a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush »
It is preferable to have a small but certain advantage than a mere potential of a greater one.
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a chain is only as strong as its weakest link »
An organization (especially a process or a business) is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.
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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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all holiday »
A saying signifying that it is all over with the business or person spoken of or alluded to/.
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back office »
The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.
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back to our muttons »
To get back to the business at hand.
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beat around the bush »
To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
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beat around the bush »
To treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally.
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beaver away »
To busily undertake a large task.
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bird in the hand »
Shortened form of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".
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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.
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bread and butter »
That which is central or fundamental, as to one's business, survival, or income; a staple or cornerstone.
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break into »
To try to start in a profession or business.
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bridge »
A device which connects two or more computer buses, typically in a transparent manner.
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bright-eyed and bushy-tailed »
Alert and in an eager, frisky, or playful mood; full of life.
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burst someone's bubble »
To disillusion; to disabuse someone of a false notion or rationalization that has grown comfortable.
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bush league »
A low-ranking or inferior level among groups, professions, organizations, etc.
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bush league »
A professional sports association at the lower levels of minor league organization.
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bush telegraph »
A gossip network.
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bush telegraph »
A system used by undeveloped societies in remote regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds, word-of-mouth relay, or smoke signals.
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business as usual »
The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.
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business before pleasure »
An admonishment that discharging one's obligations must take precedence over devoting time to pursuits meant solely for one's own gratification.
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business end »
The part of a tool or other similar item, that is physically used for its operation, rather than the part which is held.
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business girl »
A prostitute.
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business girl »
A young woman employed in business or office work.
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busman's holiday »
A holiday or vacation during which you do the same thing that you do for your usual work.
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bust a cap in someone's ass »
Alternative form of pop a cap in someone's ass.
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bust ass cold »
Extremely cold.
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bust chops »
To nag; to berate or hound in an effort to elicit action.
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bust one's butt »
To work exceptionally hard.
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bust one's chops »
To exert oneself.
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busted flush »
A potential flush which ultimately was not filled.
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busted flush »
Anything which ends up worthless despite great potential.
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bustle with »
To teem with; abound with; to exhibit an energetic and active abundance of a thing; to be full of a certain activity or active beings.
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busy beaver »
Someone who is very busy or hard-working.
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busy work »
Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.
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button-down »
Serious; staid; businesslike.
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calling card »
A small printed card which identifies the bearer, traditionally presented for introduction when making a social visit to a home or when attending a formal social event or business meeting.
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captain of industry »
A prominent business person who owns or is the highest-ranking executive of one or more major firms, especially one who has considerable wealth and influence.
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close down »
To stop trading as a business.
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close up »
To shut a building or a business for a period of time.
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close up shop »
To shut down a shop; to end a business activity.
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company »
In non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation.
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deer in the headlights »
A mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety fear, panic, surpriseand/or confusion, or substance abuse. The behavioral signs are like a deer subjected to a car's headlights, such as widely opened eyes and a lack of motor reactions.
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deliver the message to Garcia »
...grasp the demands and exactions of business life. He learns that the main thing to do is to "deliver the message to Garcia"....
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do drugs »
To abuse an illegal drug or drugs, especially as a result of chemical addiction.
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does Macy's tell Gimbel's »
(US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.
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drive the porcelain bus »
To vomit, especially while drunk or hung over.
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e pluribus unum »
A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.
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even keel »
Of a business or other activity which is under control and running smoothly.
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flat chat »
Extremely busy.
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fly-by-night »
Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.
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fly-by-night »
Traveling businessmen and tradesmen.
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fold up »
To go out of business.
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for keeps »
To compete seriously, with a strong resolve to win or succeed, as in sports or business.
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get busy »
Have sex.
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get busy »
Start working, usually in opposition to idleness.
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get by the balls »
To have complete control over someone, especially of a woman abusing a man's infatuation with her.
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get cracking »
To get started; to get busy.
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get down to business »
To become involved with something work-related.
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get off »
To disembark from mass transportation, such as a bus or train.
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get stuck into »
Get busy with; become occupied with; become immersed in.
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go belly-up »
To fail or fold; especially, to close or shut down a business; to go out of business.
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good fences make good neighbors »
It is better to mind one's own business than get involved with other people's affairs.
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good old boy »
A male friend or chum, especially a schoolmate; a man with an established network of friends who assist one another in social and business situations; a decent, dependable fellow.
