We've found 812 phrases for ba (0.1 seconds):

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

a closed mouth gathers no feet »    One who does not speak can be certain he won't say anything embarrassing.

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

a good man is hard to find »    Men who make good husbands or workers are rare.

a good voice to beg bacon »    Said in ridicule of a bad voice.

a picture paints a thousand words »    A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!

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.

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

according to »    Based on what is said or stated.

act on »    To act decisively on the basis of information received or deduced.

against all odds »    Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability.

albatross »    A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole.

albatross »    A long-term impediment, burden, or curse.

albatross »    Any of various large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae ranging widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific and having a hooked beak and long narrow wings.

all bark and no bite »    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

all one's eggs in one basket »    Devoting all of one’s resources to one thing.

all one's eggs in one basket »    Investing heavily in just one area.

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

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

all to smash »    Ruined; bankrupt.

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

answer back »    To reply impertinently; to talk back.

answer back »    To reply to a question at a later time.

answer back »    To issue echo characters, protocol responses, reflexive connection requests, etc.

Après-ski »    A place "after skiing". Typically a bar or pub where people go after a day on the slopes to ease off and meet other people.

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.

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.

arm's length »    Barely within reach.

around Robin Hood's barn »    All over the place.

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

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

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 my arse »    A common reply to any question; still deemed wit at sea, and formerly at court, under the denomination of selling bargains.

asphalt jungle »    A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.

assault and battery »    . This legal distinction exists only in jurisdictions that distinguish assault as threatened violence rather than actual violence.

at bay »    Cornered; unable to flee.

at bay »    Unable to come closer; at a distance.

at odds »    on bad terms

autem bawler »    A parson.

autem dipper »    Anabaptist.

babe in arms »    An infant.

babe in the woods »    A person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless.

babe magnet »    A person, especially a man, to whom women are attracted.

babes in the wood »    Criminals in the stocks, or pillory.

baby blues »    Blue eyes.

baby blues »    Period and feeling of depressiveness after giving birth; a less severe form of postnatal depression.

back at you »    Used to return a greeting.

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

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

back gammon player »    A sodomite.

back in the day »    In the past; at one time, especially a time which is fondly remembered.

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

back into »    To reverse a vehicle into a space.

back of beyond »    A very remote place.

back off »    To move backwards away from something.

back off »    To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.

back off »    To lower the setting of.

back office »    The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.

back onto »    To reverse a vehicle onto something.

back onto »    To overlook something from the rear.

back out »    To withdraw from something one has promised to do.

back out »    To reverse a vehicle from a confined space.

back to our muttons »    To get back to the business at hand.

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

back to the drawing board »    Back to the beginning following an unsuccessful attempt.

back up »    As a security measure.

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

back up »    To move a vehicle backwards.

back up »    To provide support or the promise of support.

back up »    For the non-striker to take a few steps down the pitch, in preparation to taking a run, just as the bowler bowls the ball.

back up »    So as to stop the ball, and prevent overthrows.

back water »    A very remote, rural area.

back-assward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

back-asswards »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

back-burner »    Having low urgency; not currently important.

back-cloth star »    An actor who stands upstage, forcing the other actors to face him and turn their backs to the audience, in order to gain more attention to himself.

back-of-the-envelope »    Approximate, rough, simplified.

back-to-back »    Identical or similar and sequential.

back-to-back »    With one's back facing somebody else's back.

backassward »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

backasswards »    Alternative form of bass-ackwards.

backfoot »    To put on the defensive; to put off balance.

backseat driver »    A passenger in a car who insists on giving the driver directions.

backseat driver »    By extension, anybody offering unsolicited or unwelcome advice.

bacon fed »    Fat, greasy.

bacon-faced »    Having a fat, sleek face.

bad apple »    A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.

bad blood »    A serious feud or grudge.

bad blood »    Feelings of hostility or ill will.

bad egg »    Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.

bad egg »    disreputable character

bad for you »    Unhealthy.

bad iron »    Bad luck.

bad joke »    A situation that is badly planned, or illogical.

bad luck »    ill-fortune

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

bad news »    News of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events.

bad penny »    A counterfeit or damaged penny.

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

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling of disappointment and frustration.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling of guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.

bad to the bone »    Completely bad and evil; pure evil.

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

bag and baggage »    All one's possessions.

bag of bones »    A skinny, malnourished person.

bag of rations »    A fussy or overly zealous military superior.

bag of wind »    A windbag.

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.

baggage »    Luggage; traveling equipment.

bail out »    To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail money.

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

bail out »    To exit an aircraft while in flight.

bail out »    To rescue, especially financially.

bail out »    To leave or not attend.

bail out on »    To abandon, or stop supporting someone or something.

baker's dozen »    Cousin.

baker's dozen »    Thirteen, a group of thirteen.

bakers dozen »    Thirteen.

balance out »    To counteract one another so as to be balanced.

balance the books »    To add up all the debits and credits.

balance the books »    To put or keep any closed or conservative system or its analysis in balance.

balancing act »    A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.

