We've found 3281 phrases for en (0.116 seconds):

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.

a cat may look at a king »    Even a purported inferior has certain abilities, even in the presence of a purported superior

a cold day in Hell »    An event that will never happen.

a day late and a dollar short »    Action that was taken too late and too feeble to be of any use.

a different ballpark »    Something totally unrelated or of a vastly different scale or scope.

a drop in the bucket »    An effort or action having very little overall influence, especially as compared to a huge problem.

a friend in need is a friend indeed »    A true friend is one who helps you when you are in need.

a gentleman and a scholar »    An admirable person.

a golden key can open any door »    Sufficient money can accomplish anything.

a good beginning makes a good ending »    Good beginnings promise a good end; start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.

a good man is hard to find »    Men who make good husbands or workers are rare.

a great deal »    Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.

a house is not a home »    A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step »    even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point

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.

a life of its own »    An independent existence with some characteristics of life.

a man is known by the company he keeps »    People are similar in character to their friends.

a new broom sweeps clean »    New management will often make radical changes.

a penny saved is a penny earned »    A maxim for thrift that says that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime

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!

a pull of the hair for being unfair »    The general response to "A kick and a flick for being so quick", which is in turn a response in itself to "A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month".

a riddle wrapped up in an enigma »    Something very mysterious and hidden.

a rising tide lifts all boats »    Benefits provided to a few may lead to conditions that are beneficial to all.

a scholar and a gentleman »    An admirable person.

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.

a stopped clock is right twice a day »    A normally unreliable person or instrument can occasionally provide correct information, even if only by accident.

a watched pot never boils »    A process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.

about to »    Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates that something is imminent.

above one's bend »    Out of one's control or power.

absence makes the heart grow fonder »    When someone or something is faraway, you realise how much you love (or miss) them or it.

abstract nonsense »    Details which involve diagram chasing.

accident of birth »    Reference to the fact that various benefits or detriments to the life of a person arise from the circumstances into which that person was born, these being entirely beyond his control.

accident waiting to happen »    A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

account for »    To explain by relating circumstances; to show that some one, thing or members of a group are present or have been processed.

ace in the hole »    A hidden or secret strength, or unrevealed advantage.

act out »    To go through the process of a scene from a play, a charade or a pointless exercise.

ad fontes »    Go to the sources: An expression emphasizing the importance of conducting fundamental research and of consulting primary sources.

add fuel to the fire »    To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.

add up »    To make sense; to be reasonable or consistent.

Adds up »    To enhance. " Law of attraction adds up to the success in life."

admiral of the blue »    A landlord or publican wearing a blue apron, as was formerly the custom among men of that vocation.

after all »    In the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be.

against the grain »    Contrary to what is expected; especially, of behavior different from what society expects.

against the grain »    Unwillingly, reluctantly. It went much against the grain with him, i.e. it was much against his inclination, or against his pluck.

agree to disagree »    To tolerate each other's opinion and stop arguing; to acknowledge that an agreement will not be reached.

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.

aim at »    To design for a particular audience.

air out »    To expose to air; to leave open or spread out, as to allow odor or moisture to dissipate.

air out »    To discuss in the open.

albatross »    A long-term impediment, burden, or curse.

all along »    The entire time; always.

all at once »    Unexpectedly; without warning; all of a sudden.

all bark and no bite »    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

all ears »    Listening intently; fully focused.

all eyes »    Having prominent eyes.

all eyes »    Watching alertly or attentively.

all eyes and ears »    To be attentive.

all fired up »    Excited or energized; highly enthusiastic.

all fur coat and no knickers »    Of superficial appearance and with no real substance beneath.

all good things come to an end »    Nothing lasts forever.

all hat and no cattle »    Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.

all hell broke loose »    A great disaster happened or chaos ensued.

all holiday »    A saying signifying that it is all over with the business or person spoken of or alluded to/.

all in a day's work »    A nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment.

all in all »    Generally; for the most part; mostly.

all mouth and no trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all mouth and trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all nations »    A composition of all the different spirits sold in a dram-shop, collected in a vessel into which the drainings of the bottles and quartern pots are emptied.

all of a sudden »    Adv suddenly, quickly.

all of the sudden »    Suddenly, rapidly.

all out »    The state of a side having no more men to bat, thus ending its innings.

all over the place »    Inconsistent; lacking a clear pattern.

all roads lead to Rome »    different paths can take one to the same goal

all the time »    Very often; frequently.

all things come to those who wait »    (dated) A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.

all very well »    All right, to a certain extent.

all wet »    Thoroughly soaked; drenched.

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy »    Too much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably.Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.

all's well that ends well »    Problems do not matter if things turn out well in the end.

allow for »    To take into account when making plans.

along the lines »    In a general direction or manner.

amateur hour »    A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism.

an Englishman's home is his castle »    (UK) a proverbial expression of personal privacy and security

and change »    And some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.

and counting »    Used to show that the number previously mentioned is continuously changing, i.e. increasing or decreasing.

and then some »    Used to confirm preceding utterance, while implying that what was said or asked is an understatement.

angle for farthings »    To beg out of a prison window with a cap, or box, let down at the end of a long string.

answer back »    To reply impertinently; to talk back.

any press is good press »    Being mentioned in the media is beneficial to the subject because it gets publicity.

Apa Sâmbetei »    "for nothing", "to no result", or that what you have done was destroyed or is rendered useless after you finish it.

apple does not fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient

apple of somebody's eye »    A favourite, a particular preference, or a loved one; the object of somebody's affections.

April showers bring May flowers »    April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains.By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.

are your ears burning »    Said of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

ark ruffian »    Rogues who, in conjunction with watermen, robbed, and sometimes murdered, on the water, by picking a quarrel with the passengers in a boat, boarding it, plundering, stripping, and throwing them overboard, etc. A species of badger.

arm candy »    An attractive, seemingly romantic companion who accompanies a person in public simply so that one or both of the individuals can gain attention, enhance social status, or create an impression of sexual appeal.

arm's length »    Barely within reach.

arm's length »    Distant, detached.

arm's length »    Independent, but related.

around the bend »    Crazy, insane.

around the corner »    Imminent.

arse end of nowhere »    A very remote place.

as a rule »    In general; most often.

as best one can »    In the best possible way, given the circumstances.

as for »    with reference to

as is »    In its present state or condition, especially as a contractual condition of sale.

as long as »    Depending upon some condition or requirement; provided that; if, assuming; so long as.

as long as »    The same length as.

as luck would have it »    As it happened; how it turned out; by good fortune; fortunately or luckily.

as the crow flies »    In a straight line distance between two locations, as opposed to the road distance or over land distance.

as yet »    Up to the present; thus far.

as you sow, so shall you reap »    The personal consequences of one's actions are in proportion to the good or bad intentions towards others.

ash wednesday »    first day of lent

ask around »    To enquire about something to different people.

ask in »    To invite someone to enter one's house.

ask my arse »    A common reply to any question; still deemed wit at sea, and formerly at court, under the denomination of selling bargains.

ask round »    To enquire about something to different people.

asphalt jungle »    A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.

assault and battery »    . This legal distinction exists only in jurisdictions that distinguish assault as threatened violence rather than actual violence.

at a moment's notice »    Immediately; instantaneously; without need of warning.

at a pinch »    By the skin of one’s teeth; only just; Deo volente; perhaps; if you’re lucky..

at a pinch »    in an emergency

at all »    Indicating degree, quantity or frequency greater than zero; to the slightest degree, in any way, somewhat, rather.

at all hours »    Late into the night or early morning; when people ought to be sleeping.

at arm's length »    At a distance, away from one's body.

at arm's length »    Avoiding a close relationship.

at cross-purposes »    Mutually misunderstanding each other's plans, intentions or meanings.

at death's door »    About to die; in a life-threatening state of health.

At ease with nudity »    ISM free identification with nude recreation

at hand »    Being at the moment the center of attention or the cause of trouble.

at hand »    Near; soon; approaching; imminent.

at heart »    In spirit; according to one's beliefs, views or feelings; deep down, really, fundamentally.

at home »    In one's place of residence.

at home »    In the home of one's parents.

at large »    In general; as a whole.

at last »    After a long time; eventually.

at last »    In the end; finally; ultimately.

at loose ends »    In an uncertain position or situation.

at odds »    In disagreement; conflicting.

at peace with »    Not menacing or hostile toward.

at sixes and sevens »    In a state of confusion.

at sixes and sevens »    In a state of dispute or disagreement.

at that »    In addition to what has been said; furthermore; moreover.

at that »    Now that it has been mentioned.

at the end of one's tether »    At the limit of one’s patience; frustrated or annoyed..

at the end of the day »    In summary; ultimately.

at the end of the road »    No longer in the competition. Voted off. Eliminated.

at the end of the road »    No longer living. Dead.

at the mercy of »    In the power of; defenceless/defenseless against.

at the moment »    As atm.

at will »    At one's preference; as one sees fit.

autem cackler »    Dissenters of every denomination.

autem diver »    Pickpockets who practice in churches; also churchwardens and overseers of the poor.

autem gogler »    Pretended French prophet.

autem mort »    A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity.

babe in the woods »    A person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless.

babe magnet »    A person, especially a man, to whom women are attracted.

baby blues »    Period and feeling of depressiveness after giving birth; a less severe form of postnatal depression.

back away »    Of your attention on the thing in front being avoided.

back burner »    A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance.

back off »    To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.

back to square one »    Located back at the start, as after a dead-end or failure.

back up »    So as to stop the ball, and prevent overthrows.

back-burner »    Having low urgency; not currently important.

back-cloth star »    An actor who stands upstage, forcing the other actors to face him and turn their backs to the audience, in order to gain more attention to himself.

back-of-the-envelope »    Approximate, rough, simplified.

back-to-back »    Identical or similar and sequential.

backfoot »    To put on the defensive; to put off balance.

backseat driver »    A passenger in a car who insists on giving the driver directions.

backseat driver »    By extension, anybody offering unsolicited or unwelcome advice.

bad apple »    A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.

bad egg »    Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.

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.

bad news »    News of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events.

bad penny »    A counterfeit or damaged penny.

bad penny »    A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling of disappointment and frustration.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling of guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.

baggage »    Heavy baggage; women and children. Also a familiar epithet for a woman; as, cunning baggage, wanton baggage, &c.

baggage »    In a metaphorical sense, factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way: emotional baggage.

baggage »    Luggage; traveling equipment.

bail out »    To leave or not attend.

baker's dozen »    Cousin.

baker's dozen »    Thirteen, a group of thirteen.

bakers dozen »    Thirteen.

balancing act »    A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.

ballpoint pen »    writing implement

balls up »    Third-person singular simple present indicative form of ball up.

balum rancum »    A hop or dance, where the women are all prostitutes. N. B. The company dance in their birthday suits.

bang for the buck »    Efficiency; cost-effectiveness; value.

bang on about »    To keep talking endlessly about the same subject.

bang up »    Excellent.

bang up cove »    A dashing fellow who spends his money freely.

banged up »    Spending time in prison or jail.

bank night »    An event where patrons are enticed to buy entry tickets into some venue, for example a movie theater, with the anticipation that they will be entered into a drawing to win an amount of money if their ticket is drawn and they are on-site at the time of the winning.

bank on »    To be sure of something. To depend on it.

bankers' hours »    The period between 10am and 3pm.

banyan day »    In British naval tradition, this originally referred to a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

baptism by fire »    A trying ordeal that was not experienced before.

bar fly »    A person who frequents bars or lounges to get drunk.

bar star »    A female who frequents bars or lounges, usually late at night.

barge in »    To intrude; to enter or interrupt suddenly and without invitation.

barn burner »    Any successful or impressive event.

barnburner »    Liberal faction of the New York state United States Democratic Party in the mid 19th century.

barrel »    A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.

barrel »    A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.

barrel »    The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31 1/2 gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds; of beer 31 gallons; of ale 32 gallons; of crude oil 42 gallons.

barrel of laughs »    That which is enjoyable or entertaining.

barrow man »    A man under sentence of transportation; alluding to the convicts at Woolwich, who are principally employed in wheeling barrows full of brick or dirt.

bash in »    To break or dent badly by hitting violently.

bash in »    To injure someone by hitting violently.

bash up »    To assault someone with the intention of causing physical injury.

bat around »    When at least nine batters bat in a half inning.

batten down »    To close or make watertight, referring to hatches and cargo.

batten down the hatches »    Prepare for trouble.

battle cry »    By extension, a strong motto or purpose statement, especially in regards to winning a goal in sports, games or work.

battle cry »    Something the troops yell out when going to war or battle.

bawdy basket »    The twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.

bawl out »    To have a serious argument accompanied with shouting.

be all ears »    To listen carefully or eagerly; to anticipate.

be around »    To be alive, existent, or present.

be in a spot of bother »    To have a slight problem, to be in a predicament.

be in for »    To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.

be off »    To be working against a present or former addiction to.

be on about »    Talk about; mean, intend.

be on the edge of one's seat »    To be in suspense; to wait eagerly or anxiously for some resolution.

be taken ill »    Due to sudden illness.

be taken ill »    To become ill.

be that as it may »    Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.

be the way to go »    Represent the best of all possible options or courses of action; pre-eminate over all other choices or alternatives.

be there or be square »    Used to encourage someone to go somewhere.

be up against »    To be challenged by someone or something stronger than oneself.

be-all and end-all »    Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.

bear down »    To intensify one's efforts.

bear down »    When giving birth, to push.

bear on »    To influence, have an effect on.

bear out »    To corroborate, prove, or confirm; to demonstrate; to provide evidence for.

bear up »    To endure hardship cheerfully.

bear with »    To be patient with.

beat around the bush »    To treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally.

beat out »    To sound a rhythm on a percussion instrument such as a drum.

beat up »    To alarm by a sudden attack.

beat up »    To cause by some other means, injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder »    Individuals have different inclinations on what is beautiful. Individuals have different beauty standards.

beauty sleep »    C. 1900, Ralph Connor, The Man From Glengarry, ch. 23.

bee's knees »    Something excellent, outstanding.

beefed out »    Having been improved greatly or upgraded; beefed up.

beefed out »    Muscular, often in an exaggerated way.

been there, done that »    An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is now bored.

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt »    Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.

been there, done that, got the T-shirt »    Same as been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

been to the rodeo »    Exposed to conmen and hucksters; experienced.

been to the rodeo »    N.d., Alan Neff, Precious Tribes, Vicious Lies, page 72.

beg off »    To avoid, or cancel some event that one has previously arranged with someone.

beggars can't be choosers »    (proverb) When resources are limited, one must accept even substandard gifts.

behind its time »    Showing characteristics of the past; present in one's work after later advances in the field; coming later than could be generally accepted.

behind the counter »    Of drugs, dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription or other form of compliance.

behind the scenes »    In secret; out of public view.

believe in »    To ascribe existence to.

below the belt »    Of a punch, landing illegally, below the opponent's waist.

below the belt »    Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.

belt and suspenders »    Redundant systems, affording mutual backup in the event of one failing.

bench jockey »    A baseball term for a player, coach or manager who is annoying and distracts opposition players and umpires from his team's dugout bench with verbal repartee.

bend one's elbow »    To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.

bend over backwards »    To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.

bend somebody's ear »    Sorry to bend your ear with the whole story, but I think you ought to know.

bend somebody's ear »    To bore; to talk too long.

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.

bent on »    Completely determined; obstinate.

bent on a splice »    About to be married.

best laid plans »    A proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the outcome is uncertain.

best of both worlds »    A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.

better an egg today than a hen tomorrow »    It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.

better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all »    Having experience of love, even if it ended, is better than having no experience of love.Love is worthwhile despite the pain involved in separation.

between a rock and a hard place »    Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.

between Scylla and Charybdis »    Similar in meaning to between a rock and a hard place.

between the jigs and the reels »    Eventually, despite all the confusion.

betwixt and between »    Neither one thing nor the other.

beyond the pale »    Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.

big boys »    The people or bodies with the most influence and/or power.

big break »    A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.

big enchilada »    A very important person, especially the highest-ranking individual in an organization.

big enchilada »    Some item of high value, especially a top prize or reward.

big gun »    Someone who is powerful or influential most often in plural form.

big top »    circus tent

big wheel »    A person with a great deal of power or influence, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.

bigger fish to fry »    A much more pressing issue to attend to.

bird in the hand »    Shortened form of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".

birds of a feather »    C1710, Jonathan Swift, "A Conference," lines 11-12.

birds of a feather flock together »    People of similar character, background, or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another.

birds of the feather flock together »    People who are alike physically tend to congregate and socialize together, despite government efforts at forced integration.

bite me »    An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.

bite one's tongue »    An admonishment to someone who has said something unfeeling or harsh.

bite one's tongue »    To forcibly prevent oneself from uttering a word.

bite the bullet »    To endure a punishment or consequence with dignity or stoicism.

bite the hand that feeds you »    To cause harm to a benefactor.

bits and bobs »    A random assortment of things; small remaining pieces and things.

bitter end »    That part of an anchor cable which is abaft the bitts and thus remains onboard when a ship is riding at anchor.

bitter end »    The end of a long and difficult process.

bitter pill »    Something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.

black magic »    Magic derived from evil forces, as distinct from good or benign forces; or magic performed with the intention of doing harm.

black sheep »    A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person.

black-on-black »    A reference to interactions between black people .

black-on-black »    Something that is invisible or intentionally obfuscated, such as warnings or fine print.

blame Canada »    A catch phrase for shifting attention away from a serious social issue by laying responsibility with Canada.

blanket term »    A word or phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of related things. The degree of relation may vary. Blanket terms often trade specificity for ease-of-use; in other words, a blanket term by itself gives little detail about the things that it describes or the relationships between them, but is easy to say and remember. Blanket terms often originate as slang, and eventually become integrated into the general vocabulary.

blaze a trail »    To set precedent or do something novel; to break new ground.

bleeding edge »    Something very current, or modern where there may actually be a hazard or risk in using it, such as with potentially unstable software. The term relates to a sword.

bleep out »    To censor inappropriate spoken words by obscuring them with the sound of a bleep.

blessed event »    An occurrence or occasion which is particularly noteworthy and enjoyable.

blessed event »    The birth of a baby.

blessing in disguise »    A misfortune that has an unexpected benefit.

blind »    Any device intended to conceal or hide; as, a duck blind.

blind as a bat »    Nearly totally blind, having a very poor sense of vision.

blind date »    A romantic meeting between two people who have never met before.

blood is thicker than water »    Family relations and loyalties are stronger than relationships with people who are not family members.1866, Anthony Trollope, The Belton Estate, ch. 30,Blood is thicker than water, is it not? If cousins are not friends, who can be?circa 1915, Lucy Fitch Perkins, The Scotch Twins, ch. 5,The old clans are scattered now, but blood is thicker than water still, and you're welcome to the fireside of your kinsman!

blow a fuse »    To lose one's temper; to become enraged.

blow a kiss »    To kiss one's hand, then blow on the hand in a direction towards the recipient.

blow hot and cold »    To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

blow off »    To vent, usually, to reduce pressure in a container.

blow off steam »    To rant or shout in order to relieve stress; to vent.

blow smoke »    To speak with a lack of credibility, sense, purpose, or truth; to speak nonsense.

blow the whistle »    To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the illegal or socially harmful actions of a person or group, especially a corporation or government agency.

blow the whistle »    To make a piercing sound which signals a referee's action or the end of a game.

blow this pop stand »    To exit or remove oneself from a less than exciting location or environment.

blow this popsicle stand »    To leave an establishment speedily.

blow up »    To enlarge or zoom in.

blow up »    To suddenly get very angry.

blow-by-blow »    Detailing every action or occurrence completely.

blue note »    Notes added to the major scale for expressive quality in jazz and blues music, particularly the flatted third, fifth and seventh.

blue state »    A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.

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.

blurt out »    To say suddenly, without thinking.

board up »    To block doors or windows with boards, either to prevent access or as protection from storms, etc.

boil down »    As an allusion to the cooking technique of reducing liquids by heat, one boils down a problem, argument, etc. to its most central elements.

boil down to »    to be equivalent to; to reduce to.

bone of contention »    Something that continues to be disputed; something on which no agreement can be reached.

booby prize »    A prize or status, often unwelcome, awarded as a joke or disincentive to the loser of a contest or for poor performance.

boot camp »    A short, intensive, quasi-military program generally aimed at young offenders as an alternative to a jail term.

boot camp »    Any short, intensive course of training.

borganism »    An organization of autonomous organisms that exhibit collectivism: individual "units" that have merged to yield a unified construct. Such an amalgam may possess a collective consciousness, arguably an emergent phenomenon of social networking.

borganism »    Some forms of government.

born in a barn »    Engaging in the annoying behavior of inappropriately, and usually neglectfully, leaving open a door or window.

born in a barn »    Lacking a sense of etiquette; ill-mannered.

born in a barn »    Of humble birth, especially when referring to Jesus Christ.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth »    Note. The original nautical expression is just born with a silver spoon and describes those young gentlemen who were able to enter the Royal Navy without examination and whose promotion was assured. the converse was born with a wooden ladle.

born yesterday »    New, naive, innocent, inexperienced or easily deceived.

bottle up »    Keep suppressed and hidden.

bottom line »    The final balance; the amount of money or profit left after everything has been tallied.

bottom of the line »    The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.

bottom of the ninth »    By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.

bottom of the ninth »    In baseball, the second part of the ninth and final inning. The end of the game.

bottoming the house »    The process by where someone cleans their house 'from top to bottom'. It is a very thorough clean indeed, even more so than 'spring cleaning'.

bought the farm »    Simple past tense and past participle of buy the farm: died; often refers to death in battle.

bowl of cherries »    An enjoyable experience.

bowl out »    And thus end their innings.

bowl over »    To overwhelm with astonishment or wonder; to flabbergast.

box on the ear »    Administered on the victim's ear, usually by an educator, to enforce attention.

box-office bomb »    A motion picture that generates relatively low revenue at the box office, especially that which is less than the budget for the motion picture.

boys and their toys »    Used to evoke the idea that adult men sometimes dote excessively on machines, automobiles, and gadgets in a childish manner.

boys will be boys »    It is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.

brace of shakes »    The time taken for a sail to shake or shiver twice as a ship comes into the wind.

bragging rights »    The prerogative to praise oneself for an accomplishment or for possession of a superior characteristic.

brain surgeon »    Someone very intelligent.

branch out »    To attempt something new or different, but related.

brass monkey »    A kind of inexpensive liqueur.

brass monkey »    Said of the weather when it is very cold.

brass ring »    Figuratively, a prize or goal. Often used with respect to employment goals e.g. promotion, better job, etc.

bread and butter »    That which is central or fundamental, as to one's business, survival, or income; a staple or cornerstone.

break a leg »    To perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.

break a sweat »    January 2008, The Age - Walkovers blaze a trail for women's equal-pay theory.

break away »    To leave suddenly.

break down »    To become unstable, mentally or otherwise.

break even »    To neither gain nor lose money.

break even »    To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.

break ground »    To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements.

break ground »    To lift off the sea bottom when being weighed.

break in »    To enter by force or illicit means.

break into »    To enter illegally or by force.

break into »    To open or begin to use.

break into »    To begin suddenly.

break new ground »    By extension, to initiate a new venture.

break off »    To end abruptly, either temporarily or permanently.

break out »    To bring out, use, or present.

break out »    To begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition.

break up »    To end a relationship.

break wind »    To flatulate; fart; to expel gases generated during digestion through the anus.

brickbat »    A criticism or uncomplimentary remark hurled at artwork or other recipient.

brickbat »    For example, it's quite common for magazines to have a section called Bouquets and Brickbats for compliments and criticisms.

bridge »    A device which connects two or more computer buses, typically in a transparent manner.

bridge »    A particular form of one hand placed on the table to support the cue when making a shot in cue sports.

bridge »    A prosthesis replacing one or several adjacent teeth.

bridge »    A song contained within another song, often demarcated by meter, key, or melody.

bridge »    A statement, such as an offer, that signals a possibility of accord.

bridge »    A valence bond, atom or chain of atoms that connects two different parts of a molecule; the atoms so connected being bridgeheads.

bridge »    An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.

bridge »    An unintended solder connection between two or more components or pins.

bridge »    Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit.

bridge »    Cue for extended or tedious shots. Also called a spider.

bridge »    The piece, on string instruments, that supports the strings from the sounding board.

bright line »    A clear distinction in the context of a legal or moral judgment.

brighten up »    To become brighter.

brighten up »    To make cheerful.

brighten up »    Brighten up my day.

brighten up »    Brighten up a room.

bring back »    To reenact an old rule or law.

bring down the house »    To garner enthusiastic or wild applause.

bring forth »    To create, generate, bring into existence.

bring forward »    To make something happen earlier than originally planned.

bring it on »    Used to indicate one's willingness to accept a challenge, confront a threat, etc.

bring out »    To make a shy person more confident.

bring owls to Athens »    Forgive me, then, for bringing owls to Athens as a thanks-offering. — Goethe, in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt.

bring owls to Athens »    Perhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. — Herbert Burkert.

bring owls to Athens »    To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.

bring owls to Athens »    Who brings owls to Athens? — Euelpides, in Aristophanes' Birds.

bring round »    To bring something when coming.

bring up »    To mention.

bring up »    To raise children.

broken vessel »    A person who is destroyed or forgotten, or who feels flawed or broken.

broken-hearted »    Alternative spelling of brokenhearted. Feeling depressed, despondent, or hopeless, especially over losing a love.

bros before hoes »    (US, informal) A man should prioritize his male friends over his girlfriend or wife.

brown bag »    A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.

brown power »    The production of electricity made from conventional sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

brown thumb »    Lack of skill at growing plants; something possessed by a poor gardener.

bucket of bolts »    A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.

buckle up »    To fasten one's seat belt or safety belt.

bugger off »    An expression of disagreement or disbelief.

build a better mousetrap »    To invent the next great thing; to have a better idea.

build up »    To strengthen.

bull session »    An informal meeting among men.

bum rap »    A false accusation, or an injustice, especially one that leads to imprisonment.

bum rush »    Storming into an establishment.

bum steer »    Bad advice, regardless of intention.

bump and grind »    A combination of movements resembling such a dance, as in road racing, whitewater kayaking, or exercising; any activity involving prolonged jarring or shaking.

bump and grind »    A sexually suggestive dance involving exaggerated hip movements, especially a striptease dance.

bump up »    To increase something suddenly.

bump up »    To give a more prominent place to; to advance position in queue.

bundle of energy »    One who is especially lively, continually active, or industrious.

bundle of energy »    The energy associated with being lively, continually active, or industrious.

bung up »    To close an opening with a cork, cork like object or other improvised obstruction.

buoy up »    To uplift, hearten, inspire or raise the spirits.

buried treasure »    Something, having been concealed for a long time, which later is found and is profitable.

burn a hole in one's pocket »    To cause someone to be tempted to spend money.

burn one's candle at both ends »    To work extremely or excessively hard; to work too hard for good health or peace of mind.

burn one's fingers »    To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.

bury the hatchet »    To stop fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.

bury the lead »    To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.

bury the lede »    To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.