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grease payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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hang out one's shingle »
To open an office or business, especially in a profession.
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have one's hands full »
To be busy or thoroughly preoccupied.
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hide one's light under a bushel »
For a person to keep some talent or skill hidden from other people. The tone is that a person having a talent which they can be proud of ought not hide it.
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hustle and bustle »
A large amount of activity and work, usually in a noisy surrounding.
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in business »
Engaged in business activity.
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in business »
Ready to proceed in a desired activity.
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it's not what you know but who you know »
For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.1951, G. P. Bush and L. H. Hattery, "Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers," Science, vol. 114, no. 2966, p. 456:Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know
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kangaroo court »
A judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, or a group which conducts such proceedings, which is without proper authority, abusive, or otherwise unjust.
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keep one on one's toes »
To keep one attentive, active, busy or alert.
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kick around »
To abuse or mistreat; to bully.
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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.
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lay off »
From employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.
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lie in wait »
prepare an ambush
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like gangbusters »
Vigorously, rapidly, zealously, or forcibly; in a manner which has considerable impact.
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like nobody's business »
In an extreme manner; rapidly; excessively; like crazy.
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like the back end of a bus »
Very unattractive.
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lubrication payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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match made in hell »
A marriage that is likely to be unhappy or abusive and unsuccessful because the two people are very incompatible with each other.
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mind one's own business »
To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.
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mind the store »
To remain present in a retail business, in order to maintain the security of the premises and to serve customers.
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monkey business »
An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.
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monkey business »
An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious.
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monkey business »
Do your homework and forget about all this monkey business.
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monkey business »
Wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project.
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never you mind »
Do not concern yourself with it; it is none of your business.
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none of someone's business »
A matter that someone is not entitled to be involved in or informed about.
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oil burner »
A device whose operation causes apparent combustion of lubricating oil.
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on one's toes »
Attentive, active, busy or alert.
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on the go »
Actively traveling; busy; moving often.
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one-man band »
An organisation or business that is effectively run by only one person.
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piss money up the wall »
To waste money, normally through ineptness in business.
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play hardball »
To act rough and ruthless, especially in politics or business.
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pound the pavement »
To campaign diligently; to seek something, such as business, employment, or answers.
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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.
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ride the short bus »
To have a need for a special education program, as because learning disabled.
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ride the short bus »
To participate in a special education program, such as for those with learning disabilities.
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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.
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run about »
To be very busy doing many different things.
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run around »
To be very busy doing many different things.
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run down »
To reduce the size or stock levels of a business, often with a view to closure.
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rush hour »
busy travel period
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send away for »
To write to a business or other organisation, requesting a thing.
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set up shop »
To establish a business.
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shake a leg »
To get busy; to get going; to be productive.
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skeleton crew »
The minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency or shut down, and at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.
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smoke signal »
A type of flare or combustion device sometimes used as a distress signal.
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so quiet one can hear a pin drop »
Said during a lull in a normally bustling place or scene, or as the result of a sudden dramatic or tense moment.
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stick it to the man »
To take some action intended to defy a source of oppression such as globalization, commercialization, big business or government.
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suck in »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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suck into »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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take one's lumps »
To receive physical abuse and to survive.
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take over »
To buy out the ownership of a business.
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take upon »
To take charge of an item of business, or an obligation, as a personal initiative.
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three-martini lunch »
A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.
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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.
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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
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throw under the bus »
To betray or blame; to use as a scapegoat.
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throw under the bus »
To discard or disown.
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tie up »
To occupy, detain, keep busy, or delay.
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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.
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tourner autour du pot »
To beat around the bush.
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under the table »
Secretly or without reporting, especially of payments made or business transacted.
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underwater basket weaving »
"Sure, somewhere out there, college slackers were taking broom ball and underwater basket weaving." — The Columbus Dispatch, September 15, 2005.
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up the walls »
Very busy, swamped.
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up to here »
Overwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.
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valley of death »
The phase of a startup business beginning with the entrepreneur's fulltime commitment to it and ending when the business has achieved sustainable cash flow.
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war bride »
A company or individual whose business is increased by warfare.
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weak sister »
A person or thing which is the least robust or least dependable member of a group.
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wear off »
To disappear because of being abraded, over-polished, or abused.
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wind down »
To slow; to become calmer or less busy.
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word on the wire »
The rumour or news going around on the Internet, in business, on the street, or in social circles.
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