age before beauty »
A phrase said to allow older people to go before younger ones.
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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.
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ahead of the game »
Having completed a task before it is due; ready, prepared, or anticipating.
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all good things come to an end »
Nothing lasts forever.
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all hollow »
As a foregone conclusion.
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avant la lettre »
An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.
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baptism by fire »
A trying ordeal that was not experienced before.
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beat somebody to the punch »
To do something before somebody else is able to.
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beauty sleep »
Sleep before midnight, on the belief that early sleep hours conduce to health and beauty.[1].
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before you can say Jack Robinson »
Very quickly. Quicker than you expect.
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blind date »
A romantic meeting between two people who have never met before.
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bros before hoes »
(US, informal) A man should prioritize his male friends over his girlfriend or wife.
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bros before hos »
Alternative spelling of bros before hoes.
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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.
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by the way »
Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.
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carry on »
To continue or proceed as before.
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cast pearls before swine »
To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it.
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catch out »
To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.
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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.
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change one's mind »
To decide differently than one had decided before.
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chew the cud »
To meditate or ponder before answering; to be deep in thought; to ruminate.
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come up »
To appear before a judge or court.
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curveball »
A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".
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cut short »
Interrupt and curtail before the planned end time.
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cutting edge »
The forefront, or position of greatest advancement in some field.
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death knell »
A sign or omen foretelling the death or destruction of something.
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don't count your chickens before they're hatched »
You should not count on something before it happens.
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dummy out »
From a video game in the process of localizing that game from a foreign country.
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dummy run »
A trial or practice before the real attempt.
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dye in the wool »
To dye woolen fibers before they are spun into thread.
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dyed-in-the-wool »
Dyed before being formed into cloth.
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elbow grease »
Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.
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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,
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false friend »
A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.
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first of all »
Firstly; before anything else.
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for good »
Forever; permanently.
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for good and all »
Permanently, forever.
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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."
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forewarned, forearmed »
Alternative form of forewarned is forearmed.
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fresh legs »
Somebody who has yet to play in a match, and therefore has plenty of energy.
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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.
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fruit of the poisonous tree »
And which is therefore excluded from being admitted as evidence in a trial.
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funny money »
Bills of any foreign currency or of counterfeit origin.
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get a jump on »
To start early, especially to start before something begins or before others begin.
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goodbye cruel world »
A call said before taking a stiff drink, especially a shot of vodka.
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goodbye cruel world »
An exclamation made before commiting suicide, or in a suicide note.
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ground rules »
The basic rules or standards; whatever someone must know before proceeding.
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grunt work »
That is considered undesirable and therefore delegated to underlings.
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gunboat diplomacy »
The pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.
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have the time of one's life »
To enjoy oneself more than ever before.
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hum and haw »
Procrastinate and take a long time before doing something or taking a decision.
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in the cards »
Destined or fated to happen; predicted or foreseen.
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jump the gun »
To begin a race too soon, before the starting gun goes off.
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jump to conclusions »
Make conclusions before being presented with all the evidence.
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kneel before »
To kneel in front of someone or something, especially in order to worship or supplicate.
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knock up »
To gently hit the ball back and forth before a tennis match, as practice or warm-up, and to gauge the state of the playing surface, lighting, etc. See knock-up.
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ladies first »
A phrase encouraging polite gentlemanliness, allowing the ladies to go before the men.
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last trump »
Forever.
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last word »
The final statement uttered by a person before death.
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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.
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look before you leap »
Don't jump into something too precipitously; be at least a bit foresightful or circumspect.
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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.
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mark my words »
Listen to me; used before a statement one wishes to emphasize.
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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
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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.
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nightcap »
A beverage drunk before bed that is usually alcoholic.
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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.
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number one »
First; foremost; best.
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nut-cutting time »
Time to gather nuts before they are taken by other animals or buried in snow.
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old money »
The monetary system used in the United Kingdom before decimalisation and consisting of pounds, shillings, and pence.
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one step at a time »
Slowly and carefully, ensuring that each action has been completed successfully before taking the next.
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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 .
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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.
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pre-war »
Describing the period before a war.
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pre-war »
Describing the period before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
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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.
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pride cometh before a fall »
Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.
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pride goes before a fall »
Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.
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pride goeth before a fall »
Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.
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put the cart before the horse »
To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities.
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quarter of »
Fifteen minutes before the next hour.
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reach an early grave »
To be sentenced to death before the age of 18.
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reach an early grave »
To die young. To die before the age of 80.
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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.
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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.
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shit or get off the pot »
To choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.
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sight unseen »
Not having seen the object beforehand.
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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.
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swan song »
A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.
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sweet dreams »
Phrase said to someone before they fall asleep, wishing them a good sleep.
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test the waters »
To explore or probe, as before making a commitment.
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the calm before the storm »
A period of peace before a disturbance or crisis; an unnatural or false calm before a storm.
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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.
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trigger-happy »
Having a tendency or desire to shoot a firearm irresponsibly before adequately identifying the target.
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try out »
To undergo a test before being selected for a team etc.
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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.
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under the wire »
At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.
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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.
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until one is blue in the face »
Forever; for a hopelessly long time.
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warm down »
Gentle excercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.
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warm up »
To make an audience enthusiastic or animated before a show.
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wrap it before you tap it »
wear a condom before sexual intercourse.
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you know what »
A phrase used to get someone's attention before announcing something.
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