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

bald eagle »    american bird

bale out »    Alternative spelling of bail out.

ball up »    To crush into a ball shape.

ball up »    To hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.

ball-breaker »    A person or task which is excessively demanding or punishing.

balloon goes up »    Something exciting or dangerous begins.

ballpark estimate »    A ballpark figure, a very rough approximation.

ballpark figure »    An educated guess or estimation within acceptable bounds.

ballpoint pen »    writing implement

balls up »    Third-person singular simple present indicative form of ball up.

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

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

bang about »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

bang around »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

bang for the buck »    Efficiency; cost-effectiveness; value.

bang on »    Exactly at.

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

bang out »    To do something quickly, in a slipshod, or unprofessional manner.

bang straw »    A nick name for a thresher, but applied to all the servants of a farmer.

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

bang up »    Excellent.

bang up »    He’s doing a bang up good job..

bang up cove »    A dashing fellow who spends his money freely.

bang up job »    Something done very well; something performed above average or better than expected.

banged up »    Physically injured or wounded.

banged up »    Spending time in prison or jail.

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

bank on »    To be sure of something. To depend on it.

bankers' hours »    Any easy job, especially one with a short working day.

bankers' hours »    The period between 10am and 3pm.

banyan day »    In British naval tradition, this originally referred to a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

banyan day »    In modern usage it refers to a picnic or cookout for the ship's crew.

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

baptism by fire »    A rite of passage through the survival or success of a crisis.

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

bar fly »    A person who frequents bars or lounges to get drunk.

bar none »    Without exception; excluding nothing else of the same kind.

bar star »    A female who frequents bars or lounges, usually late at night.

bare one's teeth »    Of an animal, to show one's teeth as a sign of aggression.

bare one's teeth »    To show one's aggression.

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

bark up the wrong tree »    To attempt or pursue the wrong thing; to take the wrong approach; to follow a false lead.

barking dogs never bite »    Alternative form of barking dogs seldom bite.

barking dogs seldom bite »    People who make big threats never usually carry them out.

barn burner »    Any successful or impressive event.

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

barrel »    A jar. 1 Kings xvii. 12.

barrel »    A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.

barrel »    A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.

barrel »    A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case.

barrel »    A tube.

barrel »    A waste receptacle.

barrel »    A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.

barrel »    The hollow basal part of a feather.

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

barrel »    The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.

barrel of laughs »    A toy in the shape of a barrel that emits sounds of laughter.

barrel of laughs »    That which is enjoyable or entertaining.

barrel of laughs »    That which is immature, embarrassing, or disgraceful.

barrel of monkeys »    Something very funny or amusing.

barrow man »    A man under sentence of transportation; alluding to the convicts at Woolwich, who are principally employed in wheeling barrows full of brick or dirt.

base over apex »    Falling over in a jumbled heap.

bash about »    To physically damage something or assault someone.

bash in »    To break or dent badly by hitting violently.

bash in »    To injure someone by hitting violently.

bash out »    To write something very quickly, without much thought.

bash up »    To assault someone with the intention of causing physical injury.

basket case »    One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress.

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.

bastardly gullion »    A bastard's bastard.

bat a thousand »    To achieve perfection.

bat a thousand »    To achieve success at each attempt.

bat a thousand »    To reach first base on every at-bat.

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

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

bat around »    When at least nine batters bat in a half inning.

bat around »    To discuss.

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

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

bat for both sides »    To be a batter for both teams in an amateur baseball game.

bat for the other team »    To be homosexual.

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

batten down the hatches »    Prepare for trouble.

battle cry »    By extension, a strong motto or purpose statement, especially in regards to winning a goal in sports, games or work.

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

bawdy basket »    The twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.

bawl out »    To deliver a loud, hard scolding or lecture; to reprimand.

bawl out »    To have a serious argument accompanied with shouting.

be glad to see the back of »    To be glad to get rid of someone; to be glad someone has left.

be left holding the baby »    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

beat Banaghan »    An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.

beat off »    To masturbate.

beat one's meat »    To masturbate.

beat the crap out of »    To beat really badly.

beat the shit out of »    To beat really badly.

beat up »    To feel badly guilty and accuse oneself over something. Usually followed by over.

beat up »    To verbally assault repeatedly.

behind bars »    In jail or prison.

behind somebody's back »    Without somebody's knowledge; secretly.

behind the eight ball »    At a disadvantage.

belt and suspenders »    Redundant systems, affording mutual backup in the event of one failing.

bench jockey »    A baseball term for a player, coach or manager who is annoying and distracts opposition players and umpires from his team's dugout bench with verbal repartee.

bend one's elbow »    To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.

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

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

bid fair »    seem probable

bid fair »    seems probable

birds of a feather »    People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.

birds of a feather flock together »    People of similar character, background, or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another.

bit by a barn mouse »    Tipsy.

