We've found 3110 phrases for es (0.381 seconds):

a bad workman always blames his tools »    It is not the tools we use which make us good, but rather how we employ them.

a camel is a horse designed by a committee »    An expression critical of committees

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

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link »    An organization (especially a process or a business) is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.

a closed mouth gathers no feet »    One who does not speak can be certain he won't say anything embarrassing.

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

a dumb priest never got a parish »    (Irish) Those who fail to speak up fail to get what they want.

a few sandwiches short of a picnic »    Exhibiting disquiet or unsoundness of mind; not sane; mad.

a fool and his money are soon parted »    It is easy to get money from foolish people, especially rich ones.

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 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 man's home is his castle »    (US) a proverbial expression of personal privacy and security

a million times »    by a factor of a million

a miss is as good as a mile »    A failure remains a failure, regardless of how close to success one has actually come.

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

a nod is as good as a wink »    The hint, suggestion etc can be understood without further explaining.

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 question of »    The important question is; the necessary question is.

a rolling stone gathers no moss »    A person who never settles in one place will never be successful.A person who does not keep active will grow mouldy.

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

abide by »    To accept a decision or law and act in accordance with it; to conform to; to acquiesce; as, to abide by an award.

abound in »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

abound with »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

about time »    Far past the desired time.

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

above board »    Honestly, reputably.

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

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.

according to »    According to the directions, the glue takes 24 hours to dry.

according to »    In a manner conforming or corresponding to; in proportion.

according to Hoyle »    In strict accordance with the rules, especially of card games; in the proper or expected manner.

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 of spades »    The playing card belonging to the spades suit and featuring one pip.

ache for »    To desire, or want something, or someone, very much.

acid test »    A rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something.

acid test »    To test for the truth.

across the board »    Pertaining to all categories or things.

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

act out »    To express one's feelings through disruptive actions.

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

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

after one's own heart »    Of a person: having the same ideas, opinions or behaviour as oneself.

against all odds »    Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability.

against the clock »    In a time-restricted manner, to meet a deadline, hurriedly, timed.

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

age before beauty »    A phrase said to allow older people to go before younger ones.

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 bed »    inflatable mattress

all eyes »    Gazing at devotedly.

all eyes »    Having prominent eyes.

all eyes »    Watching alertly or attentively.

all eyes and ears »    To be attentive.

all hell breaks loose »    Vi A place or state of fury, turmoil, destruction, or chaos.

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

all it's cracked up to be »    As good as claims or reputation would suggest.

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 one's eggs in one basket »    Devoting all of one’s resources to one thing.

all one's eggs in one basket »    Investing heavily in just one area.

all over but the shouting »    The substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.

all over the board »    Showing a wide range of values with no particular pattern.

all over the place »    Everywhere, especially chaotically or in such a way as to make a mess.

all talk and no cider »    All talk and no results.

all the marbles »    Everything; all that is to be had.

all the same »    Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.

all the tea in China »    Something priceless or invaluable.

all very well »    True, as far as it goes.

all walks of life »    All professions, lifestyles or social classes.

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-over oneself »    Feeling self-satisfied.

almost doesn't count »    Near success (or correctness) is not deemed success (or correctness).

along the lines »    In a general direction or manner.

am I right or am I right »    Rhetorical question from somebody who has stated what they consider to be an unassailable truth.

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

an apple a day »    Healthy eating and living using traditional temperate-zone fresh foods.

an apple a day keeps the doctor away »    Apples are healthy and stave off illness.Eat healthy and you won't get sick.

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

an offer one can't refuse »    An offer from one side in any transaction with the results of failing to accept so unattractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

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

and so forth »    Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner.

and so on »    Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner.

angel's advocate »    Someone who sees what's good about an idea and supports it.

angle for »    To try to obtain something by subtle indirect means. Political manoeuvres, suggestion, etc.

another nail in one's coffin »    One in a series of factors which lead, or purport to lead, to downfall.

answer back »    To reply to a question at a later time.

answer back »    To issue echo characters, protocol responses, reflexive connection requests, etc.

answer for »    To be held responsible for.

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

any way one slices it »    From any perspective; in every case.

anything goes »    There are no rules or restrictions.

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 stem »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

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 does not fall far from the trunk »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

apple never falls far from the tree »    Alternative form of apple does not fall far from the tree.

apples and oranges »    Said of a comparison of items that are not comparable.

apply oneself »    To put forth a concerted effort; to try; to focus.

Après-ski »    A place "after skiing". Typically a bar or pub where people go after a day on the slopes to ease off and meet other people.

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.

apron string hold »    An estate held by a man during his wife's life.

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.

armed forces »    The Services

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

as far as »    With respect to; as relates to.

as far as one knows »    To the best of one's knowledge.

as if »    As though; in a manner suggesting.

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

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 for »    request

ask for »    make a request

ask for the moon »    To claim or desire something that one cannot have.

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 out »    To invite somebody, especially on a date.

asleep at the switch »    Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.

assume the mantle »    To take on a specific role or position, along with any associated responsibilites.

at a loss for words »    Having nothing to say; stunned to the point of speechlessness.

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

at best »    In the most favorable of conditions; at the most.

at cross purposes »    Against one another; contrary in direction or goals.

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

at home »    In one's place of residence.

at peace »    Free of worries; peaceful.

at rest »    Not moving; stationary.

at sixes and sevens »    In a state of confusion.

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

at the best of times »    At most.

at the drop of a hat »    Without any hesitation; instantly.

at the high port »    At once; unhesitatingly; quickly and vigorously.

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

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

at work »    Working, in the process of doing work.

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

avant la lettre »    An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.

away with the fairies »    Not with it, dreaming, not all there.

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.

babes in the wood »    Criminals in the stocks, or pillory.

baby blues »    Blue eyes.

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

back burner »    A section of a stove used to keep some pots warm while one focuses on others.

back down »    To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to.

back in the day »    In the past; at one time, especially a time which is fondly remembered.

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

back office »    The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.

back to our muttons »    To get back to the business at hand.

back to the drawing board »    Back to the beginning following an unsuccessful attempt.

back up »    To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.

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 »    An irritating, troublesome, or harmful person, situation, or thing.

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 guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.

bag and baggage »    All one's possessions.

bag of bones »    A skinny, malnourished person.

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

bail out »    To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail money.

bail out »    To rescue, especially financially.

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

balancing act »    An effort to manage many conflicting or competing items or interests.

ball-breaker »    A person or task which is excessively demanding or punishing.

balloon goes up »    Something exciting or dangerous begins.

ballpark estimate »    A ballpark figure, a very rough approximation.

ballpark figure »    An educated guess or estimation within acceptable bounds.

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

balls-up »    Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.

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 out »    To do something quickly, in a slipshod, or unprofessional manner.

bang straw »    A nick name for a thresher, but applied to all the servants of a farmer.

bankers' hours »    Any easy job, especially one with a short working day.

baptism by fire »    A rite of passage through the survival or success of a crisis.

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.

bare one's teeth »    Of an animal, to show one's teeth as a sign of aggression.

bare one's teeth »    To show one's aggression.

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 »    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.

basket case »    One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress.

bat a thousand »    To achieve success at each attempt.

bat an eyelash »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

bat an eyelid »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

bat for both sides »    To be a batter for both teams in an amateur baseball game.

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.

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

be at one's beck and call »    To be in the position of serving someone in any way they desire, usually unwillingly.

be had up »    To be accused of, or arrested for a criminal act.

be left holding the baby »    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

be my guest »    Do as you wish; go ahead; help yourself; go for it!.

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

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

be still my heart »    Calm down, this situation is too exciting or overly distressing.

be taken ill »    Due to sudden illness.

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 for »    To be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty.

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 approach another vessel from windward.

bear down »    To press down on someone.

bear hug »    wrestling hold

beat a dead horse »    To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.

beat Banaghan »    An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.

beat up »    To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.

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

beat up »    To feel badly guilty and accuse oneself over something. Usually followed by over.

because you touch yourself at night »    Used to humourously deflect a request for a reason.

bed down »    To lie down to sleep for the night, usually of livestock or machinery.

bed down »    To put an animal to rest for the night.

bed of roses »    A comfortable or luxurious position.

bed of roses »    A pleasant or easy situation.

beddable »    [...] feminine, great body great legs great taste, trained and beddable, Jesus, how beddable.

bee in one's bonnet »    Something of particular interest or concern; an obsession.

bee's knees »    Something excellent, outstanding.

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

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

beer and skittles »    Fun times.

beer and skittles »    Something pleasurable.

beer goggles »    The illusion that people are more attractive, brought on by alcohol consumption.

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 bit »    An equestrian term, meaning that the horse is evading the bit.

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 some powers or other attributes to.

bells and whistles »    Extra features added for show rather than function; fancy additions or features.

below par »    Less than par for the hole or course.

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

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 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.

beside oneself »    Overcome; consumed by an emotion.

beside the point »    Irrelevant, moot.

best bet »    The best proposal or plan.

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.

best of the bunch »    The best or most preferred person or item within a group.

best regards »    Used as a polite closing of a letter.

bet dollars to donuts »    To suggest that something is very likely to be true or that one has a strong hunch about something.

better safe than sorry »    It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to suffer afterwards.

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.

better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness »    In the face of bad times or hopelessness, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response than to complain about the situation.

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

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 cheese »    A very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.

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 fish in a small pond »    One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.

big mouth »    The mouth of someone who talks too much, especially by making exaggerated claims or by inappropriately revealing information.

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 higher valued result or target to reach.

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

bird in the bosom »    A secret pledge that one makes for another.

birds and bees »    Informal sex education, especially describing the sexual activity of animals rather than that of people.

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

birds of a feather »    People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.

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

birthday suit »    Nakedness; a lack of clothing.

bit on the side »    Secondary lover, mistress.

bite i gresset »    To bite the dust, to die.

bite i gresset »    To loose.

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

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

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

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

black »    Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and colourless.

black and blue »    Covered in bruises.

black babies »    Third world charities, the missions.

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

black-on-black »    A description of the colors of an automobile .

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.

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.

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.

blimp out »    To become fat or fatter, especially as a result of excessive eating.

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 away »    Flabbergast; scintillate; impress greatly.

blow away »    To be dispersed as a result of being blown.

blow chunks »    To vomit chunks of undigested food.

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

blow it »    To fail at something; to mess up; to make a mistake.

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 one's chances »    To forfeit opportunities to achieve some goal.

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 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 explode or be destroyed by explosion.

blow up »    To explode something or somebody or destroy something or injure or kill somebody by explosion.

blue devils »    Low spirits; depression.

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.

blue whale »    largest mammal

blue-eyed boy »    Someone's favourite, especially a young one.

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.

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

bog standard »    Especially plain, ordinary, or unremarkable; having no special, excess or unusual features; plain vanilla.

bolt bucket »    A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.

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

bone up »    To study or cram, especially in order to refresh one's knowledge of a topic.

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 »    Indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps.

booze can »    A nightclub or bar, especially one which operates illegally or is otherwise disreputable.

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.

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 »    Put into bottles.

bottle up »    Keep suppressed and hidden.

bottom line »    The summary or result; the most important information; the upshot; the net-net.

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

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'.

bow out »    To resign, or leave, with one's credibility still intact.

bowl of cherries »    An enjoyable experience.

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 »    A very short time.

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 fart »    A lapse in the thought process; an inability to think or remember something clearly.

brain surgeon »    Someone who does brain surgery.

brain surgery »    Surgery on any part of the nervous system, especially the brain; neurosurgery.

brain-dead »    Having an irreversible loss of brain function and cessation of brain activity.

branch out »    To expand in the manner of branches.

brass farthing »    Something worthless or of small value.

brass monkey »    A cocktail of vodka, rum and orange juice, sometimes with the addition of galliano.

brass neck »    Gall, shamelessness, cheek.

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

brass-neck »    To behave boldly or shamelessly.

brass-necked »    Nervy; cheeky; shameless.

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

break a leg »    A wish for a successful performance; primarily a valediction to an actor wishing him or her a successful theatrical stage performance.

break a sweat »    ' , Karon Karter - The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pilates Method page 119.

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

break into »    To try to start in a profession or business.

break out »    To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly.

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

break rank »    To march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit.

break someone's heart »    To cause a person to feel grief or sadness.

break the bank »    To exhaust one's financial resources.

break the ice »    To start to get to know people, by avoiding awkwardness.

break up »    To break or separate into pieces; to disintegrate or come apart.

break up »    To break or separate into pieces.

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

breath of fresh air »    Something relieving, refreshing, or new.

brickbat »    A piece of brick used as a weapon, especially if thrown, or placed in something like a sock and used as a club.

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 prosthesis replacing one or several adjacent teeth.

bridge »    An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.

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

bright-line rule »    A clearly defined rule or standard, comprised of objective factors, which leaves little or no room for varying interpretation.

bring home the bacon »    To have a job and earn money or to lead a successful career.

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

bring it weak »    To fail to accomplish an accomplishable task or to make an attempt at less than maximum effort; to "half-ass" or "fake the funk".

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 resuscitate; to cause to regain consciousness.

bring to the table »    To provide a suggestion.

broad church »    A wide scope of philosophies and ideas.

broad shoulders »    The ability to take criticism, or accept responsibility.

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.

bros before hos »    Alternative spelling of bros before hoes.

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

brown bread »    Bread with a brown colour as distinct from white bread, wholemeal, granary or other specific types of bread.

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.

buckle down »    To put forth the needed effort; to focus; become serious; apply oneself.

bugger off »    An expression of disagreement or disbelief.

bugger up »    To break or spoil something, or make it inoperative, useless etc.

built like a brick shithouse »    Of a person, with an exceptionally well-developed chest.

bull session »    An informal meeting among men.

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

bum rap »    An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.

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 off »    To kill, especially to murder.

bumper crop »    A large yield; an excess of something.

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

bundle of nerves »    A lively, continually active person.

bundle of nerves »    A person with an especially nervous, excitable, or fearful disposition.

bunk off »    We all bunked off school yesterday to watch the football.

burn one's bridges »    To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc.

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.

burn rubber »    To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.

burn the midnight oil »    To work studiously, especially late into the night.

burn up »    To catch fire and burn until destroyed.

burn up »    To destroy by burning.

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.

bush league »    A low-ranking or inferior level among groups, professions, organizations, etc.

bush league »    A professional sports association at the lower levels of minor league organization.

bush telegraph »    A system used by undeveloped societies in remote regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds, word-of-mouth relay, or smoke signals.

business as usual »    The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.

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.

business girl »    A prostitute.

business girl »    A young woman employed in business or office work.

bust one's chops »    To exert oneself.

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

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 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-down »    Serious; staid; businesslike.

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

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

by all means »    Yes certainly; definitely.

by hand »    Manually; without the use of automation or machines.

by leaps and bounds »    Rapidly. Said of making progress.

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 Grace of God »    Used as part of the titles of royalty.

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

by the way »    His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.

by trade »    As a profession; professionally.

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

call 'em as one sees 'em »    To candidly and honestly express an opinion or viewpoint.

call in »    To summon someone, especially for help or advice.

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 on »    To request or ask of somebody; to select for a task.

call out »    To specify, especially in detail.

call out »    To arrange for a professional to call at your home for some purpose.

