a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step »
even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point
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be there for »
To be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty.
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beat around the bush »
To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
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big deal »
Something very important, difficult, or of concern.
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bitter end »
The end of a long and difficult process.
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bogged down »
Stuck; mired, as in detail, difficulty; delayed or made slower.
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break ground »
To begin digging in the earth at the start of a new construction, or, originally, for cultivation.
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break new ground »
To begin excavating and levelling earth for a new building, or, originally, for cultivation.
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bring off »
To succeed in doing something considered to be very difficult.
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can of worms »
A troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious, but not necessarily complex.
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come out in the wash »
Of problems or difficulties, to work out, resolve, or become understood eventually and naturally.
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daily grind »
The difficult, routine, or monotonous tasks of daily work.
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deep water »
A difficult or embarrassing situation.
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do the hard yards »
To perform a difficult task or tasks.
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drag »
To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.
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elephant in the room »
A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.
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fight a losing battle »
To try to do something so difficult that it will probably end in failure.
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fight tooth and nail »
To use every means possible to overcome a difficult opposition.
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fine line »
A difference, albeit vague and difficult to discern.
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fit into »
To be of similar cultural or social status as the members of a group of people.
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flogging the land »
Damaging agricultural land through excessive grazing or clearing.
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frog in one's throat »
Any temporary physical difficulty in speaking.
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game face »
The expression of one who is prepared for or is facing a lot of difficult and/or undesirable work, especially when it is imminent.
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get »
A difficult return or block of a shot.
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get out of Dodge »
To leave; in particular to leave a difficult or dangerous environment with all possible haste.
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go native »
To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.
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go the distance »
To have the endurance to see a difficult sustained challenge to its natural end without faltering.
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go to someone's head »
To strongly affect a person, especially to the detriment of their senses or mental faculties.
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good drunk »
A person who is cheerful and companionable when intoxicated, retaining reasonable control of his or her mental and emotional faculties.
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good old boy »
A friendly, unambitious, relatively uneducated, sometimes racially biased white man who embodies the stereotype of the folksy culture of the rural southern USA.
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hard of hearing »
Having difficulty hearing; somewhat deaf.
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hard pressed »
Having or likely to have difficulty or to find a task almost impossible.
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hash out »
To work through the details of something; especially to work through difficulties.
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have it made »
To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty; to have achieved a lifestyle characterized by good fortune and comfort.
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have someone by the short hairs »
To have someone in a difficult situation in which he or she is without alternatives and can be controlled.
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in a bind »
In a difficult situation, usually of one's own making; having a dilemma; faced with a problem or a set of problems for which there is no easy solution.
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in a pinch »
In an urgent or difficult situation; when no other solution is available.
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jungle telegraph »
A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.
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kick someone when they are down »
To make it worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.
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land on one's feet »
To be lucky, or successful, often in difficult situations.
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landing strip »
A cultivated pubic hair pattern in which much of the pubic hair is removed, leaving only a central vertical line or rectangle.
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leave somebody in the lurch »
To abandon somebody; especially, to abandon somebody and leave him or her in a difficult situation.
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life and limb »
Existence together with bodily faculties.
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long row to hoe »
A difficult or arduous task.
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magic bullet »
A simple remedy to a difficult or complex problem, especially a cure for a disease.
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make a virtue of necessity »
To make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits.
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make no bones about »
To see no difficulty in, have no objection to.
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may the Force be with you »
Used to wish someone luck with a difficult endeavor.
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morning person »
A person whose who wakes up without difficulty early each morning and who is alert and active during the first part of the day.
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needle in a haystack »
Something that is difficult or impossible to locate; something impossibly complex or intractable.
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nose test »
An inspection of the nasal passages or a trial of their function, as for breathing difficulties.
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ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny »
(biology, social sciences, art, philosophy) The physical, cultural, moral, or intellectual development of each individual passes through stages similar to the developmental stages of that individual's species, society, or civilization.1905, J. A. Harris, "The Importance of Investigations of Seedling Stages," Science, New Series, vol. 22, no. 554, p. 186:With reference to seedling stages the statement that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny must be made with great reserve.1961, M. E. Wolfgang, "Pioneers in Criminology: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)," The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, vol. 52, no. 4, p. 367:Haeckel maintained that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and this idea was incorporated by Lombroso into his parallelism between the criminal and the child.2002, B. S. Jackson, "Models in Legal History: The Case of Biblical Law," Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 11:For even if we accept that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," those responsible for the drafting of ancient legal documents were not children, and are hardly to be endowed with some form of infantile mentality.
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pickle »
A difficult situation, peril.
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pound of flesh »
Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.
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pre-war »
Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.
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problem child »
A child who is particularly difficult to raise or educate, especially due to a lack of self-control and disruptive and antisocial behavior.
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problem child »
Someone or something persistently difficult or vexing; a frequent source of trouble or annoyance.
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pull off »
To achieve; to succeed at something difficult.
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pull teeth »
To do something that is especially difficult or effortful.
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queer one's pitch »
To make a task more difficult for the speaker.
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rainy day »
A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.
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ride out »
To tackle a difficult problem and survive.
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rough sledding »
A difficult period of time.
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rough trot »
A series of difficult circumstances.
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run for one's money »
A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.
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run for one's money »
A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.
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scrape together »
To collect, assemble or gather small amounts , from various sources, with some difficulty.
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sell down the river »
To betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.
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size up »
To evaluate; to estimate or anticipate the magnitude, difficulty, or strength of something.
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slam dunk »
A task expected to present no difficulty.
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smoking gun »
Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.
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soldier on »
To continue or persist, despite adversity or difficulty.
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take the bull by the horns »
To confront a difficulty, rather than avoiding it.
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tall order »
A big job; a difficult challenge.
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that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger »
Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.
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thorn in the flesh »
A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.
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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 smoke »
To consistently pitch fastballs that are difficult to hit.
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tiger team »
An engineering or other group assembled to tackle especially difficult or critical problems, often outside the normal chain of command.
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tight spot »
A difficult position.
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tough call »
A choice or judgment which is difficult to make, especially one involving only two alternatives.
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tough nut to crack »
A difficult or sticky problem.
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tough row to hoe »
A difficult or arduous task.
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up a creek »
In trouble; in a difficult situation.
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up a creek without a paddle »
In a difficult situation, without any help. Superlative form of up a creek: most up a creek.
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up the creek without a paddle »
In a difficult situation with no means of rectifying it.
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uphill battle »
difficult struggle
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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.
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water down »
To simplify or oversimplify; to make easier; to make less difficult.
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weather the storm »
To reach the end of a very difficult situation without too much harm or damage.
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what doesn't kill you makes you stronger »
Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.
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when push comes to shove »
When the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.
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when the going gets tough, the tough get going »
in difficult times, it is the strong-willed who take action.
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winkle out »
To acquire something or someone with difficulty.
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yak shaving »
Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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