assume the mantle »
To take on a specific role or position, along with any associated responsibilites.
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best regards »
Used as a polite closing of a letter.
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blot out »
To make something undecipherable; to obliterate.
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double entendre »
A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo..
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emperor's new clothes »
Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.
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face value »
No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.
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get in »
To get into or inside something, literally or figuratively.
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give it the gun »
Literal meaning.
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go by the board »
To be superseded, rejected, or obliterated; to pass by with little consequence; to amount to nothing.
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have a seat »
A polite directive to sit down.
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hit the pavement »
Literal meaning.
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how are you »
An informal greeting, not requiring a literal response. Typical responses include.
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how do I get to Carnegie Hall »
A set phrase, spoken as a rhetorical question, which is answered "Practice, practice, practice!" or sometimes with the humorous literal directions to Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th.
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kick off »
To force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders. Used figuratively or literally.
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ladies first »
A phrase encouraging polite gentlemanliness, allowing the ladies to go before the men.
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measure twice and cut once »
(literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn
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no comment »
A refusal to say the obvious impolite retort.
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not to put too fine a point on it »
Used to apologise for a possibly impolite statement one is making.
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pardon me »
Polite expression to get someone to repeat.
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plus »
(literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.
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proverbs come in pairs »
Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.1979, Irving Howe, John Hollander, David Bromwich, Literature as Experience: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ISBN 0155511130, page 325:Sometimes proverbs come in pairs, the first one providing the context, the second, the revision.
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purple prose »
Extravagant or flowery writing, especially in a literary work.
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put up one's dukes »
Prepare to fight; literally, to raise your fists.
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rain check »
In social interactions, a polite way to turn down an invitation, with the implication one is simply postponing it and that another time would be acceptable.
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sexual congress »
Loose translation of the title of Aristophanes' play Ecclesiazousae, more literally translated as Assemblywomen.
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stop someone in his tracks »
To prevent someone from continuing along a path or way, literal or figurative, he has begun going along.
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strike through »
Partly obliterate text by drawing a continuous line through the centre thereof, usually to indicate the deletion of an error or obsolete information.
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take the Michael »
Alternative form of take the mickey, usually considered more polite.
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the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »
(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."
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there and back »
One or for a round trip journey, literal or figurative.
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three Rs »
The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic.
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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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to the letter »
Literally, exactly, to follow the rules as they're written.
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truth be told »
Used when admitting something one might otherwise lie about, e.g. to keep up appearances or be polite.
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unwashed masses »
Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.
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up in the air »
Literal: up in or into the sky or air.
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upper crust »
The social elite.
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you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar »
It's easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude than with rude demands and negativity.
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yours sincerely »
A polite formula to end a letter, especially when the recipient’s name is known to the sender.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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