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.

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.

busted flush »    A potential flush which ultimately was not filled.

busted flush »    Anything which ends up worthless despite great potential.

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.

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.

but seriously folks »    Directs attention to immediately preceding failed attempt at humor.

but then »    Then again, on the other hand; used to show that the opposite viewpoint is possible.

but who's counting »    Used as a retort or comeback, often to deprecate oneself or another for excessive concern or attention to.

butter up »    To flatter, especially with the intent of personal gain.

butterfly upon a wheel »    An innocent person crushed by life's adversities.

button up »    To fasten with a button or buttons.

button up »    To fasten all the buttons on a coat, or similar item of clothing, to keep warm.

button-down »    Conservative; conventional; unimaginative.

buy out »    To purchase the entire stock or extent of something.

buy straw hats in winter »    Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price is low, sell when demand and price is high.

buy the farm »    To die; often, to die in battle.

buy to let »    To purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it.

buzz up »    To allow entrance into a building from a higher floor by triggering an electronic lock.

by a long shot »    By a wide margin; indicates a very big difference or disparity.

by and large »    Mostly, generally; with few exceptions.

by far »    To a considerably large extent, easily.

by one's own hand »    As a result of one's own actions, especially with reference to death by suicide.

by oneself »    Alone; without assistance, accompaniment, or help from others.

by the book »    In a manner which adheres strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.

by the by »    Used to introduce a new topic; incidentally.

by the same token »    For a similar reason; in a similar manner; similarly; likewise; along the same lines.

by the time »    When.

by the way »    Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.

by-the-book »    Adhering strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.

call it a night »    To cease what one has been doing for the night.

call it even »    To declare debts resolved or favors or other exchange equitable.

call off the dogs »    During a one-sided sports contest, to remove the first-string unit of a team from the game after dominating the opponent.

call off the dogs »    To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.

call on »    In a classroom, to select a student.

call out »    To challenge.

calling card »    A prepaid card or credit card, usually electronically readable, used to pay the charges when making a telephone call.

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.

calling card »    Excrement, especially of a domestic animal.

camel through the eye of a needle »    Hyperbole to illustrate that something is almost impossible to do or to happen.

camel's nose »    A metaphor for a situation where the permitting of some small act will lead consequently to a larger undesirable act or circumstance.

can it »    To silence; to quit doing something; to put an end to something.

can of worms »    A complex, troublesome situation arising when a decision or action produces considerable subsequent problems.

can of worms »    A troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious, but not necessarily complex.

can't wait »    To eagerly anticipate; to find it unbearable to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.

Cannon fodder »    Military personnel who are regarded as expendable when attacking the enemy.

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.

carpe diem »    seize the day, make the most of today, enjoy the present

carrot and stick »    Simultaneous rewards for good behavior and punishments for bad behavior.

carry a torch for »    [2] To harbor feelings of love despite not being in a relationship; generally unrequited or after a relationship has ended, and sometimes implying secret feelings. There is the implication of keeping hope alive.

carry away »    To break under sudden pressure of violent wind.

carry off »    Knowledge, confidence, or familiarity.

carry on »    To act or behave; especially to act or behave so as to attract attention.

carry the can »    To take responsibility, especially in a challenging situation.

carry the message to Garcia »    To perform a requisite task without having been informed specifically by what method to do so.

carry water for »    To perform menial tasks for; to serve; to assist.

cash cow »    A product, service, or enterprise that generates ongoing, high net free cash flows.

cash cow »    Someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money; a moneymaker.

cat and mouse game »    Two individuals and/or groups repeatedly keeping check on each other in a suspicious or self-protective way, often with the goal of one or both parties trying to gain a malicious advantage over the other.

cat in the meal-tub »    Something concealed; a hidden danger.

cat's cradle »    A children's string game.

catbird seat »    Expression used to describe an enviable position, often one of great advantage.

catch fire »    Become engulfed with flames.

catch flies »    An ostensible product of awkwardly having one's mouth open wide.

catch hell »    Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.

catch it »    Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.

catch someone's eye »    To capture someone's attention.

catch up »    To pick up suddenly.

catch up »    To entangle.

catch up »    To be reaching something that had been ahead.

catch up »    To compensate for or make up a deficiency.

catch-as-catch-can »    Intermittent; only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself.

catmeat »    Someone who has been badly beaten.

cattle call »    An audition which is open to the public and thus draws a large number of applicants, many of whom are inexperienced.

caucus race »    The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, esp. presidential; a primary election via caucus.

caught between the devil and the deep blue sea »    Having a choice between two alternatives, both undesirable.

caught in the act »    To be found doing something that you weren't supposed to be doing, while you're doing it.

caught with one's hand in the cookie jar »    Observed or apprehended while committing a theft, especially while embezzling money.

cave in »    The act of relenting.

center field »    A central role in some activity that requires speed.

center field »    The defensive position in the outfield in the middle, typically played by a player that can run fast.

center field »    The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

ceterum censeo »    A formulaic expression used to end a speech by reinforcing one, often unrelated, major view.

chain reaction »    A series of events, each one causing the next.

chalkface »    A musical concept or genre in which music is completely improvised and never played twice. Most often mixing elements of hip-hop, metal, punk and avant-garde jazz.

champ at the bit »    To bite the bit, especially when restless.

champ at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

chance'd be a fine thing »    Given to indicate that an aforementioned thing would be desirable but unlikely. Comparable to if I should be so lucky.

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.

change of life »    Menopause.

change one's mind »    To decide differently than one had decided before.

change one's tune »    To reconsider; rethink; to reach a different conclusion.

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.

chase after »    To pursue someone with romantic intentions; to woo.

chase down »    To pursue and apprehend someone.

chat up »    In a friendly, open, or casual manner, sometimes also in a charming or affected manner, usually to curry favor, and sometimes flirtatiously with the intention of establishing a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship with that person.

che sera sera »    Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.

cheaper by the dozen »    Things are handled more efficiently as a group, rather than individually.

cheat sheet »    Any summary or quick reference used as a shortcut or reminder, a crib sheet.

check out »    Used to draw attention to something and stimulate excitement about it.

cheese down »    To coil the tail of a rope on deck so as to present a neat appearance.

cherry pick »    To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.

cherry-pick »    To pick out the best, or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light.

chew the fat »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

chew the scenery »    To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.

chicken feed »    A very small or insignificant quantity, especially of money.

chicken feed »    Food given to poultry.

chicken out »    To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.

chickens coming home to roost »    Consequences visited upon someone who originally had appeared to escape them.

children should be seen and not heard »    Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.

chip in »    To interrupt a discussion for the purpose of making a comment.

chip off the old block »    Someone who takes after their parent.

chip on one's shoulder »    A form of challenge in the same spirit as a medieval knight throwing down his gauntlet.

chip on one's shoulder »    A habitually combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove.

chip on one's shoulder »    A tendency to take offence quickly.

choke the chicken »    To masturbate.

chomp at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

chrome horn »    The front bumper of a car when used to bump another vehicle, usually to inform the driver of the other vehicle, that the first car would like to pass.

chump change »    An amount of remuneration, reward, or other monetary recompense considered to be insultingly small.

circle the wagons »    To draw a wagon train into a circle to allow the wagons to provide cover when under attack.

circle the wagons »    To prepare to defend against an attack.

circuit slugger »    A talented baseball batter that hits home runs.

circular firing squad »    A political party or other group experiencing considerable disarray because the members are engaging in internal disputes and mutual recrimination.

cite chapter and verse »    To provide specific references from an authoritative book, as the Bible or a book of statutes or rules, to support a statement.

clam up »    To become silent; to stop talking, to shut up.

clamp down on »    To take measures to stop something; to put an end to.

class clown »    A student who frequently makes jokes or pokes fun; a wiseacre.

clay »    A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.

clay »    A tennis court surface.

clean out »    To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.

clean up »    To become clean, handsome, smart in appearance, e.g. for a special occasion, especially when it is out of character to be seen as such.

clear the decks »    To remove, or fasten, all loose material, or partitions prior to a naval engagement.

climb up »    To make a gradual ascent or increase.

climb up »    To gradually ascend something.

climbing the walls »    Present participle of climb the walls.

clogs to clogs in three generations »    (UK) Wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through the third (grandchild

close down »    To surround someone, as to impede their movement.

close enough for government work »    It is not worth investing additional time on perfecting this thing.

close in on »    To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse.

close in on »    To catch up with in a chase; to near the end of a pursuit.

close off »    To seal or block the entrance to a road, an area, or a building so that people cannot enter.

close shave »    A near accident or mishap; a dangerous or risky encounter or incident.

close the stable door after the horse has bolted »    To attempt to prevent a problem only to find it has already happened.

close up shop »    To shut down a shop; to end a business activity.

closed book »    A person or thing that cannot be easily understood; someone or something incomprehensible or puzzling.

clothes don't make the man »    An aphorism meaning that you cannot judge a person solely by his appearance. Usually pertains to men.

cloud nine »    A state of happiness, elation or bliss; often used in the phrase on cloud nine.

clout list »    A usually secret list containing the names of people who are to be given special access, benefits, or influence in a political or social situation, especially as a result of having personal, professional, or financial relationships with those in authority.

coals to Newcastle »    A pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it's made, or where they already have an abundance.

cock up »    Unintentionally; to screw up, mess up or f** up.

Cold hands, warm heart; Dirty feet, no sweetheart! »    A few old timer's "fun" way to compliment a lady & to find out if she could be courted.

cold turkey »    The sudden and complete withdrawal of a dependent substance, especially of a drug.

collect one's thoughts »    To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.

colt over the fence »    An illegitimate child.

come about »    To come to pass; to develop; to occur; to take place; to happen.

come about »    happen

come across »    To find, usually by accident.

come down »    To descend.

come down to »    To depend upon, basically, ultimately or in essence.

come down to us »    To survive to the present day; to be extant in some form.

come in »    To enter.

come in »    Of a broadcast, such as radio or television, to have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.

come in »    To join or enter; to begin playing with a group.

come on »    A statement or sometimes action reflecting sexual or relational interest.

come on »    To get one's period, start menstruating.

come on »    To encounter, discover; to come upon.

come on »    An expression of encouragement.

come online »    To enter service or become active.

come out »    To end up or result.

come out in the wash »    Of problems or difficulties, to work out, resolve, or become understood eventually and naturally.

come out of the closet »    To tell others about homosexuality, bisexuality or any minority or disapproved-of belief, preference, etc., where previously this had been kept secret.

come out of the woodwork »    To appear or emerge as though out of nowhere, frequently in large numbers or quantity.

come to »    To devote attention to in due course; to come around to.

come to »    To befall; to affect; to happen to; to come upon.

come to a head »    To suddenly make mature or perfected that which was inchoate or imperfectly formed.

come to a head »    To suddenly reveal that which has lain latent for a time.

come to terms »    To reach an agreement or settle a dispute.

come unhinged »    To become angered or crazy; to lose control of one's senses or sanity.

come unstuck »    To get into trouble, to have an accident or mishap, to go off the rails.

come up »    To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly; to come to attention, present itself.

come up with »    To invent, create, or think of.

come what may »    In spite of anything that might happen; whatever may occur.

common or garden variety »    Ordinary, standard. Nothing special.

common-and-garden »    Ordinary, standard.

common-or-garden »    Ordinary, standard.

company »    A unit of firefighters and their equipment.

company »    As he had worked for the CIA for over 30 years, he would soon take retirement from the company.

company »    In legal context, an entity that manufactures or sells products , or provides services as a commercial venture. A corporation.

company »    Nickname for an intelligence service.

company »    The entire crew of a ship.

concrete jungle »    An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe.

cookie-cutter »    Of or pertaining to identical looking things.

cool one's jets »    To become less excited, intense, or active.

cop out »    To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.

cop-out »    An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.

cordon off »    To protect from intrusion by enclosing in a rope barrier.

corner the market »    To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.

correlation does not imply causation »    (statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.

cost a pretty penny »    To be expensive.

coug it »    To suddenly lose a contest through reversal of fortune, mistakes, or bad judgment. The phrase is analogous to "blow it", or "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory".

cough up »    To lose a competition by one's own mistakes, usually near the end of the contest.

couldn't happen to a nicer »    Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.

covenant of salt »    A long-lasting agreement.

cover one's ass »    To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that one is not blamed or punished for one's conduct.

crab mentality »    A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.

crack down »    To enforce more stringently or more thoroughly.

crack down on »    To enforce laws or punish more vigilantly.

crack of dawn »    The first moment of daylight; sunrise.

crack up »    To become insane; to suffer a mental breakdown.

cradle robber »    A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.

crank up »    To start something mechanical, an act that often used to involve cranking.

crank up »    To increase, as the volume, power or energy of something.

crash course »    A quick, intense course of learning, especially one which is informal or hurried.

cream in one's jeans »    To experience an orgasm while clothed; to be thoroughly excited or delighted.

creature feature »    A horror film in which one or more monsters plays a prominent role.

creep into »    To enter something or somewhere by creeping.

creep into »    To enter surreptitiously.

crop up »    To occur, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.

cross someone's palm »    To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service.

cross that bridge when one comes to it »    To deal with a problem or situation only when it arises.

cross the aisle »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

cross the aisle »    To vote, unite, or otherwise co-operate with members of another political party in order to achieve governmental or political action.

cross the floor »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

cross the floor »    To vote against one's own political party in parliament.

cross the Rubicon »    To make an irreversible decision or to take an action with consequences.

crown jewels »    The male genitalia.

cry for help »    Acting out as a means of displaying a subconscious desire for attention or help.

cry for help »    In her second year at the school Alexis stopped doing her homework and would often scribble on walls. Her teachers wondered whether this was a cry for help, or if she was simply misbehaving.

cry out for »    To say that a situation needs a thing, or a solution urgently.

cry someone a river »    To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.

cry wolf »    To raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.

crying shame »    It's a crying shame that so much money has been wasted on this pointless political campaign.

curry favor »    To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.

curveball »    An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance.

cut a rug »    To dance, especially in a vigorous manner and in one of the dance styles of the first half of the twentieth century.

cut a wide swath »    To behave in an expansive, flagrantly showy, or pushy manner, especially in public venues; to exert sweeping influence.

cut in »    When painting, to paint edges, corners, or trim in preparation for rolling larger areas.

cut it fine »    To achieve something at the last possible moment, or with no margin for error.

cut of one's jib »    Someone’s general appearance or the implications thereof, especially in relation to making an impression or one’s style..

cut off »    To end abruptly.

cut one's teeth »    To begin; to gain early experience.

cut short »    Interrupt and curtail before the planned end time.

cut somebody some slack »    To be patient or lenient with somebody; to relax standards or expectations.

cut the mustard »    To suffice; to be good or effective enough.

cut-and-thrust »    A vehement argument.

cutting edge »    The forefront, or position of greatest advancement in some field.

damn with faint praise »    To provide praise that is so minimal or inconsequential as to actually amount to criticism.

dark horse »    A candidate who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.

darken somebody's doorstep »    To enter somebody else's home uninvited.

date with destiny »    An inevitable future event or encounter, especially one which is likely to be momentous.

dead »    Broken or inoperable.

dead »    Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.

dead air »    An unintended interruption in a radio broadcast during which there is no sound; a similar interruption of a television broadcast in which there is neither sound nor a video signal.

dead as a doorknob »    Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

dead end »    A path or strategy that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.

dead giveaway »    Obvious, easily apparent.

dead heat »    A close race or contest in which no winner is apparent.

dead last »    The standings, often by a considerable margin to the next-to-last-place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.

dead men tell no tales »    Once someone is dead, they can no longer communicate, hence killing someone is the best way to keep him/her quiet.

dead ringer »    Someone or something that very closely resembles another; someone or something easily mistaken for another.

dead to rights »    With sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.

deadbeat dad »    A man, especially one who is divorced or estranged from his partner, who fails to provide monetary child support when he is legally required to do so.

deadstick landing »    When a pilot lands a plane after the engine has died; a landing lacking any propulsion control.

deadweight »    A useless, usually encumbering factor.

deadweight »    The largest weight of cargo a ship is able to carry; i.e, the weight of a ship when fully loaded minus its weight when empty.

deafening silence »    A silence, or a lack of any response, that signifies disapproval or lack of any enthusiasm.

death knell »    A sign or omen foretelling the death or destruction of something.

deathblow »    Something that prevents the completion, or ends the existence of some project etc.

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.

deep down »    Fundamentally; in essence; in reality; really.

deep end »    A situation where expertise or experience is required.

deep end »    The part of a swimming pool with relatively deep water.

deep pockets »    An ample supply of money, especially money which one is willing to spend; the possessor of such money.

deep six »    To discard, cancel, halt; to completely put an end to something.

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.

deliver the message to Garcia »    ...heaves in a deep breath, gathers himself as though he's crossed a continent to deliver the message to Garcia.

deliver the message to Garcia »    Programmers are consistently dehumanized because so many do indeed deliver the message to Garcia only to be at best ignored.

den of iniquity »    A place of immoral behavior, usually of a sexual type.

depend on »    To be dependent on something or someone for support or help.

desk jockey »    One who spends his or her time seated at a desk; especially one who is more concerned with procedure, paperwork, or administration than with its ultimate goal or practical consequence.

desperate times call for desperate measures »    In adverse circumstances actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice.

developments »    A group of building complexes or apartments. Often used for low income housing.

developments »    Plural form of development.

devil is in the details »    The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.

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.

diamond in the rough »    A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.

diamonds are a girl's best friend »    A statement that suggests, while love is a luxury, material wealth (particularly jewellery) is more valuable in the long run.

dicky-bird »    Endearing term for a small bird, often used when talking with young children.

dictated but not read »    Dictated, as to a secretary or stenographer, but not proofread by the person who dictated the text so annotated.

die »    Followed by for. Often expressing wider contextual motivations, though sometimes indicating direct causes.

die »    Followed by from. General use, though somewhat more common in medical or scientific contexts.

die »    Followed by of. General use.

die down »    To become less virulent.

different as chalk and cheese »    Two things which are superficially alike but very different in substance.

dime a dozen »    So common as to be practically worthless.

diplomatic flu »    An illness feigned by one or more government officials or other public figures as an excuse for an absence really based on political reasons.

disc jockey »    radio presenter

discretion is the better part of valour »    It is often wise to refrain from seemingly brave speech or action.1597

dishpan hands »    Hands which are rough, reddish, and dry, as from irritation and chafing caused by immersion in hot water mixed with detergent.

dismal science »    Nickname for economics or for the field of political economy.

dive in »    To start a new endeavor enthusiastically and wholeheartedly.

divide and conquer »    A combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.(computing) Applied to various algorithms, such as quicksort, that solve a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial.(as imperative, proverb) In order to rule securely, don't allow alliances of your enemies.

do a »    To emulate the behavior/behaviour that is generally attributed to the individual named.

do a slow burn »    To experience a gradually increasing feeling of anger or frustration.

do away with »    To destroy, eliminate, or make an end of.

do in »    To kill or end.

do justice »    To really allow to be apprehended in its full scope.

do one »    To depart from a place, often with a sense of urgency.

do something with mirrors »    To insinuate one has performed a magic or optical trick with the use of hidden mirrors, insinuating trickery and sham.

do something with mirrors »    To jokingly pretend that one did something using magic mirrors, that one is a magician; a joking explanation of the fantastic or the unexplained.

do the nasty »    To engage in sexual intercourse.

do up »    To fasten a piece of clothing.

do what%3F »    An intensified version of what or huh.

do-or-die »    Requiring a determined or desperate effort to avoid the consequences of failure.

dog and pony show »    Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate.

dog and pony show »    Originally, a small, traveling circus featuring animals as entertainment.

dog around »    To follow diligently.

dog my cats »    Used as a mild oath, or as an expression of astonishment.

dog's life »    A life of indolence where the individual may do as he or she pleases, just like a pampered dog.

dog's life »    A miserable, unhappy existence.

dogs »    With the, a greyhound racing event.

don't be penny wise and pound foolish »    Don't be careful when it comes to spending small amounts of money, but careless when spending much larger amounts.Don't focus on minutiae and lose sight of the big picture; don't obsess over tiny inconsequential efficiencies while glaring inefficiencies are going on elsewhere.

don't count your chickens before they're hatched »    You should not count on something before it happens.

don't cry over spilt milk »    It is no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.

don't dip your pen in company ink »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

don't get me started »    About the subject currently being discussed.

don't give up your day job »    Implying that they could not earn a living from it without other regular employment.

don't hold your breath »    "Don't wait." Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned to is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

don't shit where you eat »    (idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation in which one regularly finds oneself.1998 April 14, Nelson Navarro, "Ever faithful, ever true," Manila Standard (Philippines) (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):The guiding principle is Don't shit where you eat. Office romances are always destructive of morale and objectivity.2003 Oct. 8, Jonathan Valania, "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Pussy," Philadelphia Weekly (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Limbaugh was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the NAB convention in, of all places, Philadelphia, thus violating the cardinal law of the animal kingdom: Don't shit where you eat.2006 Sept. 19, Michael Musto, "NY Mirror," Village Voice (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Mitchell refused to indulge in on-set romances with either gender. "You don't shit where you eat," he told me, plainly.

don't shoot the messenger »    The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.

don't take any wooden nickels »    Do not permit yourself be cheated or duped; do not be naive.

don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs »    Don't presume to give advice to those who are more experienced.

done a bunk »    Simple past tense and past participle of do a bunk.

done deal »    An agreement that has been finally resolved or decided.

donkey jacket »    thick garment

doorprikken »    To expose as false.

doorprikken »    To puncture.

dot the i's and cross the t's »    To take care of every detail, even minor ones; To be meticulous or thorough.

double booked »    Of a single resource, reserved for two different users at the same time.

double Dutch »    A game of jump rope with two ropes and frequently two jumpers.

double Dutch »    Incomprehensible language.

double entendre »    A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo..

double entendre »    Plural form of double entendre.

double talk »    Lying, especially in a formal political statement.

double talk »    Speaking in a mixture of real English and English-sounding gibberish, for humorous effect.

double up »    After a fly ball has been caught.

double-edged sword »    A benefit that is also a liability, or that carries some significant but non-obvious cost or risk.

double-tongued »    Saying one thing to one person and something different to another; double talking; deceitful in speech.

down for the count »    Decisively beaten; rendered irrelevant for the long term.

down in the dumps »    Sad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.

down to a fine art »    Having or showing exceptional proficiency.

down to the short strokes »    In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.

down to the wire »    At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

doze off »    To fall asleep unintentionally.

drag »    To act or proceed slowly or without enthusiasm; to be reluctant.

drag »    To move a mouse cursor while holding down a button on the mouse, often to move something on the screen.

drag out »    To extend or lengthen excessively.

drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »    (idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.

drama queen »    Any exaggeratedly dramatic person.

drama queen »    Who behaves and speaks in an overly dramatic manner so as to garner attention.

draw on »    To sketch or mark with pencil, crayon, etc., on a given surface.

draw on »    To approach, come nearer, as evening.

draw out »    To make something last for more time than is necessary; prolong; extend.

draw out »    To use means to entice or force to be more open or talkative.

draw stumps »    To declare an end to the days play, and remove the bails and sometimes the stumps.

dress up »    To present in a favorable light.

dressed to the nines »    Very fancily or formally dressed; wearing very showy or splendid clothing.

drink from a firehose »    To take a small amount from an enormous, hard-to-manage quantity.

drink off »    To drink the entirety of in a short period; originally and especially, in a single gulp.

drive-by media »    Media professionals who "spray" a bunch of repetitive misstatements, mistaken and misinterpreted news reports to cause excitement and confusion. They then figuratively "drive off" leaving the cleanup of their mess and hysteria to others, to correct and properly explain and interpret.

drop a bomb »    To announce surprising or alarming information suddenly and without warning.

drop back »    Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.

drop in »    . Often hyphenated drop-in.

drop in »    One who arrives unannounced or without an appointment.

drop off »    To lessen or reduce.

Drop out of warp »    Dis-engage the cruise control on the car

drop the ball »    To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.

drop the gloves »    To remove a prior impediment to action; to prepare for or engage in a dispute.

drug on the market »    Something which is overabundant at the moment and thus not in demand.

drum up »    To generate or encourage; to campaign for.

druthers »    Wishes, preferences, or ways.

due course »    A. 1803, Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey.

due course »    Regular or appropriate passage or occurrence.

duke it out »    To argue heavily or at length.

dumb down »    To become simpler in expression or content; to become unacceptably simplistic.

dumb down »    To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending.

dummy up »    To make a mock-up or prototype version of something, without some or all off its intended functionality.

dusty miller »    A formulaic phrase for a miller, related to the dust generated in the milling process.

dusty miller »    One of several species of plants with leaves of a dusty appearance: Centaurea cineraria, Senecio cineraria, and Lychnis coronaria.

dye in the wool »    To dye woolen fibers before they are spun into thread.

dyed in the wool »    Simple past tense and past participle of dye in the wool.

