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.
|
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.
|
balance the books »
To add up all the debits and credits.
|
call it even »
To declare debts resolved or favors or other exchange equitable.
|
charity mugger »
A person employed by a charity, or by an intermediary fundraising agency employed by the charity, who stands in the street and invites passersby to set up standing orders or direct debits to make regular donations to the charity.
|
check is in the mail »
A common excuse used by debtors to put off creditors.
|
come out »
To make a formal debut in society.
|
debris field »
Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components, pieces, or other non-whole items.
|
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.
|
go to seed »
To deteriorate; to decline into an unkempt or debased condition.
|
in the red »
Having net losses; in debt.
|
l'esprit de l'escalier »
The experience of thinking of a devastating rejoinder only after leaving the scene of the debate.
|
non-starter »
An idea or argument that cannot be sensibly debated.
|
not have a leg to stand on »
To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.
|
pay the piper »
To pay a monetary debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable in spite of attempts to avoid them.
|
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.
|
put paid to »
To mark a bill or a debt record as "paid".
|
rake »
A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting grass or debris, or for loosening soil.
|
run up »
To accumulate a debt.
|
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.
|
throw cold water on »
To belittle or dismiss; to cast doubt upon; to debunk.
|
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.
|
| New: We also know Zip Codes FYI! |
[