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 little bird told me» Of information which was gathered from a source not to be overtly exposed.
a miss is as good as a mile» A failure remains a failure, regardless of how close to success one has actually come.
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 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.
according to Hoyle» In strict accordance with the rules, especially of card games; in the proper or expected manner.
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.
against the grain» To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.
against the grain» Unwillingly, reluctantly. It went much against the grain with him, i.e. it was much against his inclination, or against his pluck.
