a life of its own »
An independent existence with some characteristics of life.
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a man is known by the company he keeps »
People are similar in character to their friends.
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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.
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abound in »
To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.
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abound with »
To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.
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absence makes the heart grow fonder »
When someone or something is faraway, you realise how much you love (or miss) them or it.
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act out »
To go through the process of a scene from a play, a charade or a pointless exercise.
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against the grain »
To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.
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ahead of one's time »
Showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field; coming earlier than could be generally accepted.
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all cats are grey in the dark »
In the dark, physical appearance is unimportant.
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all fur coat and no knickers »
Of superficial appearance and with no real substance beneath.
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almighty dollar »
The dollar, satirically characterized as a being a god.
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an offer one can't refuse »
An offer from one side in any transaction with terms so attractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.
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an offer one can't refuse »
An offer from one side in any transaction with the results of failing to accept so unattractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.
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answer back »
To issue echo characters, protocol responses, reflexive connection requests, etc.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