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

black »    Bad; evil.

black babies »    Third world charities, the missions.

blessed event »    The birth of a baby.

blind »    An 1800s baseball term meaning no score.

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

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

blow chunks »    To be very bad, inadequate, unpleasant, or miserable; to thoroughly suck.

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

boot camp »    Indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps.

booze can »    A nightclub or bar, especially one which operates illegally or is otherwise disreputable.

born in a barn »    Engaging in the annoying behavior of inappropriately, and usually neglectfully, leaving open a door or window.

born in a barn »    Lacking a sense of etiquette; ill-mannered.

born in a barn »    Of humble birth, especially when referring to Jesus Christ.

bottom line »    The final balance; the amount of money or profit left after everything has been tallied.

bottom of the ninth »    In baseball, the second part of the ninth and final inning. The end of the game.

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

bounce back »    To recover from a negative without seemingly any damage.

break the back of »    To achieve the greater part of some project.

break the bank »    To exhaust one's financial resources.

break the bank »    To win more money than is available to be paid.

break up »    Of a telephone conversation, to cease to be understandable because of a bad connection.

brickbat »    A piece of brick used as a weapon, especially if thrown, or placed in something like a sock and used as a club.

brickbat »    A criticism or uncomplimentary remark hurled at artwork or other recipient.

brickbat »    For example, it's quite common for magazines to have a section called Bouquets and Brickbats for compliments and criticisms.

brickbat »    Reason Magazine: Daily Brickbat[1].

bridge »    Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit.

bring back »    To fetch something.

bring back »    To cause someone to remember something from the past.

bring back »    To reenact an old rule or law.

bring down »    To make someone feel bad emotionally.

bring home the bacon »    To have a job and earn money or to lead a successful career.

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

buff the muffin »    To masturbate.

bug out »    To abandon someone without warning.

bum steer »    Bad advice, regardless of intention.

bundle of joy »    A newborn baby.

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

bunny hop »    A dance from the big band era, a variation of the conga.

bunny hop »    A ground ball that hops along the field instead of rolling.

but who's counting »    Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to.

butt-naked »    With the buttocks bared.

buy the farm »    To die; often, to die in battle.

by the skin of one's teeth »    Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.

by virtue of »    Because of; on the grounds of; by reason of; due to; based on.

call in »    To communicate with a base etc, by telephone.

call someone's bluff »    To take action on the basis that another person is bluffing.

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

carry on »    To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.

cast away »    To abandon or maroon.

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

catmeat »    Someone who has been badly beaten.

caught with one's pants down »    Caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation.

cause a stir »    To cause controversy, or raise a disturbance.

center field »    The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

chances are »    It is likely that, it is probable that.

check out »    To have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.

cheer on »    To cheer and support a team, to barrack, to root for.

cherry pick »    To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.

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

choke the chicken »    To masturbate.

circuit slugger »    A talented baseball batter that hits home runs.

city slicker »    One accustomed to a city or urban lifestyle or unsuited to life in the country.

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

come back »    To return to a place.

come down to »    To depend upon, basically, ultimately or in essence.

concrete jungle »    An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe.

cordon off »    To protect from intrusion by enclosing in a rope barrier.

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

cover one's bases »    To be thorough; to prepare thoroughly or completely.

cowgirl position »    A sex position in which the man lies on his back, and the woman sits on top of him facing him.

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.

cue up »    The act of taking aim on the cue ball with the cue in a game of snooker, or billiards, etc.

curate's egg »    A thing which has good and bad parts.

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

curveball »    An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance.

deep water »    A difficult or embarrassing situation.

devil's advocate »    One who debates from a view which they may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity, or simply for the sake of argument.

dig up dirt »    To examine in order to find negative information for public opinion, usually with the purpose of embarrassing or discrediting a person.

diplomatic flu »    An illness feigned by one or more government officials or other public figures as an excuse for an absence really based on political reasons.

don't put all your eggs in one basket »    Don't dedicate all your resources into one thing.

don't shit where you eat »    (idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation in which one regularly finds oneself.1998 April 14, Nelson Navarro, "Ever faithful, ever true," Manila Standard (Philippines) (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):The guiding principle is Don't shit where you eat. Office romances are always destructive of morale and objectivity.2003 Oct. 8, Jonathan Valania, "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Pussy," Philadelphia Weekly (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Limbaugh was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the NAB convention in, of all places, Philadelphia, thus violating the cardinal law of the animal kingdom: Don't shit where you eat.2006 Sept. 19, Michael Musto, "NY Mirror," Village Voice (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Mitchell refused to indulge in on-set romances with either gender. "You don't shit where you eat," he told me, plainly.

don't shoot the messenger »    The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.

double back »    To retrace one's steps; to go back where one has already gone.

double entendre »    A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo..

double up »    After a fly ball has been caught.

down and out »    In trouble; in a bad time or situation or having very bad luck.