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.

calls for »    Requires; needs to

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 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.

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

carried away »    Made excessively emotional or excited.

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 a tune »    To produce music, especially to sing, with accurate pitch.

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

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

carry someone's water »    To do someone's bidding; to serve someone's interests.

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

carry the message to Garcia »    To perform a requisite task despite obstacles.

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

case in point »    An example that illustrates a point.

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

cash in »    To profit from; to use an opportunity to maximum advantage, especially financially.

cast off »    To let go a cable or rope securing a vessel to a buoy, wharf etc so that she may proceed.

cast off »    To finish the last row of knitted stitches and remove them securely from the needle.

cast on »    To start the first row of knitting by putting stitches on a needle.

cast the first stone »    To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing that one is blameless.

castle in the air »    A visionary project or scheme; a day-dream; an idle fancy; a pipe dream; any plan, desire, or idea that is unlikely to be ever realized; a near impossibility.

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 that ate the canary »    A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.

cat that ate the canary »    A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.

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 out »    To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.

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

caucus race »    A political competition; the game of campaigning and one-upmanship to get votes and be elected.

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

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

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

chain reaction »    A nuclear reaction in which particles produced by the fission of one atom trigger fissions of other atoms.

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

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

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.

chances are »    It is likely that, it is probable that.

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.

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 down »    To investigate the cause of something.

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 sara sara »    Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1892 March 17, Cigarette,

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.

cheat sheet »    A sheet of paper containing notes used to assist on a test.

cheaters never prosper »    One does not gain from cheating.

check out »    To have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.

check out »    To examine or inspect; to espy.

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

cheese it »    A minced oath used as a warning to stop, hide, or flee.

cheese off »    To annoy.

cheesed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

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 select only the best from a range of options.

cherry picking »    Selecting only the best from a group or other range of choices.

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 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.

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.

chinese gooseberry »    kiwi fruit

chip in »    To make a contribution; help in a small way; especially, to pay for a part of something.

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

chow down »    To eat, especially to eat vigorously.

circles around »    Far faster or better than.

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.

city slicker »    One accustomed to a city or urban lifestyle or unsuited to life in the country.

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 »    An earth material with ductile qualities.

clean house »    To reform by removing undesirable personnel and procedures.

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

clean out »    To empty completely; to remove all money or possessions from.

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.

clean up »    To make a large profit; to win by a large margin, or to win a large amount, especially in gambling. Also clean house.

clean up »    To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.

climb the walls »    To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to feel very agitated.

climbing the walls »    Present participle of climb the walls.

close down »    To stop trading as a business.

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

close one's eyes »    To ignore.

close to home »    Affecting people close to, or within, ones family circle.

close up »    To shut a building or a business for a period of time.

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

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 a snook »    To spread one hand, place the thumb on the nose and wriggle some of the fingers as a gesture of disrespect.

cock of the walk »    W:The Pogues - w:The Irish Rover.

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

cold comfort »    C. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, act 4, sc. 1.

cold comfort »    Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.

cold fish »    A heartless individual; a person lacking empathy and emotion.

cold hands, warm heart »    Implies inner beauty; a caring person; warm-hearted

cold shoulder »    A deliberate act of disrespect; a slight or snub.

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.

combine harvester »    farm vehicle

come about »    To tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.

come across »    To give an appearance or impression; to project a certain image.

come along »    To progress; to make progress.

come around »    To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.

come by »    To obtain; to get, now especially by chance or involuntarily.

come clean »    To confess; admit.

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 down with »    To contract or get; to show symptoms of a minor illness.

come hell or high water »    Regardless of the hardships.

come in handy »    To be useful or helpful, especially at some time in the future.

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

come on »    To progress, to develop.

come on »    An expression of encouragement.

come on »    An expression of disbelief.

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 round »    To recover consciousness.

come the acid »    To make oneself unpleasant, especially by sarcasm.

come to »    To recover consciousness after fainting etc.

come to »    To stop a sailing vessel, especially by turning into the wind. See also come about.

come to »    To regard or specify, as narrowing a field of choices by category.

come to terms »    To accept or resign oneself to something emotionally painful.

come to think of it »    By the way; now that I think about it; indicates something brought to mind.

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

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

comfort woman »    A woman forced, or supposedly recruited, into brothels by the Japanese occupation forces during World War II.

coming out of one's ears »    In great or excess quantity.

common ground »    A characteristic or interest shared by multiple people or systems.

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

company »    In non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation.

company »    It took six companies to put out the fire.

comply with »    To abide by a set of rules.

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.

consume mass quantities »    To eat or drink abundant amounts of food or beverage.

consume mass quantities »    To use large amounts of any resource.

controlled substance »    Except for very limited professional testing purposes.

conversation piece »    interesting object

cook the books »    To manipulate accounting information, esp. illegally, by a corporation.

cool down »    To become less agitated.

cool down »    To cause to become less agitated.

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

coop up »    To confine in a restricted place or situation.

corner the market »    To have exclusive possession; to possess something to a high or excessive degree.

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.

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.

cover one's bases »    To be thorough; to prepare thoroughly or completely.

cowgirl position »    A sex position in which the man lies on his back, and the woman sits on top of him facing him.

cozy up »    With "to", to ingratiate oneself .

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.

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.

cramp someone's style »    To restrict someone's free actions, or to give the impression of such.

crank out »    To produce in large volumes mechanically or as if by machine.

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

cream of the crop »    The best or most desirable among some selection.

creature comfort »    Any small item or detail that makes a person comfortable and at home.

crème de la crème »    Best of the best; something that's superlative. The very best.

criss-cross applesauce »    Cross-legged.

crop up »    To occur, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.

cross paths »    To be, by chance, in the same physical place at the same time, as a result of two completely separate journeys.

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 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 line »    To cross the equator, as a vessel at sea.

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

crown jewels »    A prized possession or asset.

cruising for a bruising »    Following a course of action likely to result in injury or other trouble for oneself.

crush out »    To force out or separate by pressure.

cry all the way to the bank »    To be happy due to the receipt of money, although expressing sorrow about the cause of such receipt.

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

cry one's eyes out »    To moan.

cry one's eyes out »    To weep for an elongated time, or in an excessive manner.

cry out »    To shout in a loud voice, due to pain, or fear, or unhappiness.

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

cry the blues »    To complain, especially in order to obtain sympathy for one's own purportedly sad situation.

cry the blues »    To sing in the style of blues music.

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

cup of tea »    Whatever suits or interests one.

curveball »    A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".

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 corners »    To do a less than thorough or complete job; to do something poorly or take short cuts.

cut in »    Especially, to dance with someone who is already dancing by replacing his or her partner.

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

cut it »    To suffice; to be effective or successful.

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 one's nose to spite one's face »    To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

cut the cheese »    To flatulate.

cut up »    To cut into smaller pieces.

cut up »    To aggressively move in front of another vehicle.

cut up »    distress greatly

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

damn the torpedoes »    Used to dismiss the risks of a dangerous action.

damned if one does and damned if one doesn't »    A dilemma where either choice results in a negative outcome.

damp squib »    Anything that doesn’t work properly, or fails to come up to expectations..

damson jam »    fruit preserve

dark horse »    An unexpected success.

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

dawn of a new day »    A new beginning; a fresh start; an important, promising turning point.

day in, day out »    Every day; daily; constantly or continuously; especially, of something that has become routine or monotonous.

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

dead as a dodo »    Undoubtedly and unquestionably dead.

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

dead as a doornail »    Unquestionably dead. Used for both inanimate objects and once living beings.

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

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

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.

dead weight »    That which is useless or excess; that which slows something down.

dead weight »    Weight that does not move.

dead wood »    Dead limbs and branches still attached to a living tree.

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.

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 »    A strike or blow that leads to death, especially a coup de grace.

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

deep water »    Waters suitable for deep-draft ships, especially ocean-going.

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 goods »    To keep one's promises.

deliver the message to Garcia »    ...grasp the demands and exactions of business life. He learns that the main thing to do is to "deliver the message to Garcia"....

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 »    Alternative form of carry 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.

deliver the message to Garcia »    What we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.

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.

desktop publishing »    DTP

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

desperate times require desperate measures »    Alternative form of desperate times call for desperate measures.

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

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.

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

die down »    To become less virulent.

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

dig deep »    Try especially hard.

dimber damber upright man »    The chief of a gang of thieves or gypsies.

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.

dirty laundry »    A clothes hamper or other container used to place unclean or soiled laundry.

dirty laundry »    Unflattering facts or questionable activities that one wants to remain secret, but which some other may use to blackmail with.

dirty money »    Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized. Especially money gained through forgery, bribery, or thievery.

dirty word »    A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.

dirty word »    The name of a topic that a person does not like to hear or discuss.

disc jockey »    radio presenter

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 bunk »    To escape or flee under incriminating circumstances.

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

do drugs »    To abuse an illegal drug or drugs, especially as a result of chemical addiction.

do one's damnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

do one's darnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

do one's thing »    To do what one habitually does.

Do the best and live the rest »    First do your work with your 100% dont think about the result

do the honors »    Act as a host to guests.

do the honours »    Act as a host to guests.

do the trick »    To work; to be successful; to solve a problem.

do without »    To manage despite the lack of something.

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

dodge a bullet »    To have a narrow escape; to avoid injury or disaster.

does a bear shit in the woods »    Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.

does Macy's tell Gimbel's »    (US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.

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

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

dog's breakfast »    An unappealing mixture; a disorderly situation; a mess.

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

dog-eat-dog »    Harsh and ruthless.

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 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 look a gift horse in the mouth »    Do not unappreciatively question a gift or handout too closely.

don't look at me »    A response indicating that one is not willing or able to perform a task.

don't put all your eggs in one basket »    Don't dedicate all your resources into one thing.

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

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

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

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

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

down in the mouth »    Sad or discouraged, especially as indicated by one's facial appearance.

down on one's luck »    Unlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.

down the tubes »    Into a state of collapse or failure.

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.

drag »    To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.

drag one's feet »    To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.

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

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

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

draw the line »    To set a boundary, rule, or limit, especially on what one will tolerate.

draw the short straw »    To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.

dress down »    To scold.

dress down »    To wear casual or informal clothes.

dress up »    To wear smart clothes for an occasion.

dress up »    To wear fancy dress or a costume.

dress up »    To decorate; to prettify.

dress up »    To present in a favorable light.

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

dressing-down »    A reprimand or rarely, a thrashing.

dribs and drabs »    A series of negligible amounts.

drill down »    To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.

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

drive the porcelain bus »    To vomit, especially while drunk or hung over.

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 release faeces from the bowels; to excrete.

drop a dime »    To make a phone call, usually means calling the police to report another's activities.

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

drop off »    To lessen or reduce.

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 fight.

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

drug of choice »    The best-choice medication to treat a particular medical problem.

druthers »    Wishes, preferences, or ways.

dry one's eyes »    To cease crying.

dry out »    To have excess water evaporate or be otherwise removed.

due course »    A. 1399, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.

duke it out »    To fight, especially with the fists.

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 out »    From a video game in the process of localizing that game from a foreign country.

dummy up »    To not answer questions.

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.

dyed-in-the-wool »    Firmly established in a person's beliefs or habits; deeply ingrained in the nature of a person or thing.

e mail »    electronic message

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.

ear tunnel »    A piece of jewelry that fits into a stretched earlobe hole and makes it seem like a peephole and makes it see-through.

early bird catches the worm »    Alternative form of early bird gets the worm.

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.

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.

easy on the eyes »    Attractive; beautiful.

easy street »    A carefree situation or lifestyle, especially as resulting from possession of wealth.

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 hat »    Used in a result clause to express disbelief in the conditional clause proposition.

eat one's own dog food »    To test the beta programs that are in the test phase on one's own computers; to dogfood.

eat one's own dog food »    To use or consume the economic goods or services that oneself is producing; to be part of a closed household economy.

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

eat out »    To dine at a restaurant or such public place.

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

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.

edge out »    To win in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.

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

elbow grease »    Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.

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

emperor's new clothes »    Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.

empty promise »    A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless.

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

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 up »    To conclude, turn out, sometimes unexpectedly.

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

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

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.

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

even so »    nevertheless

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 dog has its day »    Everyone has a time of success and satisfaction.

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 time »    Used to express a strong preference for something.

evil twin »    A rogue wireless access point installed near a legitimate one for purposes of eavesdropping or phishing.

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.

expose oneself »    To appear nude in public.

extract the urine »    To mess around, cajole.

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

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

f** it »    An expression of frustration.

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

f** someone over »    To exploit somebody in a way which result in an advantage to oneself, at the cost of the other party gaining a considerable disadvantage.

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.

f** with »    To mess with; to interact with in a careless or inappropriate way.

face off »    Either an actual or a figurative face to face confrontation, especially a bitter one.

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.

face value »    No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.

faceplant »    Death or defeat in popular multiplayer online games.

factotum »    A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.

factotum »    Jack of all trades.

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 and square »    Within the applicable rules.

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 game »    A game that is fair, that does not involve cheating etc.

fair game »    Actions permissible by the rules.

faith will move mountains »    Belief in oneself (read sometimes as belief in God) can help one overcome any hurdle in life's path.

fall apart »    To break into pieces through being in a dilapidated state.

fall behind »    To be progressively below average in performance.

fall by the wayside »    To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out.

fall for »    To be fooled; to walk into a trap or respond to a scam or trick.

fall in line »    To submit to the rules of a higher authority; obey; conform.

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 on deaf ears »    Of a request, complaint, etc, to be ignored.

fall on one's face »    To fail, especially in a dramatic or particularly decisive manner.

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

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

fall through »    To be unsuccessful, abort, come to nothing/naught; to be cancelled; not to proceed.

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

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.

family jewels »    Testicles.

farmer's tan »    The tan line left by clothing, especially, by a short-sleeved shirt.

fashion plate »    A person who dresses in especially stylish fashions.

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

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

fat lip »    A swelling on the lip, especially one resulting from a punch or other blow.

fat of the land »    The greatest part of anything; the finest and most abundant share of resources; the cream of the crop.

feast for the eyes »    Visually pleasing sight.

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 for »    To express sympathy for, to sympathise with.

feel free »    Don't be ashamed, be my guest.

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.

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.

fifth wheel »    A type of trailer hitch, which consists of a horseshoe-shaped plate on a multi-directional pivot, with a locking pin to couple with the kingpin of a truck trailer.

fifth wheel »    Anything superfluous or unnecessary.

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 resist, particularly an infection or an emotion.

fill in »    To inform somebody, especially to supply someone missing or missed information.

fill in »    To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information.

fill somebody's shoes »    To do somebody's job; to perform or assume somebody's role.

film out »    To transfer images or animation from videotape or digital files to a traditional celluloid film print.

filter down »    Of information, or resources; to move slowly down to lower levels of an organisation, or population.

final cut »    A group, after a selection process getting rid of other candidates.

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

fine words butter no parsnips »    Talking about doing something does not get it done.

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

fire escape »    emergency exit

fire off »    To ask an unexpected question rapidly.

firm up »    To make muscles more toned through physical exercise.

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 port of call »    The first place to go to start a process.

first port of call »    The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.

first rate »    Superb, exceptional; of the best sort; very high quality.