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.

each to his own »    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion or tastes.My housemate is a strict vegan. I personally could never not eat meat, but each to his own.

eager beaver »    Who is very excited or enthusiastic to begin a task.

early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise »    platitude from Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym Poor Richard.

earn one's keep »    To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.

ears are burning »    Being the topic of discussion in another place; or sensing that this is happening.

east sussex »    english county

easy come, easy go »    Easily won and easily lost; usually said when resigned to a loss.

easy does it »    Relax; do something gently, lightly or carefully; slow down; calm down.

eat crow »    To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.

eat one's young »    To betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation; savaging.

eat someone out of house and home »    C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act II Scene I.

eat someone's dust »    To get one to be on a losing end.

eat up »    To accept or believe entirely, immediately, and without questioning.

economical with the truth »    Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often used with sarcasm or satire.

eff off »    A censored form of the phrase f** off.

egg on »    To encourage or coax a person to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.

egg somebody on »    To tease, provoke or encourage.

egg white »    albumen

elephant in the room »    A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.

eleventh hour »    Nearly too late; the last minute.

embarrassment of riches »    An abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing.

empty vessels make the most sound »    noisy, opinionated people are often stupid.

end of »    A short form of end of story.

end of the line »    Final cessation or discontinuance of a process, institution, or person, especially one which has existed for a considerable period of time; death.

end of the line »    The termination point of a railway or similar transportation system.

end of the world »    Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.

end of the world »    End of habitability for life on Earth.

end of the world »    End of humanity.

end of the world »    End of the planet Earth.

end up »    To conclude, turn out, sometimes unexpectedly.

end up »    To arrive at a destination, sometimes unexpectedly.

end up »    To eventually do.

engine room »    A compartment on a ship in which the engine machinery is located.

engine room »    The source of power in a team or other group.

enough is as good as a feast »    Just the right amount is as good as more than enough: there is no value in excess.

enough is enough »    One should be satisfied, there should be no more

enough to make the angels weep »    Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.

enquire after »    To ask about the health of someone.

err on the side of caution »    To act in the least risky manner in a situation where one is uncertain about the consequences.

esprit de corps »    A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group, for example of a military unit.

estate agent »    property seller

esthetically challenged »    Of a person, ugly.

eureka moment »    The moment of a sudden unexpected discovery.

even handed »    impartial

even Homer nods »    Not even the most vigilant and expert are immune from erring.

even Jove nods »    Alternative form of even Homer nods.

even keel »    A situation in which the boat is level and balanced for a smooth ride.

even keel »    A state of having one's emotions under control and balanced.

even keel »    Of a business or other activity which is under control and running smoothly.

even money »    A bet which offers odds of 1 to 1.

even money »    By extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.

even so »    nevertheless

even up »    To make even; to make level

every cloud has a silver lining »    In every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,

every king needs a queen »    Every man needs a woman to be with for the rest of his life.

every little helps »    Even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal.

Every rose has it's thorns »    everything, even if it seems perfect, has faults

every silver lining has a cloud »    Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.

every time »    Used to express a strong preference for something.

everything and the kitchen sink »    Alternative form of everything but the kitchen sink.

everything but the kitchen sink »    Almost everything, whether needed or not.

everything happens for a reason »    All events are purposeful.Everything happens for a reason, so there is no such thing as failure. Mary-Kate OlsenPeople like to say "everything happens for a reason." If you repeat that in your head long enough that starts to sound like "anything can happen with a razor." Laura KightlingerI believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it's important to seek out that reason - that's how we learn. Drew Barrymore

execution style »    Resembling an execution; with the victim aware, but unable to defend himself or resist.

experience is the best teacher »    Lessons learned from experience are the most lasting.

eye candy »    A very attractive person or persons, or the salient visible physical attributes of same.

eye for an eye »    Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.

eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth »    Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.

eye of the beholder »    The evaluation depending on perception of person who sees and considers.

f** it »    An expression of great indifference or nonchalance.

f** this »    The phrase emphatically diminishes the activity or event referred to and expresses that the speaker will have no more to do with it.

face the music »    To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.

face to face »    In person; directly; in the physical presence of somebody.

faceplant »    The act of landing face first, often associated with bailing during extreme sports.

factor space »    A space obtained from another by identification of points that are equivalent to one another in some equivalence relation.

factotum »    A general servant.

facts on the ground »    A euphemism, similar to fait accompli, used as an oblique way of saying that discussions over the possession of a given piece of territory has been rendered moot by the presence of military forces.

fade out »    A type of transition used in movies usually at the end of a scene, in which the transition fades to black from the cut.

fail over »    To automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.

fair enough »    An expression used to concede a point; denotes that, upon consideration, something is correct or reasonable; an expression of acknowledgment or understanding.

fair sex »    Women collectively.

fair weather friend »    Only when it is advantageous or easy.

fall between two stools »    To attempt two tasks and fail at both, when either one could have been accomplished singly.

fall in with »    To accept a set of generally agreed rules, or a suggestion.

fall off a truck »    Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally.

fall off the back of a lorry »    Of an item of merchandise, to come into a perons's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.

fall off the wagon »    To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.

fall on »    To experience; to suffer; to fall upon.

fall on one's sword »    To resign from a job or other position of responsibility, especially when pressured to do so.

fall over »    Of an argument, to fail to be valid.

fall short »    To be less satisfactory than expected; to be inadequate or insufficient.

fall through the cracks »    To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

fall upon »    To fall on; to experience; to suffer.

falling out »    A disagreement; a major difference of opinion.

false friend »    A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.

familiarity breeds contempt »    The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.

far be it »    Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.

far cry »    Something very dissimilar or different.

fashion plate »    A picture, usually an advertisement, showing the latest fashion in clothing.

fat chance »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

fear »    A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone.

fear »    Extreme veneration or awe, as toward a supreme being or deity.

feather in one's cap »    An accomplishment; particularly one that is flaunted or boasted of.

feather one's nest »    To achieve benefits, especially financial ones, by taking advantage of the opportunities with which one is presented; to amass a comfortable amount of personal wealth.

feed a cold, starve a fever »    Eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds.", The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.

feel one's oats »    To feel energetic or frisky; to behave in a vigorous or bold manner.

feel up to »    To be confident in being able to do something.

feet of clay »    To say that someone, who appears strong or invincible, in fact has a hidden weak point which could cause their fall.

fence in »    To enclose with a fence.

fence in »    To restrict freedom.

fencepost problem »    In computer programming, a problem dealing with how to treat the initial or boundary values of a discrete problem.

fend and prove »    To engage in argument.

fend away »    To turn something away; to ward off.

fend off »    Away; to turn away; to defend against; to repel with force or effort.

few and far between »    Rare and scarce.

fiddle faddle »    nonsense

field day »    A day of class taken away from school for a field trip.

field day »    A great time or a great deal to do, at somebody else's expense.

field day »    A school day for athletic events; a sports day.

fifteen minutes of fame »    A very short time in the spotlight or brief flurry with fame, after which the person or subject involved is quickly forgotten.

fifteen minutes of fame »    Alternate form of 15 minutes of fame.

fight a losing battle »    To continue to wage war when it is clear that one is not going to win.

fight a losing battle »    To try to do something so difficult that it will probably end in failure.

fight fire with fire »    To respond to an attack with a similar or identical method.

fight fires »    To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.

fight off »    To succeed in defeating a challenge, or an attack.

fill in »    To fill; to replace material that is absent or has been removed.

fill the bill »    To satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements.

final curtain »    The end to something which has longed for a long time.

find one's feet »    To grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains experience.

fine line »    A difference, albeit vague and difficult to discern.

fine print »    The details, restrictions, terms, or conditions, especially of a contract, often printed in very small type.

fire away »    To begin shooting at an enemy.

fire away »    To begin to talk or present information quickly.

fire drill »    An organised practice to prepare occupants of an office, school or other public building for evacuation in the event of a fire.

fire escape »    emergency exit

fire hose »    The human penis.

fire up »    To excite; to infuse with energy.

firm up »    To make tentative plans more definite.

first among equals »    A person or position that if formally equivalent to others in a group, but is superior in some attribute.

first among equals »    In the British and other parliamentary systems, a term used to describe the relationship of the prime minister to the other members of the cabinet.

first class »    excellent

first things first »    Deal with matters of highest priority first; deal with matters in logical sequence.1922, H. G. Wells, The Secret Places of the Heart, ch.4,"First things first," said Sir Richmond. If we set about getting fuel sanely, if we do it as the deliberate, co-operative act of the whole species, then it follows that we shall look very closely into the use that is being made of it.1999, Frank Pellegrini, "House Republicans Quell Mutiny Over Tax Bounty," Time, 23 Jul.,Judging by the polls

fish for compliments »    To try to induce someone to make a compliment.

fish or cut bait »    To choose between taking action now, or forgoing the opportunity and putting that energy into another endeavor; to decide.

fish out »    To deplete the supply of fish in a given body of water.

fish to fry »    A matter to attend to.

fit as a fiddle »    Perfectly fit; in excellent health.

fit to be tied »    Very agitated or distressed; enraged.

fits and starts »    Activity which is intermittent, variable in intensity, and prolonged by interruptions.

five will get you ten »    I strongly believe.

fix someone's wagon »    To punish someone; to cause injury, distress, or inconvenience for someone.

flag down »    Use a flag or some kind of signal to get the attention of someone.

flash in the pan »    A career notable for early success not followed by significant accomplishment.

flash in the pan »    A transient occurrence with no long-term effect.

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates an outlandish, discredited theory; a person who refuses to acknowledge the truth despite overwhelming evidence.

flight of fancy »    An idea, narrative, suggestion, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.

flipside »    A necessary consequence or corollary of something; especially one seen as opposite, or as pro versus con.

flower »    Typically including sepals, petals, stamens, and ovaries; often conspicuously colourful.

flower »    An inflorescence that resembles a flower, but actually contains many small florets, such as a sunflower.

flower »    The best examples or representatives of a group.

flunk out »    Often requiring a retaking of the course or academic year.

flutter in the dovecote »    I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote. — Israel Confronts Its Past.

fly in the ointment »    Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.

fly off the handle »    To become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy.

fly on the wall »    A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.

fly the coop »    To escape from a pen or similar enclosure.

fly the freak flag »    To behave in a unconventional or unrestrained manner; to exhibit the uninhibited side of one's personality.

fly-by-night »    Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.

fly-by-night »    One who departs or flees at night in order to avoid creditors, law enforcement etc. .

fly-by-night »    Traveling businessmen and tradesmen.

fold one's tent »    To withdraw, especially in a discreet manner; to disengage; to quit.

follow through »    To finish; to complete, especially, of a commitment.

food chain »    The feeding relationships between species in a biotic community.

fool's errand »    A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.

fools rush in where angels fear to tread »    A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.

for all intensive purposes »    For all highly demanding purposes.[1].

for all intensive purposes »    Misconstruction of “for all intents and purposes”.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].

for all intents and purposes »    For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.

for all one is worth »    Intensely, vigorously, with as much effort as one can supply.

for all the world »    Entirely, to all appearances.

for good »    Forever; permanently.

for good and all »    Permanently, forever.

for goodness' sake »    This interjection expresses surprise or amazement.

for heaven's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for keeps »    Permanently.

for keeps »    With an agreement or intention to retain what one gains or receives.

for kicks »    In order to obtain pleasure or excitement; for fun.

for my money »    Used to mark a statement made by the speaker as an opinion or something not known with certainty.

for the heck of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

for the hell of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

for the most part »    Mostly; in general; usually.

for the sake of it »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

forbidden fruit »    Illicit pleasure; something that one should not take or get involved with, such as an another person's spouse.

forbidden fruit »    The fruit forbidden to Adam.

forbidden fruit is the sweetest »    Forbidden things have more worthwhile short-term consequences.

force of habit »    An act that has been repeated to the point where the performance of the act becomes automatic.

force someone's hand »    Bring about a situation which necessitates an agent to act, often causing a plan to be executed prematurely.

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."

fork over »    I forked over half the allotment this morning.

fork over »    To turn over soil with a gardening fork.

forked tongue »    The characteristic of deceptiveness; duplicity; untruthfulness.

four score and seven years ago »    87 years prior to today.

four score and seven years ago »    As an opener, a sometimes sarcastic indicator to indicate a past event being mentioned is particularly important.

four-on-the-floor »    Characterised by a steady, uniformly accented beat with a 4/4 time signature.

fourth wall »    The boundary between the fiction and the audience.

fourth wall »    The imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play.

fox in the henhouse »    A relationships wherein a predator is granted free reign within the prey's home confinement, often used in the political sense.

freak flag »    Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.

free lunch »    Something obtained without any payment, obligation or effort.

free range »    not intensively farmed

free rein »    The absence of constraints; freedom to make decisions.

free ride »    An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.

french letter »    A condom.

fresh legs »    Somebody who has yet to play in a match, and therefore has plenty of energy.

fresh off the boat »    Newly arrived from a foreign place, especially as an immigrant who is still unfamiliar with the customs and language of his or her new environment.

fresh out of »    Of someone who has recently left one stage of life to begin another.

friend with benefits »    A friend with whom one has such a relationship.

friend with benefits »    A friendship with no reserves when it comes to the release of shared sexual tension thus leading to sexual fraternization.

frog in one's throat »    Hoarseness or the need to cough.

from A to Z »    Covering a complete range; comprehensively.

from my cold, dead hands »    A statement that something will not be taken away from you until the day you die.

from scratch »    From the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation; starting from raw ingredients.

from soup to nuts »    From beginning to end; throughout.

from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious »    So obvious it was unnecessary to say.

from the ground up »    From the beginning; starting with the basics, foundation, or fundamentals.

front and center »    A command to come to the center of attention of an assemblage, as of military personnel or students.

fruit of one's loins »    One's child, children, or descendents.

fruit of the poisonous tree »    And which is therefore excluded from being admitted as evidence in a trial.

fry up »    Full English breakfast.

frying pan »    cooking utensil

fudge the issue »    Adopt a solution to a specific problem which does not address the larger, more general problem of which the specific problem is an instance.

full as a goog »    Having eaten too much, or being drunk.

full English »    A cooked breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs, and other foods.

full of beans »    Energetic and enthusiastic.

full of it »    Speaking nonsense; lying, exaggerating, or boasting.

full of shit »    Characterized by speaking nonsense or falsehoods.

full tilt boogie »    Intensely, fast paced.

full-fledged »    Having full qualification, credentials or preparation; entire; real.

funny money »    A highly inflated currency.

funny money »    Bills of any foreign currency or of counterfeit origin.

funny stuff »    Irregular, often illegal, activities.

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.

game plan »    Any strategy devised to reach a given objective.

garbage in, garbage out »    (computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"

garden variety »    Ordinary, common, or unexceptional.

gentleman of the back door »    A sodomite.

get a grip »    To relax; to calm down; to stop being angry; to come to one's senses or become more rational.

get a load of »    To experience someone or something, especially by looking or listening.

get a room »    A jocular or sarcastic expression commanding a couple to stop displaying affection in public, and to rent a hotel or motel room to continue amorous activities in private.

get along »    To be together or coexist well, without arguments or trouble.

get along »    To survive; to do well enough.

get at »    intend

get at »    mean, intend

get away with »    To do something which is prohibited, forbidden or generally not allowed, and not be punished for the action.

get back at »    To retaliate; to take revenge.

get bent out of shape »    To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset.

get busy »    Start working, usually in opposition to idleness.

get cold feet »    To become nervous or anxious and reconsider a decision about an upcoming event.

get even »    To get revenge.

get in »    To enter a place; to gain access.

get into one's stride »    To become familiar with something recently learnt.

get into trouble »    To perform an action which is illegal, prohibited, forbidden or proscribed and to become subject to punishment for such action.

get it »    To "get what's coming to him/her"; to feel one's wrath; to receive punishment; to receive a retaliation; to receive a beating.

get it »    To possess a preferred outlook on a given issue or issues.

get it »    To understand, comprehend, or grasp.

get off »    Consequences.

get off »    To stop using a piece of equipment.

get off lightly »    End up with a mild punishment.

get off with »    To befriend someone and snog them, especially in a public place.

get one's back up »    To become angry, defensive, or irritable.

get one's claws into »    Have a controlling influence over.

get one's end away »    To have sex.

get one's feet wet »    To begin gaining experience; To take a risk and try something new.

get one's foot in the door »    To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.

get out of bed on the wrong side »    To start the day in a bad mood for no apparent reason.

get out of Dodge »    To leave; in particular to leave a difficult or dangerous environment with all possible haste.

get somebody's goat »    To annoy, infuriate, bother, or incense.

get someone's back up »    To annoy a person either deliberately or inadvertently.

get someone's nose out of joint »    To become angry; to take offense or take exception.

get taken in »    To be fooled; to fall for.

get taken in »    To be unofficially fostered.

get the better of »    To overwhelm or overcome; to influence heavily; to tend to control or persuade.

get the boot »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the chop »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the drift »    To understand, at least at some basic or general level.

getting even »    retaliating

give 'em enough rope »    Allow one to function unhindered, or without further overbearing oversight.

give a man a fish »    Shortened form of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

give a shit »    To care, often used in the negative.

give a sneck posset »    To fasten the door latch.

give as good as one gets »    To behave toward others in a manner resembling or commensurate with their behavior towards oneself, especially in a situation where one is insulted or otherwise ill-treated.

give birth »    To invent a new idea.

give birth »    To produce new life into the world; to have a baby. Transitive when used with to.

give ear »    To listen: to devote one's attention to an auditory event.

give heed »    Pay attention to.

give him enough rope and he'll hang himself »    If one gives someone enough freedom of action, they may destroy themselves by foolish actions.

give hostage to fortune »    To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later.

give in »    To relent or yield.

give me liberty or give me death »    A set-phrase indicating enormous displeasure at any over-authoritarian policy or law.

give notice »    To announce one's intent to leave a job; to inform an employer that one is leaving.

give of oneself »    To devote oneself unselfishly to a task, especially to give time and energy.

give over »    To entrust something to another.

give somebody a piece of one's mind »    To express one's opinion strongly; to voice one's disagreement or dissatisfaction.

give the elbow »    To terminate the employment of.

give the time of day »    To acknowledge somebody; to give somebody any respect or attention.

glutton for punishment »    One persistent in an effort in spite of harmful or unpleasant results.

go against the grain »    To defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.

go along with »    To comply with something, even if reluctantly; to accept or tolerate.

go back on »    To be treacherous or faithless to; betray; as, to go back on friends.

go back on »    To fail to keep; to renege on; as, to go back on one's promises.

go between »    an intermediary

go blue »    Of states and counties, to be carried by a Democratic candidate in a given U.S. election.

go by the board »    To be superseded, rejected, or obliterated; to pass by with little consequence; to amount to nothing.

go by the board »    To estimate the velocity of a boat or ship in knots by casting overboard the knotted line to whose end is attached the lead and thereafter counting the knots in the line as it goes aft along the side boards of the vessel.

go down »    To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.

go down »    To take place, happen.

go down the pan »    To fail or degenerate rapidly.

go down the tubes »    To fail or degenerate rapidly.

go downhill »    To worsen or degenerate.

go Dutch »    To pay for one's own food and bills, or split the cost, when eating at a restaurant or going out for entertainment.

go dutch »    share expenses equally

go figure »    Expresses perplexity, confusion, surprise, or puzzlement.

go for »    To endure, sustain or spend time.

go for it »    A cry of encouragement.

go for the gold »    To attempt to achieve the maximum reward or result in an endeavor.

go from strength to strength »    To continue to get stronger[1].

go in for »    To enter a competition.

go in for »    To engage or take part in something.

go in off »    To pot the cue ball accidentally after hitting the object ball.

go in one ear and out the other »    Failed to pay attention.

go in the out door »    To engage in anal sex.

go it alone »    To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups.

go large »    To enjoy oneself to the maximum.

go mad »    Used to indicate that the second verb represents an action that is out of character.

go native »    Of a contractor or consultant, to begin working directly as an employee for a company and cease to work through a contracting firm or agency.

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.

go off at score »    Of a horse, to break suddenly into a gallop; of a person, suddenly to say or do something impetuous.

go off the boil »    Cease to boil when heat is no longer applied.

go off the boil »    To become of diminished intensity or urgency.

go on »    To happen.

go on the rampage »    To behave violently or to riot.

go out the window »    To vanish or cease, especially due to lack of care, attention, etc.; to be discarded, disregarded, or ignored.

go out with »    Often in hopes that the relationship will become more longterm as in definition 1.

go red »    Of states or counties, to be carried by a Republican candidate in a given U.S. election.

go the distance »    To have the endurance to see a difficult sustained challenge to its natural end without faltering.

go the way of »    To end up the same way as. To receive the same fate as.

go the whole hog »    To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

go through hell »    To have a miserable experience.

go through the mill »    To experience the suffering or discipline necessary to bring one to a certain degree of knowledge or skill, or to a certain mental state.

go to pot »    To come to a bad end.

go to seed »    To pass from flowering or ripening to the formation of seeds.

go to sleep »    An expression used to dismiss an extremely foolish statement, or to dismiss somebody that one does not feel like talking to.

go to someone's head »    To strongly affect a person, especially to the detriment of their senses or mental faculties.

go to town »    To proceed enthusiastically, vigorously, or expertly.

go up against »    To challenge someone.

go without saying »    To be obvious, apparent or clear, or already established.

God helps those who help themselves »    Fortune comes to those who make a genuine effort to accomplish things.

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...

going rate »    The current standard or usual price, rate, or salary for something.

gold mine »    A plentiful stockpile of something sought after.

gold mine »    A very profitable economic venture.

golden duck »    The score of zero runs after getting out on the first ball faced.

golden handcuffs »    Any arrangement or agreement designed to provide extremely favorable benefits or pay, so as to discourage participant from wanting to leave, especially to retain a choice employee.

golden handshake »    A generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.

golden hello »    A payment offered to an employee as an inducement to join, especially if currently working for a competitor.

golden opportunity »    Ideal moment to do something.

golden rule »    A fundamental rule or principle.

golden rule »    The principle that one should treat other people in the manner in which one would want to be treated by them.

golden syrup »    light treacle

golden ticket »    A philosophy that a quick fix can be achieved.

golden ticket »    A qualification, person or thing that can provide lucrative opportunities.

golf widow »    A woman who is deprived of her husband's time and attention due to his regular absence in order to play golf.

Gone to the bad »    soured, spoiled, turned rotten

gone to the dogs »    To have fallen into disrepair or ruin; to have been stagnant or depreciated.

good drunk »    A person who is cheerful and companionable when intoxicated, retaining reasonable control of his or her mental and emotional faculties.

good egg »    A good person, someone to be trusted; a friend.

good enough for jazz »    Good enough.

good evening »    greeting

good fences make good neighbors »    It is better to mind one's own business than get involved with other people's affairs.

good luck with that »    An expression wishing someone success in an unlikely enterprise.

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.

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.

good on you »    An exclamation of encouragement or congratulation; well done.

good things come to those who wait »    A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.

good to go »    Ready for use or ready for normal operation, especially after repair or renewal.

goof off »    To dawdle; to engage in idle activity or inactivity.

goon squad »    A group of individuals serving as enforcers, bodyguards, and the like, especially persons hired for such a purpose and using violent, thuggish methods.

grab bag »    A gift, purchase, etc. whose contents are concealed until after a selection is made.

grab bag »    Any random assortment, selection or possibility.

grace period »    A length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.

grain of salt »    A bit of common sense and skepticism. Generally used in some form of to take with a grain of salt.

grand total »    The entire or final sum.

grasp at straws »    To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, as due to lack of options or information.

grass roots »    People and society at the local level rather than at the national centre of political activity.

grass roots »    The essential foundation or source of something.

gratuitous violence »    The artificial depiction of excessive violence.

gratuitous violence »    Violence that is not justified.

gravy train »    An occupation or any lucrative endeavor that generates considerable income whilst requiring little effort and carrying little risk.

gray area »    A part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.

grease monkey »    A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.

