all bark and no bite »
Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
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all hat and no cattle »
Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
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all over the place »
Inconsistent; lacking a clear pattern.
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amateur hour »
A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism.
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beyond the black stump »
Extremely remote, outside the populated area.
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birthday suit »
Nakedness; a lack of clothing.
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black »
Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and colourless.
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black »
Bad; evil.
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black »
Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced.
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black »
Lacking cream, milk, and creamer.
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black »
Overcrowded.
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black »
Without light.
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black and blue »
Covered in bruises.
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black babies »
Third world charities, the missions.
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black magic »
Magic derived from evil forces, as distinct from good or benign forces; or magic performed with the intention of doing harm.
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black sheep »
A disliked person; one who is disfavored.
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black sheep »
A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person.
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black sheep »
A sheep that is black.
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black-on-black »
A description of the colors of an automobile .
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black-on-black »
A reference to interactions between black people .
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black-on-black »
Something that is invisible or intentionally obfuscated, such as warnings or fine print.
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blow smoke »
To speak with a lack of credibility, sense, purpose, or truth; to speak nonsense.
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born in a barn »
Lacking a sense of etiquette; ill-mannered.
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bottle out »
To fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage.
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bottom of the line »
The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.
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brown thumb »
Lack of skill at growing plants; something possessed by a poor gardener.
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burn out »
To extinguish due to lack of fuel.
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cold fish »
A heartless individual; a person lacking empathy and emotion.
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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.
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cut somebody some slack »
To be patient or lenient with somebody; to relax standards or expectations.
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dead »
Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.
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deadstick landing »
When a pilot lands a plane after the engine has died; a landing lacking any propulsion control.
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deafening silence »
A silence, or a lack of any response, that signifies disapproval or lack of any enthusiasm.
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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.
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dirty laundry »
Unflattering facts or questionable activities that one wants to remain secret, but which some other may use to blackmail with.
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do without »
To manage despite the lack of something.
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down in the dumps »
Sad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
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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.
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fall by the wayside »
To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out.
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free-for-all »
Chaos; a chaotic situation lacking rules or control.
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go out the window »
To vanish or cease, especially due to lack of care, attention, etc.; to be discarded, disregarded, or ignored.
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grasp at straws »
To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, as due to lack of options or information.
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have to do with the price of tea in China »
To have any relation or bearing whatsoever on the topic at hand, usually used to emphasize the lack of relationship of a non sequitur.
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here goes nothing »
Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.
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ignorance is bliss »
Lack of knowledge results in happinessSometime you are more comfortable if you dont know something.
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in black and white »
Explicitly, in writing, clearly and without doubt or misunderstanding, without any grey areas.
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in black and white »
Having it displayed using shades of gray/gray rather than colour/color .
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in black and white »
Using shades of grey/gray rather than colour/color.
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in the black »
Having positive net income; having greater income than expenses; making a profit.
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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
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ivory tower »
A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
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keel over »
To collapse in a faint; to black out; to die.
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let up »
slacken
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lily-livered »
Cowardly, lacking bravery.
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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.
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middle of nowhere »
Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.
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mind-numbing »
Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.
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no news is good news »
A lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.
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not have a leg to stand on »
To lack support, as in an argument, debate, or negotiation.
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not worth a dime »
Worthless, lacking in value.
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on accident »
Accidentally; not intentionally; because of error, misfortune, or lack of caution.
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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.
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out of gas »
Lacking fuel.
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out of gas »
Tired; lacking energy or motivation.
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out of pocket »
Lacking funds, or suffering a loss.
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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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pay out »
To slacken a rope by lengthening it; to allow a rope to run out.
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penny black »
old stamp
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play dumb »
To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.
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pot calling the kettle black »
A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.
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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.
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rank and file »
Those lacking any particular title or status; those having no station.
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running on empty »
Losing enthusiasm or willingness, lacking energy.
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scissorbill »
The black skimmer bird native to the Atlantic states, USA.
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scrounge up »
To seek or find despite a lack of apparent resources or availability.
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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.
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shuffle »
To get lost in the shuffle: to lack attention when you deserve it.
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skin and bones »
Said of one who is emaciated; very skinny, as from lack of nutrition.
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slip through the cracks »
To escape notice or lack sufficient attention.
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spur of the moment »
Impluse; short notice; a lack of planning.
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square one »
The place where one begins; a lack of progress.
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stone cold »
Very cold; lacking any semblance of warmth.
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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.
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talk through one's hat »
To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.
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twiddle one's thumbs »
To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.
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underwater basket weaving »
"Sure, somewhere out there, college slackers were taking broom ball and underwater basket weaving." — The Columbus Dispatch, September 15, 2005.
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vote with one's feet »
To show a lack of support for something by departing or otherwise absenting oneself.
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washed out »
To be very tired and lacking energy.
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what of it »
So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.
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white hole »
A theoretically possible but physically highly unlikely singularity which would emit matter and energy; the antithesis of a black hole.
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