a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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a new broom sweeps clean »
New management will often make radical changes.
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about turn »
A complete change of opinion, direction, etc.
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ahead of one's time »
Showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field; coming earlier than could be generally accepted.
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and change »
And some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.
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baptism by fire »
A change in initial attitude or ideals through a traumatic situation.
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bend the truth »
To change or leave out certain facts of a story or situation, generally in order to elicit a specific response in the audience.
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bridge »
An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.
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call it even »
To declare debts resolved or favors or other exchange equitable.
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carved in stone »
Unchangeable.
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change hands »
To become the property of someone else; to be bought or sold.
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change horses in midstream »
To change plans or approaches at an inopportune time, such as when an effort is already underway, generally considered an inadvisable thing to do.
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change of heart »
A change of one's opinion, belief or decision.
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change of life »
Menopause.
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change one's mind »
To convince someone to make a decision differing from what a previous one.
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change one's mind »
To decide differently than one had decided before.
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change one's tune »
To change one's story.
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change one's tune »
To reconsider; rethink; to reach a different conclusion.
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chump change »
A sum of money considered to be insignificant.
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chump change »
An amount of remuneration, reward, or other monetary recompense considered to be insultingly small.
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chump-change »
Of or pertaining to something of little monetary value.
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come about »
To tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.
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come around »
To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.
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come full circle »
To make a complete change or reform.
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come round »
To change one's opinion.
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dead set against »
Completely opposed, with no possibility of a change of mind.
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don't cry over spilt milk »
It is no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.
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end of the world »
Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.
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for the nonce »
For the time being, with the expectation that the situation may change.
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forewarned is forearmed »
Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 4:[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.1885, G. A. Henty, Saint George for England, ch. 4:Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.circa 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind":"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."
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go down »
To decrease; to change from a greater value to a lesser one.
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go from zero to hero »
To change from negative outcome to positive outcome. To improve one's fortunes significantly.
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God works in mysterious ways »
Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.Expressing that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways - maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...
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hardwired »
Not changeable.
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have second thoughts »
To change one's opinion, or be uneasy about a previous decision.
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here you are »
Said when you hand something over to someone or do a favour to them, usually to draw the recipient's attention to the exchange; Equivalent to “thank you” when receiving something..
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how's the weather »
Indicating a change of subject to unimportant topics.
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keep a close watch on »
To pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.
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keep a weather eye open »
To maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occupying your full attention.
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meal ticket »
A ticket or voucher that can be exchanged for food.
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money for old rope »
Money exchanged for goods of low value.
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move house »
To change one's place of residence.
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move the goal posts »
To unilaterally change the rules, or terms of an agreement, especially in an unfair or underhand way.
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ne'er cast a clout til May be out »
Advice not to change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May.
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never change a running system »
Don't change something that is working
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now you're talking »
A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.
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old habits die hard »
Existing habits are hard to change.
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out the window »
Made obsolete; altered drastically as a result of situational change.
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pay for »
To exchange for, especially money for goods or services.
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plus »
(literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.
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private branch exchange »
Telephone lines.
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put about »
To change direction.
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put back »
To change the time in a time zone to an earlier time.
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put forward »
To change the time in a time zone to a later time.
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put the clock back »
To change the time in a time zone to an earlier time.
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put the clock forward »
To change the time in a time zone to a later time.
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road to Damascus »
A road to Damascus moment, or change, is an important point in someone's life where a great change, or reversal, of ideas or beliefs occurs.
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round off »
To change the shape of an object to make it more circular.
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round off »
To change a number into an approximation having fewer significant digits.
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sea change »
A profound transformation.
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sell »
To agree to transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
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shift gears »
To change pace or mode of operation.
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shift gears »
To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.
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small change »
A minor or insignificant amount of money.
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spill one's guts »
To confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.
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switch on »
To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.
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take it or leave it »
It is said when a situation has to be accepted without change.
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that's the way life is »
That is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything [1], page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption [2], ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.
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the more things change, the more they stay the same »
A proverb making the observation that turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
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think better of it »
To change one's mind; especially to decide against.
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tune out »
To change the channel or frequency away from.
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turn on its head »
To completely change.
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water over the dam »
An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.
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you can't fight city hall »
(chiefly US) Nothing can be done to change the situation, because it is a governmental decision.I see they're going to build the airport after all. I suppose you can't fight city hall.
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you can't teach an old dog new tricks »
It is impossible, or almost impossible, to change people's habits or traits or mindset.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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