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.

greasy spoon »    An inexpensive diner or other informal restaurant, especially one specializing in frying or grilling.

great minds think alike »    Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.

greatest thing since sliced bread »    A relatively recent invention likely to significantly improve people's lives.

green about the gills »    Having the appearance of being ill.

green fingers »    A seemingly natural gardening ability.

green light »    A traffic light in its green state .

green light »    Approval, or permission to proceed.

green state »    A state that is, or is perceived as, environmentally friendly.

green thumb »    A natural skill for gardening.

green thumb »    A person with this skill.

green with envy »    Consumed by envy; envious to the point where it is noticeable to others.

greener pastures »    Any place or condition that is more favorable or beneficial.

greenwash »    A false or misleading picture of environmental friendliness used to conceal or obscure damaging activities.

grey area »    An area intermediate between two mutually exclusive states or categories where the border between the two is fuzzy.

groaning »    That is heavily laden.

gross out »    To sicken.

grow cold »    To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.

guilt trip »    A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.

guilt trip »    Remarks intended to produce such a feeling.

guinea pig »    A tailless rodent of the Cavia genus, with short ears and larger than a hamster; the species Cavia porcellus is often kept as a pet.

gun it »    To accelerate or speed up quickly or suddenly.

gunshy »    Fearing the consequences of repeating an act, especially after being reprimanded.

hack into »    To reduce something to by hacking with a cutting instrument.

hack into »    To gain unauthorized entry to, particularly by exploiting little-known weaknesses.

hair of the dog »    An alcoholic drink taken the morning after to cure a hangover or withdrawal symptoms.

hair-splitting »    The act of finding exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

hair-splittingly »    With exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

halcyon days »    A period of calm, often nostalgic: “halcyon days of yore”, “halcyon days of youth”..

halcyon days »    Period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.

half-baked »    Partially cooked by heating in an oven.

halfway decent »    Good - better than expected.

halfway decent »    No more than adequate.

hammer and tongs »    With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm.

hammer out »    To come to an agreement after much arguing.

hand grenade »    small explosive device

hand over fist »    Quickly or in great quantity, especially in reference to earning money.

hand waving »    Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.

handwriting on the wall »    Alternative form of writing on the wall. A divine prediction or sentence to fate.

hang on »    To pay close attention.

hang out »    To spend time doing nothing in particular.

hang out one's shingle »    To open an office or business, especially in a profession.

hang out with »    To spend time with friends, doing nothing in particular.

hanging offence »    A crime so serious that it is punishable by means of death by hanging.

happy camper »    One who is thoroughly content or satisfied.

happy medium »    A balanced position between two opposite extremes.

hard feelings »    Resentment, anger.

hard-nosed »    Guided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.

harden »    To become hard.

harden »    To become or make a thing resistant or less sensitive.

harden someone's heart »    To make someone more resistant to something.

hardwired »    In humans and animals, genetically determined, instinctive behavior, as opposed to learned behavior.

has-been »    A formerly popular or influential person whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline. Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose primary success is behind them.

haste makes waste »    One makes mistakes when being too hasty.

hatchet job »    A treatment which serves primarily to disparage its subject; a piece of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.

hate somebody's guts »    To despise; to hate intensely or passionately.

haul somebody over the coals »    To express anger with someone in no uncertain terms when they do something wrong.

have a ball »    To enjoy thoroughly; to have lots of fun or excitement.

have a blast »    To thoroughly enjoy; to be excited or have lots of fun.

have a bun in the oven »    To be pregnant; to be expecting a baby.

have a fit »    To become suddenly enraged.

have a fit »    To experience an epileptic seizure.

have a flat »    To be the owner of an apartment.

have a frog in one's throat »    To feel the need to cough; to have a tickle in one's throat; to have a scratchy or uneven voice.

have a good time »    To enjoy oneself.

have a green thumb »    A person with a green thumb, a natural skill for gardening.

have a whale of a time »    To enjoy oneself greatly.

have an axe to grind »    To have a dispute, resentment, or grudge, sometimes with a disposition to act on that resentment covertly; to have a bias; to take issue with something.

have an eye for »    To have good taste; to have the ability to discriminate or identify quality.

have at »    To attack; to engage in combat with.

have bats in one's belfry »    To be crazy or eccentric.

have been around »    To be experienced in worldly matters; to be seasoned, not naive.

have egg on one's face »    To suffer embarrassment or humiliation; to damage one's reputation.

have had it up to here »    To have become very frustrated or angry; to have reached the limit of one's patience or forbearance.

have in mind »    To consider, to contemplate, to intend.

have it coming »    To deserve or merit, as the consequences of one's actions.

have it large »    To engage intensely in pleasure-seeking activities.

have it off »    To engage in sexual intercourse.

have it your way »    Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.

have one's head in the clouds »    To daydream; to think about matters other than the present reality.

have the time of one's life »    To enjoy oneself immensely.

have the time of one's life »    To enjoy oneself more than ever before.

have the wind up »    To be frightened or disturbed.

he who laughs last laughs best »    success is better after having previously endured ridicule.

he who smelt it dealt it »    (colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a fart is likely trying to pretend it wasn't his or her own.(colloquial, by extension) Used to suggest that a person calling attention to or complaining about a given problem may in fact be the source of the problem.

head girl »    senior female pupil

head over heels »    Hopelessly smitten.

head scratcher »    A particularly puzzling or confusing event.

head scratcher »    December 2007, W:Daily News Tribune - Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher.

head to toe »    Entirely; completely; over one's full body.

head-in-the-sand »    Exhibiting disregard or denial of a problem or threat.

heads up »    Used as an informal warning, caution, or call for attention; pay attention!.

heads will roll »    Some people will be fired for incompetence.

heads-up »    A warning or call to pay attention; an advisory notice.

hear on the grapevine »    To hear rumors; to learn through friends of friends.

hear out »    To listen to someone until that person has finished.

hear the grass grow »    To be very aware or discerning; to pay attention to every small detail.

hear the grass grow »    To have an extremely sensitive sense of hearing.

hear the grass grow »    To hear very well due to being in an exceptionally quiet environment.

hear through the grapevine »    To hear rumors; to learn through friends of friends.

hear, hear »    Let us hear and applaud the previous speaker; I endorse the previous statement; Expression of support, agreement, or enthusiasm for what has just been said.

heaven helps those who help themselves »    A maxim encouraging people to get involved in their own problems.

hedge one's bets »    To place bets with a third party in order to offset potential losses.

hedge one's bets »    To reduce the risk of making a mistake, by keeping one's options open.

heebie-jeebies »    A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.

hell on earth »    A very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.

hem in »    enclose, confine

hen's teeth »    Anything very rare or impossible to obtain is said to be like finding hen’s teeth.

hen's teeth »    Plural form of hen's tooth.

hen's tooth »    Anything not naturally occuring.

hens' teeth »    Alternative form of hen's teeth.

here goes nothing »    Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.

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..

here's to »    Denoting proposed salutation while drinking alcohol, toast.

hereinabove »    Above this, in this document.

hide and seek »    children's game

hide nor hair »    A trace, indication, or evidence, especially of a person.

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.

high as a kite »    Very much under the influence of drugs, extremely high.

high horse »    An appearance or sense of smug superiority.

hightail it »    To hurry or run; often, to flee.

his back is up »    He is offended or angry; an expression or idea taken from a cat; that animal, when angry, always raising its back. An allusion also sometimes used to jeer a crooked man.

historical figure »    A fictional or fabricated person who was was given historical importance in legends and myth.

history repeats itself »    Things that have happened in the past will happen again.

hit a snag »    To encounter an unexpected problem or delay.

hit on »    To discover, pinpoint; to think up; to realize; to invent.

hit one out of the ballpark »    To produce a spectacular achievement.

hit one's stride »    To reach a full level of efficiency, competence, comfort, etc.; to get going.

hit one's stride »    When walking or running, to reach a full or comfortable pace.

hit the books »    To study, especially with particular intensity.

hit the ground running »    To begin an activity immediately and with full commitment.

hit the headlines »    To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.

hit the nail on the head »    To identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.

hit the pavement »    Literal meaning.

hit the pavement »    To get moving in an automobile or other road vehicle.

hit the rock »    To make a gesture to show celebration, friendship, or to be part of a secret handshake by one person raising their fist so the fist is pointing at the person and the other person lightly punches the fist.

hit upon »    To think of; to invent; to realize.

hog heaven »    A state of contented bliss.

hoist by one's own petard »    To be hurt, or destroyed by one's own plot or device, of one's own doing which one intended for another; to be "blown up by one's own bomb".

hold a candle »    To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another.

hold all the aces »    To be in a strong position when one is competing with someone else, having all the advantages.

hold forth »    Talk at great length; expatiate; harangue.

hold forth »    To extend or offer, propose.

hold off »    To delay commencing an action (until some specified time or event has passed).

hold one's breath »    To inhale and then intentionally close the epiglottis so that one's breath is not exhaled.

hold one's horses »    To be patient; to wait.

hold one's liquor »    To be resistant to intoxication or to show few signs of intoxication, even after consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

hold one's water »    To be patient; to control one's impulses.

hold out »    To hold something out; to extend forward.

hold out »    To survive, endure.

hold that thought »    Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what an speaker was saying.

hold the fort »    To assume responsibility, especially in another’s absence..

hold up »    To fulfil / fulfill or complete one's part of an agreement.

hold up one's end »    I'm holding up my end and you had better hold up yours.

hold up one's end »    To hold up one's end of the bargain; to fulfill one's promise or obligation.

hold with the hare and run with the hounds »    To oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite.

holding pattern »    A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.

hole in one »    Any rare, wonderful, or remarkable accomplishment.

home is where you hang your hat »    Rather than feeling nostalgic or sentimental, one should simply accept any place where one happens to reside as one's home.1948, Ruth L. Yorck, "D.P.

home run »    The portion of a journey that ends at home.

homeless dumping »    The practice of hospital employees or emergency workers releasing homeless patients on the streets instead of placing them into the custody of a relative or shelter or retaining them in a hospital where they may require expensive medical care.

honest-to-goodness »    Real; genuine.

honey trap »    The use of a seductive woman to entice a man into revealing secret information.

honorable mention »    An award or recognition given to something that does not make it to a higher standing but is worth mentioning in an honorable way.

horse around »    To play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.

horse of a different color »    An unrelated or only incidentally related matter with distinctly different significance.

horse opera »    A theatrical production, film, or program on radio or television depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.

horse pucky »    Nonsense; feces.

horse sense »    Common sense, especially with a connotation of folk wisdom independent from, and trumping, formal education.

horse's mouth »    Source; someone who directly experienced or witnessed something.

Horsefeathers »    Absolute nonsense; poppycock

hospital pass »    A poorly executed pass to a team-mate causing the receiver to present an easy target for a defender, and thus be tackled hard.

hospital pass »    A throw that stays in the air long enough that it allows too many people to get underneath it, increasing the risk of injury and a trip to the hospital. Thus, a hospital pass.

hospital pass »    An unwinnable case, often passed to a newly-qualified member of the firm.

hot and cold »    Ambivalent; having conflicting emotions.

hot and heavy »    Enthusiastic.

hot button »    A central issue, concern or characteristic, especially one that motivates people to make a choice.

hot desking »    The working practice of sharing desks or workstations between workers, as a means of saving space and resources.

hot lunch »    A sexual act in which a pouch of clingfilm or similar material filled with faeces is placed in one of the participants' mouth and subsequently penetrated by the second participant.

hot mess »    A warm meal, usually cooked in a large pot, often similar to a stew or porridge; or, service of such a heated meal to soldiers.

hot mess »    Refers to a person, thing, or situation in such a state of disarray or disapproval by peers, often in reference to physical appearance, perceived to be disastrously embarrassing, pitiful, or beyond repair.

hot off the presses »    Freshly printed, minted, written, or created.

hot on »    Enthusiastic for.

hot potato »    A child's game in which players pass a ball or other item between them, with the object of avoiding being left holding the item when time expires.

hot spot »    dangerous place; accident place

hotfoot it »    To hasten; to move rapidly.

hothouse »    A heated greenhouse.

hothouse »    An environment in which growth or development is encouraged; a hotbed.

house cooling party »    A party to celebrate when a person decides to leave a house or flat, and sometimes to help prepare the space for the incoming residents.

house of cards »    A structure made by laying cards perpendicularly on top of each other.

house of cards »    A structure or argument built on a shaky foundation.

house warming »    Presented as a way of welcoming someone to a home into which he or she recently moved.

household name »    A genericized trademark or anepronym.

how do I get to Carnegie Hall »    A set phrase, spoken as a rhetorical question, which is answered "Practice, practice, practice!" or sometimes with the humorous literal directions to Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th.

how's tricks »    Informal greeting roughly equivalent to How are you?.

hung the moon »    To view or be viewed with uncritical or excessive awe, reverence, or infatuation.

hunger is a good sauce »    (dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.

hunger is the best spice »    When one is hungry, anything will taste good.

hunker down »    To take shelter; to prepare oneself for some eventuality; to focus on a task.

hurt someone's feelings »    To offend or hurt someone.

idiot mittens »    Mittens connected by yarn or string running through one sleeve, along the back and out the other sleeve of a coat, to prevent the mittens becoming lost. Generally worn by small children.

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail »    With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminatelyIf a person is familiar with a certain, single subject/has with them a certain, single instrument, they may have a confirmation bias to believe that it is the answer to/involved in everything.

if it ain't broke, don't fix it »    Leave something alone; avoid correcting, fixing, or improving what is already sufficient, as it could end up being detrimental

if it's all the same »    If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.

if looks could kill »    A phrase said upon catching sight of someone's giving you a particularly nasty look of discontent or disapproval.

if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle »    (colloquial, vulgar, humorous) It is fruitless to speculate about counterfactual situations."We would have won the match if we'd had a decent goalkeeper.""And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle!"

if pigs had wings »    Shortened form of if pigs had wings they would fly.

if pigs had wings they would fly »    (colloquial) Expresses speakers skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen »    If you cannot handle the pressure, you should not be in a position where you have to deal with it.

in a league of one's own »    Far excelling even the closest contender; not having any worthy competition.

in a pinch »    In an urgent or difficult situation; when no other solution is available.

in bed with »    Engaging in a close mutually beneficial relationship, especially secretly and illicitly.

in business »    Engaged in business activity.

in case »    In the event; should there be a need.

in clover »    Happy and contented.

in Dutch »    Written or spoken in the dutch language.

in evidence »    Visibly present; noticeable.

in for a dime, in for a dollar »    Americanised form of in for a penny, in for a pound.1983, Allen Drury, Decision, p. 356:In for a dime, in for a dollar, he thought crazily, and said what he had to say in a voice he forced to stay level and calm.1998, Ellen Miller, Like Being Killed, p. 47:In for a dime, in for a dollar. I whispered to Gerry,

in for a penny, in for a pound »    Expressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof; accepting that one must

in for an inch, in for a mile »    Given that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.

in front of one's nose »    Plain; clearly apparent; obvious.

in heaven's name »    An intensifier used with questions.

in high dudgeon »    Resentfully or furiously.

in laymen's terms »    In layman's terms.

in light of »    Given, considering.

in one's element »    In a situation which is entirely appropriate or familiar.

in one's right mind »    Sane, sensible, reasonable; thinking clearly.

in order »    In a sequence.

in person »    actually present

in the act »    In the process of doing something; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence.

in the black »    Having positive net income; having greater income than expenses; making a profit.

in the cards »    Destined or fated to happen; predicted or foreseen.

in the fast lane »    In a lifestyle, employment position, or other set of circumstances where the rapid pace is exciting, frantic, or risky.

in the hospital »    Admitted as a patient in a hospital.

in the hot seat »    Under pressure to perform; under scrutiny; at the center of attention.

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king »    Among others with a disadvantage or disability, the one with the mildest disadvantage or disability is regarded as the greatest.Even someone without much talent or ability is considered special by those with no talent or ability at all.

in the limelight »    In the focus of attention, especially from the media.

in the long run »    After a very long time; eventually; over a long period of time; more generally.

in the loop »    Informed; up to date; current; part of the discussion.

in the making »    In development; in the process of being made.

in the nick of time »    At the last possible moment; at the last minute.

in the reign of Queen Dick »    When pigs fly; never.

in the running »    Of a candidate, potential or likely; worthy of consideration.

in the same boat »    In the same situation or predicament; having the same problems.

in the swim »    Actively participating in the flow of events; very involved.

in the toilet »    Finished; to an end.

in the twinkling of an eye »    Circa 1598, William Shakespeare, "The Merchant Of Venice".

in the wind »    Impending or in the offing; imminent.

in this day and age »    In the current time period of years.

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.

in unity there is strength »    More can be accomplished by a team with a common goal, than individuals.

in vain »    In a disrespectful manner, especially when concerning religion.

in vain »    Without success; ending in failure.

in vino veritas »    drunken folks speak truth, one tells the truth under the influence of alcohol

inner circle »    The closest of friends of a person.

inside baseball »    Technical matters concerning baseball not apparent to spectators.

inside job »    A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the help of someone either employed by the victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.

installed base »    The number of units of a system or product that are currently in use.

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings »    There are more developments yet to come.

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God »    The rich can afford more immoral behavior than the poor.

it never rains but it pours »    Unfortunate events occur in quantity.

it takes all kinds to make a world »    Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.

it's a long road that has no turning »    encouragement when things are not going well. Just as a long road eventually has a turning, problems also eventually have a solution, even though one might have to wait.

it's about time »    Used to express impatience at the eventual occurrence of something that the speaker or writer considered to be long overdue.

it's all Greek to me »    I don’t understand any of it; it makes no sense..

it's all grist to the mill »    Everything referred to in the present context has some sort of use.1999, Simon Blackburn, Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford University Press paperback, ISBN 0199690871), ch. 7 section 6: "Kant

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good »    There is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.

it's better to ask forgiveness than permission »    The value of acting promptly and making a mistake requiring forgiveness is greater than value of delaying to get permission.

it's never too late to mend »    You

it's not the whistle that pulls the train »    Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.1956, James Reston, "Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train," New York Times, 1 July, p. E8:

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

it's one's funeral »    One's decisions or actions will bring undesirable consequences only on oneself.

itchy trigger finger »    A tendency to act in haste or without consideration.

ivory tower »    A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.

jack in »    To stop doing a regular activity. Often a job or studies.

jack of all trades »    One competent in many endeavors, especially one who excels in none of them.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A master of integration, who knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner; a polymath; a renaissance man.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one.

jack up »    To raise, increase, or accelerate; often said of prices, fees, or rates. See also jack up the price.

jive turkey »    Someone who is jiving, as in behaving in a glib and disingenuous fashion.

jive turkey »    Someone who is jiving, as in dancing. Often applied to people being funny or showy.

joe job »    An act of e-mail spamming where the sender's identity and address are those of an innocent third party, intended either to tarnish that person's reputation or to flood that person's e-mail with bounces.

join the club »    An expression of sympathy for a shared experience.

join up »    To enlist or enroll.

jolly someone along »    To make someone happy or compliant, as by encouragement or flattery.

jumble sale »    fundraising event

jump »    By jerking the body violently.

jump »    To attack suddenly and violently.

jump »    To propel oneself rapidly upward such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.

jump at »    To accept something enthusiastically. Usually an opportunity, or chance, or job etc.

jump in »    To enter something quickly. Usually a mode of transport.

jump off »    To participate in the final round of an equestrian showjumping event.

jump on the bandwagon »    To profit from a craze; to join a trend.

jump rope »    A single jump in this game or activity, counted as a measure of achievement.

jump rope »    The activity, game or exercise in which a person must jump, bounce or skip repeatedly while a length of rope is swung over and under, both ends held in the hands of the jumper, or alternately, held by two other participants. Often used for athletic training and among schoolchildren. Variations involve speed, chants, varied rope and jumper movement patterns, multiple jumpers and/or multiple ropes.

jump rope »    The length of rope, sometimes with handles, casing or other additions, used in that activity.

jump the queue »    To desire preferential treatment, undue influence; impatient.

jump the queue »    To move into a queue ahead of others who have been waiting longer or that have a higher priority; push in.

jump the shark »    To undergo a storyline development which is so ridiculous that previous quality is considered to have been lost.

jump to conclusions »    Make conclusions before being presented with all the evidence.

just deserts »    A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.

just for fun »    For no particular reason, just because it is fun, entertaining; for to relieve boredom.

just in case »    In the event; should there be a need.

just what the doctor ordered »    Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation.

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.

keep a weather eye open »    To be alert; to concentrate on a matter in hand.

keep a weather eye open »    To maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occupying your full attention.

keep an eye on »    To watch and pay attention to.

keep an eye open »    To maintain vigilance for a possibly dangerous situation.

keep an eye open »    To maintain vigilance for someone or something.

keep an eye peeled »    To look out attentively.

keep away from »    To deny access to.

keep from »    To prevent or restrain ; refrain or cause refrain.

keep it real »    To be authentic, true to oneself; to be cool.

keep mum »    Do not talk; especially keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep one on one's toes »    To keep one attentive, active, busy or alert.

keep one's cool »    To remain composed, calm, and even-tempered, especially in a provocative situation.

keep one's eye on the ball »    My ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.

keep one's eye on the ball »    To maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.

keep one's options open »    To not commit to a decision, to keep various options available.

keep out »    To refrain from entering a place or condition.

keep out »    To restrain someone or something from entering a place or condition.

keep out of »    To restrain someone or something from entering a place or condition.

keep quiet »    Remain silent.

keep shtum »    Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep up »    To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating.

keep up »    To stay even or ahead.

keep up »    To ensure that one remains well-informed about something.

keep up appearances »    To pretend to be all right or that everything is going well.

keep up with the Joneses »    To do or buy things for status, show, or image rather than out of need, especially for the purpose of competing with friends or neighbors.

keep your friends close, and your enemies closer »    One should be on their toes and alert of their surroundings if malicious people are around, to ensure such people can't wreak havoc in one's life.

keep your shirt on »    An admonition to be more patient or to calm down.

kernel of truth »    A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictitious elements.

kettle of fish »    A situation which is recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation, and which is not necessarily unfavorable.

kettle of fish »    An awkward situation; a predicament.

kick in »    To start or connect suddenly.

kick off »    To shut down or turn_off suddenly.

kick off the team »    In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.

kick out »    To stop, stall, or disconnect suddenly.

kick someone when they are down »    To make it worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.

kick up a fuss »    To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little importance in reality.

kick with the other foot »    To belong to a different religion.

kid around »    To engage in playful fun.

kids will be kids »    You cannot expect children to act like adults.

kill off »    To represent or portray as being dead.

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs »    To seek short term gain at the sacrifice of long term profit.

kill the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

kind »    Affectionate, showing benevolence.

kind »    Mild, gentle, forgiving.

king »    A powerful or influential person.

kiss and make up »    To settle one's differences and forgive.

kiss of death »    A kiss on the cheek that signifies the death of the receiver, as delivered by a mob boss or one with such influence.

kiss up »    To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

kit and caboodle »    Everything entirely, the whole lot.

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.

knacker's yard »    A place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.

knacker's yard »    That area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue.

knee high to a grasshopper »    Short; especially relating to when the subject was a small child.

knock around »    To spend time with someone as a friend.

knock around »    To hit someone, or behave violently towards them.

knock back »    To drink an alcoholic beverage swiftly or often.

knock down »    To hit or knock (something), intentionally or accidentally, so that it falls.

knock on wood »    To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.

knock out »    To render someone unconscious, as by a blow to the head.

knock up »    To become exhausted or worn out; to fail of strength; to become wearied, as with labor; to give out.

knock up »    To gently hit the ball back and forth before a tennis match, as practice or warm-up, and to gauge the state of the playing surface, lighting, etc. See knock-up.

knock-on effect »    A secondary, often unintended effect.

knock-on effect »    The continued running of an engine after the ignition has been turned off; dieseling.

knocked for a six »    to be defeated; outwitted; outfoxed; beaten

knocking on heaven's door »    Dying, close to death.

know the score »    Be aware of a situation, especially of the consequences of misconduct.

knowledge is power »    With knowledge and/or education, one's potential or ability to succeed in the pursuit of his objectives will certainly increase.

knuckle under »    To yield or cooperate when pressured or forced to do so.

l'esprit de l'escalier »    The experience of thinking of a devastating rejoinder only after leaving the scene of the debate.

labor of love »    A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement; an altruistic work or undertaking.

laced-up »    Fastened with a lace.

ladies and gentlemen »    Used to address an audience.

ladies first »    A phrase encouraging polite gentlemanliness, allowing the ladies to go before the men.

lady or tiger »    A pure gamble with highly divergent outcomes.

lady's man »    A man who attracts women and enjoys their company.

lame joke »    An attempt at humor which is perceived to have been used previously to the point of being cliche, or was never funny to begin with.

land on one's feet »    To be lucky, or successful, often in difficult situations.

landing strip »    A cultivated pubic hair pattern in which much of the pubic hair is removed, leaving only a central vertical line or rectangle.

lap up »    To revel in, to overtly enjoy.

lapsed academic »    A person formerly employed as a professor or researcher in a university or other institution of higher education, especially one who no longer attempts to remain current in his or her former academic field.

larger-than-life »    Very imposing, renowned, or impressively influential.

lash out »    To make a sudden blow.

last burst of fire »    A state of exertion where one gives one's all; expending all of one's remaining energy in a final effort to achieve one's goal.

last of the big spenders »    Someone who doesn't spend much money.

last trump »    The moment of God's final judgement on Earth.

last word »    The final statement uttered by a person before death.

last word »    The finest, highest, or ultimate representative of some class of objects.

late model »    Recently designed or fabricated; new.

laundry list »    Hence, a long list of items, especially an exhaustive one.

laundry list »    Originally, a list of articles of clothing that had been sent to be laundered.

lay down »    To give up, surrender, or yield , usually by placing it on the ground.

lay down »    To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate .

lay down the law »    To present the law that applies to a given case.

lay low »    To remain hidden or to hide oneself.

lay off »    From employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.

lay open »    In Japan and South Korea, to publish a patent for initial public review, prior to the formal application for registration.

lay open »    to disclose

lay open »    reveal

lay out »    expend money

lay the groundwork »    To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

lead »    Used in pencils.

lead »    Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as leading.

lead down a garden path »    To mislead; to seduce.

lead someone down the garden path »    To deceive, hoodwink.

lead time »    The amount of time between the initiation of some process and its completion, e.g. the time required to manufacture or procure a product; the time required before something can be provided or delivered.

leader of the free world »    The President of the United States.

lean and mean »    Efficient because of having nothing in excess of what is needed, and single-minded in one's objective.

lean on »    To depend upon for support.

leave somebody high and dry »    To abandon somebody; to stop providing assistance at a crucial moment.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient

left and right »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

left field »    The defensive position in the outfield to the left.

left, right and center »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

left-handed compliment »    A complimentary remark which is ambiguous or ineptly worded, so that it may be interpreted as having an unflattering or dismissive sense.

lemonize »    To damage something and then deny or be aloof from the damage.

lend a hand »    To help or assist, especially voluntarily.

less is more »    That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieres

let alone »    Or even.

let go »    To dismiss from employment.

let go and let God »    To consciously surrender one's free will to the will of God.

let in »    allow to enter

let one's hair down »    To relax and enjoy oneself.

let sleeping dogs lie »    To leave things as they are; especially, to avoid restarting or rekindling an old argument; to leave disagreements in the past.

let slip »    To divulge a secret, as by accident or mistake.

let somebody down »    To fail somebody; to disappoint or to fail to uphold a commitment.

let the cat out of the bag »    To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

let up »    To lessen.

let up »    slacken

let-down »    A disappointment or anticlimax.

letters after one's name »    A list of abbreviations, separated by commas, representing the academic qualifications and civil or military honours achieved by a person.

level up »    To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has aquired enough experience points.

level-headed »    Sensible; rational; possessing sound judgment.

licence to print money »    A means of generating a large income with little effort.

licence to print money »    The authority to print money, usually given to a central bank exclusively as the issuer of currency.

lick one's chops »    To use one's tongue to remove moistness from the sides of one's mouth, as when salivating or at the conclusion of a meal.

lie back and think of England »    . "think of England" refers to the importance of children.

lie back and think of England »    Used to preface any unpleasant but inevitable experience.

life and limb »    Existence together with bodily faculties.

life is like a box of chocolates »    Life is full of surprises, you never know what will happen next.

life of Riley »    An ideal life of carefree prosperity and contentment.

life of the party »    A person who participates in entertainment events in a very enthusiastic manner and who has a leading role in inspiring others to join in the spirit of festivity.

life's a bitch »    An expression of acceptance of misfortune.1950, Joy Davidman, Weeping Bay, page 184:She'd have been willing enough to use them, poor dead little bitch. Life's a bitch. Life's a bad joke.

life's not all skittles and beer »    Skittles and Beer refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life; skittles being a British pub game. Thus, life's not all skittles and beer means that not everything is about pleasure.

lift up »    To lighten the mood of someone.

light up »    To become light, to brighten.

light up »    To bring light to something, to brighten.

lighten up »    To become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.

like crazy »    To a great or excessive degree; with great speed, output, enthusiasm, etc.

like it's going out of style »    Enthusiastically, to an excessive degree.

like the back end of a bus »    Very unattractive.

line in the sand »    A defining moment, a cutoff point.

link whore »    Someone who goes to great lengths to get other people to link to his/her website or blog.

lion »    A stylized representation of a large cat, used on a coat of arms.

lion »    An individual who shows strength and courage, attributes associated with the lion.

lion »    The arms of the University of the West Indies are Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure an open Book proper bound Gules garnished Or on a Chief of the third a Lion passant guardant Erminois. Crest: A Pelican proper. . See talk page.

lion's den »    Any dangerous or frightening place.

lion's den »    The lair of a lion.

lion's share »    The majority; a large or generous portion.

lip service »    Empty talk; words absent of action or intention.

listen in »    To eavesdrop; to listen secretly.

listen in »    To listen without participating.

listen up »    To listen closely; to pay attention. Often used in the imperative.

little pitchers have big ears »    Small children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).

live by the sword, die by the sword »    One who uses violence can expect a violent response. It is better to try to use peaceful means wherever possible.(figuratively) One can expect dire outcomes from any vice; used to convey poetic justice.

live one »    A person, thing, or situation which is particularly interesting, noteworthy, or urgent.

live one »    Someone who is eccentric, nonconformist, or otherwise peculiar.

live paycheck to paycheck »    To spend all that one earns without saving anything.

live wire »    An electrical wire through which there is a flow of electrical current.

live wire »    An especially energetic, alert, or vivacious person.