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

fishing expedition »    A non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.

fishtail »    The tail of a fish, or an object resembling this.

fit as a lop »    In good health, fitness.

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

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

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

flat-chested »    Having a flat chest; having small breasts.

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

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates the theory that the earth is flat.

flesh out »    To complete; to create details from a basic outline, structure or skeleton.

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.

flogging the land »    Damaging agricultural land through excessive grazing or clearing.

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.

flower »    The best state of things; the prime.

flower »    The vulva, especially the labia majora.

flutter in the dovecote »    A disturbance, usually one caused within a prescribed group of people.

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

fly the coop »    To depart hastily or unannounced; to escape or flee.

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 »    A creatures which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler.

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.

fold up »    To go out of business.

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.

fool's paradise »    A state of happiness due to illusion or false hope.

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.

footloose and fancy free »    Able to do as one pleases, unconstrained by social ties or responsibilities.

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 the world »    Entirely, to all appearances.

for crying out loud »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for f**'s sake »    An expression of anger or frustration.

for goodness' sake »    This interjection expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

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

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

for keeps »    To compete seriously, with a strong resolve to win or succeed, as in sports or business.

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

for Pete's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

for the birds »    Worthless; pointless; not deserving serious consideration.

for the love of »    Used to form interjections expressing exasperation.

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."

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

fortune favors the bold »    Luck is usually on the side of those who take chances and risks.

foul up »    To botch; to make a mess of.

fountain of youth »    Anything reputed to have the power to restore health and vitality or to restore a youthful appearance.

four score and seven years ago »    As an opener, a sometimes sarcastic indicator to indicate a past event being mentioned is particularly important.

four-eyes »    A person who wears spectacles.

four-leaf clover »    An uncommon variation of the clover, having four leaves instead of the usual three.

four-on-the-floor »    Relating to a vehicle with a four-speed manual transmission mounted beside the driver on the floor of the vehicle.

fourth estate »    Journalism or journalists considered as a group; the Press.

fourth estate »    Which governed legislation.

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.

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 ride »    An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.

free-for-all »    Chaos; a chaotic situation lacking rules or control.

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.

fresh start »    A new beginning, without prejudices.

friend with benefits »    A friendship with no reserves when it comes to the release of shared sexual tension thus leading to sexual fraternization.

frig it »    An expression of frustration similar to, but not as coarse as f** it.

frog in one's throat »    Hoarseness or the need to cough.

from the bottom of one's heart »    In earnest; sincerely; with one's full feeling.

from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious »    So obvious it was unnecessary to say.

from time to time »    C. 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act 3, sc. 3.

from time to time »    Occasionally; sometimes; once in a while.

front runner »    The most likely winners in a contest, election, etc.

fruit of one's loins »    C. 1950, Kay Boyle, "Adam's Death" in Fifty Stories , ISBN 9780811212069, p. 541.

fruit of one's loins »    One's child, children, or descendents.

fruit of the union »    A child, especially from a marriage or similar union.

fruit salad »    dessert dish

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 of beans »    Incorrect; uninformed; exaggerating or expressing falsehood.

full of hot air »    Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.

full of oneself »    Egotistical, believing oneself to be superior to others; preoccupied with one's own work, interests, point of view, etc.

full speed ahead »    A command, especially on military vessels, to move forward at maximum speed.

full speed ahead »    Maximum effort without reservations or delay.

funny stuff »    Irregular, often illegal, activities.

gagging for it »    Up for it, having a strong desire for sex.

gallows humor »    Comedy that makes light of death or other very serious matters.

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.

gandy dancer »    A railway laborer, especially a member of a crew which carries rails and affixes them to ties.

gapers' block »    A traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction.

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"

get a grip »    To relax; to calm down; to stop being angry; to come to one's senses or become more rational.

get a jump on »    To start early, especially to start before something begins or before others begin.

get a load of »    To experience someone or something, especially by looking or listening.

get a rise out of »    To obtain a reaction from someone, especially one of annoyance.

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 at »    gain access to

get away »    escape

get away »    make an escape

get better »    To recover from an illness.

get busy »    Start working, usually in opposition to idleness.

get by the balls »    To have complete control over someone, especially of a woman abusing a man's infatuation with her.

get carried away »    To become excessively involved, to take something too far.

get down to business »    To become involved with something work-related.

get fresh »    To flirt.

get high »    To intoxicate oneself with drugs or other substances.

get in »    To enter a place; to gain access.

get it »    To possess a preferred outlook on a given issue or issues.

get it over with »    To do or finish, especially said of something unpleasant.

get off »    Consequences.

get off with »    To befriend someone and snog them, especially in a public place.

get on somebody's case »    To lecture, berate, or complain to somebody, especially to find fault or criticize.

get on somebody's nerves »    To annoy or irritate; to bother.

get one's butt somewhere »    Go somewhere, especially quickly.

get one's foot in the door »    To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.

get one's knickers in a twist »    To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.

get one's wires crossed »    To get confused or mixed up; to make a mistake.

get ready »    prepare oneself

get something over with »    To do something quickly and hastily; without procrastination, especially so as to have something unpleasant behind oneself.

get stuck »    To be unable to make progress.

get the bacon bad »    To be morbidly obese.

giant panda »    chinese animal

gild the lily »    To embellish or improve something unnecessarily; to add superfluous attributes to something.

gimme a five »    A request to receive a high five.

gird up one's loins »    To prepare oneself for something demanding.

give and take »    A process of compromise or accommodation.

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 ear »    Dante Gabriel Rosetti, A Death-Parting, lines 5-6.

give face »    To honor; to pay respect.

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 »    He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.

give it a whirl »    To try, test or attempt.

give it one's best shot »    To make one's best effort or attempt; to try as hard as possible.

give of oneself »    To devote oneself unselfishly to a task, especially to give time and energy.

give over »    To devote oneself to a particular activity.

give over »    Usually as an imperative. To tell someone to stop molesting, fooling around, or saying silly things. Or sometimes to stop saying flattering things.

give somebody a piece of one's mind »    To express one's opinion strongly; to voice one's disagreement or dissatisfaction.

give somebody the cold shoulder »    To snub, resist or reject somebody; to regard somebody distantly.

give somebody the creeps »    To give someone a feeling of uneasiness or mild fright.

give somebody the runaround »    Especially by providing useless information or directions .

give somebody the slip »    To evade, escape, or get away from somebody.

give the devil his due »    To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.

give the time of day »    To acknowledge somebody; to give somebody any respect or attention.

glad rags »    best clothes

gloss over »    To treat something with less care than it deserves; to skimp.

glutton for punishment »    One persistent in an effort in spite of harmful or unpleasant results.

go all out »    To reserve nothing; to put forth all possible effort or resources.

go apeshit »    To behave in an extreme manner; to act without restraint, especially by becoming explosively angry.

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 belly-up »    To fail or fold; especially, to close or shut down a business; to go out of business.

go blue »    Of states and counties, to be carried by a Democratic candidate in a given U.S. election.

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 decrease; to change from a greater value to a lesser one.

go down the tubes »    To fail or degenerate rapidly.

go down the wrong way »    To swallow food or drink so that it goes down the wrong tube in one's throat and makes one cough or for a short period lose one's breath or choke.

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 do something, especially for leisure.

go for the gold »    To attempt to achieve the maximum reward or result in an endeavor.

go from zero to hero »    To change from negative outcome to positive outcome. To improve one's fortunes significantly.

go in for »    To have an interest in or approve of something.

go it alone »    To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups.

go jump in the lake »    Used to tell a person that to go away, or that their request will not be met.

go large »    To enjoy oneself to the maximum.

go large »    To have the wind at such an angle to the sail that the vessel gains its highest speed.

go mad »    Used to indicate that the second verb represents an action that is out of character.

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 »    To like less.

go off the boil »    To become less successful.

go off the boil »    To lose interest; to pall.

go out »    To leave, especially a building.

go out »    To leave one's abode to go to public places.

go out »    1922, Alfred Edward Housman, XXVIII, lines 3-4.

go out on a limb »    To hazard a guess.

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 over »    To create a response or impression.

go overboard »    Fall out of a vessel.

go overboard »    Go too far, be excessive.

go places »    To make progress or achieve success.

go public »    Make public, announce publicly or to the press.

go red »    Of states or counties, to be carried by a Republican candidate in a given U.S. election.

go round in circles »    To repeatedly do the same thing; without making any progress.

go the whole hog »    To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

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 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 the mattresses »    To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.

go too far »    To exceed an unstated limit, especially a limit of acceptable behaviour.

go west »    To die; to become destroyed.

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...

gold standard »    A test or measure of comparison that is considered ultimate or ideal.

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 ticket »    A qualification, person or thing that can provide lucrative opportunities.

good drunk »    A person who is cheerful and companionable when intoxicated, retaining reasonable control of his or her mental and emotional faculties.

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 to go »    Ready for some specific task or ready for normal activity, especially after preparation or recovery.

good to go »    Ready for use or ready for normal operation, especially after repair or renewal.

good turn »    A good deed; a thoughtful or selfless act.

goodbye cruel world »    A call said before taking a stiff drink, especially a shot of vodka.

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.

goose is cooked »    All hope is gone; there is no possibility of success.

grace period »    A length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.

granary »    A storage facility for grain or sometimes animal feed.

grasp at straws »    To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, as due to lack of options or information.

grass roots »    The essential foundation or source of something.

gratuitous violence »    The artificial depiction of excessive violence.

gravy train »    A gorging on luxuries, since someone else foots the bill.

gravy train »    An occupation or any lucrative endeavor that generates considerable income whilst requiring little effort and carrying little risk.

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.

greatest thing since sliced bread »    A relatively recent invention likely to significantly improve people's lives.

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.

grin like a Cheshire cat »    To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.

grind to a halt »    Coming to a standstill, or ceasing to be productive or make progress, due to an obstacle.

ground rules »    The basic rules or standards; whatever someone must know before proceeding.

grow a pair »    To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.

grow cold »    To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.

grow out of »    To become too physically large for something, especially clothes.

grunt work »    That is considered undesirable and therefore delegated to underlings.

guilt trip »    A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.

guilty as sin »    Unquestionably guilty.

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.

gunboat diplomacy »    The pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.

gunk up »    To soil or dirty; to mess up; to clog.

gunshy »    Fearing the consequences of repeating an act, especially after being reprimanded.

hack into »    To gain unauthorized entry to, particularly by exploiting little-known weaknesses.

hack it »    To cope with, to be successful in.

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.

half nelson »    wrestling hold

ham it up »    To act or emote, especially to overact or act badly.

hammer and tongs »    With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm.

hand down »    To transmit in succession, as from father to son, or from predecessor to successor.

hand in »    To give something to a responsible person.

hand over »    To relinquish control or possession of something to someone.

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.

handle with kid gloves »    To treat something very delicately or carefully.

hands down »    Without question[2].

hang out one's shingle »    To open an office or business, especially in a profession.

hang out to dry »    To attach washing to a clothesline to dry.

happily ever after »    Living happily until death. Typically associated with fairy tales.

happy medium »    A balanced position between two opposite extremes.

hard cheese »    Expressed to someone suffering misfortune.

hard feelings »    Resentment, anger.

hard lines »    Expressed to someone suffering misfortune.

hard pressed »    Having or likely to have difficulty or to find a task almost impossible.

harden »    To become or make a thing resistant or less sensitive.

harden someone's heart »    To make someone more resistant to something.

hardwired »    Designed to perform a specific task.

hardwired »    Of devices, closely or tightly coupled.

harsh one's mellow »    To get on one's nerves.

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.

hash out »    To work through the details of something; especially to work through difficulties.

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.

hatchet man »    A professional killer.

hatchet man »    Someone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.

hate somebody's guts »    To despise; to hate intensely or passionately.

haul ass »    To hurry; to move quickly, especially to leave.

haul his ashes »    A euphemism for sexual intercourse.

haul somebody over the coals »    To express anger with someone in no uncertain terms when they do something wrong.

have a go »    Shout at or tell off unnecessarily or excessively.

have a good time »    To enjoy oneself.

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 butterflies in one's stomach »    To be nervous, uncertain, or anxious.

have eyes bigger than one's belly »    To take more food on one's plate than one can eat; to be greedy.

have eyes bigger than one's stomach »    To take more food on one's plate than one can eat; to be greedy.

have eyes in the back of one's head »    To be particularly, especially uncannily, observant; a perceived ability to see in all directions at once.

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 made »    To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty; to have achieved a lifestyle characterized by good fortune and comfort.

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 one's heart set on »    To want or desire deeply, regardless of practicality or rationality.

have one's name on it »    To be reserved for someone.

have one's number on it »    Te be destined for someone.

have someone by the short hairs »    To have someone in a difficult situation in which he or she is without alternatives and can be controlled.

have the blues »    To be depressed, to have a low morale.

have the floor »    To have permission or time to speak, especially in a formal situation.

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 tickets on oneself »    To be conceited.

he who laughs last laughs best »    success is better after having previously endured ridicule.

he who laughs last laughs hardest »    Alternative form of he who laughs last laughs best.

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 for the hills »    To travel to a higher elevation, especially to a rural region on vacation.

head honcho »    The person in charge; the highest-ranking person in an organization.

head over heels »    Hopelessly smitten.

head scratcher »    December 2007, W:Daily News Tribune - Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher.

head start »    A factor conducive to superiority and success.

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.

heart of gold »    A kind, compassionate, or caring attitude; kindheartedness.

heart-breaking »    That causes extreme sorrow or grief.

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.

heebie-jeebies »    A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.

hell on earth »    A very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.

hell or high water »    Highly adverse circumstances; acts of God.

help oneself »    Take freely.

herd cats »    To attempt to control those resistant to control.

here goes nothing »    Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.

hide nor hair »    A trace, indication, or evidence, especially of a person.

high cotton »    The best of times; a time of well being.

high ground »    A location which is at a relatively high elevation, especially in comparison to the immediate surrounding area.

high road »    A course of action which is honorable, dignified, or respectable.

highway robbery »    Said of excessive or exorbitant prices.

hind tit »    An inferior source of food or other resources.

hindsight is 20/20 »    (idiomatic) In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.

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.

hit home »    To be especially memorable or meaningful; to be fully understood, believed or appreciated.

hit it big »    To have great success.

hit one out of the ballpark »    To hit a fair ball so well that the ball flies over all of the spectators' seats and lands outside the stadium.

hit the big time »    To become successful and widely known.

hit the books »    To study, especially with particular intensity.

hit the bottle »    To continually drink alcohol to excess, particularly in response to a setback.

hit the bricks »    To participate in a workplace strike or other job action; to participate in a public protest, especially one involving picketing.

hit the bricks »    To travel about, especially on foot.

hit the headlines »    To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.

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 up »    To request or demand.

hit upon »    To address.

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 all the aces »    To be in a strong position when one is competing with someone else, having all the advantages.

hold back »    To act with reserve; to contain one's full measure or power.

hold back »    To delay, especially in school.

hold down »    To restrain; to check.

hold one's breath »    To wait, as if breathlessly.

