a cat »    A problem generally has more than one solution.

thief in the night »    Something stealthy or that occurs without warning.

thieve out »    To walk out of a place stealthily.

thorn in the flesh »    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

throw away »    To discard or dispose of something.

throw away »    To place a son or daughter for adoption.

throw cold water on »    To belittle or dismiss; to cast doubt upon; to debunk.

throw dirt enough, and some will stick »    If enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at [1] on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say

throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick »    Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2005, Mike Busson (poster on UKScreen forum) Re: Voiceovers!, read at [1] on 02 Nov 06,In terms of places to send your URL or CD's, there's no easy answer. It really is a case of throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.2005, "forwardone" (administrator posting on the HYIPForum), re: Alertpay phishing email, read at [2] on 02 Nov 06,I also think that sometimes they send out phishing e-mails in the hope that it`ll hit people who do have an account with a particular organization. You know, throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick theory.2006, Rob Manuel, How to be funny, read in Comedy Soup on the BBC website at [3] on 02 Nov 06,Throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick. Be prolific and don't be afraid to make stuff that's rubbish. If you keep trying eventually you'll get there.2006, Rex Pierce, Re: [303rd-Talk] D Day read on 303rd Bomb Group Talk Forum at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Believe the planners worked on the principle of "throw enough mud at the wall, and some of it will stick".If enough (perhaps false or reckless) accusations are made against someone, his reputation will suffer, whether or not this is deserved2006, "money" (poster on eTalk Money), Some thoughts about compact surfing, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,Word of advice NVUS time to distance yourself from LuukH as quickly as possible and dish some dirt, otherwise well the saying goes - throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.

throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick »    Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at [1] on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at [2] on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at [3] on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at [6] on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isn

throw money away »    To spend money foolishly or indiscriminately; to waste money without regard of the consequences.

throw out »    To discard; to dispense with something; to throw away.

throw the baby out with the bathwater »    To discard something valuable, often inadvertently, in the process of removing waste.

throw to the dogs »    To throw away useless.

throw to the wolves »    To remove or cast out someone or something out of one's protection, such as onto the streets, especially towards predators.

throwing money away »    The act of spending money foolishly; wasting money without regard of the consequences.

tie someone's hands »    To render one powerless to act, to thwart someone.

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.

time after time »    Again and again; repeatedly; every time; always.

time and tide »    Shortened form of time and tide wait for no man

time and tide wait for no man »    action is necessary without delay

time heals all wounds »    Negative feelings eventually erode away

time is money »    When a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.

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.

tin god »    An individual that abuses or exceeds his authority over others, frequently in petty ways; for example a low-level manager in situational comedies and other entertainment.

to be the cat's whiskers »    To perform better than was generally supposed possible.

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 go »    Served in a package or takeout container so as to be taken away from a restaurant rather than eaten on the premises.

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

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.

today we are all »    August 12, 2008:, Robert Barnes, "McCain to Georgian President: "Today, We Are All Georgians"", Washington Post.

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

tonic water »    mixer

totus porcus »    Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version totus porcus.

touch up »    To touch or to grope someone in flirtatious or sleazy way.

tout de suite »    Immediately, right away.

trick of the trade »    A shortcut or other quick, or very effective way of doing things, that professional workers learn from experience.

truth will out »    A mystery will always be solved, or a truth will always be discoveredTruth will eventually and inevitably be discovered.

tune in, turn on, drop out »    Pay attention to the new way of living; take drugs; abandon the established ways.

tune out »    To change the channel or frequency away from.

tune up »    To make preparations for vigorous exercise; to warm up.

turf war »    A dispute over territory between rival gangs.

turf war »    A fight or confrontation between two divisions or parties for access to resources or capital.

turn away »    To rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something.

turn away »    To bend or turn from a fixed course.

turn away »    To refuse to admit someone.

turn away »    To avert or deflect something.

turn down »    To reposition by turning, flipping, etc. in a downward direction.