Living high on the hog »    Living richly, often above one's means

loaded for bear »    Mentally prepared for a daunting situation or confrontation.

lock lips »    To kiss on the lips; to engage in a French kiss.

lone gunman »    An individual person who acts on his or her own initiative, without partners, especially one who has sole responsibility for doing something questionable, confidential, or iniquitous.

long absent, soon forgotten »    Love fades away when people are distant and don't keep close physical contact.

long arm »    Influence, far-reaching power.

long finger »    A state of postponement or procrastination.

long goodbye »    Nickname for Alzheimer's disease, especially for the final phase of the disease, during which the patient suffers a progressive decline of cognitive and motor skills and gradually loses the ability to recognize and to communicate with family and friends.[1]; nickname for the relationship between a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease and that person's family or friends.

long run »    An extended period of time.

long shot »    A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.

long shot »    Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working. The term arose from the accuracy of early ship guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.

long time »    Used as part of greeting of two people who have not been in contact for a long time.

long time no hear »    I haven't heard from you for a long time.

long time no see »    I haven't seen you for a long time.

longpig »    Human flesh when cooked in cannabalistic rituals in certain Pacific Islands, due to the allegeded similarity to cooked pork.

look off »    To mislead by directing one's apparent attention away from one's true object of intent.

look what the cat's dragged in »    Used as an ironic acknowledgement of someone's arrival, especially to imply that they are unwelcome or disagreeable in some way.

look-in »    A quick short pass to a receiver running diagonally toward the center of the field.

loom large »    be prominent

Loose cannon »    An uncontrolled or unpredictable person who causes damage to his own friends, faction, political party, etc.

loose end »    A small job that needs to be done, or minor problem that needs to be resolved, before a task can be considered complete.

loose end »    The end of a rope that has not been fastened.

loose ends »    Leftover items that have not been addressed or attended to.

loose ends »    unresolved details

lose face »    To lose the respect of others, to be humiliated or experience public disgrace.

lose the plot »    To have one's results decline severely in quality or suddenly fall below an acceptable standard, especially when compared to past excellence.

low blow »    An unfair or illegal blow that lands below the opponent’s waist; a groin attack..

lower the boom »    To suddenly overpower, with "on".

lower the boom »    To use one's superior physical strength; clobber.

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.

luck out »    To experience great luck; to be extremely fortunate or lucky.

lucky break »    A stroke of luck; a fortunate event, particularly of the sort that propels one to success, fame, etc.

lump it »    To endure, accept, put up with a situation one does not like.

lump together »    To put different items or groups together and treat them, or think of them as one single group.

mad as a March hare »    Crazy, demented.

mad money »    A sum of money kept in reserve or to insulate oneself financially in the event of the sudden breakdown of a relationship in which one is economically dependent.

mad money »    A sum of money, often relatively small in amount, kept in reserve to use for impulsive, frivolous purposes.

made in the shade »    In a condition characterized by comfort, success, easy living, or general well-being.

main verte »    Green thumb.

make a living »    To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.

make a meal of »    That is the eleventh edit that you have made to that word, you are really making a meal of it.

make a meal of »    To spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants; to make something overly complicated.

make a point »    To take care in doing something of something; to pay attention or ensure that something is done.

make a splash »    To do something that attracts attention.

make a stink »    To complain; to demand attention or remedy for a problem.

make a virtue of necessity »    C. 1595, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 4, sc.1.

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.

make amends »    To repair a relationship; to make up; to resolve an argument or fight; to make reparations or redress.

make an example of »    He made an example of the drunken sailor with twenty lashes, to show that he must have a sober crew.

make believe »    To pretend or imagine.

make book »    To be very confident.

make for »    To tend to produce or result in.

make head or tail of »    To understand even minimally.

make it do or do without »    If you don't have a lot of money, extend the life of what you have.

make out »    To designate as the recipient.

make out »    To characterize as; often with to be.

make out »    To succeed; to turn out or end up.

make over »    To renovate or to convert to a different use.

make over »    To transfer ownership, especially by means of a legal document.

make sense »    To be coherent or reasonable.

make sense »    To decipher or understand.

make someone's skin crawl »    To disturb or bother; to frighten or disgust.

make the cut »    To succeed; to be chosen out of a field of candidates or possibilities.

make the welkin ring »    By extension of.

make the welkin ring »    By extension of , to celebrate or revel.

make up »    To compensate, fill in or catch up.

make up »    To resolve, forgive or smooth over an argument or fight.

mama's boy »    A male person, especially a young man or boy, who is overly attached to or influenced by his mother; a sissy.

man of parts »    A man that is talented in multiple areas of life. This includes but is not limited to the area of seduction. He puts very little emphasis on memorized scripts or "peacocking" and instead relies on individualized ways to charm a woman.

man up »    To "be a man about it"; to do the things a good man is traditionally expected to do, such as: taking responsibility for the consequences of one's actions; displaying bravery or toughness in the face of adversity; providing for one's family, etc.

managerial inbreeding »    Bad management, caused by managers making poor selection choices in recruitment, rewards, and promotions of the staff that report to them, leading to another generation of managers who lack the necessary skill sets to reward and promote the most effective staff.

many happy returns »    A greeting, usually for birthdays, in reference to the passing year; Happy birthday!.

march to the beat of a different drum »    To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.

mark my words »    Listen to me; used before a statement one wishes to emphasize.

mark up »    To increase the price of something between its wholesale and retail phase.

marry in haste, repent at leisure »    Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.

marry in haste, repent at leisure »    Two things together too soon will lead to problems.

match made in heaven »    A marriage that is likely to be happy and successful because the two people are very compatible with each other.

match made in heaven »    A very successful combination of two people or things.

may the Force be with you »    Used to wish someone luck with a difficult endeavor.

me three »    Used to express agreement, after someone has already said "me too".

measure twice and cut once »    (literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn

meatball surgery »    A nickname for surgery that is meant to be performed rapidly to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.

meet up »    To meet somebody, by arrangement.

melting pot »    Come together and are homogenized.

mend fences »    To repair damage to a friendship or relationship after a disagreement or other mishap.

mend one's ways »    To recognise one's failings and attempt to remedy them.

mercury »    A silvery-colored metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.

mess up »    To make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.

mess up »    To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.

middle ground »    A compromise position between extremes.

middle of the road »    Having a centrist attitude or philosophy; not extreme, especially politically.

mince words »    To restrain oneself in a conversation by withholding some comments or using euphemisms.

mind the store »    To remain present in a retail business, in order to maintain the security of the premises and to serve customers.

mind you »    Used to draw attention to adjacent words.

misery loves company »    Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.1995, Chris Abbott,

miss out »    To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.

miss the mark »    To fail to reach the result that was intended.

mix apples and oranges »    To mix two totally different things.

mix up »    To mix or blend.

mixed bag »    By extension, a group of entities with few characteristics in common; an assortment.

mixed bag »    Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.

mixed message »    Any communication that is contradictory, inconsistent, or unclear, especially in its motive or intent.

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.

moment of truth »    A deciding instant; the time when a test determines or makes it apparent whether something will succeed.

monkey on one's back »    A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.

monkey wrench »    A pipe wrench.

monkey wrench »    A problem, obstacle or dilemma; something unexpected or troublesome.

monkey wrench »    A wrench with a smooth adjustable jaw to grip different sizes of nuts.

more equal »    Ostensibly equal, but in reality more privileged.

more haste, less speed »    When we are in a hurry, we often end up completing our task slower.

mother hen »    A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks.

mother hen »    An outspoken and overprotective woman dealing with others' affairs.

mouse potato »    A person who spends excessive amounts of time using a computer.

move heaven and earth »    To do whatever is necessary, including extreme or unusual actions; to go to extremes.

move house »    To change one's place of residence.

move out »    To vacate one's place of residence.

move the goal posts »    To unilaterally change the rules, or terms of an agreement, especially in an unfair or underhand way.

mover and shaker »    Someone who has power and influence in some field or activity.

much of a muchness »    Of two or more things, having little difference of any significance between them.

muck about »    To do random unplanned work or spend time idly.

muck about »    To do somethings with a piece of equipment when you do not understand how it works.

muck out »    To clean the excrement and other rubbish from the area where an animal is kept, such as a horse stable or a dog kennel.

mug up »    To study intensely.

murder will out »    Secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered.

mutual admiration society »    A group of two or more people, in a workplace or other social environment, who routinely express considerable esteem and support for one another, sometimes to the point of exaggeration or pretense.

nail biter »    An engaging or exciting cliffhanger.

naked as a jaybird »    Stark naked; nude; especially, naked in a public setting and without embarrassment.

name and shame »    So as to single them out for individual blame and censure.

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.

near miss »    narrowly avoided accident

nearly never bulled a cow »    (Irish) Near enough is not good enough.

necessity is the mother of innovation »    Alternative form of necessity is the mother of invention.

necessity is the mother of invention »    A person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it.

necker's knob »    A knob attached to the steering wheel of an automobile, especially before the widespread availability of power steering, helping the driver steer with one arm and leaving the other arm free to provide romantic attention to a companion.

neither here nor there »    Not important; having no significance or influence on the question at hand; not related; not relevant; not germane; not pertinent.

nervous hit »    A production which receives generally favorably notice, but is not assured of success.

nest egg »    A natural or artificial egg placed in a bird's nest, to encourage the bird to lay its own eggs there.

never mind »    I withdraw my previous statement.

new school »    A style, way of thinking, or method for accomplishing a task that is typical of the current era, as opposed to former eras.

nice guy »    An adult male who seeks sexual attraction and romantic intimacy, but only finds cordial friendship and platonic love.

night person »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours, and who usually sleeps during part of the daytime.

nightcap »    A warm cloth cap worn while sleeping, often with pajamas. Nightcaps were common in northern Europe before central heating was available, when homes were cold at night.

nighthawk »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours.

nine day wonder »    Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.

nip and tuck »    So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.

nip in the bud »    To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from forming.

no comment »    A refusal to say the obvious impolite retort.

no comment »    An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.

no good deed ever goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no good deed goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no holds barred »    Without restrictions on holds or what opponents may do.

no ifs, ands, or buts »    Period; exactly so; without modification, limitation, or addendum.

no man is an island »    All people are connected to other people and dependent on other people.1623, John Donne,

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney »    Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.

no nevermind »    No difference.

no news is good news »    A lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.

no pain, no gain »    One must be willing to endure some inconvenience or discomfort in order to achieve worthwhile goals.

no score »    In a sporting event, a score of zero to zero.

no slave to fashion »    A person whose style of clothing and appearance are unconventional, informal, or slovenly; a person who takes little interest in how he or she is dressed.

no smoke without fire »    Indicative of the fact that gossip or accusations are often substantiated by fact.

no spring chicken »    Said of a person who is no longer particularly young.

no time like the present »    A shortened form of there's no time like the present

no-show »    An absence; somebody who doesn't show up or a failure to show up.

noarch »    Short for "no architecture". It is a term used mainly in package management systems to mark packages which are architecture independent. Such packages usually contain graphics, documentation or similar data that can be used on any architecture.

nobody's perfect »    Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best

nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat »    The idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.

non-starter »    An idea or argument that cannot be sensibly debated.

non-starter »    Something that is not going to happen.

none of someone's business »    A matter that someone is not entitled to be involved in or informed about.

nose test »    An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

nose test »    An inspection of an object using the sense of smell, as for freshness of food.

not a sausage »    John: Do you know how I get to the town center from here?.

not at all »    Used similarly to you're welcome, as a conventional reply to an expression of gratitude.

not be able to get a word in edgeways »    To be unable to say a single word because of someone else's talkativeness.

not half bad »    Pretty good; okay; decent.

not have a leg to stand on »    To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.

not leave one's thoughts »    Said when one keeps thinking about something.

not on your tintype »    An answer indicating outright rejection or denial; no way; absolutely not.

not the end of the world »    It's of minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.

not to put too fine a point on it »    Used to apologise for a possibly impolite statement one is making.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Ambrose Bierce , The Fiend's Delight In conclusion, his respect for letter-writing ladies is so great that he would not touch one of them with a ten-foot pole.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Ambrose Bierce, The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. 8.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Francis Lynde, The Quickening.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    To approach something or someone.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; signifies a strong aversion.

nothing to sneeze at »    Not bad; decent; acceptable; worthwhile.

nothing ventured, nothing gained »    If one takes no risks, one will not gain any benefits.

noughts and crosses »    pen and paper game

now and then »    Sometimes; occasionally.

now you mention it »    The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling.

now you're cooking »    A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.

now you're talking »    A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.

nudge nudge wink wink »    A phrase added at the end of the sentence to hint that the speaker is referring to something else, euphemistically.

nugget of truth »    A small amount of truth in a generally untrue statement.

nut-cutting time »    Time to gather nuts before they are taken by other animals or buried in snow.

nuts and bolts »    The basic, inner workings of something; the fundamentals or basics; that which makes something operate, on a basic level.

nutty as a fruitcake »    Behaving in an eccentric, foolish, or kooky manner; very nutty.

object lesson »    A punishment intended as a deterrent to others.

odd and curious »    On the Isle of Man, the common or general man.

odd one out »    Something or someone in a group that is different or exceptional, that does not fit.

odds and ends »    Miscellaneous things.

of an »    Indicates a more or less habitual activity during the given part of the day.

of course »    Indicates enthusiastic agreement.

of late »    In the recent past; recently; lately.

of sorts »    Resembling; similar to; in a way; partial or not entire; somewhat.

off and on »    Intermittently.

off licence »    drinks shop

off one's game »    C. 1910, Ralph Henry Barbour, "The Dub" in The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories.

off the back foot »    From a defensive position.

off the beaten path »    In a secluded location; in a place which is not frequently visited or not widely known.

off the beaten track »    In a place or places not commonly visited.

off the chain »    Crazy and exciting; delirious and wild. By analogy to a frenetic dog when unleashed.

off the chain »    Free from work or direct supervision. In reference to slave labor, where workers are chained, or to the figurative chain of workers of an assembly line.

off the deep end »    Crazy, erratic, or irrational.

off the hook »    Of a telephone, having an open connection; not hung up.

off the hook »    Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure.

off the radar »    Unlikely to happen, or be important in the near future or tending to escape detection or attention.

off the rails »    Off the intended path.

off the wagon »    No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.

off-color »    Considered dirty, vulgar or obscene.

off-the-wall »    Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.

offer affordances »    To give elbow room or leeway for something to happen.

offer one's condolences »    To offer sympathy to someone.

oh, well »    An expression of disappointment or resignation; too bad; pity.

oil burner »    A device whose operation causes apparent combustion of lubricating oil.

old hand »    A person who is experienced at a certain activity.

old hat »    Something widely or long practiced, known, or accepted; something conventional.

old hat »    Something with which one is very familiar, or in which one is experienced or skilled.

old money »    Families that have been wealthy for generations or members of such families.

old money »    The imperial system of measurement, as opposed to the metric system.

old money »    The monetary system used in the United Kingdom before decimalisation and consisting of pounds, shillings, and pence.

old school »    Characteristic of a style, outlook, or method employed in a former era, remembered either as inferior to the current style, or alternately, remembered nostalgically as superior or preferable to the new style, the older denoting something that would be considered out of date or out of fashion to some, but as such, is considered by others as cool and hip.

old testament »    part of the bible

old time used to be »    Ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend. Often used in songs.

on a whim »    Done without thinking seriously about the consequences.

on accident »    Accidentally; not intentionally; because of error, misfortune, or lack of caution.

on all fours »    Similar in nature or effect to something else; consistent.

on average »    Usually, typically; as a rule; as often as not.

on board »    Even when I am on board the plane, I can never feel secure that my luggage is, too.

on board »    It's a good idea, but let's see if we can get a few more of the management team on board.

on demand »    When needed or required.

on edge »    Tense, nervous or irritable.

on end »    Remarkably long; continuously.

on end »    Upright; erect; endways.

on good terms with »    Friendly towards; having good relations with.

on high »    In the sky or the heavens.

on one's feet »    Being stable or capable, especially in a financial or emotional sense.

on one's toes »    Attentive, active, busy or alert.

on one's watch »    During the period of time when one is in a position of authority or responsibility.

on opposite sides of the barricades »    Of starkly different, opposite views on an issue.

on pins and needles »    Feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.

on purpose »    Purposefully; with intention; deliberately.

on sight »    Immediately when sighted.

on tenterhooks »    In a state of suspense or apprehension.

on the back burner »    Not immediate; inactive; receiving less than full or regular attention.

on the back foot »    In a defensive posture; off-balance.

on the ball »    Alert, active, or attentive; on top of things.

on the brink »    Very nearly; imminent; close.

on the bubble »    Having qualification for an event depend on the upcoming performances of other competitors.

on the clock »    In the official time expired in a game or other sporting event.

on the clock »    In the official time remaining in a game or other sporting event.

on the clock »    Of a taxicab, engaged for hire; displayed numerically as time or fare on the meter of a taxicab.

on the clock »    Working at one's job; occupied in some manner during one's hours of remunerated employment.

on the cuff »    On credit, with payment to be made later.

on the defensive »    Prepared to defend or protect against criticism, attack or aggression.

on the face of it »    Apparently; as far as can be seen or determined.

on the fence »    Undecided; wavering in one's opinion.

on the go »    Actively traveling; busy; moving often.

on the house »    Free, complimentary.

on the level »    A discreet reference to freemasonry.

on the line »    In a contest or enterprise.

on the make »    Actively seeking a romantic encounter or relationship.

on the make »    Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.

on the mend »    Healing or recovering, as from an injury or illness.

on the mend »    Improving or undergoing restoration to a previous, more favorable condition.

on the outs »    On unfriendly terms; estranged.

on the point »    Very nearly; imminent; close.

on the rag »    Menstruating.

on the right track »    Using the correct general approach to a particular task or problem; pursuing something in a promising way.

on the ropes »    Leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, as when exhausted and nearing defeat or collapse.

on the ropes »    Showing signs of imminent failure or collapse.

on the same wavelength »    In rapport or complete accord.

on the sly »    Slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily.

on the spot »    At that very moment; right away.

on the spur of the moment »    On very short notice; spontaneously.

on the square »    A discrete, unassuming reference to freemasonry.

on the square »    Honest and open.

on the town »    Casually enjoying the nightlife of a town or city.

on the wagon »    By extension, maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.

on tiptoe »    We crept out on tiptoe so as not to wake the children.

on track »    On a well-defined promotion path in an organisation, usually tenure.

on track »    Proceeding as planned, as expected, or in a manner consistent with an established pattern.

on-the-spot »    In the right place at this very moment.

once and for all »    Finally, permanently, conclusively.

once bitten, twice shy »    One is cautious in the future if one has been hurt in the past.

once in a blue moon »    Very rarely; very infrequently.

one and the same »    The same person or thing. Used to emphasize the identity or equivalence of two things.

one brick short of a full load »    Not mentally sound; insane.

one card shy of a full deck »    Mentally deranged; demented; insane.

one fell swoop »    One stroke; one action or event with many results.

one in the eye for »    An event or achievement which is unpleasant for someone, especially for those who considered it impossible or unwelcome; an annoyance.

one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind »    A cliché used to exaggerate an accomplishment or milestone..

one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind »    Words spoken by Neil Armstrong when taking the first steps on the moon.

one step at a time »    Slowly and carefully, ensuring that each action has been completed successfully before taking the next.

one step forward, two steps back »    A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.

one swallow does not a summer make »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one swallow doesn't make a summer »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one thousand »    Used in a common chronometric counting scheme, in which each iteration is sequentially numbered and supposed to be approximately one second in length.

one who hesitates is lost »    A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.

one's bark is worse than one's bite »    The individual acts threatening but is relatively harmless.

one's days are numbered »    Some period of time, such as a term of employment or a lifetime, is coming to an end.

one-hit wonder »    A person or group known for achieving only a single major accomplishment.

one-man band »    A musician who plays several musical instruments at once.

one-night stand »    A single sexual encounter between two individuals, where at least one of the parties has no immediate intention or expectation of establishing a longer-term sexual or romantic relationship. As the phrase implies, the relationship lasts for only one night.

one-night stand »    An occasion when a performer or team of them expects to perform at a theater for a single evening.

one-trick pony »    A person or group noteworthy for only a single achievement, skill, or characteristic.

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.

open a can of whoop ass »    A good-humored threat of physical harm.

open a can of whoop ass »    I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on ya.

open ended »    without definite limits

open fire »    To begin firing at something or someone.

open one's big mouth »    To speak about things, when it would be better to stay silent.

open prison »    penal institution

opening time »    hour at which a pub can start serving

opposites attract »    people who are completely different make ideal partners.

or what »    Or something else; allows for the existence of an unexpressed alternative to what was said.

orange up »    To make more prominent by making orange or adding orange colour.

orphan drug »    But which is not manufactured or marketed because the demand is insufficient to cover the costs of supply.

other days, other ways »    People of the past thought and acted differently.

out loud »    Using the voice; not silently; aloud.

out of bounds »    Prohibited to enter.

out of character »    Inconsistent with one's personality, disposition, or usual expected behaviour.

out of character »    Not in character; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance. See also break character, drop character.

out of date »    Not current, outmoded, out of style, or too old to be used.

out of fix »    Wrong, broken, nonfunctional.

out of gas »    Tired; lacking energy or motivation.

out of house and home »    Gail White, Partying with the Intelligentsia.

out of house and home »    Global Checkup: How Healthy is Earth?, Science NOW.

out of it »    Disoriented; not thinking clearly.

out of it »    Not participating in some trend or group.

out of luck »    Experiencing a temporary misfortune.

out of nowhere »    In an unexpected or inexplicable manner of arrival or occurrence.

out of one's league »    In a situation in which one is mismatched with one or more others, whose accomplishments, preparedness, or other characteristics are on a significantly higher or lower level than one's own.

out of order »    Out of normal sequence.

out of place »    Not in the proper situation or arrangement, or inappropriate for the circumstances.

out of sight »    Superb, excellent.

out of sight, out of mind »    When something is not nearby, it is forgotten about.

out of the box »    Immediately, without intervention from the customer.

out of the loop »    Not informed up to date; current; not kept part of the discussion.

out of the mouths of babes »    The greatest wisdom comes from children, who are not afraid or weary of the world and its pressures.

out of the question »    Impossible to even contemplate.

out of the way »    Improper or offensive.

out of the way »    Taken care of.

out of the woods »    Out of peril; likely to recover or prevail over trouble; finished with the worst or most threatening part of a problem or illness.

out of thin air »    From non-existent resources.

out of wedlock »    Of parents not legally married.

out of whack »    Not in proper alignment.

out of whack »    Wrong, broken; specifically.

out to lunch »    Clueless, inattentive or careless.

outshout »    To merit the most attention or praise.

outside the box »    Beyond the bounds of convention.

outside world »    The rest of the world outside of some closed, restricted, or remote environment.

outsider »    A newcomer with little or no experience in an organization or community.

over and out »    Used to signal the end of a conversation, especially one conducted by CB radio or the like.

over one's head »    More complex or confusing than one can understand; beyond one’s comprehension..

overkill »    A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.

own up »    To acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt. Often used with to.

pachyderm »    Someone who is insensitive.

pack up »    To move one's residence.

pain in the neck »    Someone or something which is annoying, irritating or inconvenient.

paint oneself into a corner »    To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.

paint with a broad brush »    To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.

painting rocks »    Pointless or futile work organised by the government, supposedly to increase employment but in fact merely disguising the unemployment level.

palace politics »    The relationships and interactions of top-level officials, advisors and other powerbrokers within a government, especially as involving internal rivalry and intrigue.

palm off »    To attempt to pass off a counterfeit or inferior product as genuine.

pan out »    To succeed; to proceed according to plan; to result or end up.

paper »    A sheet material used for writing on or printing on , usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.

paper »    A written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting .

paper »    A written document, generally shorter than a book , in particular one written for the Government.

paper trail »    A written record, history, or collection of evidence.

pardon my French »    Please excuse my swearing or bad language.

park the car in Harvard Yard »    A sentence used to illustrate that the Boston accent is non-rhotic; typically pronounced "pahk the cah in Hahvad Yahd".

parking lot »    An open area, generally paved, where automobiles may be left when not in use.

part and parcel »    An integral or essential piece; that which must be done or accepted as part of something else.

parting shot »    An insult or barbed comment issued as the speaker departs or the conversation comes to an end.

party animal »    A person known for frequent, enthusiastic attendance at parties, especially one whose partying behavior is exuberant or excessive.

party crasher »    Someone who attempts and often gains entry to a party or club to which they were not invited, often using social engineering techniques. The party crasher usually tries to blend into the party so as not to be kicked out.

party pooper »    Someone who unnecessarily dampens fun.

pass off »    To happen.

pass off »    To misrepresent something.

pass out »    To graduate, usually marked by the ceremony at the end of their training.

pass the buck »    To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.

patience is a virtue »    it is better to be patient than impatient

patience of Job »    An great amount of patience.

patience of Job »    From the Bible, James Ch.5 V.11.

patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels »    The appeal to patriotism is often used to distract the public from real issues.

pave the way »    To make future development easier.

pay attention »    To be attentive; to focus one's attention.

pay for it »    To suffer the consequences of one's actions.

pay one's dues »    To acquire status or to earn the right to enjoy certain benefits, especially through lengthy experience, hardship, or service to an organization.

pay out »    To slacken a rope by lengthening it; to allow a rope to run out.

pay out »    To repay, take revenge.

pay the bills »    To provide enough income to sustain one's lifestyle.

pay the fiddler »    To face the consequences of one’s actions..