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 own »    To stand up to; to give a respectable performance; to provide worthy competition.

hold one's tongue »    To keep quiet; especially, to leave something unsaid.

hold one's water »    To be patient; to control one's impulses.

hold somebody's hand »    To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details.

hold someone's feet to the fire »    To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce him or her to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for his or her actions.

hold the fort »    To assume responsibility, especially in another’s absence..

hold with the hare and run with the hounds »    To remain neutral by attempting to placate two factions or both sides of a controversy.

hold your fire »    Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.

holding pattern »    Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.

holy mackerel »    An expression of surprise.

home in on »    To focus or narrow down to something; to find or draw closer, as by trial and error or a gradual seeking process.

home is where the heart is »    One's true home is where one feels happiest.

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 »    A success; especially, a popular success.

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 injun »    A phrase used to emphasize the truth of something.

honest-to-goodness »    Real; genuine.

honesty is the best policy »    Honesty is the most honorable and fulfilling way to live one's life.

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.

hook, line and sinker »    Naively or unquestioningly.

hoover up »    Into a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.

hoover up »    Quickly, especially by taking it into the mouth directly from the plate rather than using cutlery.

horse opera »    A theatrical production, film, or program on radio or television depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.

horse opera »    An equestrian show, as in a circus.

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.

horses for courses »    A person suited for one job may not be suited for another job, regardless of their expertise in the former job.

horses for courses »    The practice of choosing the best person for a particular job.

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 »    Exempting one from regular activities, to instead visit a hospital.

hot button »    A central issue, concern or characteristic, especially one that motivates people to make a choice.

hot button »    The principal desire that a salesman needs to "hit" in order to make a sale.

hot cross buns »    good friday cakes

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 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.

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 warming »    Presented as a way of welcoming someone to a home into which he or she recently moved.

how are you »    An informal greeting, not requiring a literal response. Typical responses include.

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 do you like them apples »    Directed jestingly or mockingly at someone who has received surprising information, ridiculing the situation.

how-d'ye-do »    A troublesome state of affairs.

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 sauce »    Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.

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.

ice cream »    dessert item

idiot light »    Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard of a car, designed to alert the driver of problems, such as the parking brake being on or the oil being low.

if it's all the same »    If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.

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 need be »    If necessary; if there is a need.

if only »    I wish that; signifies a wish or desire.

if pigs had wings they would fly »    (colloquial) Expresses speakers skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if you can't beat them, join them »    If your adversaries are stronger than yourself, it is better to join the adversaries.

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.

if you lie with dogs you will get fleas »    It is important whom to choose as one's closest acquanitances.

if you want a thing done well, do it yourself »    It is better to do something oneself, than rely on others to do it well.

ignorance is bliss »    Lack of knowledge results in happinessSometime you are more comfortable if you dont know something.

ill health »    A state of illness, or bad health.

in a league of one's own »    Far excelling even the closest contender; not having any worthy competition.

in addition »    Also; as well; besides.

in bed »    Lying on a bed, especially under some bedsheets.

in bed with »    Engaging in a close mutually beneficial relationship, especially secretly and illicitly.

in black and white »    Having it displayed using shades of gray/gray rather than colour/color .

in black and white »    Using shades of grey/gray rather than colour/color.

in business »    Engaged in business activity.

in business »    Ready to proceed in a desired activity.

in character »    Acting as the character, not as oneself.

in cold blood »    In a ruthless and unfeeling manner; premeditated and deliberate.

in evidence »    Visibly present; noticeable.

in fact »    Resulting from the actions of parties.

in focus »    Sharp and clear with no fuzziness.

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 full swing »    Proceeding fully, quickly, or completely; thoroughly begun and in progress.

in heaven's name »    An intensifier used with questions.

in high dudgeon »    Resentfully or furiously.

in line »    Suitable or appropriate; keeping with expectations, norms, ideals, or rules.

in no uncertain terms »    With great clarity, emphasis, or exactness; without any ambiguity.

in one's stockinged feet »    Wearing socks, stockings or other hosiery on one's feet but no shoes.

in order »    In accordance with the procedural rules governing formal meetings of a deliberative body.

in other words »    Stated or interpreted another way; introduces an explanation.

in person »    actually present

in process of time »    In the course of time; as time goes on; gradually; in due course.

in shape »    I guess I'd better get my room in shape if I have guests.

in shape »    In a good state of physical fitness or bodily appearance.

in so far as »    With respect to.

in spades »    Beyond doubt.

in spades »    To excess, a lot, considerably; without restraint.

in spite of »    Despite, irrespective of, notwithstanding.

in stride »    Without disturbing one's course of activities.

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 face of »    Despite, against, contrary to.

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 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 making »    In development; in the process of being made.

in the red »    Having net losses; in debt.

in the twinkling of an eye »    Circa 1598, William Shakespeare, "The Merchant Of Venice".

in the wake of »    As a result of.

in thunderation »    In any set of circumstances whatsoever.

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 two shakes »    Very quickly; without delay.

in vain »    In a disrespectful manner, especially when concerning religion.

in vain »    Without success; ending in failure.

inner circle »    The closest of friends of a person.

inside baseball »    Matters of interest only to insiders.

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.

inside track »    The lane or track nearest to the interior.

iron out »    To resolve (a dispute); to solve (a problem).

is the Pope Catholic »    The answer to the question is, obviously, resoundingly affirmative.

it pays to advertise »    Good qualities do not get rewarded automatically.

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 takes two to tango »    Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.

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 good »    Used to express unconcern.

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 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 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.

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.

jack up »    To ruin; wreck; mess up; screw up; sometimes as a bowdlerized substitution for f** up.

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.

joe job »    An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.

join the club »    An expression of sympathy for a shared experience.

jump »    To cause oneself to leave an elevated location and fall downward.

jump »    To employ a move in certain board games where one game piece is moved from one legal position to another passing over the position of another piece.

jump »    To propel oneself rapidly upward such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.

jump about »    To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.

jump about »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump around »    To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.

jump around »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump off »    To participate in the final round of an equestrian showjumping event.

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 someone's bones »    To have sex.

jump the gun »    To begin a race too soon, before the starting gun goes off.

jump the gun »    To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.

jump the queue »    To desire preferential treatment, undue influence; impatient.

jump to conclusions »    Make conclusions before being presented with all the evidence.

jumped-up »    Describes a person who thinks he is superior in some way that the speaker disagrees with. For instance, of a higher class, or has more authority than they have in reality.

jumped-up »    We're doomed if this wee jumped-up monkey gets Gordon Smith's blessing.

jungle telegraph »    A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.

just deserts »    A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.

just the same »    Anyway; despite.

just what the doctor ordered »    Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation.

keel over »    Of a vessel: to roll so far on its side that it cannot recover; to capsize.

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 maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occupying your full attention.

keep at »    preserve with

keep away from »    To deny access to.

keep down »    To repress.

keep down »    To restrain or control.

keep from »    To prevent or restrain ; refrain or cause refrain.

keep from »    To protect or preserve from.

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 on truckin' »    To continue or persist, regardless of circumstances or setbacks; to keep trying or striving.

keep one on one's toes »    To keep one attentive, active, busy or alert.

keep one's cards close to one's chest »    To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.

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 eyes peeled »    To watch closely; to look for.

keep one's mouth shut »    To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly.

keep oneself to oneself »    To be introverted; to stay away from others.

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 shtum »    Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep somebody in stitches »    To keep somebody laughing hard or amused.

keep up »    To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating.

keep up appearances »    To pretend to be all right or that everything is going well.

keep up with »    To manage to remain beside or just behind that is moving away from one.

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.

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.

kick ass »    To be very impressive.

kick butt »    To be impressive; to be decisively good or pleasant.

kick in »    To contribute, especially to a collection of money.

kick off »    To force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders. Used figuratively or literally.

kick off the team »    In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.

kick oneself »    To reproach oneself for making a mistake or missing an opportunity.

kick up the arse »    A severe reprimand, especially one to motivate someone into doing something.

kill off »    To represent or portray as being dead.

kill the fatted calf »    To begin a festive celebration and rejoicing for someone's long-awaited return.

kill the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

kill the rabbit »    To get a positive test result from an old-fashioned pregnancy test.

kindred soul »    Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself; kindred spirit.

kindred spirit »    Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself.

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 of death »    Something that may seem good and favourable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc.

kiss of life »    Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

kiss up to »    To pay false flattery to; to flatter in excess.

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 »    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.

kneel before »    To kneel in front of someone or something, especially in order to worship or supplicate.

knight in shining armor »    A person who will rescue a dangerous situation; a hero.

knock it off »    Stop doing something; desist.

knock off »    An imitation, especially one of poorer quality.

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 complete, especially in haste; knock off.

knock somebody's socks off »    To impress greatly; amaze; stun.

knock up »    To impregnate, especially out of wedlock. See knocked up.

knock-on effect »    The continued running of an engine after the ignition has been turned off; dieseling.

know like the back of one's hand »    To be intimately knowledgeable about something, especially a place.

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 sandwich »    A punch to the face, especially to the mouth.

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.

la goutte d'eau qui fait d%C3%A9border le vase »    The drop of water that makes the vase overflow.

la goutte d'eau qui fait d%C3%A9border le vase »    The final thing that is too much and forces a reaction; the straw that broke the camel's back.

laced-up »    Restrained; uptight.

ladies and gentlemen »    Used to address an audience.

ladies first »    A phrase encouraging polite gentlemanliness, allowing the ladies to go before the men.

ladies man »    Alternative spelling of lady's man.

ladies' man »    Alternative spelling of lady's man.

lady abbess »    A bawd, the mistress of a brothel.

lady or tiger »    A pure gamble with highly divergent outcomes.

land of opportunity »    A nickname for the United States.

land on one's feet »    To be lucky, or successful, often in difficult situations.

landing strip »    A runway for aircraft, especially one which is auxiliary or temporary.

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.

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 resort »    The only remaining, unwanted, option or choice.

last word »    The finest, highest, or ultimate representative of some class of objects.

last-ditch »    Final, as a last resort; done in desperation.

late bloomer »    A person who lives a child's life comparatively later than their peers.

late bloomer »    A person who reaches puberty comparatively later than their peers.

late model »    Recently designed or fabricated; new.

laughing stock »    C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, act 3, sc. 1.

laughter is the best medicine »    It is healthy to laugh.

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.

law of the jungle »    The survival of the fittest, strongest or most cunning.

lay an egg »    To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

lay down »    To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate .

lay down »    To sacrifice, especially in the phrase "to lay down one's life.".

lay down »    To lie down; to place oneself in a reclined or horizontal position, on a bed or similar, for the purpose of resting.

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 rubber »    To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.

lay to rest »    To bury one who has died.

lead »    A roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.

lead »    A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.

lead »    I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. — Bacon.

lead »    Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs.

lead »    To estimate velocity in knots.

lead nowhere »    To have no purpose, to result in nothing.

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.

leading lady »    starring actress

lean and mean »    Efficient because of having nothing in excess of what is needed, and single-minded in one's objective.

lean on »    To apply pressure on.

leave somebody holding the bag »    To abandon somebody, leaving the responsibility or blame.

leave somebody in the lurch »    To abandon somebody; especially, to abandon somebody and leave him or her in a difficult situation.

leave to one's own devices »    To leave alone, unsupervised, without assistance.

left and right »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

left, right and center »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

legal duty »    A duty prescribed by the law, to act or forbear from acting.

legwork »    Work, especially research or preparation, that involves significant walking, travel, or similar effort.

lemon law »    A law dealing with defective items, especially automobiles, and consumers' rights.

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 »    Much less; to say nothing of.

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 »    allow to escape

let the good times roll »    To have fun or live fully; may imply letting things that are going well proceed.

let up »    To lessen.

let's roll »    Used to suggest that an action should begin.

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 best »    The very best that one can do.

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.

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.

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 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.

light bucket »    Nickname for a reflecting telescope, especially one with a relatively large aperture and suitable for observing deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.

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 hot cakes »    Quickly, especially by purchase or consumption.

like it or lump it »    To accept a situation whether one agrees with it or not.

like it's going out of style »    Enthusiastically, to an excessive degree.

like nobody's business »    In an extreme manner; rapidly; excessively; like crazy.

line one's pockets »    To accumulate personal wealth, especially in an illegal or morally objectionable manner.

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 »    A Chinese foo dog.

lion »    A large cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly to much of Europe. The term may apply to the species as a whole, to individuals, or to male individuals. It also applies to related species like mountain lions.

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.

listen in »    To eavesdrop; to listen secretly.

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 large »    To have a lavish or overly-extravagant lifestyle.

live one »    A person, thing, or situation which is particularly interesting, noteworthy, or urgent.

live wire »    An especially energetic, alert, or vivacious person.

lock up »    To invest in something long term.

lock up »    To cease responding, to freeze.

log out »    To exit an account in a computer system so that it doesn't recognize you until you log in again.

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 drink »    Any drink containing more than 5 ounces of liquid and less than 9 ounces. Typically, a long drink will have lots of ice and mixer.

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 pork »    Human flesh.

long ways, long lies »    Someone who comes back from a far-off country can tell lies without fear of being contradicted.

longpig »    Human flesh when cooked in cannabalistic rituals in certain Pacific Islands, due to the allegeded similarity to cooked pork.

look back »    To look behind oneself.

look before you leap »    Don't jump into something too precipitously; be at least a bit foresightful or circumspect.

look forward »    To anticipate or expect; especially, to expect something to be pleasant.

look forward to »    To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure.

look into »    To investigate, explore, or consider.

look like »    To be similar in appearance to; resemble.

look off »    To put off by one's facial expression.

look out for number one »    To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.

look through rose-tinted glasses »    Alternative spelling of wear rose-colored glasses.

look up to »    To show respect or admiration for.

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.

Loose cannon »    A cannon that breaks loose during battle or a storm and causes serious damage to the ship and its crew.

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 ends »    Leftover items that have not been addressed or attended to.

loose ends »    unresolved details

lord of the flies »    A ruler over a worthless kingdom; leader of a meaningless microcosm.

lose face »    To lose the respect of others, to be humiliated or experience public disgrace.

lose one's marbles »    To go crazy.

lose the number of one's mess »    To die, to perish.

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.

lost cause »    A cause, attempt, or effort that is hopeless or futile.

lot lizard »    A customer or salesperson at a used car lot.

louse up »    Mess up; confuse; put into a state of disorder.

love nest »    A room, especially a bedroom or boudoir, used for sexual intercourse.

love nest »    Vagina.

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.

lucky break »    A stroke of luck; a fortunate event, particularly of the sort that propels one to success, fame, etc.

lucky dip »    A game in which prizes are covered up and mixed together in a container, so that contestants can dip their hand into the container and randomly pull out a prize.

lump in one's throat »    A feeling of emotional sadness. On the point of crying.

lump it »    To endure, accept, put up with a situation one does not like.

lump to one's throat »    A feeling of emotional sadness. On the point of crying.

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.

magic bullet »    A simple remedy to a difficult or complex problem, especially a cure for a disease.

magnum opus »    greatest work

make a fool of oneself »    To appear foolish to others.

make a go of it »    To attempt; especially, to attempt to make a living.

make a living »    To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.

make a name for oneself »    To gain fame.

make a pig's ear of »    To do badly; to make a mess of.