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

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

draw back »    To retreat from a position.

draw back »    To move backwards.

draw back »    To withdraw from an undertaking.

draw back »    To pull something back or apart.

draw stumps »    To declare an end to the days play, and remove the bails and sometimes the stumps.

drill down »    To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.

drop back »    Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.

drop the ball »    To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.

early bath »    Being shown a red card in soccer.

embarrassment of riches »    An abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing.

emperor's new clothes »    Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.

even keel »    A situation in which the boat is level and balanced for a smooth ride.

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

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 silver lining has a cloud »    Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.

everything happens for a reason »    All events are purposeful.Everything happens for a reason, so there is no such thing as failure. Mary-Kate OlsenPeople like to say "everything happens for a reason." If you repeat that in your head long enough that starts to sound like "anything can happen with a razor." Laura KightlingerI believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it's important to seek out that reason - that's how we learn. Drew Barrymore

faceplant »    The act of landing face first, often associated with bailing during extreme sports.

fail over »    To automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.

fall back »    To retreat.

fall off the back of a lorry »    Of an item of merchandise, to come into a perons's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.

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.

far fetched »    improbable

feed a cold, starve a fever »    Eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds.", The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.

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

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

fish or cut bait »    To choose between taking action now, or forgoing the opportunity and putting that energy into another endeavor; to decide.

flat out »    Bluntly, no holds barred.

flesh out »    To complete; to create details from a basic outline, structure or skeleton.

flick the bean »    To masturbate by stimulating the clitoris.

flutter in the dovecote »    A disturbance, usually one caused within a prescribed group of people.

from the ground up »    From the beginning; starting with the basics, foundation, or fundamentals.

full English »    A cooked breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs, and other foods.

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"

gentleman of the back door »    A sodomite.

get a handle on »    To build or acquire a basic level of understanding or control.

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

get back at »    To retaliate; to take revenge.

get by the balls »    To have complete control over someone, especially of a woman abusing a man's infatuation with her.

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

get off »    To disembark.

get one's back up »    To become angry, defensive, or irritable.

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

get someone's back up »    To annoy a person either deliberately or inadvertently.

get the bacon bad »    To be morbidly obese.

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

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

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

give birth »    To produce new life into the world; to have a baby. Transitive when used with to.

go back »    To return to a place.

go back on »    To be treacherous or faithless to; betray; as, to go back on friends.

go back on »    To fail to keep; to renege on; as, to go back on one's promises.

go back to the drawing board »    To start again; to scrap a previous idea or plan and try again from the beginning.

go bad »    putrefy

go ballistic »    To become very angry and irrational.

go bananas »    To go mad.

go batshit »    To become completely irrational; to react in an irrationally extreme manner.

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

go on »    To make a decision based on.

go the whole hog »    To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

go to pot »    To come to a bad end.

go to seed »    To deteriorate; to decline into an unkempt or debased condition.

go to work »    Beat up, batter.

golden duck »    The score of zero runs after getting out on the first ball faced.

golf widow »    A woman who is deprived of her husband's time and attention due to his regular absence in order to play golf.

Gone to the bad »    soured, spoiled, turned rotten

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

grab bag »    A gift, purchase, etc. whose contents are concealed until after a selection is made.

grab bag »    Any random assortment, selection or possibility.

grand poobah »    A person who is important or high-ranking.

grass widow »    A married woman whose husband is away.

ground rules »    The basic rules or standards; whatever someone must know before proceeding.

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

gut factor »    Feelings about what feels right or wrong, good or bad. An inner persuasion that one may feel convinced is the appropriate decision.

gut feeling »    An instinct or intuition; an immediate or basic feeling or reaction without a logical rationale.

hair-splitting »    The act of finding exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

hair-splittingly »    With exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

half-baked »    Partially cooked by heating in an oven.

ham it up »    To act or emote, especially to overact or act badly.

handbags at dawn »    A catty squabble.

hang an arse »    To hang back, to be afraid to advance.

hang in the balance »    To be in a precarious situation, unsure of the future.

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

hang paper »    To write a bad check.

happy medium »    A balanced position between two opposite extremes.

hardball »    In baseball, a type of ball and baseball game, as opposed to softball.

harsh one's mellow »    To make someone feel bad emotionally.

haul off »    To draw back the arm in order to punch.

have a ball »    To enjoy thoroughly; to have lots of fun or excitement.

have a bun in the oven »    To be pregnant; to be expecting a baby.

have at »    To attack; to engage in combat with.

have bats in one's belfry »    To be crazy or eccentric.

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

have eyes in the back of one's head »    To be particularly, especially uncannily, observant; a perceived ability to see in all directions at once.

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

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.

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

hit one out of the ballpark »    To produce a spectacular achievement.