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.

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence as an interjection: I am amused that someone got their revenge on you...but you certainly had it coming.

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence: I will get revenge when you least expect it.

pea patch »    A realm of endeavor.

peaches and cream »    A very enjoyable experience.

peachy keen »    Extremely good, exactly right; all right. Often used in the negative or with an ironic or sarcastic connotation to mean the opposite.

peanut gallery »    Any source of heckling, unwelcome commentary or criticism, especially from a know-it-all or of an inexpert nature.

peed off »    Simple past tense and past participle of pee off.

peel grapes »    To perform a menial task, eliminating trivial inconveniences.

pelt of the dog »    An immoderate, excessive quantity of alcohol drunk the morning after whilst suffering withdrawal symptoms or a hangover, which goes beyond alleviating the complaint to causing drunkenness; cf. hair of the dog.

penalty box »    That is assessed after an infraction.

penalty box »    The penalty area.

pencil pusher »    One who does routine office work; someone involved mainly in paperwork.

pencil skirt »    clothing item

pencil whip »    To approve a document without actually knowing or reviewing what it is that is being approved.

pencil-neck »    A person with a very thin neck.

pencil-neck »    An insubstantial person; a weakling.

pencil-necked »    Having a very thin neck.

pencil-necked »    Insubstantial; weak.

pencilneck »    A person with a very thin neck.

pencilneck »    An insubstantial person; a weakling.

pendre la cr%C3%A9maill%C3%A8re »    To have a housewarming party.

penguin suit »    A tuxedo.

penny black »    old stamp

penny for your thoughts »    Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.

penny pincher »    One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money.

penny wise and pound foolish »    Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful and profligate with large amounts.

perfect storm »    A situation where a calamity is caused by the convergence and amplifying interaction of a number of factors.

perp walk »    The intentional public display before news cameras of someone in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the authorities' effectiveness, or shaming the person.

physical break »    A short break in a meeting or in a classroom setting, intended to improve attention.

pi%C3%A8ce de r%C3%A9sistance »    A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime..

pick up »    To collect a passenger.

pick up »    To notice, detect or discern, often used with "on".

pick up stitches »    Stitches to the knitting needle that were previously bound off, or that belong to the selvage, during the process of knitting or entrelac.

pickin' and grinnin' »    Vigorously playing folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.

pickle »    A children’s game with three participants that emulates a baseball rundown.

pickle »    A penis.

piece de resistance »    A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime..

piece of ass »    A very attractive woman, when considered as a sex object.

pig out »    To eat voraciously or ravenously; to gorge oneself.

pile-up »    A traffic accident or collision involving multiple vehicles.

pin tuck »    narrow ornamental fold

pinchpenny »    One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money.

pink slip »    Notice of the termination of employment.

piss and vinegar »    Exuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.

piss away »    To spend wastefully.

piss up a rope »    To engage in futile or impossible activity.

pissing contest »    An argument which is instigated, or exacerbated while consuming alcohol.

pitch a tent »    To have an erection that shows through the trousers.

pitch in »    To help out; lend assistance; contribute; to do one's part.

pitched battle »    A hostile engagement involving sustained, full-scale fighting between opposing forces in close combat.

pitched battle »    An intense, rancorous argument or confrontation.

play around »    To engage in sexual practices outside of marriage.

play dumb »    To pretend to be mute.

play dumb »    To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.

play fast and loose »    To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.

play fast and loose »    To ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits ones purpose.

play games »    To deceive, to lie about one's intentions.

play hookey »    To be absent without permission, especially from school.

play it by ear »    To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur.

play it by ear »    To play a song according to how it sounds, rather than from a written score.

play Old Harry »    Blenkiron and I have been moving in the best circles as skilled American engineers who are going to play Old Harry with the British on the Tigris. — John Buchan, "Greenmantle", 1916..

play on words »    A pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.

play one against another »    To manipulate two persons into competing against one another in a way that benefits the person carrying out the manipulation.

play one's cards right »    To act sensibly; to make the right moves.

play possum »    To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lay low.

play the race card »    Mark Fuhrman, Murder in Brentwood p.153.

play the race card »    To assert that race or racism is responsible for a course of events, especially when race is not of particular significance to the issue in question; to attempt to inspire a particular reaction by raising the issue of race.

play to the gallery »    To appeal to the least sophisticated parts of an audience in order to obtain maximum approval.

plead the fifth »    To invoke the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves.

plead the fifth »    To refuse to answer a question, or refuse to speak, especially when the response would reflect badly on the speaker.

pleased as Punch »    Pleased with one's actions or achievements.

plump up »    To shake or arrange so as to be fatter or more evenly distributed.

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.

point blank »    The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.

point of no return »    The point in an aircraft's flight when there is insufficient fuel to reverse direction and return to the place of origin.

point of no return »    The point in any journey, process, or sequence of events when it is no longer possible to reverse course or stop the process.

point out »    To identify with a bodily gesture, notably by pointing a finger or implement.

poison pen »    A usually intentionally rude, spiteful, and/or condescending piece of writing directed at a person, group, lifestyle, way of thought, or other target.

poison tree bears poison fruit »    Unethical actions in the service of good intentions will have immoral or unethical consequences.

polo shirt »    garment

pop off »    To die suddenly.

pop off »    To release flatulence, in most cases, in short rapid succession.

pop the cherry »    To break the hymen; to lose one's virginity.

pop up »    appear suddenly

pope's nose »    The tail end piece of a cooked chicken.

pore over »    To examine something carefully and attentively.

possession is nine-tenths of the law »    One who has possession of a thing has some right to it; a popular statement of the doctrine of adverse possession.

poster child »    One who is a prototypical or quintessential example of something.

pot calling the kettle black »    A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.

potter about »    To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.

potter around »    To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.

pound sand »    To engage in a futile activity.

pound the pavement »    To campaign diligently; to seek something, such as business, employment, or answers.

pound the pavement »    To travel on foot; to walk or run.

pour oil on troubled waters »    To calm something or someone who is tenacious or misbehaving.

power behind the throne »    Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.

power chord »    A chord or combination of notes used in rock music and typically selected to sound good at high volume and high levels of distortion. Power chords make extensive use of intervals such as open fourths and fifths.

power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely »    The corrupting influence of power is total when one's power is total.Lord Acton see: Wikiquote

powers that be »    The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially as seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.

practice makes perfect »    If one practices an activity enough, one will eventually master it.

prawn cocktail offensive »    A strategy of the Labour Party in winning over important people in the world of finance.

pre-war »    Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.

present day »    current

press stud »    snap fastener

pretty penny »    A considerable amount of money; a high price or a high income.

pretty pictures »    Image supplements in a presentation: graphs, charts, etc.

prevention is better than cure »    it is better to prevent the creation of a bad thing, than to destroy it.

price on one's head »    A compensation for capturing or killing a person, especially someone guilty of a crime.

prick up one's ears »    To listen attentively.

pride comes before a fall »    A person who is extremely proud of his or her abilities will often suffer a setback or failure, because he or she tends to be overconfident and to make errors of judgment.

prime of life »    The period of one's mature life when one is at a peak of health and performance.

problem child »    Someone or something persistently difficult or vexing; a frequent source of trouble or annoyance.

prone out »    In order to be propelled shorewards by a broken wave.

pronunciamiento »    A military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. They received this designation because coups were usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void.

pronunciamiento »    A pronouncement or "declaration".

prop up the bar »    To spend time drinking alcohol at the bar in a pub.

proverbs come in pairs »    Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.1979, Irving Howe, John Hollander, David Bromwich, Literature as Experience: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ISBN 0155511130, page 325:Sometimes proverbs come in pairs, the first one providing the context, the second, the revision.

proverbs often come in pairs »    Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.

puddle jumper »    A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports.

pulcher »    Noble, honorable, excellent.

pull a »    To emulate a behaviour generally attributed to the individual named.

pull an all-nighter »    Work diligently throughout the night.

pull apart »    To open something by pulling on various parts of it.

pull my finger »    A phrase used when playing a prank regarding flatulence, in which a mark is asked to pull the finger of the person playing the prank, who simultaneously flatulates so as to suggest a causal relationship between the pulling of the finger and the resulting expulsion of gas.

pull one's finger out »    To stop wasting time in preliminaries, and concentrate on the important task.

pull one's head in »    To withdraw as a turtle might; to discontinue support of a particular argument.

pull one's socks up »    To start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts.

pull oneself together »    To become mentally focused after a period of being unfocused.

pull oneself up by one's bootstraps »    To begin an enterprise or recover from a setback without any outside help; to succeed only on one's own effort or abilities.

pull the other one, it's got bells on »    The implication is that one leg has been pulled, and the joker will have more fun with the other one due to the bells.

pump iron »    To lift weights; to engage in weight or strength training.

pump up »    To excite a person or group to a frenzy.

punch bowl waterfall »    A plunging waterfall descending from a narrow stream into a pool.

punch in »    To enter a workplace by punching a time card.

push one's luck »    To take an excessive risk or to attempt some task unlikely to succeed, especially after having already been unexpectedly lucky.

push the boat out »    To do something, especially spend money, more extravagantly than usual, particularly for a celebration.

push the envelope »    To go beyond established limits; to pioneer.

put a damper on »    To stop people from enjoying an activity.

put an end to »    To terminate or abolish something.

put aside »    To ignore or intentionally forget something, temporarily or permanently, so that more important things can have one's attention.

put away »    To send someone to prison.

put back »    To postpone an arranged event or appointment.

put by »    To perform an action without attracting attention.

put by »    To run a ship aground intentionally to avoid a collision.

put down »    To halt, eliminate, stop, or squelch, often by force.

put off »    To offend, repulse, or frighten.

put on »    To don clothing or equipment.

put on »    To record, to add to a record or document.

put on the dog »    To dress up; to put on airs; to make a show of wealth and/or importance; to be pretentious.

put one foot in front of the other »    To walk, decomposed to stress the fundamentality of the task.

put one's back into »    To make a strenuous effort to do something.

put one's foot in it »    To make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing, or offensive.

put one's money where one's mouth is »    More generally, to take an obvious stake in the truth of a claim that one is making.

put oneself in someone's shoes »    To try to look at a situation from a different point of view; as if one were the other person. To empathise.

put out »    The statistic of the number of outs a defensive player directly caused.

put someone in mind of »    To remind someone of; to inspire a mental image or awareness of; to cause thoughts concerning.

put the boot in »    To kick a fallen opponent.

put the boot in »    To kick someone when they are down.

put the cat among the pigeons »    Professor Stephen Hawking put the cat among the pigeons last week with his cheery remarks about comet Machholz-2, which some astronomers believe could be heading our way. — The Times, 19 September 1994.

put the pedal to the metal »    To press the gas pedal to the maximum extent.

put the wind up »    To frighten or disturb.

put to the test »    To test something or someone; to evaluate, scrutinize or explore by testing or experimentation.

put up »    To present, especially in "put up a fight".

put words in somebody's mouth »    To attribute to somebody something he or she did not say; to claim inaccurately that somebody said or intended something.

quake in one's boots »    To be frightened, scared, or nervous.

quantum mechanics »    The branch of physics which studies matter and energy at the level of atoms and other elementary particles, and substitutes probabilistic mechanisms for classical Newtonian ones.

quarter of »    "I need twenty minutes to get to the shop." "You'll be late. It's already a quarter of.".

quarter of »    Fifteen minutes before the next hour.

quarter past »    Fifteen minutes past any hour.

queer fish »    An odd or eccentric person.

question mark »    The punctuation mark “?”, used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question..

quick on the uptake »    Able to readily understand things; intelligent.

quiet down »    To reduce intensity of an activity.

quieten down »    To become quieter.

quieten down »    To reduce intensity of an activity.

quieten down »    To make someone or something become quieter.

quote unquote »    Emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony, as used almost exclusively in spoken language.

rabble rouser »    Someone or something that tends to inspire mobs; something controversial or provocative.

rag bagger »    A sailboat, usually a cruising sailboats which tend to carry and store lots of supplies along the deck, or any sailboat that looks like a neglected vessel, or messy vessel.

rag bagger »    A sailor who tends to sail on messy cruising vessels.

rag the puck »    To retain possession of the puck by skillful skating and stickhandling without attempting to score, as a deliberate tactic intended to use up time.

rag-chewing »    A phrase used by morse code operators for a longer than usual conversation, generally a conversation extending about 30 minutes.

rain cheque »    Any postponement, especially of an offer.

rainy day »    A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.

raise a stink »    To complain; to demand attention or remedy for a problem.

raise the flag and see who salutes »    It generates, usually as a preliminary step.

raise the spectre »    To cause concern that something unfortunate might happen.

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.

rake »    A lot, plenty.

rake »    The direction of slip during fault movement. The rake is measured within the fault plane.

rake »    The sloped edge of a roof at or adjacent to the first or last rafter.

rat run »    A small road that people venture down when they want to sneak off the motorway and take a short cut.

rat running »    Present participle of rat run.

rattle someone's cage »    To demand attention; to nag, nudge, or remind.

reach an early grave »    To be sentenced to death before the age of 18.

read between the lines »    To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.

real deal »    A thing or person which is genuine, authentic, or worthy of serious regard.

real job »    A job which requires the employee to, work regular hours for a consistent wage that often exceeds the provisions of applicable minimum wage legislation. A job that produces a living wage.

real Macoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McCoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McKoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real men don't eat quiche »    (aphorism, humorous) The stereotypical man does not do things that are considered effeminate, as to do so would imply they are effeminate.

reality check »    A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.

reap what one sows »    To receive as a reward or harvest in the same measure as one's exertions, in a good or a bad sense. To receive justice.

rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic »    To do something pointless or insignificant that will soon be overtaken by events, or that contributes nothing to the solution of a current problem.

rebound relationship »    A relationship proceeding a longterm relationship, usually short in duration and used to help mend the "broken heart".

reckon on »    To count on or depend on.

reckon upon »    To count upon or depend upon.

red face test »    A hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.

red herring »    A clue that is misleading or that has been falsified, intended to divert attention.

red hot »    to be keen; he is the favourite to win

red light »    Denial to proceed. Ruling out of any possibility.

red mist »    Anger sufficient to cloud judgement, to stop clear thinking.

red state »    A state of the United States voting Republican in a given election, or tending to vote Republican in general.

rediscover fire »    To relearn fundamental concepts, principles or practices that had been previously well known and widely practiced at a prior time in human society.

redolent »    Fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent.

redolent »    Having the smell of.

redolent »    Suggestive or reminiscent.

reinvent the wheel »    To redo work unnecessarily when it has already been done satisfactorily; to rethink an already working system, technique, etc. in a pointless attempt to improve it.

rely on »    To be confident in.

rely on »    To be dependent upon.

remains to be seen »    Is not yet known.

rest his soul »    Used parenthetically to mark the referent as being deceased.

rev up »    To increase the speed of an engine, especially that of a stationary motor car.

revenge is a dish best served cold »    An expression that emotional detachment is ideal when taking revenge, as one is righting the wrongs that have been done to the doer.

rhyme or reason »    Logic. Common sense.

ridden hard and put away wet »    Mistreated; not properly cared for.

ride shotgun »    To ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.

right back »    Used in several informal constructions to indicate return -- especially imminent return to a point of origin.

right on »    An expression of enthusiasm or encouragement.

ring around »    To call a number of people by phone, usually a circle of friends, to organise something.

ring out »    To make a phone call from an internal phone system to a general telephone network number.

ring round »    To call a number of people by phone, usually a circle of friends, to organise something.

ring up »    To enter a payment into a cash register, or till in a shop.

ringside seat »    Any vantage point providing an excellent view.

rivet counter »    A person who has an obsession with the minutae of their particular interest. Anyone preoccupied with small distinguishing features between different items.

road apple »    Horse manure, especially when deposited on a road.

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.

road to Damascus »    That was my Road to Damascus moment. They played one hit after another and this is the song I remember most clearly.

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.

rock the boat »    To disturb the status quo or go against rules or conventions, as in an effort to get attention.

rock up »    To work one's way vertically up a chimney or cleft using a rocking movement.

rocket science »    Anything overly complex, detailed or confusing.

rocket science »    The science or study of rockets and their design.

rocket scientist »    One specializing in the science or study of rockets and their design.

rocket scientist »    Someone qualified to understand or handle that which is overly complex, detailed or confusing; a genius.

rocking horse shit »    A metaphor for something exceedingly rare or, more likely, nonexistent.

roll down the windows »    To flail one's arms in a circular motion when off-balance, as to mimic the act of rolling down a car window.

roll out the red carpet »    To extend the utmost hospitality; to treat someone as an honored guest; to welcome or host, especially in a showy or extravagant manner.

rolling pin »    kitchen utensil

root cause »    An initiating cause of a chain of events which leads to an outcome or effect of interest.

rose-colored glasses »    An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.

roses are red »    The start of a generic poem about love.

rough and ready »    Crude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.

rough around the edges »    In need of refinement; unsophisticated.

rough up »    To make rough, to roughen.

round of applause »    An outburst of clapping among a group or audience. Often asked for by the Master of Ceremonies at a concert or other performance.

round the bend »    Crazy, mad or insane.

rub it in »    To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.

rub up against »    Of pets. To touch a person's body in a friendly manner, seeking attention.

rubber-chicken dinner »    A formal dinner or event thrown by politicians to raise funds.

ruffle some feathers »    To disturb; to arouse resentment, anger, or concern.

rule of thumb »    A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.

rule with an iron fist »    To rule with absolute authority or to the detriment of the people. To rule tyrannically.

rules are made to be broken »    it is acceptable to break rules.

rules OK »    To be popularly accepted, or supported by the general majority of people.

rum go »    An odd affair; a surprising event; a confusing experience; a queer thing.

rumor campaign »    A method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are deliberately spread concerning a person or other target, while the source of the rumors tries to avoid detection.

run a mile »    To escape, flee or leave a situation or relationship, usually as a result of a shocking or sudden announcement or revelation.

run about »    To be very busy doing many different things.

run afoul of »    To become entangled in; to run aground on.

run afoul of »    To contravene.

run around »    To be very busy doing many different things.

run around after »    To spend a lot of time doing things for another person or group of people. Often used when that person could reasonably do the things for themselves.

run around with »    To spend a lot of time with a person or group of people. Often used to talk about a person's group of friends that one does not like much.

run away »    To leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.

run away with »    To leave secretly with another person. Usually with the intention of getting married or of living together against the wishes of the family.

run down »    To criticize someone or an organisation, often unfairly.

run down »    To reduce the size or stock levels of a business, often with a view to closure.

run for one's money »    A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.

run for the roses »    A hard-fought competition or demanding challenge of any kind.

run for the roses »    Nickname for the Kentucky Derby horse race.

run hot and cold »    To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.

run in »    argument

run into »    To enter by running.

run into »    To blend into; to be followed by or adjacent to without there being a clear boundary.

run into »    To cause to blend into.

run off »    To operate by a particular energy source.

run off with »    To leave with someone with the intention of living with them or marrying them. Usually in secret because other people think it is wrong.

run on »    To operate with a particular energy source.

run on fumes »    By extension, to operate with few resources or little money.

run out of steam »    To run out of energy; to run out of motivation.

run out on »    To leave a partner suddenly and without prior warning.

run something by »    To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of someone in order to obtain their opinion.

run something past »    To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of someone in order to obtain their opinion.

run the gamut »    To encompass the full range or variety possible.

run up against »    Begin to encounter problems with someone or something.

running on empty »    Losing enthusiasm or willingness, lacking energy.

rush hour »    The times of the day when traffic jams are commonplace, due mainly to people commuting to or from work.

sabre-rattling »    Any threat, such as one company threatening another with a lawsuit.

safety pin »    fastener

sainted »    Simple past tense and past participle of saint.

salad years »    The inexperienced, youthful prime of an individual, group, organization or entity.

same difference »    It makes no difference; it amounts to the same thing.

same old story »    What usually happens, a happening which is not surprising.

save face »    To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour.

scare out of one's wits »    To frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

scared to death »    Extremely frightened.

school of hard knocks »    An education consisting of real-world experiences, especially harsh experiences.

scissorbill »    And railroad term for someone who refused to join the union or who openly colluded with management to thwart the union.

scratch that »    To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.

scream »    An entertaingly outrageous person.

scream »    Used as an intensifier.

screen out »    To use a screen, grate, sieve or similar means to separate large from small objects or particles.

screen out »    Figuratively, to exclude.

screen test »    movie audition

screw it »    "I don't care enough to continue"; whatever.

screw this »    "I don't care enough to continue"; "This is too stressful for me"; whatever.

scrimp and save »    To scrimp greatly; to economize; to live very frugally, particularly when saving for something.

scrounge up »    To seek or find despite a lack of apparent resources or availability.

sea legs »    The ability, when walking aboard ship, to anticipate the motion of the deck so as to walk steadily without losing balance.

seagull approach »    The occurence of casual, ill-informed and hasty decisions or comments made by outside authorities who lack an understanding of the local issues or a real understanding of the facts of a particular situ.

seagull manager »    A manager who comes into the workplace or office only on occasion, especially when a problem arises or to criticize or critique employees.

second childhood »    A childlike state in any adult, resulting from mental illness, trauma, or other conditions.

second childhood »    The period or state of cognitive decline of an elderly person, characterized by childlike judgment and behavior.

secret agent »    spy

see a man »    To take one's leave for some urgent purpose, especially to go to the bathroom.

see someone's point »    To comprehend the meaning that someone is trying to convey.

see something through »    To fulfill a commitment.

see the forest for the trees »    To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the bigger picture, or the broader, more general situation. Generally used in the negative.

see the light »    To gain an understanding of something previously not understood, especially in a sudden insight.

see you later »    A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.

seeing is believing »    You need to see something to believe it; visible facts cannot be denied.

seize the day »    To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.

seize the day »    To make the most of today by achieving fulfillment in a philosophical or spiritual sense.

sell »    To pretend that an opponent's blows or maneuvers are causing legitimate injury; to act.

sell »    To promote a particular viewpoint; to manipulate towards a desired end.

sell a bargain »    A species of wit, much in vogue about the latter end of the reign of Queen Anne, and frequently alluded to by Dean Swift, who says the maids of honour often amused themselves with it. It consisted in the seller naming his or her hinder parts, in answer to the question, What? which the buyer was artfully led to ask. As a specimen, take the following instance: A lady would come into a room full of company, apparently frightened, crying out "It is white, and follows me!" As soon as someone responded "What?" she sold him the bargain, by saying "Mine arse".

send away »    To dismiss from one's presence.

send away »    To send to a particular place for a long time, as a family member, an employee, etc.

send away for »    To write to a business or other organisation, requesting a thing.

send somebody packing »    To expel or eject somebody; to chase off or force out.

send to Coventry »    To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone.

send up »    To be put in prison.

send up »    To imitate someone or something for the purpose of satirical humour.

send up »    To make prices or temperatures etc. rise.

send up »    parody

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.

sent to Coventry »    Ostracised, ignored.

serpentine »    Having the shape or form of a snake.

serpentine »    Of, or having attributes associated with, the mythological serpent, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.

serpentine »    Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.

serpentine »    Sinuous; curving in alternate directions.

serve somebody right »    To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.

set for life »    Possessing sufficient resources, especially financial, to last a lifetime.

set in one's ways »    Driven by habit; inclined or determined to continue according to one's custom or established preferences.

set in stone »    Permanent; certain; firm.

set of pipes »    A wind instrument incorporating multiple pipes, such as a panpipe or bagpipe.

set one's cap at »    . Or, more generally, to choose something as a goal.

settle for »    To accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.

sex up »    To enhance in terms of fashionable appeal.

sex up »    To make more palatable or acceptable to the general public; to improve the image or perception.

sexual congress »    Loose translation of the title of Aristophanes' play Ecclesiazousae, more literally translated as Assemblywomen.

sexual enjoyment »    Sexual intercourse that produces physical and psychological pleasure.

sexual relation »    Behaviour of a sexual nature between one or more individuals.

sexual tension »    Physically induced libidinal unrest arising between two individuals when aware of each other's presence.

shacked up »    Simple past tense and past participle of shack up.

shake the pagoda tree »    To find a source of easy enrichment; to become absurdly rich in a short time.

sharp as a tack »    Very intelligent.

sharp cookie »    One who is intelligent, bright, or sharp; especially, one who can identify attempts to deceive or mislead.

shit happens »    Bad things happen, and there is nothing we can do about it.

shit one's pants »    To be extremely frightened.

shit or get off the pot »    To choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.

shit-eating grin »    A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.

shitstorm »    A violent situation.

