act up »
give trouble
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answer on a postcard »
To give a brief answer or opinion.
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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.
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as best one can »
In the best possible way, given the circumstances.
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beat up »
To give a severe beating to.
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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.
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blue state »
A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.
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break down »
To give more detail.
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bring forth »
To give birth.
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bring owls to Athens »
Forgive me, then, for bringing owls to Athens as a thanks-offering. — Goethe, in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt.
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brown bag »
A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.
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bump up »
To give a more prominent place to; to advance position in queue.
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call the shots »
To make the decisions;to be in charge;to give orders.
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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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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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charge up »
To recharge, to give electrical power to something.
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chicken feed »
Food given to poultry.
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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.
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come across »
To give an appearance or impression; to project a certain image.
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cramp someone's style »
To restrict someone's free actions, or to give the impression of such.
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cross someone's palm »
To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service.
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dead giveaway »
Obvious, easily apparent.
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don't give up your day job »
Implying that they could not earn a living from it without other regular employment.
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don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs »
Don't presume to give advice to those who are more experienced.
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draw on »
To sketch or mark with pencil, crayon, etc., on a given surface.
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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.
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fish out »
To deplete the supply of fish in a given body of water.
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flog a dead horse »
To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more.
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fly-by-night »
Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.
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game plan »
Any strategy devised to reach a given objective.
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get it »
To possess a preferred outlook on a given issue or issues.
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give 'em enough rope »
Allow one to function unhindered, or without further overbearing oversight.
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give 110%25 »
Make the maximum possible effort.
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give a f** »
To care.
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give a man a fish »
Shortened form of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
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give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime »
It is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something, than to do something for them.
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give a ring »
On the telephone.
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give a shit »
To care, often used in the negative.
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give a sneck posset »
To fasten the door latch.
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give a sneck posset »
To give someone a cold reception; to close the door on someone; to reject them.
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give and take »
A process of compromise or accommodation.
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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.
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give away the store »
To transact, trade, or negotiate badly, by paying, providing, or conceding too much to the other party.
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give birth »
To invent a new idea.
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give birth »
To produce new life into the world; to have a baby. Transitive when used with to.
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give chase »
To chase or pursue a person.
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give curry »
Angrily.
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give ear »
Dante Gabriel Rosetti, A Death-Parting, lines 5-6.
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give ear »
To listen: to devote one's attention to an auditory event.
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give face »
To honor; to pay respect.
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give head »
To perform oral sex on another person.
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give heed »
Pay attention to.
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give him enough rope and he'll hang himself »
If one gives someone enough freedom of action, they may destroy themselves by foolish actions.
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give hostage to fortune »
He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.
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give hostage to fortune »
To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later.
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give in »
To collapse or fall.
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give in »
To droop the head.
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give in »
To relent or yield.
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give it a go »
To try or attempt.
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give it a whirl »
To try, test or attempt.
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give it one's best shot »
To make one's best effort or attempt; to try as hard as possible.
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give it the gun »
Literal meaning.
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give me liberty or give me death »
A set-phrase indicating enormous displeasure at any over-authoritarian policy or law.
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give notice »
To announce one's intent to leave a job; to inform an employer that one is leaving.
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give of oneself »
To devote oneself unselfishly to a task, especially to give time and energy.
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give or take »
Approximately; plus or minus some unknown amount.
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give over »
To devote oneself to a particular activity.
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give over »
To entrust something to another.
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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.
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give some skin »
To greet or congratulate someone by slapping his or her palm; see slap me five.
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give somebody a hand »
To help, aid, or assist.
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give somebody a hard time »
To tease, kid, or rib.
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give somebody a piece of one's mind »
To express one's opinion strongly; to voice one's disagreement or dissatisfaction.
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give somebody an earful »
To shout very loudly at someone.
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give somebody pause »
To give somebody cause for concern.
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give somebody the brush-off »
To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.