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

hold back »    To act with reserve; to contain one's full measure or power.

hold back »    To contain; stop.

hold back »    To delay, especially in school.

hold off »    To delay someone or something temporarily; to keep at bay.

hold somebody's hand »    To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details.

hold up one's end »    To hold up one's end of the bargain; to fulfill one's promise or obligation.

hole in one »    A round that is completed by sinking the ball in a single shot or attempt, with one hit.

home run »    A four-base hit, a homer.

home run »    baseball term

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

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

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

if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle »    (colloquial, vulgar, humorous) It is fruitless to speculate about counterfactual situations."We would have won the match if we'd had a decent goalkeeper.""And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle!"

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

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

in a bake »    Very angry.

in a pig's eye »    Very unlikely; probably never.

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

in touch »    The ball, or a player, is in touch when it, or he, is outside the playing area or touching the touchlines of the playing area.

inside baseball »    Matters of interest only to insiders.

inside baseball »    Technical matters concerning baseball not apparent to spectators.

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

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

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good »    There is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.

jew down »    To bargain or haggle with a seller in order to obtain a lower price for a good or service.

jump on »    To attack someone verbally, or criticise them over strongly for small errors.

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

jump the gun »    To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.

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

keep on truckin' »    To continue or persist, regardless of circumstances or setbacks; to keep trying or striving.

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

kick back »    To relax.

knock about »    An informal game, usually football.

knock back »    To drink an alcoholic beverage swiftly or often.

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

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 like the back of one's hand »    To be intimately knowledgeable about something, especially a place.

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

la goutte d'eau qui fait d%C3%A9border le vase »    The final thing that is too much and forces a reaction; the straw that broke the camel's back.

lady abbess »    A bawd, the mistress of a brothel.

lash out »    To make a fierce verbal attack.

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

lay the groundwork »    To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

lead »    I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. — Bacon.

leave behind »    To abandon.

leave somebody high and dry »    To abandon somebody; to stop providing assistance at a crucial moment.

leave somebody holding the bag »    To abandon somebody, leaving the responsibility or blame.

leave somebody in the lurch »    To abandon somebody; especially, to abandon somebody and leave him or her in a difficult situation.

left field »    The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and to your left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

let someone have it »    To verbally assail someone.

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

licence to print money »    The authority to print money, usually given to a central bank exclusively as the issuer of currency.

lick one's wounds »    He's just off licking his wounds. He'll be back to try again.

lie back and think of England »    . "think of England" refers to the importance of children.

lie back and think of England »    Used to preface any unpleasant but inevitable experience.

life's a bitch »    An expression of acceptance of misfortune.1950, Joy Davidman, Weeping Bay, page 184:She'd have been willing enough to use them, poor dead little bitch. Life's a bitch. Life's a bad joke.

life's not all skittles and beer »    Skittles and Beer refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life; skittles being a British pub game. Thus, life's not all skittles and beer means that not everything is about pleasure.

like the back end of a bus »    Very unattractive.

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

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

longpig »    Human flesh when cooked in cannabalistic rituals in certain Pacific Islands, due to the allegeded similarity to cooked pork.

look back »    To look behind oneself.

look back »    To reminisce about a past time.

Loose cannon »    A cannon that breaks loose during battle or a storm and causes serious damage to the ship and its crew.

make a leg »    To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back.

make a pig's ear of »    To do badly; to make a mess of.

make an exhibition of oneself »    To embarrass oneself or others in public.

make head or tail of »    To determine to be good or bad.

make out like a bandit »    To profit greatly; to get an excessively good deal.

make waves »    To cause a disturbance.

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.

map out »    To organise the basic plan for a project.

marry in haste, repent at leisure »    Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.

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

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

member for Barkshire »    Said of one troubled with a cough, vulgarly styled barking.

mine arse on a bandbox »    An answer to the offer of any thing inadequate to the purpose for which it is proffered, like offering a bandbox for a seat.

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

mixed bag »    Any bag containing a mixture of something.

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

mixed bag »    Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.

mixed blessing »    Something that has both good and bad features.

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

monkey on one's back »    An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.

moses basket »    portable cradle

move the goalposts »    To alter the agreed basis, scope, standards or target of a procedure or task during its course, especially to do so to someone's advantage.

myope comme une taupe »    Blind as a bat.

naked as a jaybird »    Stark naked; nude; especially, naked in a public setting and without embarrassment.

nine day wonder »    Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.

no frills »    Basic or simple; providing only what is necessary, without anything extra or fancy.

no holds barred »    Without reserve; in an especially ruthless or vicious manner.

no holds barred »    Without restrictions on holds or what opponents may do.

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney »    Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.

no news is good news »    A lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.

no skin off one's back »    No harm to one.

no slouch »    Pretty good; not bad.

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

nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat »    The idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.

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

nosebleed seat »    A seat high in the back of bleachers, stands, or the balcony at a theater.

not bad »    Reasonably good.

not half bad »    Pretty good; okay; decent.

not have a leg to stand on »    To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.

nothing to sneeze at »    Not bad; decent; acceptable; worthwhile.

nugget of truth »    January 2008, Chicago Tribune - Clinton's Hispanic edge over Obama.

nuts and bolts »    The basic, inner workings of something; the fundamentals or basics; that which makes something operate, on a basic level.

off balance »    Not physical balanced; not having physical equilibrium.

off balance »    Surprised; perplexed.

off chance »    A condition of not being likely or probable.

off one's dot »    Off one's rocker; bananas; mad.

off one's game »    C. 1910, Ralph Henry Barbour, "The Dub" in The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories.

off one's own bat »    At one's own instigation.

off the back foot »    From a defensive position.