Shittin in high cotton »    Living well, often above one's means

shoo-in »    A candidate or contestant generally agreed upon as the presumptive winner; somebody who is well-liked or widely agreed upon.

shoot first and ask questions later »    To take action with serious consequences without delay, preserving the benefit of surprise by not providing indication of one's intent.

shoot off at the mouth »    Don't let [presidential press secretary Ron] Ziegler shoot off at the mouth without our knowledge.

shoot one's mouth off »    To make reckless or exaggerated statements.

shoot oneself in the foot »    To deliberately sabotage an activity in order to avoid obligation, though it causes personal suffering. Origins in first world war trench warfare.

shoot the boots »    To kick swiftly and violently, especially in the groin.

shoot the breeze »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

shoot the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

shoot the moon »    To attain great heights, a high value, or a numerically high measurement.

shore up »    To strengthen, reinforce, or consolidate.

short of »    Insufficiently equipped with.

short of a length »    Of a ball that pitches short of a good length; a ball that bounces closer to the bowler than the area of the pitch regarded as the best for dismissing or restricting the scoring of the batsman.

short strokes »    Bare essentials.

short strokes »    The final steps of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.

shot in the dark »    A guess, attempt, or choice made with little or no evidence or knowledge.

shotgun »    A play formation in which the quarterback is a few feet behind the snapper when the ball is hiked, ideally allowing for an easier pass play.

shotgun »    The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver.

shotgun shack »    A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.

show off »    To exhibit; to demonstrate one's skill, talent, etc. for its own sake.

show one's true colors »    To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed.

show the flag »    Of a naval vessel or military force, to identify itself by displaying the flag of its country of origin, especially in order to establish an authoritative presence and to exert diplomatic or political influence.

show the flag »    To represent one's country or some other group in a manner intended to suggest the authority or importance of that country or group.

show up »    To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

show up »    To outperform or one-up, often in an arrogant manner.

showstopper »    A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive reaction strong enough to pause the production.

showstopper »    Any impediment that prevents all further progress.

shroud »    A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt.

shroud »    That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.

shrouded »    Concealed or hidden from sight, as if by a shroud.

shrug off »    To ignore or disregard; to be indifferent.

shuffle »    To get lost in the shuffle: to lack attention when you deserve it.

shut down »    To close, terminate, or end.

shut the hell up »    Shut up intensified by "the hell".

shy bladder »    An inability to urinate in the presence of others.

sick joke »    A joke which is in poor taste, especially one which depicts as amusing a situation which the listener considers to be tragic or disgusting.

sight unseen »    Not having seen the object beforehand.

sign in »    To sign one's name on a list when entering somewhere.

sign on »    The time of day when a radio or television station begins broadcasting, usually after being off the air for several hours.

sign on the dotted line »    To formalize an agreement.

silence is golden »    Peace and quiet have immense value.Often the best choice is to say nothing.

silver bullet »    A bullet made of silver, usually with reference to the folkloric belief that such bullets are the only weapons which can kill a werewolf.

silver bullet »    Any straightforward solution perceived to have great effectiveness or bring miraculous results.

silver screen »    By extension, the movies or that related to movies or cinema.

silver screen »    The cinema screen onto which movies are projected.

silver-tongue »    The trait of being clever at speaking, often in a deceitful way.

silver-tongued »    Eloquent and articulate.

simmer down »    To decrease in intensity of anger, agitation, or excitement.

since when »    From what time.

since when »    Used to indicate doubt as to the veracity of a statement.

sing along »    A gathering or event where participants are encouraged to add their voices in song.

sing from the same hymnbook »    To make the same or similar statements, especially to express the same opinions in public as a result of a prior agreement.

sing the praises of »    To commend someone's attributes to others.

singing from the same hymnbook »    Present participle of sing from the same hymnbook.

sink one's teeth into »    To become involved in; particularly in an enthusiastic manner.

sit in »    To attend something for one time, as a visitor.

sit on the fence »    To remain neutral on a certain topic, to not have a stance or opinion.

sit through »    To unwillingly stay seated until the end of an event.

sit tight »    To wait patiently.

six of one, half a dozen of the other »    The two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent; it doesn't matter which one we choose.

sixth former »    senior pupil

size up »    To evaluate; to estimate or anticipate the magnitude, difficulty, or strength of something.

skate on thin ice »    In a risky, potentially dangerous or delicate situation.

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.

skip out »    To shirk; to avoid attending or to leave early, especially without permission.

skip rope »    To jump over a rope, both of whose ends are held by the jumper or by two others, while the rope is moved under the jumper's feet in a continual rhythm; to play the game of jump rope or exercise by jumping rope.

skirt chaser »    A man with amorous intentions who habitually seeks out female companionship.

slam dunk »    A task expected to present no difficulty.

slanging match »    A row; an argument in which names are called.

slap on the wrist »    A mild or too-mild punishment; a reprimand.

sleeves from one's vest »    Something non-existent; something of no value or cost.

slim chance »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

slip of the pen »    A mistake in handwriting.

slip someone's mind »    To be forgotten; to escape one's memory.

slip through the cracks »    To escape notice or lack sufficient attention.

slippery slope »    A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.

slippery slope »    A logical argument that follows a chain of events or causes and effects to some conclusion.

slob »    A lazy and slovenly person.

slop bowl »    One of the four components of the traditional tea set. Tea drinkers emptied their unwanted, cold tea into the slop bowl before refilling their cups with fresh, hot tea.

small arms »    Firearms designed to be carried and fired by a single person; often held in the hand.

small fry »    One or more children.

small fry »    One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

small potatoes »    One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

smallpox blanket »    An apparently benevolent offering whose real intent is to disrupt, destabilize or weaken.

smart arse »    One who is particularly flippant or insolent or tends to make snide remarks or jokes.

smash hit »    Something that is tremendously popular or successful.

smell a rat »    To sense something suspicious.

smell test »    An assessment of a subject's ability to detect and distinguish odors.

smell test »    An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

smell test »    An inspection of an object using the sense of smell, as for freshness of food.

smell the barn »    To experience heightened anticipation or to act with renewed speed or energy as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome, like a livestock animal at day's end returning to its barn.

smoke and mirrors »    A deceptive, fraudulent, or unconvincing explanation or description.

smoke like a chimney »    To smoke tobacco frequently.

smoke signal »    A method of long-distance communication sometimes used in ancient and undeveloped societies, consisting of messages conveyed by means of columns or intermittent puffs of smoke.

smoke signal »    An indirect message or indication, especially concerning a future event.

smoking gun »    Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.

smooth operator »    A person who accomplishes tasks with efficiency and grace, especially one with verbal skills who is persuasive in interpersonal relationships, negotiation, etc.

snake oil »    A fraudulent, ineffective potion or nostrum; panacea.

snake oil »    A type of 19th century patent medicine sold in the United States that claimed to contain snake fat, supposedly a Native American remedy for various ailments.

snap someone's head off »    To suddenly and sharply rebuke or insult a person, especially in response to a harmless remark.

sneak off »    To leave a place, or a meeting, without being seen or heard.

sneak up »    To approach a person or animal without being seen or heard.

sneak up on »    To approach a person or animal without being seen or heard.

sneck posset »    A fastened latch.

sniff out »    To find something using the sense of smell.

sniff out »    To find, especially to find something that cannot be seen.

sniff test »    An informal reality check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

snipe hunt »    A prank in which a gullible victim is sent off on a fruitless search for a nonexistent item.

snowball's chance in hell »    Little or no likelihood of occurrence or success.

so far so good »    Up to this point, all is OK.Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good, now let's get to Minorca without any troubles.

so long as »    Depending upon some condition or requirement; provided that; if, assuming; as long as.

so much as »    Even; suggests a minimum, especially regarding what might be expected.

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.

so there »    A defiant expression used to finish a poorly-made argument.

so-and-so »    A placeholder name, used when a name is not known; a generic name.

so-and-so »    Anything generic.

soapbox »    A crate for packing soap, or, by extension, any inexpensive crude platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it, especially when used for speeches.

soapbox »    Especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.

social death »    The alienation of certain people from society to the point of being forgotten, excluded, or ignored in society.

socialized medicine »    An umbrella term for any system of government-run health care.

soft shoe »    A speech, explanation, sales pitch, or other set of remarks delivered in a restrained or conciliatory manner in order to persuade, distract, or otherwise influence someone.

soft spot »    A point of vulnerability in a defence.

soft spot »    A sentimental fondness or affection.

softroader »    . This involves increased ground clearance with tyre, wheel, and suspension tweaks, skid plates and refers to mini SUV or wagons.

some people »    Expresses disgust at the actions of a person; a response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.

something awful »    Intensely or extremely; badly; in the worst way.

somewhere along the line »    At some unspecified time; eventually or once; at some point.

sort out »    To clarify by reviewing mentally.

sort out »    To separate from the remainder of a group; often construed with from.

sound as a bell »    In excellent condition.

sound asleep »    Sleeping still and silently.

soup-to-nuts »    Comprehensive; complete; covering all of something.

sow one's wild oats »    To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior, particularly sexually; Often used in reference to young adults or to the recently divorced.

sow one's wild oats »    To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females.

sow the wind, reap the whirlwind »    Every decision has consequences; a person's actions will come back to him.

space out »    To stupefy, intoxicate, disorient, or lose attention or focus, especially by the use of drugs.

space out »    To plant seedlings etc at regular intervals with a calculated space between them.

spanner »    A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.

spare the rod and spoil the child »    If one does not discipline a child, he or she will never learn obedience and good manners.

spare tire »    An extra wheel or tire carried as a replacement in case of a flat.

spark spread »    The difference between the cost of the fuel required to produce a unit of electricity, and the price of that same unit of electricity.

speak for oneself »    Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.

speak of the devil »    An expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.

speak to »    To give evidence regarding something; to attest for.

spell out »    From its component letters.

spend a penny »    To use the toilet.

spice up »    To enhance the flavor of something by adding spice to it.

spill one's guts »    To confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.

spill one's seed »    To masturbate or to ejaculate when the penis has been withdrawn from one's partner.

spill over »    To enter into another zone by way of accident or overcrowding; to overflow.

spin a yarn »    To tell or create a story, especially one which is lengthy or far-fetched.

spit it out »    To overcome reluctance to say something particular or to speak in general.

spit-and-polish »    Paying much attention to outward appearance.

spring fever »    A feeling of invigoration and restlessness associated with the arrival of the warm weather and renewal of nature in the spring season.

spring in one's step »    Enthusiasm, energy or a positive outlook or cheerful attitude.

spring to mind »    To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.

spruce up »    To refresh, revamp; to freshen or improve something, especially its appearance.

spur of the moment »    Impluse; short notice; a lack of planning.

squaring the circle »    The historical problem of how to construct, using compass and ruler, a square having the same area as a given circle.

squeaky wheel gets the grease »    The person who complains or speaks up most loudly receives the redress or attention which he or she seeks.

staircase wit »    Thinking of an idea or course of action too late to use it effectively, or the tendency to do so.

stamp duty »    tax on documents

stand by »    To wait in expectation of some event; to make ready.

stand for »    To mean; to symbolize; to represent.

stand off »    To prevent any would-be attacker from coming close by adopting an offensive posture.

stand on end »    To stand erect, bristle, especially from fear.

stand on its own »    To be independent of others.

stand on one's own two feet »    To be independent. To survive without any help.

stand stock still »    Paul Travers' Adventures, by Sam T. Clover.

stand to reason »    To make sense; to seem logical, reasonable, or rational.

stand up against »    To defy or challenge someone.

standard fare »    Menu items or dining options which are regularly available in a restaurant or other place where food is served.

standard fare »    Something which is normal, routine, or unexceptional; something which is commonly provided or encountered.

stars in one's eyes »    The state of being overly or extremely impressed with something; enchanted with romance.

start up »    To rise suddenly.

stave off »    To prevent something from happening; to obviate or avert.

steal somebody's thunder »    To detract from somebody's accomplishments or glory; to undermine.

step on a rake »    To step on the tines of a garden rake, causing the handle of the rake to rise from the ground rapidly, invariably striking the person walking in the face.

step out »    To exit a place on foot, often for a short time.

stew in one's juices »    To be alone and self-absorbed in an uncomfortable state of mind, especially while experiencing the unpleasant effects of one's own actions.

stick in the mud »    A person unwilling to participate in activities, often because he or she believes the activity is not wholly kosher; a party pooper.

stick in the mud »    More generally, one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive; an old fogey.

stick it to the man »    To take some action intended to defy a source of oppression such as globalization, commercialization, big business or government.

stick out »    To protrude; to extend beyond.

stick out »    To be prominent, noticeable, or obtrusive.

stick up for »    To defend or protect.

stickhandle »    To deal capably and swiftly with a situation, especially in a manner which deflects potential problems.

stickhandle »    To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.

sticking point »    A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.

sticking point »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking-place.

sticking-place »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking point.

sticks and stones »    Evocative of the saying "sticks and stones may (or will) break my bones, but words (or names) will never hurt (or harm) me".1957, Brendan Gill, The Day the Money Stopped

stir-crazy »    By extension, restless, uncomfortable, or impatient due to inactivity.

stir-crazy »    Of a prisoner, mentally unbalanced due to prolonged incarceration.

stock phrase »    A phrase frequently or habitually used by a person or group, and thus associated with them.

stone's throw »    A short distance, roughly equivalent to how far a person can throw a stone.

stop and smell the roses »    To relax; to take time out and enjoy or appreciate life.

stop dead »    To stop suddenly.

stop on a dime »    To stop dead; stop suddenly.

stop press »    The event or news article important enough to delay or interrupt the print, or require a reprint, of a publication, particularly of a newspaper edition.

stop someone in his tracks »    To prevent someone from continuing along a path or way, literal or figurative, he has begun going along.

stop the presses »    An imperative form used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.

stop up »    To fill a hole or cavity, or block an opening or passage, as with a plug.

stop up »    To increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.

straight man »    A member of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in preparatory dialog with the principal comedian; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy.

straight out of the chute »    Something done immediately, or "from the beginning". Taken from rodeo routine: the bucking bronco, or bull, or the calf for the calf-roping contest is kept in a narrow pen, a chute, until it is released and dashes out to its fate.

straighten out »    To make straight.

straighten out »    To correct or rectify.

straighten out »    To eliminate confusion from or concerning.

straighten out »    To correct; to stop doing something wrong.

streak of good luck »    A series of lucky events.

stretch out »    To lie fully extended.

stretch out »    To fully extend a part of the body.

stretch the truth »    To exaggerate, often to the point where the truth is obscured or lost.

strike through »    Partly obliterate text by drawing a continuous line through the centre thereof, usually to indicate the deletion of an error or obsolete information.

string up »    To suspend by means of rope, cord or similar material.

strip down »    To remove inessentials from.

strut one's stuff »    To behave, or to perform in a showy or ostentatious manner, especially in a way to impress others; to show off.

stuffed like a turkey »    Engorged from overeating.

stumbing-block »    A hindrance, obstacle or impediment.

stumble across »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumble on »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumble upon »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumbling block »    A hindrance, obstacle or impediment.

stump up »    To pay for something. Often indicating reluctance to pay.

stupid is as stupid does »    A person's intelligence may be judged by the wisdom of his or her actions.

such as »    Like, of the kind mentioned.

such-and-such »    A placeholder or generic thing.

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.

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.

suck up »    To adulate or flatter somebody excessively, generally to obtain some personal benefit or favour.

suffer fools gladly »    To be tolerant of stupidity or incompetence in other people.

sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof »    No need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.

sugarcoated »    Made superficially more attractive. This often implies the reality has faults that are being hidden.

summer and winter »    Endured.

summer and winter »    To spend extended periods of time with; to test.

sure enough »    Just like one would expect.

sure of oneself »    Self-confident.

surprise surprise »    An indication that the unsurprising happened, especially contrary to someone's hopes or assertions.

swallow up »    To completely enclose or envelop.

swan song »    A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

sweet hereafter »    Heaven; paradise as enjoyed in the afterlife.

sweeten the pot »    To increase a wager.

sweeten the pot »    To make something more desirable.

sweetheart deal »    A transaction, contract, or other agreement in which one party provides particularly favorable terms to the other, especially in suspicious circumstances.

swing for the fences »    To act in a way that might generate a very good result, but which also has a large chance of failing.

swing for the fences »    To swing at the ball as hard as possible, with the aim of getting a home run, increasing the chance of missing the ball.

swing state »    A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally; a purple state.

swing the lead »    To pretend to be unwell so that you do not have to work.

switch off »    To alternate between; to trade.

switch on »    To turn a switch to the "on" position in order to start or enable a device.

sword and sandal »    Of or pertaining to a genre of books or films relating fantasy-adventure tales involving heroic exploits in ancient or biblical times.

sword and sorcery »    Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines wizardry and other fantastical supernatural elements with violent combat using medieval weaponry..

tail between one's legs »    A reaction to a confrontation, specifically one with excessive shame and hurt pride.

take a bath »    To lose a large amount of money in an investment.

take a bow »    To accept applause at the end of a performance in a theatre. Often this includes actually bowing to the audience.

take a bullet »    To purposely receive a gunshot that was intended for another.

take a dive »    To feign a knockout in order to lose intentionally.

take a dive »    To lose or fail intentionally.

take a joke »    To accept a joke at one's expense.

take a powder »    To leave in a hurry; run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.

take a stand »    To assert an opinion or viewpoint; to defend one's point of view or beliefs.

take aback »    Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly.

take against »    To stop liking someone. Become unfriendly.

take against »    He took against me when I was promoted over him.

take apart »    To dismantle something into it's component pieces.

take away »    To remove something and put it in a different place.

take away »    To make someone leave a place and go somewhere else. Usually not with the person's consent.

take away »    To prevent, or limit, someone from being somewhere, or from doing something.

take back »    To retract an earlier statement.

take back »    To cause to remember some past event or time.

take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves »    If you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ?used to say?Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.1999,

take exception »    To take offense; to object or protest.

take exception to »    Express offense at; to.

take for granted »    To give little attention to or to underestimate the value of, to fail to appreciate.

take in »    To shorten or make it smaller.

take in »    To absorb or comprehend.

take into account »    Or pay attention to; to notice.

take it or leave it »    It is said when a situation has to be accepted without change.

take leave of one's senses »    To go crazy; to stop behaving rationally.

take lying down »    To endure without complaint or protest.

take off »    To imitate, often in a satirical manner.

take off »    To leave the ground and begin flight; to ascend into the air.

take off »    To absent oneself from work or other responsibility, especially with permission.

take one's eye off the ball »    To lose one's concentration on what is most important.

take one's lumps »    To endure through criticism or other adversity.

take out of context »    To interpret something in a manner in which it was not intended to be understood, often deliberately.

take sides »    To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.

take someone's point »    To agree with what a person says; to understand a person's argument and be persuaded by it.

take someone's point »    To grasp the essential meaning of what a person is saying.

take the fifth »    To decline to comment, especially on grounds that it might be incriminating.

take the heat »    To take the blame; to be the focus of anger or scrutiny; to take the consequences.

take the offensive »    To attack instead of defending; to be bold and proactive.

take the plunge »    To get engaged.

take things as they come »    To accept and deal with events as they occur, with a composed state of mind.

take to »    To enter; to go into or move towards.

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.

take up the cudgel for »    To make a defense for in lieu of another person.

take up the gauntlet »    To accept a challenge.

take up with »    To be contented to receive; to receive without opposition; to put up with.

take with a pinch of salt »    Not take entirely seriously.

taking upon oneself »    venturing

talk a blue streak »    To talk for a long time, at great length, or to the point of tedium.

talk back »    To reply impertinently; to answer in a cheeky manner.

talk down »    To speak condescendingly or as though the listener is inferior.

talk is cheap »    It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.

talk like an apothecary »    To use hard or gallipot words: from the assumed gravity and affectation of knowledge generally put on by the gentlemen of this profession, who are commonly as superficial in their learning as they are pedantic in their language.

talk out of turn »    To make a remark or provide information when it is inappropriate or indiscreet to do so, or when one does not have permission or the authority to do so.

talk somebody under the table »    With excessive talk or numerous arguments.

talk through one's hat »    To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.

tall order »    A big job; a difficult challenge.

tank top »    garment

taper off »    To diminish or lessen gradually; to become smaller, slower, quieter, etc.

teacher's pet »    A student who is perceived to be favored by the teacher.

team up with »    To associate with another in a joint enterprise.

tear away »    To remove oneself reluctantly; often expressed in the negative.

teeny weeny »    minute

tell apart »    To be able to know the difference between things; to distinguish.

tell it to Sweeney »    I do not believe what you said.

tell you the truth »    Used to positively assert the frank honesty of an associated statement of set of statements; equivalent to "to you tell the truth".

tempus fugit »    time flies (used as an alternative to this phrase)."Meanwhile, the irreplaceable time escapes", expressing concern that one's limited time is being consumed by something which may have little intrinsic substance or importance at that moment.

ten a penny »    So common as to be practically worthless.

ten foot pole »    See not touch something with a ten foot pole.

tenon saw »    hand tool

test bed »    Any venue, setup, etc. used for experimentation, testing, proving a concept, etc.

test the waters »    To explore or probe, as before making a commitment.

that does it »    Expression of annoyance or frustration; indicates that one has reached the limit of one's patience or temper.

that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

that'll be the day »    Said in reply to something that one believes will never happen.

that's just me »    Indicates the expression of a personal opinion, but often used ironically as an understatement.

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.

that's the way the ball bounces »    That is the way things happen

that's the way the cookie crumbles »    That is the way things happen; that's life.

that's the way the mop flops »    That is the way things happen.

that's what's up »    Used to express acquiescence or concurrence.

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents in the way they act and in their physical abilities.

the ball is in your court »    It is your turn to do something; often making a decision.

the beast with two backs »    Two people engaged in sexual intercourse.

the bee's knees »    Most excellent; surpassingly wonderful; cool.

the bends »    decompression sickness

the company »    Nickname for an intelligence service.

the Devil »    Used to add emphasis to a question or statement.

the die is cast »    The future is determined; there are no more options; events will proceed in an irreversible manner.

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on »    Life goes on, even if some will try to stop or talk against progress.

the end all-be all »    Something ultimate; the best part of something; the thing which solves all problems associated with something.

the end justifies the means »    Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome.

the end of one's rope »    At the limit of one’s patience, when one is so frustrated or annoyed that one can no longer take it..

the ends justify the means »    Alternative form of the end justifies the means.

the finger »    An obscene gesture, typically consisting of extending the middle finger at somebody.

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »    (vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

the grass is always greener on the other side »    Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not

the hell out of »    Used as an intensifier.

the icing on the cake »    Something wonderful at the end of something good.

the jig is up »    An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered.".

the long and short of it »    The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.

the long arm of the law »    The body of law enforcement officers.

the man »    The oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations; the system, as coordinated outside of one’s control..

the map is not the territory »    Our models of the world, and our sensations of the world, are not the true world.

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.

the other day »    Recently; lately; a few days ago.

the pen is mightier than the sword »    More influence and power can be usurped by writing than by fighting.

the plot thickens »    Used, often ironically, to describe an increasingly complex or mysterious situation.

the proof of the pudding is in the eating »    The only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for.

the rabbit died »    A statement spoken to indicate one's own pregnancy, or that someone has found out they are pregnant.

the road to hell is paved with good intentions »    well-intended acts can lead to disaster

the shoe is on the other foot »    The roles of people in a situation have been reversed, such the advantage has shifted to a party which was previously disadvantaged.

the shoemaker's children go barefoot »    One often neglects those closest to oneself.

the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak »    (proverbs) For much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible.

the straw that broke the camel's back »    A small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that renders it too much to bear; the small thing which causes failure, or causes inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.

the whole nine yards »    And everything. Often used, like etc., to finish out a list.

the whole shooting match »    Everything; the entire collection, endeavor, or activity.

the world is one's lobster »    (UK, humorous) intentional misrendering of the proverb "the world is one's oyster"

the world is one's oyster »    All opportunities are open to someone, the world is theirs.

them's the breaks »    (idiomatic) That is the way things happen; that's life.

them's the facts »    That's the truth, that's how it is; frequently used in reference to an unfortunate truth.

then again »    From another point of view; on the other hand; on second thought.

there are plenty more fish in the sea »    There are many more potential opportunities available.

there are plenty of fish in the sea »    There are many more potential opportunities available.

there are two sides to every question »    One should not make a judgement until one hears the other side.

there but for the grace of God go I »    A recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.

there is an exception to every rule »    Usually said in a situation when the rule is incorrect and unusable.

there is nothing new under the sun »    There is nothing truly novel in existence. Every new idea has some sort of precedent or echo from the past.