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give somebody the cold shoulder »
To snub, resist or reject somebody; to regard somebody distantly.
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give somebody the creeps »
To give someone a feeling of uneasiness or mild fright.
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give somebody the heave-ho »
To fire, expel or break up with someone.
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give somebody the runaround »
Especially by providing useless information or directions .
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give somebody the slip »
To evade, escape, or get away from somebody.
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give somebody what-for »
To admonish or berate; to speak angrily at somebody.
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give someone the chair »
To execute a person by means of the electric chair.
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give someone the eye »
To show flirtatious signs with the eye.
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give someone what for »
To punish; to rebuke.
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give the boot »
To fire, to sack, to dismiss.
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give the devil his due »
To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.
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give the elbow »
To terminate the employment of.
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give the lie to »
To prove something to be false; to refute.
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give the time of day »
To acknowledge somebody; to give somebody any respect or attention.
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go blue »
Of states and counties, to be carried by a Democratic candidate in a given U.S. election.
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go red »
Of states or counties, to be carried by a Republican candidate in a given U.S. election.
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hand in »
To give something to a responsible person.
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hand it to somebody »
To give somebody credit or praise.
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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.
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historical figure »
A fictional or fabricated person who was was given historical importance in legends and myth.
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hold one's own »
To stand up to; to give a respectable performance; to provide worthy competition.
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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.
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in for an inch, in for a mile »
Given that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.
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in light of »
Given, considering.
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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.
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just what the doctor ordered »
Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation.
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kiss and make up »
To settle one's differences and forgive.
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knock up »
To become exhausted or worn out; to fail of strength; to become wearied, as with labor; to give out.
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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.
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lay down »
To give up, surrender, or yield , usually by placing it on the ground.
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lay down the law »
To present the law that applies to a given case.
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let off »
To forgive and not punish.
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licence to print money »
The authority to print money, usually given to a central bank exclusively as the issuer of currency.
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make up »
To resolve, forgive or smooth over an argument or fight.
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mess up »
To make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.
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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!
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not give a monkey's »
Not to have the slightest interest or concern.
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now you're cooking »
A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.
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of an »
Indicates a more or less habitual activity during the given part of the day.
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offer affordances »
To give elbow room or leeway for something to happen.
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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.
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pack up »
To give in.
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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.
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powers that be »
The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially as seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.
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put forth »
To give or supply; to make or create.
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put something into perspective »
To compare with something similar to give a clearer, more accurate idea.
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red state »
A state of the United States voting Republican in a given election, or tending to vote Republican in general.
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reflect on »
To think carefully about something, and give it due consideration.
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reflect on »
To give an impression of .
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run back »
To take someone home by car. Give someone a lift to their house.
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smack of »
To seem like; to appear or give an impression or feeling of; to arouse suspicion of.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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speak to »
To give evidence regarding something; to attest for.
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squaring the circle »
The historical problem of how to construct, using compass and ruler, a square having the same area as a given circle.
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swear on a stack of Bibles »
To make a promise or give one's assurance with great conviction.
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swing state »
A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally; a purple state.
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take apart »
To move someone away from others to be able to talk to, or give them something in private.
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take for granted »
To give little attention to or to underestimate the value of, to fail to appreciate.
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take sides »
To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.
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throw in the towel »
To quit; to give up.
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throw to the dogs »
To give up on something valuable.
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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.
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turn in »
To submit something; to give.
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turn on »
To attract, give pleasure, or encourage.
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turn over »
To relinquish; give back.
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turn-on »
Something that attracts, gives pleasure, or encourages, especially sexually.
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water under the bridge »
Something in the past that cannot be controlled or undone, but must be accepted, forgiven, or forgotten.
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wring out »
To force someone to give something, usually truth, or money.
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yield up »
To give something against one's will.
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you only get what you give »
There is a positive correlation between the effort one puts in and the benefits one receives.
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