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 an exhibition of oneself »    She had far too much to drink and made an exhibition of herself by flirting with everyone.

make an exhibition of oneself »    To embarrass oneself or others in public.

make an honest woman »    Especially if she is having a sexual relationship.

make for »    To tend to produce or result in.

make fun of »    To tease, ridicule or make jokes about.

make game of »    To ridicule; to jest.

make hay while the sun shines »    To act while an opportunity exists; to take action while a situation is favorable.

make headway »    To progress; to move forward.

make it »    To become famous and successful.

make it big »    To become famous and successful.

make it up as one goes along »    To improvise continuously.

make light of »    To regard without due seriousness; to joke or disregard inappropriately.

make no bones about »    To see no difficulty in, have no objection to.

make oneself scarce »    To leave or depart, or to avoid or stay away.

make out »    To designate as the recipient.

make out like a bandit »    To profit greatly; to get an excessively good deal.

make over »    To transfer ownership, especially by means of a legal document.

make the cut »    To succeed; to be chosen out of a field of candidates or possibilities.

make the grade »    To prove satisfactory; to be successful or worthy of merit.

make up »    To resolve, forgive or smooth over an argument or fight.

make waves »    To cause a disturbance.

make waves »    To upset the status quo.

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 few words »    A man who doesn't speak much, or speaks only for a short period of time.

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 proposes, God disposes »    Things don't always work out as they were planned.

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.

man up »    To staff adequately; to staff up; to successfully fill all needed labor positions.

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.

mandare a monte »    To mess up, to ruin.

manoeuvre the apostles »    To rob Peter to pay Paul; that is, to borrow money of one man to pay another.

many a mickle makes a muckle »    (UK) a lot of small amounts together, become a large amount.

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.

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.

match made in hell »    A marriage that is likely to be unhappy or abusive and unsuccessful because the two people are very incompatible with each other.

match made in hell »    A very unsuccessful or conflicting combination of two people or things.

me three »    Used to express agreement, after someone has already said "me too".

meal ticket »    Someone or something that provides income or livelihood, especially as an exploited source.

meals on wheels »    Food delivered to the homes of those unable to cook for themselves.

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

meaty »    Resembling meat in flavour, etc.

memory lane »    A set of recollections available to be reviewed, especially accompanied by a feeling of nostalgia.

mend fences »    To repair damage to a friendship or relationship after a disagreement or other mishap.

mess around »    To fiddle idly.

mess around »    To joke, kid, or play.

mess around »    To have a non-committal sexual relationship.

mess of pottage »    Something of trivial value, especially of immediate value.

mess up »    To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.

mess up »    To cause a problem with; to introduce an error or mistake in; to make muddled or confused; spoil; ruin.

mess up »    To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.

mess up »    To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.

mess up »    To make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.

mess up »    To damage; injure.

mess up »    To manhandle; beat up; rough up.

mess up »    To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.

mess with »    To interfere.

mess with »    To diss; to put down.

middle ground »    A compromise position between extremes.

middle of nowhere »    Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.

middle of the road »    Having a centrist attitude or philosophy; not extreme, especially politically.

might makes right »    The stronger and more powerful rule others, control the situation or determine right and wrong.

mighty oaks from little acorns grow »    Something great can come from a modest beginning.Don't give up on the project - mighty oaks from little acorns grow!

mince words »    To restrain oneself in a conversation by withholding some comments or using euphemisms.

mind one's own business »    To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.

mind the store »    To remain present in a retail business, in order to maintain the security of the premises and to serve customers.

mind the store »    To take active responsibility for a group or process, especially within an organization.

mind-numbing »    Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.

miner's canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miner's canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

miners' canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miners' canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

mint condition »    Used, but still like new, as if freshly minted.

misery loves company »    Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.1995, Chris Abbott,

misfortunes never come singly »    bad things or situations always come in groups, they never come in a single way.

miss the mark »    To fail to reach the result that was intended.

mix apples and oranges »    To mix two totally different things.

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 blessing »    Something that has both good and bad features.

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.

money can't buy happiness »    Money can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.

money doesn't grow on trees »    You must work in order to have money.

monkey business »    An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.

monkey business »    An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious.

monkey business »    Do your homework and forget about all this monkey business.

monkey business »    Wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project.

monkey on one's back »    A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.

monkey on one's back »    An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.

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.

mop up »    To clean with a mop; especially to clean up a spill or mess.

more haste, less speed »    When we are in a hurry, we often end up completing our task slower.

more like it »    Better, more desirable.

morning person »    A person whose who wakes up without difficulty early each morning and who is alert and active during the first part of the day.

morning, noon and night »    Constantly; ceaselessly; without stopping.

moses basket »    portable cradle

motor mouth »    One who talks incessantly; a chatty or loquacious person.

mouse potato »    A person who spends excessive amounts of time using a computer.

mouth breather »    A person who routinely inhales and exhales through the mouth, instead of through the nose.

mouth of a sailor »    The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities; a person having this characteristic.

mouthful of marbles »    An indistinct, muffled or garbled manner of speaking.

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.

move the goalposts »    To alter the agreed basis, scope, standards or target of a procedure or task during its course, especially to do so to someone's advantage.

much of a muchness »    Of two or more things, having little difference of any significance between them.

mug's game »    A foolish, profitless, or hopeless undertaking.

murder will out »    Secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered.

mutton dressed as lamb »    A mature woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if a deliberate attempt to appear young.

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.

my arse »    Indicates disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

my eye »    Expression of disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

my foot »    Indicates disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

nail biter »    One who bites or chews his or her fingernails.

naked as a jaybird »    Stark naked; nude; especially, naked in a public setting and without embarrassment.

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.

ne'er do well »    useless

near the knuckle »    Risqué, sexual, suggestive of impropriety..

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.

neck and neck »    Very close in progress, as in a race or contest.

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.

necktie party »    An execution by hanging, especially a lynching.

neither fish nor fowl »    Said of something not easily categorized or not fitting neatly into any established group.

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.

nest egg »    A savings; a reserve of money.

never you mind »    Do not concern yourself with it; it is none of your business.

night owl »    One who stays up late at night or goes to bed late.

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.

nine day wonder »    Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.

nine lives »    Durability; near immunity to damage.

no brainer »    Something that supposedly doesn’t take much intellectual thought. Whoever says that something is a no brainer is usually the one with no brains.

no comment »    An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.

no dice »    An unfavorable result.

no frills »    Basic or simple; providing only what is necessary, without anything extra or fancy.

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 great shakes »    Unexceptional; not special or noteworthy; not very effective.

no holds barred »    Without reserve; in an especially ruthless or vicious manner.

no holds barred »    Without restrictions on holds or what opponents may do.

no matter »    regardless of

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 news is good news »    A lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.

no pressure »    The situation at hand is rife with emotional pressure.

no prize for guessing »    Used to form expressions emphasizing the unsurprising nature of what follows.

no rest for the wicked »    (humorous) People who are wicked must work harder than normal people.

no screaming hell »    Something that is not particularly effective or impressive; something that is below expectations.

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 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 off »    To fall asleep, especially while in a seated position or in inappropriate circumstances.

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.

nose test »    An inspection of the nasal passages or a trial of their function, as for breathing difficulties.

nose-picking »    To insert a finger into one's nostril, especially to remove mucus.

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 give a monkey's »    Not to have the slightest interest or concern.

not have the faintest »    To not know; to have no idea.

not on your life »    Absolutely not; under no circumstances.

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 »    To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; signifies a strong aversion.

not win for losing »    To repeatedly fail in one's gambles or efforts.

not worth a dime »    Worthless, lacking in value.

not worth a plug nickel »    Having no or almost no value; worthless.

nothing to write home about »    Not exceptional; not noteworthy or especially good.

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'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.

number one »    First; foremost; best.

nuts and bolts »    The basic, inner workings of something; the fundamentals or basics; that which makes something operate, on a basic level.

object lesson »    A lesson taught using a familiar or unusual object as a focus.

object lesson »    A punishment intended as a deterrent to others.

object lesson »    An example that typifies a principle.

object lesson »    Anything used an example or lesson which serves to warn others as to the outcomes that result from a particular action or behavior, as exemplified by the fates of those who followed that course.

odd and curious »    A way to designate special coins, namely coins that are both odd and imperfect or seriously damaged.

odd one out »    A visual puzzle where the guesser has to choose which word/picture/symbol etc. does not fit with the others.

odd one out »    Something or someone in a group that is different or exceptional, that does not fit.

of all people »    Especially; more than other people.

of an »    Indicates a more or less habitual activity during the given part of the day.

of course »    Acknowledges the validity of the associated phrase.

of course »    Indicates enthusiastic agreement.

of sorts »    Resembling; similar to; in a way; partial or not entire; somewhat.

off one's game »    C. 1910, Ralph Henry Barbour, "The Dub" in The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories.

off the beaten track »    In a place or places not commonly visited.

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 »    In an abnormal manner, especially in a manner that causes damage or malfunctioning.

off the reservation »    Violating rules.

off the top of one's head »    Without great thought or investigation; extemporaneous; natural; offhand.

off the wagon »    No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.

off-roader »    A vehicle that is designed to drive off the road.

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.

oil burner »    A machine that uses oil as its fuel.

old hat »    Something uninteresting, hackneyed, or passé due to overuse or long-standing familiarity..

old money »    Families that have been wealthy for generations or members of such families.

old saw »    A cliché, saying, or overused expression; especially a proverb or maxim.

old testament »    part of the bible

on a roll »    Having a streak of good luck or good progress or success.

on a shoestring »    On a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.

on a whim »    Done without thinking seriously about the consequences.

on all fours »    On one's hands and knees.

on at »    to pester; to irritate; to annoy

on hold »    On reserve; being held for someone.

on its merits »    Considering only intrinsic good points and bad points, without prejudice or other considerations, such as procedural ones.

on one's feet »    Being stable or capable, especially in a financial or emotional sense.

on one's feet »    Being well again after a bout of illness.

on one's hands »    Being one's liability or responsibility; with which one is lumbered.

on one's own »    Alone; by oneself; without the companionship or assistance of others.

on one's soapbox »    Stating or professing one's opinion; attempting to persuade others of something.

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 the anvil »    Refers to anything in the making, being created, or in production, especially in the metalworking field.

on the back burner »    Not immediate; inactive; receiving less than full or regular attention.

on the bounce »    Consecutively, in succession.

on the brain »    Obsessively in mind.

on the bubble »    Having qualification for an event depend on the upcoming performances of other competitors.

on the bubble »    Holding the last qualifying position with qualification still in progress, and thus liable to lose that position.

on the bubble »    Uncertain of success.

on the cheap »    Economically, especially if too economically.

on the defensive »    Prepared to defend or protect against criticism, attack or aggression.

on the dot »    Exactly; precisely, especially of a numerical quantity.

on the fly »    Spontaneously or extemporaneously; done as one goes, or during another activity.

on the level »    Honest, sincere, straightforward.

on the line »    In a contest or enterprise.

on the line »    On a level with the eye of the spectator; said of a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures.

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 pill »    Using oral contraceptives.

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 square »    Honest and open.

on the straight and narrow »    Honest; proceeding according to rules and plans.

on the up-and-up »    Legitimate; honest; upright.

on the uptake »    In understanding or in the ability to absorb new information; especially in the phrases "quick on the uptake" and "slow on the uptake".

on the wagon »    By extension, maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.

on track »    Proceeding as planned, as expected, or in a manner consistent with an established pattern.

on wheels »    To a large degree, excessive.

once in a while »    Occasionally; sometimes.

once or twice »    A small, indefinite number of times.

once you go black, you never go back »    An expression assuming that once a person of another race gets in a sexual relationship with a black person they won't return to their own race.

one by one »    Individually in succession; one at a time.

one fell swoop »    One stroke; one action or event with many results.

one good turn deserves another »    One act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness.

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 of his majesty's bad bargains »    A worthless soldier, a malingeror.

one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind »    A cliché used to exaggerate an accomplishment or milestone..

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 does not make a summer »    A sign is not proof

one swallow doesn't make a summer »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

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-hit wonder »    A musical performer or musical group known for a single hit song, especially after failing at later attempts at success.

one-man band »    An organisation or business that is effectively run by only one person.

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-note »    Having only one opinion, outlook, tone, etc., especially as expressed repetitively; without variety or range.

one-track mind »    That said to be possessed by someone who is obsessed with something or only able to think of one thing.

one-upmanship »    A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor.

one-upmanship »    The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.

onesie-twosie »    Individually or in very small groups, rather in larger batches.

only fools and horses work »    Philosophy of life that people who do not look for an easy way of earning a living are foolish.

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.

opposite number »    A person who holds a position in an organization that corresponds to that held by another person in an other organization; a counterpart.

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.

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 house and home »    Cassandra Chrones Moore, Haunted Housing: How Toxic Scare Stories Are Spooking the Public Out of House and Home.

out of house and home »    Helping Your Dog Adjust to a New Home, The Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

out of house and home »    In a manner that deprives one of dwelling or some aspect thereof.

out of line »    Inappropriate or unsuitable, especially by reason of being unmannerly or indelicate.

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 place »    Not in the proper situation or arrangement, or inappropriate for the circumstances.

out of place »    She comes in out of the storm with not a hair out of place.

out of proportion »    Not in a proper or pleasing relation to other things, especially in terms of size.

out of reach »    Inaccessible or unattainable.

out of reach »    The adult magazines were out of reach of toddlers.

out of sight »    Not accessible to view.

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 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 on one's ear »    Fired, dismissed or thrown out, especially for some wrongdoing or otherwise with disgrace.

out on the tiles »    I've had a pint of bitter and now I'm feeling better and I'm out on the tiles." Led Zeppelin in their song "Out on the tiles", 1970.

out on the tiles »    Out for a night on the town.

out the wazoo »    Out the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

out the window »    Made obsolete; altered drastically as a result of situational change.

out to lunch »    Away eating lunch or for a midday break; especially, away from work or a job.

out to lunch »    Clueless, inattentive or careless.

outside world »    The rest of the world outside of some closed, restricted, or remote environment.

outsider »    A competitor or contestant who has little chance of winning; a long shot; a dark horse.

over a barrel »    In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, in which one may be controlled or victimized.

over and out »    Used to signal the end of a conversation, especially one conducted by CB radio or the like.

over and over »    Repeatedly; again and again; many times.

over my dead body »    Under no circumstances; absolutely not.

over the top »    Bold; beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; outrageous.

overkill »    A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.

overkill »    An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.

own up »    To acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt. Often used with to.

pack away »    To store away, place out of the way, or stash, especially for the longer term.

pack up »    To move one's residence.

packing heat »    Carrying one or more firearms on one's person, especially in a concealed manner.

pain in the ass »    Something that causes discomfort or is otherwise troublesome.

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 the town red »    To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.

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.

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 trail »    The records left by a person or organization in the course of activities.

parade of horribles »    A parade featuring a progression of people wearing comic and grotesque costumes.

parade of horribles »    A rhetorical device employing a series of progressively more terrible results following from an act.

pardon me »    Polite expression to get someone to repeat.

pare down »    To reduce by paring or a similar gradual process.