turn out »    To turn or rotate outwards or out of something.

turn tail »    To flee; to run away; to leave.

turn the tables »    To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.

turn up »    To reposition by rotating, flipping, etc. upwards.

turnabout is fair play »    It is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.

twatfaced »    F**ed, pissed, drunk as a skunk.

twiddle one's thumbs »    To circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored.

twiddle one's thumbs »    To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.

twist in the wind »    To wait for an uncomfortably long period of time.

two wrongs don't make a right »    (ethics) A wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to correct or cancel a previous wrongful action.1915, William MacLeod Raine, The Highgrader, ch. 15:"But when it comes to taking what belongs to another

under way »    A vessel is said to be underway when she is not anchored, moored, aground, or beached[1]. Compare with make way.

under way »    In operation, in progress, commenced.

underwater basket weaving »    "Sure, somewhere out there, college slackers were taking broom ball and underwater basket weaving." — The Columbus Dispatch, September 15, 2005.

underwater basket weaving »    An easy and useless college or high school class.

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.

unwashed masses »    Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.

up the wall »    Crazy, mad.

up the walls »    Very busy, swamped.

up the wazoo »    Up the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

up to »    Against; next to; near; towards.

up to here »    Overwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.

up with the larks »    To wake up early, to be an early bird.

valley of the shadow of death »    Valleys on earth one must walk through, that is, part of the human experience.

victory at sea »    Ocean conditions very windblown and messy, possibly to the point of being inimical to surfing and other water sports.

wack out »    To become deranged.

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.

wage war »    A figurative allusion to pay discrepancies.

wail on »    To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.

wail on »    To beat heavily on anything.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.

wait up »    To stay awake waiting for somebody to return.

wait up »    Wait.

wake up and smell the coffee »    To face reality and stop deluding oneself.

wake up on the wrong side of bed »    To feel grumpy, irritable; to be easily annoyed.

walk a tightrope »    To undertake a precarious course of action.

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 away from »    To abandon or leave; to shun.

walk in on »    To enter suddenly or unexpectedly while something is happening; to intrude or interrupt by entering.

walk in the park »    A recreational walk in a park.

walk in the park »    Something easy or pleasant, especially by comparison to something.

walk in the snow »    An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.

walk into »    To collide with.

walk into »    To fall into .

walk into »    meet with unwittingly

walk it off »    To deal with an negative emotional event without complaint; to take it like a man.

walk it off »    To walk or pace in order to relieve a pain or cramp.

walk on eggshells »    To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.

walk on eggshells »    To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

walk out »    To stage a walkout or strike.

walk out »    To leave suddenly, especially as a form of protest.

walk out on »    To abandon or desert someone, especially a spouse.

walk the line »    To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.

walk the line »    To maintain an intermediate position between contrasting choices, opinions, etc..

walk the line »    To mark or secure a boundary by walking along it.

walk the line »    To participate in the procession at a graduation ceremony; to graduate.

walk the plank »    To be forced to resign from a position in an organization.

walk the talk »    To do what one said one could do, or would do, not just making empty promises. To walk one's talk is to be innocent of hypocrisy.

walk the walk »    Act competently, like an expert.

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walking on air »    very happy

wall in »    To enclose by surrounding with walls.

wall off »    To separate with a wall.

wall to wall carpets »    floor coverings

wall up »    To seal with a wall.

walls have ears »    There is a risk of being heard, so pay attention to what you say.

waltz Matilda »    To travel with a swag; that is, with one's belongings wrapped in a cloth.

wank off »    To masturbate.

wank off »    To sexually stimulate another's penis.

war bride »    A company or individual whose business is increased by warfare.

war bride »    A woman who marries a man who is on active duty military in wartime.

ward off »    To parry, or turn aside.

ward off »    To avert or prevent.

warm down »    Gentle excercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.

warm fuzzy »    A good impression; a feeling of comfort or trust.