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace »    Even if a person is in his or her senior years, with gray hair, he or she can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual energy.

there you have it »    Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.

there's more than one way to skin a cat »    A problem generally has more than one solution.

there's no accounting for taste »    When it comes to subjective matters of taste, people have wildly different opinions.Disagreements about matters of taste can't be objectively resolved.

there's no time like the present »    Now (i.e., the present time) is an appropriate time to take a particular action.

there, there »    Conveys comfort; used to calm somebody urge somebody to relax, especially when the person is crying.

they're only after one thing »    Men are only interested in sex.

thin edge of the wedge »    Beginning; opening; precedent.

thin end of the wedge »    Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.

thin-skinned »    Overly sensitive to criticism; quick to take offence; touchy.

think of England »    To tolerate or endure bad sex. Used in conjunction with "I just lie on my back and.." "I just go through the motions and..." etc.

think tank »    A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.

think through »    To fully consider an action, and understand all its consequences.

think twice »    To reconsider, use judgement; to proceed with caution or thought.

think up »    To create in one’s mind; to invent..

third degree »    Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession.

third time's a charm »    One is sure to succeed at a task or event on the third try.

thorn in someone's side »    A persistent annoyance.

thorn in the flesh »    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay »    (archaic) One should take immediate advantage of an opportunity that may not be available later.

three-martini lunch »    A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.

through and through »    Completely; entirely; fundamentally.

throw a fit »    To become angry, enraged, or upset; to act or react with an outburst, as by shouting, swearing, etc.

throw dirt enough, and some will stick »    If enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at [1] on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say

throw down »    To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully.

throw down »    To fight, incite to fight, or approach with the intent to fight; to make a stand.

throw down »    To accomplish or produce something in a grand, respectable, or successful manner; to "represent".

throw down the gauntlet »    To issue a challenge.

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.

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

throw for a loop »    To confuse or disorient; to throw off; to mix up.

throw in at the deep end »    To introduce a person to a new situation without adequately preparing him or her.

throw money away »    To spend money foolishly or indiscriminately; to waste money without regard of the consequences.

throw one's weight around »    To exercise influence or authority especially to an excessive degree or in an objectionable manner.

throw out »    To discard; to dispense with something; to throw away.

throw out »    To dismiss or expel someone from any longer performing duty or attending somewhere.

throw shapes »    To act tough or put up a front. For example, to threaten a person by making "karate chops" at them, without actually doing harm or knowing karate.

throw smoke »    To consistently pitch fastballs that are difficult to hit.

throw the baby out with the bathwater »    To discard something valuable, often inadvertently, in the process of removing waste.

throw the book at »    To apply the harshest possible punishment to.

throwing money away »    The act of spending money foolishly; wasting money without regard of the consequences.

thus and so »    A generic thing; a placeholder name.

thus and such »    A placeholder or generic name for something.

tickle someone's fancy »    To amuse, entertain, or appeal to someone; to stimulate someone's imagination in a favorable manner.

tickle the ivories »    I don't have as much time as I'd like, but I still enjoy tickling the ivories from time to time.

tickled pink »    Simple past tense and past participle of tickle pink.

tie someone's hands »    To render one powerless to act, to thwart someone.

tie up loose ends »    To deal with the minor consequences of a previous action; to tidy up, finish, or complete.

tiger team »    A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.

tiger team »    An engineering or other group assembled to tackle especially difficult or critical problems, often outside the normal chain of command.

tight lips »    Of a person, silence or reticence.

tilt at windmills »    To attack imaginary enemies.

tilt at windmills »    To go on a wild goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.

time and material »    A form of contractual compensation involving payment for materials used and at agreed rates for the those involved in performing the services.

time and tide »    Shortened form of time and tide wait for no man

time flies »    Time seems to pass quickly. Time flies when you're having fun.

time flies when you're having fun »    Time seems to pass quicker when one is enjoying oneself.

time heals all wounds »    Negative feelings eventually erode away

time is money »    When a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.

time of the month »    The time when a woman is menstruating.

time out »    To call for a suspension of activity or conversation.

time out of mind »    A lengthy duration of time, longer than is readily remembered.

timeserver »    A device, node or program that distributes the correct time to clients in a network.

timeserver »    A person who conforms to current opinions, especially for reasons of personal advantage; an opportunist.

timing is everything »    Consideration of other events can greatly influence some desired outcome (such as an audience laughing to a comedian's joke).Telling the old joke about a butt-crack was not a good idea, just as the plumber arrived, Bob.You know what they say: "timing is everything." I'm sure we can find another plumber before the house floods.

tin ear »    Insensitivity to and inability to appreciate the elements of performed music or the rhythm, elegance, or nuances of language.

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.

tip of the hat »    A gesture of acknowledgement; often, an expression of gratitude.

tip one's hand »    In card playing, to accidentally reveal one's cards or hand.

tip one's hand »    To inadvertently reveal any secret, particularly a secret that puts one at an advantage or disadvantage.

tip one's hat »    To briefly remove or tap one's hat as a gesture of greeting, deference, or respect.

tit for tat »    Equivalent retribution, an eye for an eye, returning exactly what you get.

to a fare-thee-well »    To the greatest extent or to completion; to a state of refinement or perfection.

to a T »    Precisely; exactly; perfectly; with great attention to detail.

to all intents and purposes »    For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.

to be the cat's whiskers »    To perform better than was generally supposed possible.

to date »    Until now; until the present time.

to die for »    Very good; exquisite; excellent; particularly desirable.

to each his own »    Every person is entitled to his or her personal preferences and tastes.

to give a person line »    To allow a person more or less liberty until it is convenient to stop or check him/her, like a hooked fish that swims away with the line.

to go »    Belonging to the subgroup that have not passed or have not been finished or have not been addressed yet.

to go »    Served in a package or takeout container so as to be taken away from a restaurant rather than eaten on the premises.

to one's heart's content »    Until satisfied; as much as is wished.

to say the least »    Used to suggest that what was previously stated was an understatement.

to tell the truth »    An attestation to the truthfulness and frankness of an associated statement.

to that end »    For that reason, with that goal, intending to produce that result.

to the gills »    Entirely or extremely; to the greatest degree possible.

to the letter »    Literally, exactly, to follow the rules as they're written.

to the max »    To a great degree or extent; very.

to the max »    To the maximum possible degree or extent.

to the moon »    Used as an intensifier.

to the point »    Relevant or pertinent; succinct; specific.

to the tune of »    Roughly; about; as much as; to the sum of, to the extent of.

to the victor go the spoils »    The winner of a conflict wins additional benefits, beyond just the subject of the conflict.

to thine own self be true »    The easiest person to deceive is oneself."This above all:to thine own self be true,and it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man." -William Shakespeare

today we are all »    An expression indicating that the speaker empathizes with members of an identifiable group that was the subject of a disaster, and projects that others empathize as well.

today we are all »    August 12, 2008:, Robert Barnes, "McCain to Georgian President: "Today, We Are All Georgians"", Washington Post.

today we are all »    March 11, 2004: Denis MacShane, Guardian Unlimited.

toe the line »    To abide by the rules or conventions.

tomato tomato »    Uses insignificant pronunciation difference to dismiss a correction to one's adherence to an alternative standard.

tomorrow is another day »    Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket:Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,whether shall I flie?Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,while she passeth by.Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,remember, remember,to morrow is another day:1896, Amelia E. Barr, A Knight of the Nets, ch. 8:"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch. 63:"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."2005, Fran Schumer, "JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women," New York Times, 19 June (retrieved 18 Aug. 2009):"Half of me is depressed

tone down »    To make a television program, piece of writing, etc. less offensive and so more suitable for a family audience.

tone up »    To strengthen and make the muscles of the body firmer by regular excercise.

tongue-in-cheek »    Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.

too big for one's britches »    Disturbingly confident, unacceptably cocky.

too many cooks spoil the broth »    If too many people try to take charge at a task, the end product might be ruined.

tooth and nail »    Viciously; with all one’s strength or power; without holding back..

top it all off »    To emphasize or underscore; to make something even better or worse.

top of the morning »    A generic greeting said to someone in the morning.

top shelf »    Books, magazines, or movies that have adult content, or soft-core porn.

top up »    To extend the credit of something.

toss-upness »    The quality of being a toss-up, usually used in reference to a toss-up state in American presidential elections.

touch a nerve »    To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.

touch up »    To make slight corrections or adjustments; to fill in or perfect.

touch%C3%A9 »    An acknowledgement of a hit.

touch%C3%A9 »    An acknowledgement of the success, appropriateness or superiority of an argument, sometimes used sarcastically to mock one's opponent's absurd logic.

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.

touch-and-go »    Precarious, delicate, dangerous, risky, sensitive or of uncertain outcome.

touched in the head »    Demented, slightly mentally deficient.

touchy-feely »    Driven by intuition or emotion, with a connotation of de-emphasis of rational thought or logic.

tough call »    A choice or judgment which is difficult to make, especially one involving only two alternatives.

tough cookie »    A person who can endure physical or mental hardship; a hardened, strong-willed person.

tough love »    The compassionate use of stringent disciplinary measures, to attempt to improve someone's behavior.

tough out »    To endure.

track record »    An organization's, product's, or person's past performance reviewed in its entirety, usually for the purpose of making a judgment.

trash out »    To criticize the person spoken to in a rant.

travel junkie »    Who are using their time and money to seek out adventure holidays and travel.

tread lightly »    To proceed carefully; especially, to seek to avoid causing offense.

treat them mean, keep them keen »    A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.

trench mouth »    Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, typically characterized by inflammation, bleeding, deep ulceration, necrotized tissue, pain, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and halitosis.

trick of the trade »    A shortcut or other quick, or very effective way of doing things, that professional workers learn from experience.

trick out »    To trick out; to mod or customize an object, typically for the purpose of both personalization as well as enhancing the object's performance capabilities and more particularly for the purpose of performing stunts with that object.

tried and true »    Well-established and tested; known to work or succeed based on extensive experience.

trigger-happy »    Having a tendency or desire to shoot a firearm irresponsibly before adequately identifying the target.

trigger-happy »    Inclined to react excessively or violently at the slightest provocation.

trip balls »    Experiencing severe drug-induced hallucinatory trip.

trip out »    To have a fit, to become enraged.

trip to the woodshed »    An occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered.

truth be told »    Used when admitting something one might otherwise lie about, e.g. to keep up appearances or be polite.

truth will out »    A mystery will always be solved, or a truth will always be discoveredTruth will eventually and inevitably be discovered.

tuckered out »    Simple past tense and past participle of tucker out.

tuits »    Virtual tokens for an amount of time or attention that a particular issue would need to resolve.

tumble to »    To discover, or suddenly understand something.

tune in »    To pay attention.

tune in, turn on, drop out »    Pay attention to the new way of living; take drugs; abandon the established ways.

tune out »    To change the channel or frequency away from.

tune out »    To fail to pay attention to; to ignore.

tune up »    To make adjustments to an engine in order to improve its performance.

tuppence worth »    One's opinion or thoughts.

tuppence worth »    Two pennys' worth.

turf war »    A dispute over territory between rival gangs.

turf war »    A fight or confrontation between two divisions or parties for access to resources or capital.

turn away »    To bend or turn from a fixed course.

turn back »    To refuse to allow someone to pass a border or enter a place.

turn down »    To refuse, decline, or deny.

turn heads »    To garner a considerable amount of attention.

turn in one's grave »    To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.

turn on »    To enter a road.

turn on »    To attract, give pleasure, or encourage.

turn out »    To result; end up.

turn out »    To attend; show up.

turn over a new leaf »    To engage in self-improvement; to begin a good habit or shed a bad habit.

turn the other cheek »    To accept a punishment or an injury and not act out revenge or retaliate.

turn the page »    To move on to new involvements or activities; to make a fresh start.

turn up »    To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.

turn-on »    Something that attracts, gives pleasure, or encourages, especially sexually.

turnabout is fair play »    It is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.

twenty-twenty hindsight »    Perfect understanding of events only after they have happened.

twist of fate »    An unfortunate turn of events.

two a penny »    Very common; cheap.

two can play that game »    The tactics and/or strategies of an enemy can be used against him.

two cents »    A nearly worthless amount, alluding to placing a copper penny on each of the eyelids of a pauper's or slave's body before burial.

two cents »    One's opinion or thoughts.

two penn%E2%80%99orth »    One's opinion or thoughts.

two penn%E2%80%99orth »    Two pennys' worth.

two pennies' worth »    One's opinion or thoughts.

two wrongs don't make a right »    (ethics) A wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to correct or cancel a previous wrongful action.1915, William MacLeod Raine, The Highgrader, ch. 15:"But when it comes to taking what belongs to another

two-bit »    Costing 25 cents.

uncle sam »    the us government

under erasure »    Of a bit of text, written and strickenthrough; hence, figuratively in some sense both present and absent.

under fire »    Subjected to enemy attack.

under one's belt »    Already done; within one's experience; practiced.

under one's hat »    Concealed; confidential; secret.

under one's nose »    Obvious or apparent.

under the impression »    Thinking or making assumptions, often incorrectly.

under the influence »    Drunk; intoxicated; affected by alcohol.

under the table »    Secretly or without reporting, especially of payments made or business transacted.

under the weather »    Experiencing adversity.

under way »    A vessel is said to be underway when she is not anchored, moored, aground, or beached[1]. Compare with make way.

under way »    In operation, in progress, commenced.

under wraps »    Secret or hidden.

up against »    Facing; challenging, or opposing.

up front »    Open, honest; tending to disclose information; truthful.

up one's sleeve »    Hidden, in reserve.

up to »    Considering all members of an equivalence class the same.

up to eleven »    Beyond the maximum possible threshold.

up to scratch »    Sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality.

up to snuff »    Mentally alert, shrewd, savvy.

up to speed »    Fully informed; current.

up-and-comer »    Someone who is up-and-coming, who has begun to be successful in some field and is likely to become even more successful in the future.

up-and-coming »    Emerging; aspiring; improving; beginning to attract attention or critical acclaim.

up-to-date »    Current; recent; the latest.

up-to-date »    Informed about the latest news or developments.

uphill battle »    A challenge with the odds of success stacked strongly against.

upper crust »    The topmost layer of a bread, pastry dish, or other item with a hardened coating.

ups and downs »    Periods of positive and negative events, moods, or interactions; highs and lows.

upset the applecart »    To spoil carefully laid plans or arrangements; to spoil something.

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.

valley of death »    Death; or a place or period where death is impending.

valley of death »    Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade.

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.

valley of the shadow of death »    Valleys on earth one must walk through, that is, part of the human experience.

variable tandem repeat locus »    Any DNA sequence that exists in multiple copies strung together in various tandem lengths.

venus flytrap »    insect-eating plant

vertically challenged »    Of a person, short.

vice squad »    police department

virgin territory »    By extension, ideas or concepts or activities that have not yet been tried, explored or developed.

virgin territory »    Land that has never been explored or developed.

vote with one's feet »    To show a lack of support for something by departing or otherwise absenting oneself.

vote with one's feet »    To show support for something by going to or otherwise being present somewhere.

wade in »    To interrupt someone, or a situation, by doing or saying something abruptly, or forcefully, and usually without thinking about the consequences.

wail on »    To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.

walk in on »    To enter suddenly or unexpectedly while something is happening; to intrude or interrupt by entering.

walk in the snow »    An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.

walk it off »    To deal with an negative emotional event without complaint; to take it like a man.

walk on eggshells »    To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.

walk on eggshells »    To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

walk out »    To leave suddenly, especially as a form of protest.

walk the line »    To maintain an intermediate position between contrasting choices, opinions, etc..

walk the talk »    To do what one said one could do, or would do, not just making empty promises. To walk one's talk is to be innocent of hypocrisy.

walk the walk »    Act competently, like an expert.

wall in »    To enclose by surrounding with walls.

walls have ears »    There is a risk of being heard, so pay attention to what you say.

wank off »    To sexually stimulate another's penis.

ward off »    To avert or prevent.

warm down »    Gentle excercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.

warm the cockles of someone's heart »    To provide happiness, to bring a deeply-felt contentment.

warm up »    To make an audience enthusiastic or animated before a show.

wash away »    To eliminate, in a figurative sense.

wash over »    Said of the way an emotion affects one suddenly.

wash over »    Of open water. To surge over the banks, or other retaining structure.

wash up »    To clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal.

wash up »    To wash one's hands and/or face, often around mealtimes.

washed out »    Of clothes. When they lose some of their original colour from being washed so often.

washed out »    To be very tired and lacking energy.

waste away »    To lose energy and become weak and feeble.

waste breath »    To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded.

waste not, want not »    If one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.

watch out »    To be aware or conscious; to look closely or carefully; to use caution. Often used in the imperative.

watch this space »    An indication that a development will follow.

water over the dam »    An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

water to my mill »    What energizes you; what stimulates you.

water under the bridge »    Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.

watered-down »    Weakened or simplified.

wax lyrical »    To become, or tend to become lyrical.

wax lyrical »    To talk about something with much interest or excitement.

way back when »    A time in the distant past.

way out »    excellent, amazing

way out of a paper bag »    A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.

way to go »    An expression of congratulations, encouragement, or approval.

weak sister »    A person or thing which is the least robust or least dependable member of a group.

weaker vessel »    A woman; women collectively.

wear down »    To cause physical or mental fatigue.

wear down »    To have one's long hair styled in a free, low-hanging, unencumbered style; i.e., not in an up-do or ponytail.

wear one's heart on one's sleeve »    To be extremely transparent, open, or forthright about one's emotions.

weather the storm »    To reach the end of a very difficult situation without too much harm or damage.

wee small hours »    He worked into the wee small hours to get everything perfect for the opening day.

wee small hours »    The very early morning, just after midnight, when most people are asleep.

weed out »    To remove unwanted elements from a group.

weekend warrior »    A part-time soldier, or reservist.

weekend warrior »    A person who indulges in a sport or pastime on an infrequent basis, usually on weekends when work commitments are not present.

well ain't that the catfish in the trap »    A sentence commonly spoken in the Southern United States. It can often be used in place of "well, I'll be damned". Used to express surprise.

well begun is half done »    Much depends on the beginning of an endeavor.

wet behind the ears »    Inexperienced; not seasoned; new; just beginning.

wet one's whistle »    To have a drink; to quench one's thirst.

whack-a-mole »    The practice of trying to stop something that persistently occurs in an apparently random manner at the point where the occurrence is noticed, such as terminating spammers' e-mail accounts or closing pop-up advertisement windows.

whale on »    To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.

what do I know »    Implies that a statement is based on a guess or assumption rather than on knowledge or evidence.

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

what for »    An unspecified punishment or rebuke.

what goes around comes around »    The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.

what in God's name »    Used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question.

what on Earth »    Used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question.

what the Devil »    Used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question.

what the dickens »    Euphemism for what the Devil, used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning a question.

what you see is what you get »    The screen image resembles the printed output.

what's cooking »    What's happening?; what's going on?; how are you?.

when all is said and done »    In the end; ultimately.

when he's at home »    In reality; in fact; when it comes down to it.

when Hell freezes over »    Never; not in this lifetime; not a chance.

when in Rome »    Adjust to local customs.

when in Rome, do as the Romans »    Alternative form of when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

when in Rome, do as the Romans do »    behave as those around do

when it rains, it pours »    If a person encounters bad luck, more bad luck will follow.

when it's at home »    Plainly; in plain English; when it comes down to it; at it's most basic level.

when pigs fly »    Never.

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.

when the cat's away »    People are likely to take advantage of the absence of authority or enforcement of compliance.

when the cat's away the mice will play »    In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.

when the chips are down »    When the pressure is on; when the situation is urgent or critical.

when the going gets tough, the tough get going »    in difficult times, it is the strong-willed who take action.

when the shit hits the fan »    A reference to the messy consequences of a secret or private situation becoming public.

when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's easy to forget that the initial objective was to drain the swamp »    Only because it seems so urgent.

when, as, and if »    Used to indicate the timing and contingency of some obligation in contracts, especially financial.

where there's smoke, there's fire »    If there is telltale evidence of some event, the event is probably occurring.

where's the beef »    Where is the content? So what?.

whisper campaign »    A method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are deliberately spread concerning a person or other target, while the source of the rumors tries to avoid detection.

whistle Dixie »    To engage in a pointless or unproductive activity; to do something without resolve, seriousness or commitment.

whistle past the graveyard »    To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.

whistle walk »    The path slaves took to deliver food from the kitchen building of a plantation to the main dining room. Slaves were expected to whistle during this walk in order to assure their masters that they were not eating the food.

white coat hypertension »    Elevated blood pressure measured by a medical practitioner and deemed to result from the patient's emotional response to the medical environment.

white elephant »    An ornament etc that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.

white hole »    A theoretically possible but physically highly unlikely singularity which would emit matter and energy; the antithesis of a black hole.

white lie »    A deliberate, untrue statement which does no harm or is intended to produce a favorable result.

white on rice »    A descriptive analogy of closeness. See like white on rice.

white-knuckle »    Causing fear, excitement, apprehension, suspense, or nervousness.

whitewash »    A lime and water mixture for painting walls and fences bright white.

who's 'she', the cat's mother%3F »    A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to their mother, or any other woman in the third person, instead of using a properly respectful title or their name when appropriate.

whole enchilada »    All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.

whole shebang »    Everything; the entire thing.

whomp up »    To incite or generate.

why in God's name »    Used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning question.

why on Earth »    Used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning a question.

why the dickens »    Euphemism for why the Devil, used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning a question.

wild-goose chase »    A futile search, a fruitless errand; a useless and often lengthy pursuit.

will on »    To wish intensely that someone succeeds in what they are doing. Often implies a silent, or almost inaudible wish.

willy nilly »    Without regard for consequences or the will of those affected.

window-shopping »    The browsing of shop windows without any intention of buying.

winkle out »    Tom managed to winkle the truth out of John eventually.

winter rat »    An old, unattractive automobile, purchased for little money, to be driven during brutal Great Lakes winters while the owner's "good" car remains garaged and protected from corrosive road salt for the season.

wipe out »    To physically erase something written.

wipe the slate clean »    To forget about previous differences and disagreements, and make a fresh start.

with a vengeance »    Intensely motivated; resolute; forceful.

with open arms »    With enthusiasm, as if embracing.

wits' end »    A. 1911, John Muir, in John Muir and Michael P. Branch, John Muir's Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa, 2002, page 138.

wits' end »    Limit of one's sanity or mental capacity; point of desperation.

wooden spoon »    A spoon made from wood.

wooden spoon »    An ironic prize for finishing last in a competition.

wooden-top »    Uniformed police officers.

work at »    To make a physical or mental effort to progress some specified task.

work one's fingers to the bone »    Work especially hard, usually for an extended period.

work out »    To make sense of.

work out »    To habitually exercise rigorously, especially by lifting weights, in order to increase strength or muscle mass or maintain fitness.

work spouse »    A man or woman in the workplace with whom one shares a special relationship having bonds similar to those of a marriage: special confidences, loyalties, shared jokes and experiences, and unusual degree of honesty or openness.

work the room »    To interact enthusiastically with the attendees at an event, by moving among them, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation.

work the room »    To interact with one's audience, taking queues from its reactions and adapting one's performance or words to elicit the audience's attention and enthusiasm.

world »    Human collective existence; existence in general.

worlds apart »    Vastly different.

worth every penny »    Completely worthwhile.

worth one's salt »    Competent or adept.

worth one's while »    Good and important enough for one to spend time, effort, or money on.

worth the risk »    The benefit of the success is more valuable than the problems caused by the potential loss.

wrap around one's fingers »    To make one susceptible to desire, in that their behavior or actions are influenced.

wrestling with a pig »    To engage in a pointless task that leaves one worse off for having made an honest attempt.

write down »    In a simple or condescending style.

write down »    To make a downward adjustment in the value of an asset.

write off »    To record an expenditure as an expense.

write off »    To record an notional expense such as amortization or depreciation.

write one's own ticket »    To be empowered to choose whatever job, financial arrangement, or course of action one desires.

write out »    To write in full length or expanded form.

write up »    To document the faults of.

written all over someone's face »    Very obvious, from someone's facial expression.

yak shaving »    Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem.

yell at »    To scold, to rebuke - often by yelling.

yell silently »    To think very strong thoughts, that one wishes to yell out loud but does not.

yellow journalism »    Material published in a broadcast or periodical, such as a tabloid newspaper or magazine, which is sensationalistic and of questionable accuracy and taste.

yellow press »    Newspapers which publish sensationalist articles rather than well researched and sober journalism.

yes to death »    To agree with someone, often sarcastically.

yes-man »    A person of unquestioning obedience.

yield up »    To disclose something hidden.

you bet »    Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.

you can hang your hat on that »    It's something to put faith in, to rely upon or trust (when used in a positive connotation).

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.

you can't judge a book by its cover »    It is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.

you can't polish a turd »    (vulgar) Something inherently bad cannot be improved.

you can't take it with you »    It is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause which

you don't dip your pen in company ink »    One should avoid romantic relationships in the workplace.

you don't dip your pen in the company's ink »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

you don't dip your pen in the inkwell »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

you get what you pay for »    In commercial transactions, the quality of goods and services increases as the prices increase, i.e., the more one pays, the better the merchandise.2003, Michael Blumenthal, "For Whom the School Bell Tolls," Time, 7 Dec.:Though it may sound unapologetically capitalistic to say so

you know it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you know what »    A phrase used to get someone's attention before announcing something.

you knows it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you knows it »    You're right; I wholeheartedly agree with your statement.

you never know what you've got till it's gone »    Good friends and acquaintances shouldn't be taken for granted.

you only get what you give »    There is a positive correlation between the effort one puts in and the benefits one receives.

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours »    If you do me a favor then I will do you a favor; quid pro quo.

you shouldn't have »    Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.

you snooze you lose »    If you are not alert and attentive, you will not be successful.

you what%3F »    An intensified version of what or huh.

your mileage may vary »    It may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience.

your mileage may vary »    To express a possible difference in taste, "this is just my opinion, your opinion may be different".

yours sincerely »    A polite formula to end a letter, especially when the recipient’s name is known to the sender.

zero in »    To focus one's aim; to zoom in and center on something.

zero in on »    To concentrate or focus one's attention on at task.

zig when one should zag »    To misstep or err.

zip up »    To close with a zip fastener.

zip up »    To close as if with a zip fastener.

zone out »    To stop paying attention and think about something else, or to think about nothing.

zonk out »    To fall suddenly into a very deep sleep.

zoom in »    To focus a zoom lens in order to obtain a larger image, or a closer view.

zoom out »    To focus a zoom lens in order to obtain a smaller image, or a more distant view.

BTW, Why won't you become an editor?