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 misrepresent something.

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.

pass the hat »    To ask for money, especially from a group of people; to solicit donations or contributions.

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.

pay for »    To exchange for, especially money for goods or services.

pay for it »    To suffer the consequences of one's actions.

pay off »    To bribe, especially to deter oversight.

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 one's dues »    To outlay money which is owed as a membership fee or price of admission.

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.

pay through the nose »    To pay a high price, especially an exorbitant or excessive amount, either in money or in some other manner.

peace and quiet »    Tranquility; freedom from stress or interruptions.

peaches and cream »    A very enjoyable experience.

peaches-and-cream »    Of facial complexion, smooth, with attractive yellow-pink coloring.

peanut gallery »    Any source of heckling, unwelcome commentary or criticism, especially from a know-it-all or of an inexpert nature.

peel grapes »    To perform a menial task, eliminating trivial inconveniences.

peel out »    To start abruptly from a standing stop, accelerating rapidly, especially so as to produce skid marks.

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.

pencil pusher »    One who does routine office work; someone involved mainly in paperwork.

penny for your thoughts »    Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones »    Do not criticize others if you have weaknesses yourself.

pep up »    To make stronger or more interesting.

perfect storm »    A powerful hurricane or other major weather disturbance, especially as produced by a combination of meteorological conditions.

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.

pick of the litter »    The best person or item in a group.

pick somebody's brain »    To seek information from someone knowledgeable; to ask questions of someone.

pick up »    To collect an object, especially in passing.

pick up »    To restart or resume.

pick up »    To meet and seduce somebody for romantic purposes, especially in a social situation, sometimes 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.

pick up the tab »    To accept a charge and pay for it, especially at a bar or restaurant.

pickin' and grinnin' »    Vigorously playing folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.

pickle »    Any vegetable preserved in vinegar and consumed as relish.

pickle »    A children’s game with three participants that emulates a baseball rundown.

pickle »    A cucumber preserved in a solution, usually a brine or a vinegar syrup.

pickle »    The brine used for preserving food.

piece de resistance »    A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime..

piece of ass »    An act of intercourse, especially a one night stand.

piece of work »    A product or manufactured article, especially an item of art or craft.

pig in a poke »    Something whose true value is concealed or unknown, especially something offered for sale.

pig out »    To eat voraciously or ravenously; to gorge oneself.

pile-up »    A traffic accident or collision involving multiple vehicles.

pinch-hit »    To do something in the place of another person who is not able to perform or is less skilled; to substitute or stand in for somebody.

pink slip »    An automobile roadworthiness inspection certificate.

pipe dream »    A plan, desire, or idea that will not likely work; a near impossibility.

piss and moan »    To complain, especially needlessly and loudly.

piss and vinegar »    Exuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.

piss money up the wall »    To waste money, normally through ineptness in business.

pissing contest »    A boys' prankish competition to determine who can urinate the furthest up a wall.

pissing contest »    An argument which is instigated, or exacerbated while consuming alcohol.

pissing contest »    An immature dispute over some trivial matter.

pitched battle »    A hostile engagement involving sustained, full-scale fighting between opposing forces in close combat.

play around »    To behave in a silly, or childish, or irresponsible way.

play around »    To engage in sexual practices outside of marriage.

play ball »    An expression used at the beginning of a game of baseball.

play down »    To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.

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 for love »    To play a game of cards without stakes.

play games »    To deceive, to lie about one's intentions.

play hardball »    To act rough and ruthless, especially in politics or business.

play hardball »    To use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.

play hookey »    To be absent without permission, especially from school.

play hooky »    To miss school, work, or other duties without permission or an excuse.

play it by ear »    To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur.

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 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 possum »    To feign sleep, illness, etc.

play silly buggers »    To act in a stupid or reckless manner.

play the ponies »    To bet on horse racing.

play the race card »    Donald A. Carson, Love in Hard Places p.94.

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 with fire »    To put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.

plays down »    minimises

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.

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 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.

pop off »    To release flatulence, in most cases, in short rapid succession.

pop the question »    To propose marriage.

popped the question »    proposed

pork sausages »    bangers

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 »    One who makes pots and other ceramic wares.

potter »    One who places flowers or other plants inside their pots.

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.

potty mouth »    The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities; a person having this characteristic.

pound of flesh »    Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.

pound the pavement »    To campaign diligently; to seek something, such as business, employment, or answers.

pour out »    To talk volubly and deeply. Usually implies telling the truth.

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 up »    To become ready for operation as a result of the provision of electrical power.

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.

pre-war »    Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.

pre-war »    Describing the period before a war.

pre-war »    Describing the period before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

preach to the choir »    Speaking as if to convince a person or group of something which that person or group already believes.

present day »    current

press stud »    snap fastener

press the flesh »    To shake hands and socialize, especially in a political gathering.

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.

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.

pride cometh before a fall »    Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.

pride goes before a fall »    Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.

pride goeth before a fall »    Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.

private branch exchange »    Telephone lines.

problem child »    A child who is particularly difficult to raise or educate, especially due to a lack of self-control and disruptive and antisocial behavior.

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.

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 run in pairs »    Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.

puff up »    To swell due to injury or illness.

pull a face »    To make an abnormal facial expression.

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 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 out »    To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.

pull out all the stops »    To reserve or hold back nothing.

pull rank »    To assert one's authority over a subordinate who disagrees.

pull somebody's leg »    To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.

pull strings »    To manipulate, especially by asking favours of.

pull teeth »    To do something that is especially difficult or effortful.

pull the other leg »    In imperative/precative form, used to imply that the speaker does not accept or believe what another has just said.

pull up »    Drive close to something, especially a curb.

pump up »    To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focussed weightlifting.

punch bowl waterfall »    A plunging waterfall descending from a narrow stream into a pool.

purple prose »    Extravagant or flowery writing, especially in a literary work.

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.

pushing up daisies »    Dead.

put by »    To preserve food by canning, freezing, drying, etc.

put down »    To make prices, or taxes, lower.

put down roots »    To do things which show that one wishes to stay put.

put hair on somebody's chest »    To make a person stronger or more masculine.

put in »    To apply, request, or submit.

put on »    clothe oneself in

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 move forward, progress steadily.

put one foot in front of the other »    To walk, decomposed to stress the fundamentality of the task.

put one past somebody »    To deceive, trick, or fool, especially by concealing something.

put one's best foot forward »    To show oneself in the best or most positive way possible; to make a favorable impression.

put one's mind to it »    To apply oneself; to exert a directed effort.

put one's shoulder to the wheel »    To work or exert oneself heavily or with full effort.

put oneself across »    To explain one's ideas and opinions clearly so that another person can understand them and get a picture of your personality.

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 feelers »    To explore or watch for; ask around; investigate.

put someone in mind of »    To remind someone of; to inspire a mental image or awareness of; to cause thoughts concerning.

put the cart before the horse »    To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities.

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 through its paces »    To test completely; to exercise the full range of abilities or functions.

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 up one's dukes »    Prepare to fight; literally, to raise your fists.

put up or shut up »    Desist from saying something unless one is able to prove it.

put up with »    To tolerate, suffer through, or allow, esp. something annoying.

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.

question mark »    Doubt or uncertainty.

question mark »    The punctuation mark “?”, used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question..

quote unquote »    Emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony, as used almost exclusively in spoken language.

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.

rags to riches »    In a biographical context, from poverty to exceptional wealth.

rain cheque »    Any postponement, especially of an offer.

rain or shine »    Regardless of what the circumstances are, and how the weather is.

raise one's hand »    To dare to question.

raise somebody's hackles »    Make someone angry.

raise the bar »    To raise standards or expectations, especially by creating something to a higher standard.

raise the flag and see who salutes »    It generates, usually as a preliminary step.

raise the stakes »    To increase in significance or risk.

raise the stakes »    To raise the stakes of a hand of poker.

rake »    A set of coupled rail vehicles, normally coaches or wagons.

ramp up »    To be in the process of learning a new ability.

rat race »    An activity or situation which is congested with participants and which is hectic or tedious, especially in the context of a busy, modern urban lifestyle.

rat running »    Present participle of rat run.

reach an early grave »    To resign near the start for good.

reach for the stars »    To have high hopes, to be ambitious.

read between the lines »    To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.

real job »    A hobby that takes all of a person's free time.

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 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.

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.

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 letter day »    Usually very positive, sometimes very negative.

red light »    A warning light, especially as a traffic signal indicating ‘stop’..

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

red tape »    A derisive term for regulations or bureaucratic procedures that are considered excessive or excessively time- and effort-consuming.

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 »    Suggestive or reminiscent.

reflect on »    To give an impression of .

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.

rest assured »    Be sure; no need to worry; trust.

rest his soul »    Used parenthetically to mark the referent as being deceased.

rest on one's laurels »    To rely on a past success instead of trying to improve oneself further.

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.

rex-pat »    A repeat expatriate, one who becomes ex-patriated a second time.

ride tall in the saddle »    To act or conduct oneself in a manner that is imposing, impressive, resolute, or manly.

ride the short bus »    To participate in a special education program, such as for those with learning disabilities.

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 off the hook »    Of a telephone, to ring constantly or excessively.

ringside seat »    A seat in the front row of a boxing or wrestling match.

rip off »    To copy, especially illegally.

rip up »    tear into pieces

rip up »    tear to pieces

rise from the ashes »    To make a comeback after a long hiatus. To come back into common use or practice. To come back into popularity. To come back to being a thing of today.

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 movie »    A film in which much of the action takes place during a journey, especially one involving overland travel.

roadwarrior »    A person who carries a mobile device such as a laptop or PDA and uses wireless internet connections to work.

rob Peter to pay Paul »    To solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse.

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.

robber baron »    In Europe, an aristocrat who charged exorbitant fees or otherwise exacted money from people who journeyed across land or waterways which he controlled.

rock bottom »    The very lowest possible level.

rock the boat »    To disturb the status quo or go against rules or conventions, as in an effort to get attention.

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.

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.

roll up one's sleeves »    To prepare to work.

rolling stone »    A person who moves around a lot and never settles down.

Rome wasn't built in a day »    It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

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.

rose-colored glasses »    Glasses that are tinted in a pink or rose shade.

roses are red »    The start of a generic poem about love.

rough around the edges »    In need of refinement; unsophisticated.

rough trot »    A series of difficult circumstances.

round down »    To the greatest integer that is not greater than it, or to some other lower value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.

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 up »    To the smallest integer that is not less than it, or to some other greater value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.

rub it in »    To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.

ruffle some feathers »    To disturb; to arouse resentment, anger, or concern.

rule out »    To reject an option from a list of possibilities.

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.

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 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 »    escape

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 away with »    To be misled by imagining that one's desires can come true.

run down »    To reduce the size or stock levels of a business, often with a view to closure.

run for »    To try to obtain political position through the democratic voting process.

run for one's money »    A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.

run for one's money »    A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.

run for the roses »    A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.

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 »    arrest

run into the ground »    To wear out, especially through excessive use.

run off »    To make photocopies, or print.

run on fumes »    By extension, to operate with few resources or little money.

run on fumes »    To operate a vehicle that is low on fuel.

run oneself ragged »    To work or exert oneself to the point of exhaustion.

run out the clock »    To preserve a lead in a game by retaining possession, to waste time.

run over »    To briefly describe.

run rampant »    To go unchecked or without control; to be wild or excessive.

run roughshod over »    To treat roughly or without care, respect, or moderation; to act without control; to damage.

run somebody ragged »    To exhaust; to demand excessive effort or work from somebody.

run to »    To reach the limit of one's abilities or tastes.

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.

safe and sound »    Having come to no harm, especially after being exposed to danger.

same difference »    It makes no difference; it amounts to the same thing.

save face »    To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour.

save the day »    To rescue the situation.

scared shitless »    Very scared, terrified.

school of hard knocks »    An education consisting of real-world experiences, especially harsh experiences.

scissorbill »    The black skimmer bird native to the Atlantic states, USA.

scope out »    To examine; to scout; to investigate; to check out.

scrape the bottom of the barrel »    To use the least desirable parts of something.

scrape through »    To marginally manage to progress.

scrape together »    To collect, assemble or gather small amounts , from various sources, with some difficulty.

scream »    A form of singing associated with the metal and screamo styles of music. It is a loud, rough, distorted version of the voice; rather than the normal voice of the singer.

scream bloody murder »    To protest loudly or angrily.

screen out »    To use a screen, grate, sieve or similar means to separate large from small objects or particles.

screen test »    movie audition

screw this »    "I don't care enough to continue"; "This is too stressful for me"; whatever.

scrounge up »    To seek or find despite a lack of apparent resources or availability.

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.

seat-of-the-pants »    Done by feel, guess, or trial and error rather than by careful planning, thought or technique.

second banana »    A comedian who plays a secondary or supporting role, especially as straight man and traditionally in vaudeville or burlesque theatre.

second banana »    A person who serves in a supporting, secondary, or subsidiary capacity; an assistant.

second childhood »    A childlike state in any adult, resulting from mental illness, trauma, or other conditions.

second-guess »    Presumably from trying to guess with second sight.

second-guess »    Presumably from trying to improve with a second stab.

see a man »    To take one's leave for some urgent purpose, especially to go to the bathroom.

see a man about a horse »    A message signaling one needs to go missing for a short while, for any reason, without giving a real explanation.

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.

see you next Tuesday »    A euphemism for cunt.

seize the day »    To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.

sell »    To agree to transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.

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".

sell down the river »    To betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.

sell ice to Eskimos »    To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

sell like hot cakes »    To sell fast.

sell out »    To abandon one's supporters or principles to seek profit or other personal advantage.

sell wolf tickets »    To make empty threats or promises; to bluff.

seller's market »    An excess of demand over supply, leading to abnormally high prices; a market condition favoring the seller.

send away »    To dismiss from one's presence.

send away for »    To write to a business or other organisation, requesting a thing.

send up »    To make prices or temperatures etc. rise.

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.

serpentine »    Of, or having attributes associated with, the mythological serpent, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.

serpentine »    Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.

serve somebody right »    To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.

set aside »    To separate and reserve something for a specific purpose.

set down »    Simple sum of parts set + down, to place, especially on the ground or a surface; to cease carrying.

set for life »    Possessing sufficient resources, especially financial, to last a lifetime.

set in »    become established

set in one's ways »    Driven by habit; inclined or determined to continue according to one's custom or established preferences.

set of pipes »    A wind instrument incorporating multiple pipes, such as a panpipe or bagpipe.

set of pipes »    Voice for singing.

set the stage »    To prepare; to establish the basis or required conditions.

set the Thames on fire »    To achieve something amazing; to do something which brings great public acclaim.

set up shop »    To establish a business.

settle for »    To accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.

settle in »    To get comfortable or established, as in a new place.

sex machine »    Someone with considerable sexual prowess.

sexual congress »    Intercourse.

