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!
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act like a bull in a china shop »
To act rudely or clumsily in a delicate situation.
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all eyes »
Watching alertly or attentively.
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all the tea in China »
Something priceless or invaluable.
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at hand »
Near; soon; approaching; imminent.
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bed down »
To lie down to sleep for the night, usually of livestock or machinery.
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bolt bucket »
A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.
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boys and their toys »
Used to evoke the idea that adult men sometimes dote excessively on machines, automobiles, and gadgets in a childish manner.
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bring up »
To turn on power or start, as of a machine.
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bucket of bolts »
A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.
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by hand »
Manually; without the use of automation or machines.
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catch out »
To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.
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catch up »
To be reaching something that had been ahead.
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chin up »
Be happy; cheer up.
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chinese gooseberry »
kiwi fruit
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crank out »
To produce in large volumes mechanically or as if by machine.
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down to the wire »
At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.
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drawing near »
approaching
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engine room »
A compartment on a ship in which the engine machinery is located.
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face off »
The starting point, in a match of ice hockey. Two players face each other, for snatching the puck.
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feed the dragon »
To buy or sell products labeled as "Made in China.".
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feed the dragon »
To the People's Republic of China.
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get off »
To stop touching or interfering with something or someone.
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get one's marching orders »
To be dismissed disgracefully.
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giant panda »
chinese animal
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great minds think alike »
Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.
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have to do with the price of tea in China »
To have any relation or bearing whatsoever on the topic at hand, usually used to emphasize the lack of relationship of a non sequitur.
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hold your fire »
Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.
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if looks could kill »
A phrase said upon catching sight of someone's giving you a particularly nasty look of discontent or disapproval.
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in the works »
In a mechanism or machine.
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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.
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kick the bucket »
Of a machine, to break down such that it cannot be repaired.
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like father, like son »
A son will have traits similar to his father upon reaching adulthood.
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lion »
A Chinese foo dog.
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long arm »
Influence, far-reaching power.
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made in China »
Cheaply manufactured in East Asia.
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made in China »
Manufactured in the People's Republic of China.
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made in China »
Of poor or low quality.
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mark time »
Marching in place; not going anywhere.
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mocking is catching »
An admonishment to be careful of criticising others, lest the same happen to you.Mocking is Catching was the title of a 1726 song by Henry Carey.
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necktie party »
An execution by hanging, especially a lynching.
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nut-cutting time »
Time to exert maximum effort, for example, due to an approaching deadline or a looming competitive situation.
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oil burner »
A machine that uses oil as its fuel.
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on the way »
Coming, approaching.
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punch in »
To enter a workplace by punching a time card.
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read somebody's lips »
To discern what somebody is saying by watching the shape of the mouth rather than by hearing the sounds of the words.
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real job »
A job that can't be replaced advantageously by a machine or a procedure.
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run down »
To find something or someone after searching for a long time.
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run down »
To lose power slowly. Used for a machine, battery, or other powered device.
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sex machine »
Any machine that is used for sexual pleasure.
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sex machine »
Someone with considerable sexual prowess.
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shoot the bull »
To chinwag; to talk idly.
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shroud »
The branching top of a tree; foliage.
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snake oil »
Snake oil is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain.
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spectator sport »
An activity which consists of watching or observing.
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take up »
That which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a stitch.
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trigger-happy »
Inclined to behave recklessly, especially with machinery.
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turn off »
To power down; to stop a device by switching it off.
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turn on »
To power up; to start a device by switching it on.
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two-fisted drinker »
Either someone who can handle their liquor well, or an alcoholic clutching a drink in each hand.
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up one's alley »
Matching a person's interests or abilities well.
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white goods »
fridges, washing machines, etc
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