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

oh, well »    An expression of disappointment or resignation; too bad; pity.

on a regular basis »    Regularly, occurring in regular time intervals or patterns.

on an irregular basis »    Irregularly, occurring in irregular time intervals or patterns.

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

on its merits »    Considering only intrinsic good points and bad points, without prejudice or other considerations, such as procedural ones.

on opposite sides of the barricades »    Of starkly different, opposite views on an issue.

on sufferance »    Unwillingly agreed to or barely tolerated.

on the back burner »    Not immediate; inactive; receiving less than full or regular attention.

on the back foot »    In a defensive posture; off-balance.

on the ball »    Alert, active, or attentive; on top of things.

on the ball »    Being in control of the ball.

once you go black, you never go back »    An expression assuming that once a person of another race gets in a sexual relationship with a black person they won't return to their own race.

one good turn deserves another »    One act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness.

one of his majesty's bad bargains »    A worthless soldier, a malingeror.

one of those days »    A bad day.

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

one's bark is worse than one's bite »    The individual acts threatening but is relatively harmless.

one-man band »    A musician who plays several musical instruments at once.

one-man band »    An organisation or business that is effectively run by only one person.

onesie-twosie »    Individually or in very small groups, rather in larger batches.

out of house and home »    Global Checkup: How Healthy is Earth?, Science NOW.

out of the frying pan, into the fire »    From an already bad situation to a worse one.

out of the mouths of babes »    The greatest wisdom comes from children, who are not afraid or weary of the world and its pressures.

out of whack »    Not in proper balance; unbalanced.

over a barrel »    In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, in which one may be controlled or victimized.

pack up »    To put back together.

pardon my French »    Please excuse my swearing or bad language.

parting shot »    An insult or barbed comment issued as the speaker departs or the conversation comes to an end.

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

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence: I will get revenge when you least expect it.

pea patch »    A baseball field.

perfect storm »    A powerful hurricane or other major weather disturbance, especially as produced by a combination of meteorological conditions.

pick up the tab »    To accept a charge and pay for it, especially at a bar or restaurant.

pickin' and grinnin' »    Vigorously playing folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.

pickle »    A children’s game with three participants that emulates a baseball rundown.

pile up »    To collect or accumulate, as a backlog.

pinch-hit »    To bat in place of another player.

pissing contest »    An argument which is instigated, or exacerbated while consuming alcohol.

pitched battle »    A hostile engagement involving sustained, full-scale fighting between opposing forces in close combat.

pitched battle »    An intense, rancorous argument or confrontation.

plan on »    To expect; to prepare future actions based on.

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

play ball »    To start anything tumultuous.

play ball »    To work together; to cooperate.

play hardball »    To act rough and ruthless, especially in politics or business.

play hardball »    To use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.

plead the fifth »    To refuse to answer a question, or refuse to speak, especially when the response would reflect badly on the speaker.

pony in the barn »    An exciting and real prospect, something to be legitimately excited about.

pork sausages »    bangers

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

pride comes before a fall »    A person who is extremely proud of his or her abilities will often suffer a setback or failure, because he or she tends to be overconfident and to make errors of judgment.

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

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

pull out all the stops »    To reserve or hold back nothing.

put all one's eggs in one basket »    Rather than diversifying.

put away »    To strike out a batter.

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

put back »    To return something to it's original place.

put back »    To postpone an arranged event or appointment.

put back »    To drink fast; to knock down alcohol.

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

put down »    To place a baby somewhere to sleep.

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

put one's foot in it »    To make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing, or offensive.

put one's foot in one's mouth »    To misspeak; to say something embarrassing or wrong.

put someone's back up »    To annoy someone deliberately.

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

put the feedbag on »    To dine; to eat.

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

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

rag bagger »    A sailor who tends to sail on messy cruising vessels.

raise hell »    To cause a great disturbance.

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

rat race »    An activity or situation which is congested with participants and which is hectic or tedious, especially in the context of a busy, modern urban lifestyle.

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.

rebrousser chemin »    To retrace one's steps, to turn back.

red face test »    A hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.

right back »    Used in several informal constructions to indicate return -- especially imminent return to a point of origin.

ring back »    To return a phone call.

ring back »    To make another phone call to the same person.

rise from the ashes »    To make a comeback after a long hiatus. To come back into common use or practice. To come back into popularity. To come back to being a thing of today.

robber baron »    Especially in the 19th-century and early 20th-century, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable.

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.

roll down the windows »    To flail one's arms in a circular motion when off-balance, as to mimic the act of rolling down a car window.

romper suit »    baby's outfit

rule of thumb »    A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.

