bad money drives out good »
Debased coinage (with low levels of precious metals) replaces purer coinage (with higher levels of precious metals).(metaphorically) Mediocre talent drives away real talent.
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bear on »
To be relevant to.
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beside the point »
Irrelevant, moot.
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beyond one's pay grade »
Beyond one's level of authority.
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break new ground »
To begin excavating and levelling earth for a new building, or, originally, for cultivation.
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bridge »
An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.
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bush league »
A low-ranking or inferior level among groups, professions, organizations, etc.
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bush league »
A professional sports association at the lower levels of minor league organization.
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catch up »
get level with
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come in »
Of a broadcast, such as radio or television, to have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.
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dead air »
An unintended interruption in a radio broadcast during which there is no sound; a similar interruption of a television broadcast in which there is neither sound nor a video signal.
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down for the count »
Decisively beaten; rendered irrelevant for the long term.
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drill down »
To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.
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eleventh hour »
Nearly too late; the last minute.
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even keel »
A situation in which the boat is level and balanced for a smooth ride.
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even up »
To make even; to make level
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filter down »
Of a liquid; to move slowly down to lower substrate levels.
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filter down »
Of information, or resources; to move slowly down to lower levels of an organisation, or population.
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full tilt boogie »
At the most extreme level.
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get a handle on »
To build or acquire a basic level of understanding or control.
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get by »
To subsist; to succeed, survive, or manage, at least at a minimum level.
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get one's foot in the door »
To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.
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get the boot »
To be voted off a competition in a reality television show.
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get the chop »
To be eliminated from a competition in a reality television program.
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get the drift »
To understand, at least at some basic or general level.
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grass roots »
People and society at the local level rather than at the national centre of political activity.
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grease payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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have to do »
To relate; to be relevant.
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head for the hills »
To travel to a higher elevation, especially to a rural region on vacation.
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high ground »
A location which is at a relatively high elevation, especially in comparison to the immediate surrounding area.
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hit one's stride »
To reach a full level of efficiency, competence, comfort, etc.; to get going.
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horse opera »
A theatrical production, film, or program on radio or television depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.
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idiot box »
Television.
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in for a dime, in for a dollar »
Americanised form of in for a penny, in for a pound.1983, Allen Drury, Decision, p. 356:In for a dime, in for a dollar, he thought crazily, and said what he had to say in a voice he forced to stay level and calm.1998, Ellen Miller, Like Being Killed, p. 47:In for a dime, in for a dollar. I whispered to Gerry,
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joe job »
An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.
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jump »
To cause oneself to leave an elevated location and fall downward.
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jump »
To employ a parachute to leave an aircraft or elevated location.
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jump down »
To leave an elevated position to a lower position by one jump.
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jump off »
To move from an elevated place by one jump.
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level best »
The very best that one can do.
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level up »
To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has aquired enough experience points.
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level-headed »
Sensible; rational; possessing sound judgment.
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lift up »
To elevate to a higher position.
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lubrication payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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make a meal of »
That is the eleventh edit that you have made to that word, you are really making a meal of it.
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mike up »
To fit a microphone and transmitter to a person. Usually for television performers, or for police informers.
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miner's canary »
A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
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miners' canary »
A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.
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neither here nor there »
Not important; having no significance or influence on the question at hand; not related; not relevant; not germane; not pertinent.
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no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney »
Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.
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nuts and bolts »
The basic, inner workings of something; the fundamentals or basics; that which makes something operate, on a basic level.
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off one's game »
Performing in any activity below one's usual level; behaving in an irregular, inept, or awkward manner; feeling unwell.
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off one's game »
Playing or competing below one's usual level of performance.
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on the level »
A discreet reference to freemasonry.
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on the level »
Honest, sincere, straightforward.
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on the line »
On a level with the eye of the spectator; said of a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures.
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out of one's league »
In a situation in which one is mismatched with one or more others, whose accomplishments, preparedness, or other characteristics are on a significantly higher or lower level than one's own.
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over one's head »
Performing at a level greatly superior to one's usual level of performance.
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painting rocks »
Pointless or futile work organised by the government, supposedly to increase employment but in fact merely disguising the unemployment level.
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palace politics »
The relationships and interactions of top-level officials, advisors and other powerbrokers within a government, especially as involving internal rivalry and intrigue.
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pelt of the dog »
An immoderate, excessive quantity of alcohol drunk the morning after whilst suffering withdrawal symptoms or a hangover, which goes beyond alleviating the complaint to causing drunkenness; cf. hair of the dog.
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power chord »
A chord or combination of notes used in rock music and typically selected to sound good at high volume and high levels of distortion. Power chords make extensive use of intervals such as open fourths and fifths.
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quantum mechanics »
The branch of physics which studies matter and energy at the level of atoms and other elementary particles, and substitutes probabilistic mechanisms for classical Newtonian ones.
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rock bottom »
The very lowest possible level.
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run down »
To reduce the size or stock levels of a business, often with a view to closure.
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shoot 'em up »
A short story, novel, television show, film, computer game, or other narrative which depicts considerable gunplay.
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sign off »
Term used to describe the closing of a radio or television station's studios and cessation of a broadcasting signal, usually during the overnight hours.
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sign on »
The time of day when a radio or television station begins broadcasting, usually after being off the air for several hours.
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silver-tongue »
The trait of being clever at speaking, often in a deceitful way.
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smooth operator »
A skillful, manipulative person, con artist, or clever scoundrel.
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snappy comeback »
A prompt, clever retort.
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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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soapbox »
Especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.
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sword and sorcery »
Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines wizardry and other fantastical supernatural elements with violent combat using medieval weaponry..
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the more things change, the more they stay the same »
A proverb making the observation that turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
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three-on-the-tree »
On an automobile, describing the gearshift lever of a steering column-mounted three-speed manual transmission.
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tin god »
An individual that abuses or exceeds his authority over others, frequently in petty ways; for example a low-level manager in situational comedies and other entertainment.
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to the point »
Relevant or pertinent; succinct; specific.
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tone down »
To make a television program, piece of writing, etc. less offensive and so more suitable for a family audience.
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tune in »
To select a channel, station, etc., as on television or radio.
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up to eleven »
Beyond the maximum possible threshold.
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way out of a paper bag »
A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.
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when it's at home »
Plainly; in plain English; when it comes down to it; at it's most basic level.
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white coat hypertension »
Elevated blood pressure measured by a medical practitioner and deemed to result from the patient's emotional response to the medical environment.
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