warm the cockles of someone's heart »    To provide happiness, to bring a deeply-felt contentment.

warm up »    To make an audience enthusiastic or animated before a show.

warm up »    To reheat food.

warm up »    To become warmer.

warm up »    To prepare for executing an already-learned activity by a limited amount of additional practice.

warts and all »    Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.

wash away »    To eliminate, or destroy by fast moving water, such as in a flood, or a high sea.

wash away »    To eliminate, in a figurative sense.

wash down »    To help to swallow by drinking a liquid, after eating something, or taking a pill.

wash down »    To wash something completely from top to bottom.

wash one's hands of »    To absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for.

wash out »    To remove something by washing.

wash out »    To wear away by the flow of water; to erode.

wash out »    To cancel due to bad weather.

wash out »    To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.

wash over »    To pass unnoticed so that one is unaffected by it.

wash over »    Said of the way an emotion affects one suddenly.

wash over »    Of open water. To surge over the banks, or other retaining structure.

wash up »    To clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal.

wash up »    To wash one's hands and/or face, often around mealtimes.

wash up »    To be carried on to land by water.

washed out »    Of clothes. When they lose some of their original colour from being washed so often.

washed out »    To be very tired and lacking energy.

washed up »    Finished; having no future in a particular role.

waste away »    To lose energy and become weak and feeble.

waste breath »    To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded.

waste not, want not »    If one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.

watch one's head »    To look out for things one's head might bump into.

watch one's mouth »    In the imperative form, used as a warning to avoid or stop using inappropriate language, especially profanity, or disrespectful utterances.

watch one's mouth »    To be careful about what one says, especially with regard to disrespectful or profane language.

watch one's step »    To be cautious.

watch one's step »    To move cautiously.

watch out »    To be aware or conscious; to look closely or carefully; to use caution. Often used in the imperative.

watch over »    To guard and protect.

watch this space »    An indication that a development will follow.

water down »    To dilute; to add water.

water down »    To make weaker.

water down »    To simplify or oversimplify; to make easier; to make less difficult.

water over the dam »    An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

water to my mill »    What energizes you; what stimulates you.

water under the bridge »    Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.

watered-down »    Diluted; containing extra water.

watered-down »    Weakened or simplified.

wax lyrical »    To become, or tend to become lyrical.

wax lyrical »    To talk about something with much interest or excitement.

way back when »    A time in the distant past.

way out »    excellent, amazing

way out »    exit

way out of a paper bag »    A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.

way to go »    An expression of congratulations, encouragement, or approval.

weak sister »    A person who is cowardly or indecisive.

weed out »    To remove unwanted elements from a group.

weekend warrior »    A part-time soldier, or reservist.

weekend warrior »    A person who indulges in a sport or pastime on an infrequent basis, usually on weekends when work commitments are not present.

when the cat's away »    People are likely to take advantage of the absence of authority or enforcement of compliance.

when the cat's away the mice will play »    In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.

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.

whistle walk »    The path slaves took to deliver food from the kitchen building of a plantation to the main dining room. Slaves were expected to whistle during this walk in order to assure their masters that they were not eating the food.

white elephant »    An ornament etc that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.

white goods »    fridges, washing machines, etc

whitewash »    A lime and water mixture for painting walls and fences bright white.

whitewash »    A victory without reply.

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.

wide awake »    Awake and very alert.

wind back »    To wind a tape, cassette, or film, etc towards the beginning; to rewind.

wipe away »    To remove or erase with a wiping motion.

worry wart »    One who worries excessively or unnecessarily.

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 down »    To make a downward adjustment in the value of an asset.

year in, year out »    During every year; always.

yellowbelly »    A coward.

yes man »    A person who always agrees with his employer or superior.

you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink »    You can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it.

you can't always get what you want »    It is not always possible to get what is wanted.

you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds »    You can't have it both ways.

you can't take it with you »    It is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause which

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows »    You don't need an expert to tell you what you already know.

BTW, Why won't you become an editor?