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

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

run back »    To rewind a film or cassette.

run down »    To lose power slowly. Used for a machine, battery, or other powered device.

run for the roses »    A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.

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

save someone's bacon »    To save someone's life.

scrape the bottom of the barrel »    To use the least desirable parts of something.

scratch the surface »    To barely begin; to see or do only a fraction of what is possible.

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.

second banana »    A comedian who plays a secondary or supporting role, especially as straight man and traditionally in vaudeville or burlesque theatre.

second banana »    A person who serves in a supporting, secondary, or subsidiary capacity; an assistant.

second nature »    A mindset, skill, or type of behavior so ingrained through habit or practice that it seems natural, automatic, or without a basis in conscious thought.

see a man »    To take one's leave for some urgent purpose, especially to go to the bathroom.

sell a bargain »    A species of wit, much in vogue about the latter end of the reign of Queen Anne, and frequently alluded to by Dean Swift, who says the maids of honour often amused themselves with it. It consisted in the seller naming his or her hinder parts, in answer to the question, What? which the buyer was artfully led to ask. As a specimen, take the following instance: A lady would come into a room full of company, apparently frightened, crying out "It is white, and follows me!" As soon as someone responded "What?" she sold him the bargain, by saying "Mine arse".

sell out »    To abandon one's supporters or principles to seek profit or other personal advantage.

senior note »    A bond that takes priority over other debt securities sold by the issuer. In the event the issuer goes bankrupt, senior debt must be repaid before other creditors receive any payment.

set back »    To cost money, as.

set back »    To delay or obstruct.

set back »    To remove from or allow distance.

set of pipes »    A wind instrument incorporating multiple pipes, such as a panpipe or bagpipe.

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

settle someone's hash »    To physically or verbally subdue someone.

shape up »    To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior.

shirtless »    Not wearing a shirt. Having a bare torso.

shit happens »    Bad things happen, and there is nothing we can do about it.

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

shitstorm »    Considerable backlash from the public.

short of a length »    Of a ball that pitches short of a good length; a ball that bounces closer to the bowler than the area of the pitch regarded as the best for dismissing or restricting the scoring of the batsman.

short strokes »    Bare essentials.

shotgun »    A gun which fires loads consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge.

shotgun »    A play formation in which the quarterback is a few feet behind the snapper when the ball is hiked, ideally allowing for an easier pass play.

shotgun shack »    A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.

shy bairns get noot »    (Geordie) Alternative spelling of shy bairns get nowt.

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

sit back »    To recline while still in a seated position, with one's back on the frame of the seat.

sit back »    To relax, to not exert oneself.

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

smart off »    To show disrespect verbally.

smell the barn »    To experience heightened anticipation or to act with renewed speed or energy as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome, like a livestock animal at day's end returning to its barn.

smoke like a chimney »    To smoke tobacco frequently.

smooth operator »    A person who accomplishes tasks with efficiency and grace, especially one with verbal skills who is persuasive in interpersonal relationships, negotiation, etc.

snappy comeback »    A prompt, clever retort.

snowball's chance in hell »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

so far so good »    Up to this point, all is OK.Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good, now let's get to Minorca without any troubles.

soccer player »    footballer

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

sow the wind, reap the whirlwind »    Every decision has consequences; a person's actions will come back to him.

spaghetti western »    Nickname for a motion picture produced by an Italian-based company and filmed in Europe, depicting a tale of cowboys and desperadoes set in the American Old West.

spill one's seed »    To masturbate or to ejaculate when the penis has been withdrawn from one's partner.

square up »    To pay back money that is owed.

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.

stab in the back »    An act of betrayal or treachery.

stand back »    To maintain a safe distance from a hazard.

stand back »    To abstain from participation.

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

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

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

start off on the wrong foot »    To begin badly; especially, to begin a relationship badly.

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

stickhandle »    To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.

stir-crazy »    Of a prisoner, mentally unbalanced due to prolonged incarceration.

suck donkey balls »    To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.

swear off »    To quit or cease completely, or to promise to quit, as of a bad habit.

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

sword and sorcery »    Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines wizardry and other fantastical supernatural elements with violent combat using medieval weaponry..

take a back seat »    To be second to someone or something; to be less important or have a lower priority.

take a bath »    To bathe.

take a bath »    To lose a large amount of money in an investment.

take aback »    To surprise or shock; to discomfit.

take aback »    Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly.

take back »    To retract an earlier statement.

take back »    To cause to remember some past event or time.

take back »    To resume a relationship.

take back »    To regain possession of something.

take back »    To return something.

take it to the bank »    Said to emphasize that something is known for sure.

take one's eye off the ball »    To lose one's concentration on what is most important.

take something in one's stride »    Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.

take the biscuit »    To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.

take the cake »    To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.

take the piss »    Are you takin' the piss? You'll get yer 'ead bashed in.

take the piss »    Everyone takes the piss out of the bankers these days.

talk back »    To reply impertinently; to answer in a cheeky manner.