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 tension »    Physically induced libidinal unrest arising between two individuals when aware of each other's presence.

shack up »    To live together, especially of an unmarried couple.

shanks' mare »    One's own legs used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride on shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.

sharp cookie »    One who is intelligent, bright, or sharp; especially, one who can identify attempts to deceive or mislead.

she'll be apples »    Everything will be all right.

shell out »    To pay money; especially, to pay a great deal of money.

shell out »    To use a program's "shell escape" function to execute an unrelated command or to invoke a subsidiary, interactive shell.

shift gears »    To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.

shirtless »    Not wearing a shirt. Having a bare torso.

shirtless »    Very poor.

shit a brick »    To react strongly or excessively, especially in anger or fear.

shit oneself »    To soil oneself.

shit-eating grin »    A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.

shoo-in »    A candidate or contestant generally agreed upon as the presumptive winner; somebody who is well-liked or widely agreed upon.

shoot down »    To shoot , so that the one shot goes down.

shoot first and ask questions later »    To act boldly.

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 bolt »    To use up one's resources, especially a singular one or one not readily restored.

shoot one's mouth off »    To make reckless or exaggerated statements.

shoot oneself in the foot »    To act against one's own interests, e.g., by saying what one is really thinking.

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 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 achieve the lowest score possible, such that the player is usually rewarded with bonus points.

shoot the moon »    To take a risk which may result in great rewards; to succeed after taking such a risk.

shooting iron »    A firearm, especially a handgun.

short leash »    Forcing one to function within a strict set of rules, or under great scrutiny or oversight.

short of »    Except; without resorting to; up to the point of.

short of »    Less than.

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 gun which fires loads consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge.

shotgun »    A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line. Mostly heard in the southern United States.

shoulder to cry on »    Someone offering emotional support to another in distress.

show somebody the door »    To escort someone to the exit of the premises; to expel someone from a room, gathering, etc.

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 display the flag of one's country, especially as an expression of patriotic pride.

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.

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 »    Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.

shroud »    One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.

shroud »    That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.

shuffle »    A rhythm commonly used in blues music. Consists of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note. Sounds like a walker dragging one foot.

shuffle »    To get lost in the shuffle: to lack attention when you deserve it.

shuffle off this mortal coil »    To die; to divest oneself of one's mortal body.

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.

sick puppy »    In a morbid or gruesome way.

sigh of relief »    A reassurance or support, something that reduces stress from an arduous activity.

sigh of relief »    A release of stress through breathing motions.

sight for sore eyes »    A pleasing sight, something that is beautiful to look at.

sign in »    In order to get into the office after hours, you'll have to sign in at the security desk.

sign in »    To take some action to access a secured program or web page on a computer; to log in.

sign of the times »    A symbol of an era; a zeitgeist.

sign off »    Term used to describe the closing of a radio or television station's studios and cessation of a broadcasting signal, usually during the overnight hours.

silence is golden »    Peace and quiet have immense value.Often the best choice is to say nothing.

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 surfer »    An elderly person who regularly uses the Internet.

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 soprano »    To suffer castration or an injury to the testicles.

sing the praises of »    To commend someone's attributes to others.

singing from the same hymnbook »    Present participle of sing from the same hymnbook.

singing soprano »    Castrated or injured in the testicles.

sit back »    To relax, to not exert oneself.

sit in »    form of protest

sit on »    To block, suppress, restrain.

sit on it »    To wait or hesitate.

sit out »    To escape a hold while face-down by swinging one's legs around into the sitting position.

sit still »    To accept, tolerate, or acquiesce.

sit still »    To remain motionless.

sitting pretty »    Having a comfortable or certain supply of money or resources.

sitting pretty »    In a favorable situation, especially a situation in which one possesses an advantage.

six of one, half a dozen of the other »    The two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent; it doesn't matter which one we choose.

size up »    To evaluate; to estimate or anticipate the magnitude, difficulty, or strength of something.

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.

skin and bones »    Said of one who is emaciated; very skinny, as from lack of nutrition.

skinny as a rail »    Especially of a person, very skinny.

skip out »    To shirk; to avoid attending or to leave early, especially without permission.

slam dunk »    A task expected to present no difficulty.

slam dunk »    An impressively forceful dunk.

slanging match »    A row; an argument in which names are called.

sleep with the fishes »    To be killed and have one's body disposed off in the sea or other body of water.

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 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 term used to insult a lazy, obese 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.

smack of »    To seem like; to appear or give an impression or feeling of; to arouse suspicion of.

small arms »    Firearms designed to be carried and fired by a single person; often held in the hand.

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.

smart off »    To show disrespect verbally.

smash hit »    Something that is tremendously popular or successful.

smear campaign »    An effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda.

smell like a rose »    To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.

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 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 »    A type of flare or combustion device sometimes used as a distress signal.

smoke signal »    An indirect message or indication, especially concerning a future event.

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 eyes »    Two ones, after rolling two dice.

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.

snake oil »    Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.

snake oil »    Snake oil is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain.

snap someone's head off »    To suddenly and sharply rebuke or insult a person, especially in response to a harmless remark.

snazz up »    To improve appearance or appeal by increasing stylishness or functionality, or by adding other attractive features.

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.

snow on the mountaintop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

snow on the rooftop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

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 much as »    Even; suggests a minimum, especially regarding what might be expected.

so much for »    An expression of disregard, or resignation; something said upon giving up, quitting, or disposing of something.

so on and so forth »    Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner.

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.

soap opera »    TV series

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.

socialized medicine »    A politically charged term used to contrast such systems with free market alternatives and emphasize the perceived link to socialism.

soft sawder »    "How the old boy swallowed my soft sawder and Brummagem notes!" —Tom Taylor, The Ticket-of-Leave Man.

soft sawder »    "If she goes to act ugly, I'll give her a dose of "soft sawder"; that will take the frown out of her frontispiece...!" —Thomas Haliburton, "The Trotting Horse" — first usage.

soft shoe »    A kind of tap dancing performed in soft-soled shoes, popular in vaudeville.

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 sentimental fondness or affection.

soft touch »    A comfortable situation; an easy task or undemanding occupation, especially one which is comfortably remunerative.

soft touch »    A person or group which is sympathetic, accommodating, easily overcome, or easily persuaded, especially one which loans or readily gives money to another.

softroader »    . This involves increased ground clearance with tyre, wheel, and suspension tweaks, skid plates and refers to mini SUV or wagons.

soldier on »    To continue or persist, despite adversity or difficulty.

some people »    Expresses disgust at the actions of a person; a response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.

song and dance »    An excessively complex set of instructions.

song and dance »    An excessively elaborate story or excuse used to justify something.

sort oneself out »    To calm down emotionally.

sort oneself out »    To organize or solve one's personal problems.

sour grapes »    A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.

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.

spaghetti western »    Nickname for a motion picture produced by an Italian-based company and filmed in Europe, depicting a tale of cowboys and desperadoes set in the American Old West.

spanner »    A problem, dilemma or obstacle; something unexpected or troublesome.

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 »    Excess weight or fat accumulated near the waist.

spare tyre »    An extra tyre carried in case one of the vehicle's tyres is damaged or deflated.

spark off »    To initiate something by providing the necessary conditions.

speak for »    To claim, reserve, or occupy.

speak for oneself »    Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.

speak for oneself »    To provide an opinion only on one's own behalf.

speak of the devil »    An expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.

speak one's mind »    To state one's thoughts or opinions honestly or frankly.

speak to »    To give evidence regarding something; to attest for.

speak to »    To address a particular topic.

speak to »    To resonate with, to strike a chord in.

speak up »    To make oneself or one's opinions known; to advocate or assert oneself.

special needs »    Needs for special care, services or accommodations.

spectator sport »    Something, especially a process or activity, which is a popular object of observation; an activity which a person prefers to watch rather than to participate in.

spill one's guts »    To confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.

spin a yarn »    To tell or create a story, especially one which is lengthy or far-fetched.

spin one's wheels »    To make no progress despite making an effort; to get nowhere.

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 fever »    A feeling of laziness or listlessness associated with the arrival of the warm, comfortable weather of the spring season.

spruce up »    To dress or arrange smartly, elegantly, and neatly.

spruce up »    To refresh, revamp; to freshen or improve something, especially its appearance.

square meal »    A satisfying meal, especially suitable for one performing physical labor.

square one »    The place where one begins; a lack of progress.

squaring the circle »    A hopeless or impossible task.

squeaky wheel gets the grease »    The person who complains or speaks up most loudly receives the redress or attention which he or she seeks.

squint like a bag of nails »    To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

squirrel away »    To stash or hide; to hoard, collect, save, or accumulate; to create a reserve, stash, or hoard of some supply, so as to recall a squirrel's burying of nuts.

stage of the game »    A point in the progress of an ongoing dispute or process.

stand corrected »    Said to acknowledge someone who corrects something that one says or writes that was not correct.

stand for »    To mean; to symbolize; to represent.

stand from under »    To escape something falling or being thrown from above.

stand in someone's shoes »    To see from another's point of view; to feel what another feels.

stand on end »    To stand erect, bristle, especially from fear.

stand one's ground »    To maintain or stick by an opinion or position; to remain resolute in the face of opposition.

stand stock still »    Paul Travers' Adventures, by Sam T. Clover.

stand stock still »    To stand completely motionless.

stand the test of time »    To remain useful or valued over a long period of time; to last a long time.

standard fare »    Menu items or dining options which are regularly available in a restaurant or other place where food is served.

stands in »    deputises

stars in one's eyes »    The state of being overly or extremely impressed with something; enchanted with romance.

start off on the wrong foot »    To begin badly; especially, to begin a relationship badly.

state of affairs »    A specific situation; a set of circumstances.

steer clear »    To avoid; to dodge; to sidestep.

step down »    To resign from office.

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 up to the plate »    To initiate action; to assume a responsibility.

stepped down »    resigned

stepping razor »    A dangerous person, who is not to be messed with.

stepping stone »    A stone that can be stepped on in crossing something, especially a marsh or creek.

stepping stone »    Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

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 one's neck out »    To take a risk, putting oneself in a vulnerable position.

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 at nothing »    Being ruthless

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

sticky fingers »    A petty thief or petty thieves.

stiff upper lip »    The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, associated with stereotypical British people.

stir-crazy »    By extension, restless, uncomfortable, or impatient due to inactivity.

stitch up »    To maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone.

stop and smell the roses »    To relax; to take time out and enjoy or appreciate life.

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 the lights »    An interjection expressing exasperation or incredulity. or to illustrate the humour in a situation.

stop the presses »    An imperative form used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.

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 face »    A face that is expressionless, especially not laughing.

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.

strap on a pair »    To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation where one has so far failed to do so.

streak of good luck »    A series of lucky events.

stretch one's legs »    To walk about, especially after prolonged time sitting or lying down.

string up »    To kill by hanging, especially to lynch.

strip away »    To ignore a factor which obscures the reality.

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.

stuck up »    Snobbish, conceited; believing oneself to be better than others; haughty.

stuffed shirt »    One who is overly official or officious; somebody in charge but not necessarily in power or effective.

stupid is as stupid does »    A person's intelligence may be judged by the wisdom of his or her actions.

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan »    Many will seek credit for success, few will accept responsibility for failure.

suck face »    To kiss, especially deeply and for a prolonged time.

suck hind tit »    To be the youngest or most neglected child.

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 off »    To fellate a man until he ejaculates.

suck up »    To adulate or flatter somebody excessively, generally to obtain some personal benefit or favour.

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 »    To spend extended periods of time with; to test.

sure of oneself »    Self-confident.

surprise surprise »    An indication that the unsurprising happened, especially contrary to someone's hopes or assertions.

swan song »    A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

swear on a stack of Bibles »    To make a promise or give one's assurance with great conviction.

sweat »    Fluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.

sweat bullets »    To sweat profusely; especially, to be very nervous or anxious.

sweet tooth »    A liking for foods that are sweet; a weakness for sweets.

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.

swings and roundabouts »    Offsetting gains and losses.

switch off »    To lose interest, and start thinking about something else.

switch on »    To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.

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 back seat »    To be second to someone or something; to be less important or have a lower priority.

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 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 spin »    To go for a ride; especially, to try riding or driving something.

take a stab at »    To guess.

take apart »    To dismantle something into it's component pieces.

take away »    To leave a memory or impression in one's mind that you think about later.

take away from »    To make something seem not so good or interesting.

take back »    To resume a relationship.

take back »    To regain possession of something.

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 receive into your home for the purpose of processing for a fee.

take it easy »    Immediately calm yourself down; your state of panic does not help.

take it easy »    To relax or rest.

take it from me »    Believe me, rest assured.

take its toll »    To affect, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause destruction.

take leave of one's senses »    To go crazy; to stop behaving rationally.

take liberties »    To behave disrespectfully, especially to make unwanted sexual advances.

take lying down »    To endure without complaint or protest.

take off »    To become successful, to flourish.

take off »    To absent oneself from work or other responsibility, especially with permission.

take on »    To assume responsibility for.

take over »    To assume control of something, especially by force; to usurp.

take over »    To adopt a further responsibility or duty.

take over »    To buy out the ownership of a business.

take over »    To annex a territory by conquest or invasion.

take over »    To become more successful than someone or something else.

take sides »    To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.

take sitting down »    To tolerate, accept, or acquiesce; to take no action.

take someone's point »    To grasp the essential meaning of what a person is saying.

take something in one's stride »    Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.

take the cake »    To be especially good or outstanding.

take the fall »    To assume blame for oneself.

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 piss »    Everyone takes the piss out of the bankers these days.

take the rap »    To be blamed or punished for something, especially for the actions of another.

take the stand »    To testify as a witness in a trial.

take the wheel »    To be in control of the steering wheel of a vehicle or a vessel.

take to one's heels »    To leave; especially, to flee or run away.

take to the cleaners »    To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through gambling, unfavorable investing, fraud, litigation, etc.

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 upon »    To take charge of an item of business, or an obligation, as a personal initiative.

taking to ones heels »    running away

taking upon oneself »    venturing

talk a mile a minute »    To speak quickly or excessively.

talk dirty »    To use profane language, especially sexual vulgarities for the purpose of arousal.

talk down »    To speak condescendingly or as though the listener is inferior.

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 someone's ear off »    To talk excessively or far more than is wanted or appreciated.

talking head »    A pundit who discusses issues of the day, especially one on TV.

tall in the saddle »    Imposing, impressive; resolute; manly.

taper off »    To diminish or lessen gradually; to become smaller, slower, quieter, etc.

tar with the same brush »    To characterize using the same undesirable attribute, especially unjustly.

tart up »    To dress like a prostitute.

tart up »    To dress garishly.

task force »    A group of people working towards a particular task, project, or activity, especially assigned in a particular capacity.

tear away »    To remove oneself reluctantly; often expressed in the negative.

tear up »    To tear into pieces.

tear up the pea patch »    To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.

teething troubles »    Small problems such as are to be expected with some any new and untried system or product.

tell it to the marines »    I do not believe what you said.

tell off »    To speak to someone rudely, disrespectfully or angrily; to berate; to unleash one's fury verbally towards someone.

tell tales »    To be lying, to be making false claims.

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".

tempest in a teapot »    A major fuss over a trivial matter.

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.

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.

than a bygod »    Used with a comparative to express extreme heat or cold.

thanks for nothing »    Expression of displeasure towards a person who has not provided what was wanted.

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 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 bee's knees »    Most excellent; surpassingly wonderful; cool.

the bends »    decompression sickness

the Devil »    Used to add emphasis to a question or statement.

