a house is not a home »
A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.
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chip on one's shoulder »
A habitually combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove.
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clean up one's act »
To reform; to improve one's habits.
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do one's thing »
To do what one habitually does.
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dyed-in-the-wool »
Firmly established in a person's beliefs or habits; deeply ingrained in the nature of a person or thing.
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end of the world »
End of habitability for life on Earth.
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fall off the wagon »
To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.
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force of habit »
An act that has been repeated to the point where the performance of the act becomes automatic.
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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.
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kick the habit »
To recover from or quit an addiction or habit. For example, to quit smoking, drinking, burping, or drug addiction.
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live in sin »
To cohabit as if man and wife without being married.
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of an »
Indicates a more or less habitual activity during the given part of the day.
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off the wagon »
No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.
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old habits die hard »
Existing habits are hard to change.
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on the wagon »
By extension, maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.
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pick up »
To point out (a person's behaviour, habits or actions),in a critical manner.
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second nature »
A mindset, skill, or type of behavior so ingrained through habit or practice that it seems natural, automatic, or without a basis in conscious thought.
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set in one's ways »
Driven by habit; inclined or determined to continue according to one's custom or established preferences.
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shape up »
To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior.
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skirt chaser »
A man with amorous intentions who habitually seeks out female companionship.
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stock phrase »
A phrase frequently or habitually used by a person or group, and thus associated with them.
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swear off »
To quit or cease completely, or to promise to quit, as of a bad habit.
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take after »
In appearance or habit.
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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,
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take to »
To begin, as a new habit or practice.
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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
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turn over a new leaf »
To engage in self-improvement; to begin a good habit or shed a bad habit.
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used to »
Accustomed to; in the habit of.
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work out »
To habitually exercise rigorously, especially by lifting weights, in order to increase strength or muscle mass or maintain fitness.
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world »
A planet,especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.
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you can't teach an old dog new tricks »
It is impossible, or almost impossible, to change people's habits or traits or mindset.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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