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

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

the ball is in your court »    It is your turn to do something; often making a decision.

the beast with two backs »    Two people engaged in sexual intercourse.

the calm before the storm »    A period of peace before a disturbance or crisis; an unnatural or false calm before a storm.

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

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »    (vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

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

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

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

there and back »    One or for a round trip journey, literal or figurative.

thick and thin »    Both good and bad times.

think of England »    To tolerate or endure bad sex. Used in conjunction with "I just lie on my back and.." "I just go through the motions and..." etc.

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

three Rs »    The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic.

three Rs »    The basic precepts of any subject matter.

throw a wobbly »    To burst out into a verbal uproar.

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 off balance »    To unsettle, to catch by surprise.

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

throw somebody a curve »    To pitch a curve ball.

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

tip the scales »    To turn to one side a balanced situation.

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

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

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

today we are all »    September 12, 2001: Jean-Marie Colombani, "Today, We Are All Americans", Le Monde.

tomorrow is another day »    Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket:Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,whether shall I flie?Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,while she passeth by.Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,remember, remember,to morrow is another day:1896, Amelia E. Barr, A Knight of the Nets, ch. 8:"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch. 63:"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."2005, Fran Schumer, "JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women," New York Times, 19 June (retrieved 18 Aug. 2009):"Half of me is depressed

too bad »    It is unfortunate that.

too bad »    That's a pity; that's unfortunate.

tooth and nail »    Viciously; with all one’s strength or power; without holding back..

top banana »    The boss, the leader.

top banana »    The principal comedian in a vaudeville or burlesque show.

top heavy »    unbalanced

touch a nerve »    To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.

touch base »    To consult, visit, or communicate with.

touch of the tar brush »    Of South Asian or Afro-Caribbean in their background and/or in their appearance.

touch oneself »    To masturbate.

touch with a barge pole »    Get romantically involved with.

touch%C3%A9 »    Used in a conversation or debate to concede a point as true, often in response to a successful counter of one's own logic.

tough luck »    Bad luck.

trench mouth »    Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, typically characterized by inflammation, bleeding, deep ulceration, necrotized tissue, pain, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and halitosis.

tried and true »    Well-established and tested; known to work or succeed based on extensive experience.

trip balls »    Experiencing severe drug-induced hallucinatory trip.

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

turn around »    An upset; a suprising comeback.

turn back »    To reverse one's direction and retrace one's steps.

turn back »    To backtrack.

turn back »    To fold something back; to fold down.

turn back »    No turn a dial anticlockwise or adjust a clock or other meter to an earlier time or reading.

turn back »    To refuse to allow someone to pass a border or enter a place.

turn one's back »    To forsake, to abandon; to ignore.

turn over »    To relinquish; give back.

turn over a new leaf »    To engage in self-improvement; to begin a good habit or shed a bad habit.

turn the air blue »    To speak a stream of bad language; to curse and swear.

two for two »    In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.

under the wire »    At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.

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

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

uphill battle »    A challenge with the odds of success stacked strongly against.

uphill battle »    difficult struggle

urban fabric »    The physical aspect of urbanism, emphasizing building types, thoroughfares, open space, frontages, and streetscapes; while excluding without prejudice to this useful term, environmental, functional, economic and sociocultural aspects.

walk away from »    To abandon or leave; to shun.

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

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

wank off »    To masturbate.

wash out »    To cancel due to bad weather.

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

way back when »    A time in the distant past.

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

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

weigh down »    To act as a ballast for.

what do I know »    Implies that a statement is based on a guess or assumption rather than on knowledge or evidence.

what goes around comes around »    The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.

wheel around »    To transport someone or something to various locations by pushing a wheeled transporter such as a wheelchair or a wheelbarrow or trolley.

when it rains, it pours »    If a person encounters bad luck, more bad luck will follow.

when it's at home »    Plainly; in plain English; when it comes down to it; at it's most basic level.

where there's smoke, there's fire »    If there is telltale evidence of some event, the event is probably occurring.

whole shebang »    A building or house and everything in it.

whole shebang »    Everything; the entire thing.

willful ignorance »    A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision.

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

wind back the clock »    Figuratively to return in time to an earlier period of history.

wishful thinking »    Decision-making based on self-delusion.

with bated breath »    "holding one's breath".

with bated breath »    Eagerly; with great anticipation.

woo back »    To gain somebody back by wooing him or her.

word of mouth »    Verbal means of passing of information.

wouldn't you know it »    Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at bad luck or misfortune.

yank off »    To masturbate.

year dot »    A very long time ago, from the beginning or as far back as one can remember.

you are what you eat »    If you eat well, you will be well; but if you eat badly you will feel bad

you can't polish a turd »    (vulgar) Something inherently bad cannot be improved.

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours »    If you do me a favor then I will do you a favor; quid pro quo.

BTW, Why won't you become an editor?