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on »    Life goes on, even if some will try to stop or talk against progress.

the early bird catches the worm »    the early bird gets the worm

the early bird gets the worm »    Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are only available to the first competitors.

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 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 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 man »    The best man for a job.

the man »    The oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations; the system, as coordinated outside of one’s control..

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 nose knows »    Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.

the pick of the litter »    The absolute best one has to offer.

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 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 show »    The major leagues.

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 terrorists will have won »    Phrase used following a description of an activity to indicate that if that activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, an which is an unacceptable result.

the whistle does not pull the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

the whistle doesn't pull the train »    Alternative form of it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

the world is one's oyster »    All opportunities are open to someone, the world is theirs.

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 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 ya go »    Expressing exasperation.

there you go »    Expressing exasperation.

there you have it »    Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.

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 fool like an old fool »    Age does not bring wisdom.

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.

thick and thin »    Both good and bad times.

thick as thieves »    Intimate, close-knit.

think better of it »    To change one's mind; especially to decide against.

think one's shit doesn't stink »    To be arrogant or snobbish; to feel superior to others.

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 the world of »    To have a good opinion; to esteem; to admire.

think through »    To fully consider an action, and understand all its consequences.

third degree »    Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession.

third wheel »    A person or thing that serves no useful purpose.

thorn in the flesh »    Ivar Specto. The Soviet Union and the Muslim World, 1917-1958.

thorn in the flesh »    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

thrash out »    To discuss something so fully as to resolve a problem or conflict; to hammer out.

three Rs »    The basic education any child can expect to receive, but not necessarily limited to reading, writing and arithmetic.

three-martini lunch »    A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.

three-on-the-tree »    On an automobile, describing the gearshift lever of a steering column-mounted three-speed manual transmission.

throw a sickie »    To take a day off from work, supposedly because of ill health. The illness could be either real or feigned.

throw a spanner in the works »    To be a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.

throw caution to the wind »    Do something despite the risks.

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 accomplish or produce something in a grand, respectable, or successful manner; to "represent".

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 money away »    To spend money foolishly or indiscriminately; to waste money without regard of the consequences.

throw off »    To confuse; especially, to lose a pursuer.

throw off »    To introduce errors or inaccuracies; to skew.

throw one's hat in the ring »    To announce one's candidacy in a contest.

throw one's weight around »    To exercise influence or authority especially to an excessive degree or in an objectionable manner.

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 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.

throw to the dogs »    To throw away useless.

throw to the wolves »    To remove or cast out someone or something out of one's protection, such as onto the streets, especially towards predators.

throw to the wolves »    To sacrifice someone, especially in an attempt to save oneself.

throwing money away »    The act of spending money foolishly; wasting money without regard of the consequences.

thumb a ride »    To flag or signal a passing vehicle in hopes of securing passage.

thumb one's nose »    To act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect.

thumb one's nose »    To place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, usually while simultaneous wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.

thumbs up »    A gesture signifying approval or okay; a thumb pointing up out of a fist.

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.

tickle the ivories »    To play the piano.

tide over »    To support or sustain someone, especially financially, for a limited period.

tie someone's hands »    To render one powerless to act, to thwart someone.

tie up »    To complete, finish, or resolve.

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-lipped »    Having the lips pressed together.

tilt at windmills »    To attack imaginary enemies.

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 wait for no man »    action is necessary without delay

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.

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 hat »    To acknowledge or show respect; to honor.

tip one's hat »    To briefly remove or tap one's hat as a gesture of greeting, deference, or respect.

tip the scales »    To turn to one side a balanced situation.

to a fare-thee-well »    To the greatest extent or to completion; to a state of refinement or perfection.

to a fault »    To an excessive degree; extremely.

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

to be honest »    Frankly, honestly.

to beat the band »    Very vigorously; at a frantic pace; to a high degree; in large quantities.

to boot »    Moreover, on top of that, besides, also.

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 err is human »    Everyone makes mistakes.

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 hand »    accessible

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 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.

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 relax; to make quieter or less obtrusive; to make milder.

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.

too big for one's boots »    Far less capable than one's claims to be.

too big for one's britches »    Disturbingly confident, unacceptably cocky.

too big for one's britches »    Too large to fit into one's pants.

toot one's own horn »    To promote oneself; to boast or brag; to tout.

top banana »    The principal comedian in a vaudeville or burlesque show.

top drawer »    Of the highest quality.

top notch »    Very good; of the highest quality.

top of the line »    The best, fanciest, or highest quality, especially among selections in a product line.

top oneself »    To commit suicide.

top oneself »    To outdo oneself or do more than one's previous best.

top shelf »    Best, or high quality.

top shelf »    Books, magazines, or movies that have adult content, or soft-core porn.

torque off »    To annoy, distress, or anger.

toss-up »    A decision in which neither choice is clearly favorable or unfavorable, or for which the outcome does not matter.

toss-up »    Either of two outcomes that are equally likely.

toss-upness »    The quality of being a toss-up, usually used in reference to a toss-up state in American presidential elections.

totus porcus »    Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version totus porcus.

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 cloth »    To be on the point of soiling oneself.

touch off »    To start; to cause, especially used for unstable situations that may magnify if disturbed.

touch oneself »    To masturbate.

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.

touchy-feely »    Having a fondness for physical contact with other people, especially to an excessive degree.

tough call »    A choice or judgment which is difficult to make, especially one involving only two alternatives.

tough love »    The compassionate use of stringent disciplinary measures, to attempt to improve someone's behavior.

toy with »    Handling something in a careless or frivolous manner.

toy with »    Play, esp. with or as with a toy.

travel iron »    holiday accessory

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 behave recklessly, especially with machinery.

trigger-happy »    Inclined to react excessively or violently at the slightest provocation.

trip out »    To hallucinate as a result of drugs.

truth be told »    Used when admitting something one might otherwise lie about, e.g. to keep up appearances or be polite.

try out »    To test something in order to see if it works.

try out »    To undergo a test before being selected for a team etc.

tuck into »    To eat, especially with gusto.

tuits »    Virtual tokens for an amount of time or attention that a particular issue would need to resolve.

tune in, turn on, drop out »    Pay attention to the new way of living; take drugs; abandon the established ways.

turf war »    A fight or confrontation between two divisions or parties for access to resources or capital.

turn a blind eye »    To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.

turn a phrase »    To create a particular linguistic expression which is strikingly clear, appropriate, and memorable.

turn in one's grave »    To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.

turn one on »    To increase interest.

turn out »    To result; end up.

turn the page »    To move on to new involvements or activities; to make a fresh start.

turn the tables »    To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.

turn tricks »    To work as a prostitute, providing sexual services for money.

turn up one's nose »    To refuse, especially as due to pride or status.

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.

twelfth man »    reserve in cricket

twist in the wind »    To be unassisted and without comfort in a situation likely to result in distress or failure.

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 for two »    In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.

two for two »    Successful at both of two efforts.

two left feet »    Exhibiting particular clumsiness, especially at dancing or at soccer.

two pennies' worth »    One's opinion or thoughts.

two thumbs up »    A hand gesture indicating strong approval.

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 »    Insignificant or worthless.

under erasure »    Of a bit of text, written and strickenthrough; hence, figuratively in some sense both present and absent.

under fire »    Criticized or held responsible for something.

under lock and key »    Imprisoned with little or no chance of escape.

under pressure »    Being subjected to physical pressure.

under pressure »    Subjected to pressure.

under the gun »    Under great pressure to perform.

under the impression »    Thinking or making assumptions, often incorrectly.

under the table »    Secretly or without reporting, especially of payments made or business transacted.

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.

underwater basket weaving »    An easy and useless college or high school class.

until hell freezes over »    Forever; One will never in their life get the results that they want, no matter what they're doing involving the situation.

until one is blue in the face »    Forever; for a hopelessly long time.

unwashed masses »    Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.

up for »    Willing to participate in; interested in.

up front »    Open, honest; tending to disclose information; truthful.

up one's alley »    Matching a person's interests or abilities well.

up one's sleeve »    Hidden, in reserve.

up the ante »    To make something more desirable.

up the ante »    To raise the stakes of a hand of poker.

up the wazoo »    Up the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

up to eleven »    Beyond the maximum possible threshold.

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-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.

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 »    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.

variable tandem repeat locus »    Any DNA sequence that exists in multiple copies strung together in various tandem lengths.

variety is the spice of life »    Variety is what makes life interesting

victory at sea »    Ocean conditions very windblown and messy, possibly to the point of being inimical to surfing and other water sports.

virgin territory »    By extension, ideas or concepts or activities that have not yet been tried, explored or developed.

vote in »    To collectively approve a nominee into an office or position as a result of voting.

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.

wade through »    To do a boring, repetitive research task.

wage war »    A figurative allusion to pay discrepancies.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.

wake up and smell the coffee »    To face reality and stop deluding oneself.

walk around »    To walk with no real planned destination, but to just walk, to meander "around".

walk in the park »    Something easy or pleasant, especially by comparison to something.

walk in the snow »    An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.

walk out »    To leave suddenly, especially as a form of protest.

walk out on »    To abandon or desert someone, especially a spouse.

walk the line »    To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.

walk the line »    To maintain an intermediate position between contrasting choices, opinions, etc..

walk the line »    To participate in the procession at a graduation ceremony; to graduate.

walk the plank »    To be forced to resign from a position in an organization.

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.

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

walked out on »    To abandoned; to desert

war bride »    A company or individual whose business is increased by warfare.

war bride »    A woman who marries a man who is on active duty military in wartime.

warm down »    Gentle excercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.

warm fuzzy »    A good impression; a feeling of comfort or trust.

warm the cockles of someone's heart »    To provide happiness, to bring a deeply-felt contentment.

warts and all »    Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.

wash away »    To eliminate, or destroy by fast moving water, such as in a flood, or a high sea.

wash one's hands of »    To absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for.

wash out »    To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.

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.

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.

watch one's mouth »    In the imperative form, used as a warning to avoid or stop using inappropriate language, especially profanity, or disrespectful utterances.

watch one's mouth »    To be careful about what one says, especially with regard to disrespectful or profane language.

water down »    To simplify or oversimplify; to make easier; to make less difficult.

water to my mill »    What energizes you; what stimulates you.

wax lyrical »    To talk about something with much interest or excitement.

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.

weaker vessel »    A woman; women collectively.

wear out »    To cause to become damaged, useless, or ineffective through continued use, especially hard, heavy, or careless use.

wear out »    To exhaust; to cause or contribute to another's exhaustion, fatigue, or weariness, as by continued strain or exertion.

wear rose-colored glasses »    To see the positive in things while being oblivious to the negative.

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.

weigh up »    To assess a person or situation.

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.

wet blanket »    A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

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 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 it says on the tin »    Exactly what is described or what one would expect from the name.

what of it »    So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.

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 with »    Owing to; because of; as a result of.

what you see is what you get »    The image corresponds to the reality.

what you see is what you get »    The screen image resembles the printed output.

what's up with »    Used to express disbelief or curiosity.

whatever creams your twinkie »    Do what you will, whatever makes you happy.

whatever floats your boat »    What makes you happy; what stimulates you.

whatever it takes »    Anything that may be required to achieve an objective.

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 it's at home »    Plainly; in plain English; when it comes down to it; at it's most basic level.

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 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, as, and if »    Used to indicate the timing and contingency of some obligation in contracts, especially financial.

whip up »    To produce something quickly, especially of a meal.

whipped cream »    dessert topping

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 in the dark »    To speak of something despite having little knowledge of it.

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.

whistle-blower »    One who reports a problem or violation to the authorities; especially, an employee or former employee who reports a violation by an employer.

whistle-stop train tour »    A tour in a political campaign that makes many brief stops in small communities.

whistle-stop train tour »    Any travel that's quick and with only brief pauses.

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 goods »    fridges, washing machines, etc

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.

whoop it up »    To have a great time; to party or revel excessively or noisily.

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 horses »    A force not subject to human control and normally stronger than a man.

wild horses »    Plural form of wild horse.

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.

willful ignorance »    A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision.

willies »    Plural form of willy.

willy nilly »    Whether desired or not.

willy nilly »    Without regard for consequences or the will of those affected.

wind down »    To slow; to become calmer or less busy.

wind down »    Relax; get rid of stress.

window dressing »    A means of creating a deceptively favourable impression of something or someone; something for appearance only.

window dressing »    The decorative display of retail merchandise in store windows.

window dressing »    The goods and trimmings used in such display.

window dressing »    These latest modifications are mere window dressing, the same problems remain.

wine tosser »    A person who buys wine, but does not drink it.

wing it »    To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; or to perform with little or no preparation.

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 the slate clean »    To forget about previous differences and disagreements, and make a fresh start.

with a vengeance »    Intensely motivated; resolute; forceful.

with no further ado »    Without any other formalities; with no further delay.

wits' end »    Limit of one's sanity or mental capacity; point of desperation.

word on the wire »    The rumour or news going around on the Internet, in business, on the street, or in social circles.

work at »    To make a physical or mental effort to progress some specified task.

work one's arse off »    Work excessively or to the point of exhaustion.

work one's butt off »    To work very hard or to excess.

work one's fingers to the bone »    Work especially hard, usually for an extended period.

work one's tail off »    Work excessively or to the point of exhaustion.

work out »    To habitually exercise rigorously, especially by lifting weights, in order to increase strength or muscle mass or maintain fitness.

work out »    To do exercises, especially physical.

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.

worked up »    Excessively emotional, excited or aroused.

world »    A planet,especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.

worry wart »    One who worries excessively or unnecessarily.

worth the risk »    The benefit of the success is more valuable than the problems caused by the potential loss.

wouldn't say boo to a goose »    Describing a quiet, exceptionally shy person.

wouldn't you know it »    Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at bad luck or misfortune.

wrap around one's fingers »    To make one susceptible to desire, in that their behavior or actions are influenced.

wrap in the flag »    To claim one's cause deserves support for patriotic reasons or that one's own motives are patriotic.

wrap up »    To wear more clothes as protection from the weather; to bundle up.

wreak havoc »    To cause damage, disruption, or destruction.

wreck havoc »    cause destruction

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 one's own ticket »    To be empowered to choose whatever job, financial arrangement, or course of action one desires.

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 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 man »    A person who always agrees with his employer or superior.

yes to death »    To agree with someone, often sarcastically.

yes-man »    A person of unquestioning obedience.

you bet »    Certainly; you're welcome; a reply to thank you or to a request.

you bet »    Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.

you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar »    It's easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude than with rude demands and negativity.

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 make an omelette without breaking eggs »    In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.

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 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 knows it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you made your bed, now sleep in it »    A moralizing rejection said to someone looking for an easy out, especially of a situation they put themselves into.

you make the bed you lie in »    A person's circumstances are normally the result of his or her own actions.

you name it »    Used after a short list to show that further examples are unnecessary; all kinds of things.

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 pays your money and you takes your choice »    Each person should make their own decisions.

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're never too old to learn »    It is possible to learn new things, at any age; (implying) follow your desires and dreams

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette »    In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.

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 on »    To successfully narrow down a search.

zoom out »    So as to make it smaller and possibly less detailed.

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