a picture paints a thousand words »
A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!
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air bed »
inflatable mattress
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all's well that ends well »
Problems do not matter if things turn out well in the end.
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beauty is only skin deep »
What matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.
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clean code »
Software code that is formatted correctly and in an organized manner so that another coder can easily read or modify it.
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deliver the message to Garcia »
What we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.
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down on one's luck »
Unlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.
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dumb down »
To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending.
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familiarity breeds contempt »
The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.
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fight fires »
To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.
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first things first »
Deal with matters of highest priority first; deal with matters in logical sequence.1922, H. G. Wells, The Secret Places of the Heart, ch.4,"First things first," said Sir Richmond. If we set about getting fuel sanely, if we do it as the deliberate, co-operative act of the whole species, then it follows that we shall look very closely into the use that is being made of it.1999, Frank Pellegrini, "House Republicans Quell Mutiny Over Tax Bounty," Time, 23 Jul.,Judging by the polls
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fish to fry »
A matter to attend to.
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fools rush in where angels fear to tread »
A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.
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for that matter »
As far as that is concerned.
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gallows humor »
Comedy that makes light of death or other very serious matters.
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get one's finger out »
To proceed with the matter in hand.
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get one's knickers in a twist »
To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.
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go to the mattresses »
To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.
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have been around »
To be experienced in worldly matters; to be seasoned, not naive.
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have one's head in the clouds »
To daydream; to think about matters other than the present reality.
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horse of a different color »
An unrelated or only incidentally related matter with distinctly different significance.
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inside baseball »
Matters of interest only to insiders.
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inside baseball »
Technical matters concerning baseball not apparent to spectators.
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it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good »
There is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.
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keep a weather eye open »
To be alert; to concentrate on a matter in hand.
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matter of course »
A natural or logical outcome.
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matter of course »
An expected or customary outcome.
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matter of fact »
A fact.
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matter of fact »
A more factual correction.
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matter of fact »
Something completely true.
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mind over matter »
Willpower alone can overcome a physical problem.
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no matter »
regardless of
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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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nobody's perfect »
Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best
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none of someone's business »
A matter that someone is not entitled to be involved in or informed about.
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of course »
Asserts that the associated phrase should not be argued, particularly if it is obvious or there is no choice in the matter.
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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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pissing contest »
An immature dispute over some trivial matter.
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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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sink or swim »
To fail or succeed, no matter what.
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six of one, half a dozen of the other »
The two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent; it doesn't matter which one we choose.
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tempest in a teapot »
A major fuss over a trivial matter.
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that's that »
There is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter.
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there's no accounting for taste »
When it comes to subjective matters of taste, people have wildly different opinions.Disagreements about matters of taste can't be objectively resolved.
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three Rs »
The basic precepts of any subject matter.
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three skips of a louse »
Said about some trifling or insignificant matter.
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toss-up »
A decision in which neither choice is clearly favorable or unfavorable, or for which the outcome does not matter.
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until hell freezes over »
Forever; One will never in their life get the results that they want, no matter what they're doing involving the situation.
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wait for the other shoe to drop »
To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.
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walk on eggshells »
To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.
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what's the matter »
What's wrong? What's the problem?.
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what's up »
What's the matter?.
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whatsamatta »
What is the matter? What is wrong?.
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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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without fail »
Certainly; by all means; as a matter of importance.
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