a penny saved is a penny earned »
A maxim for thrift that says that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime
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a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down »
An otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.
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angle for »
To try to obtain something by subtle indirect means. Political manoeuvres, suggestion, etc.
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at cross-purposes »
Mutually misunderstanding each other's plans, intentions or meanings.
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be on about »
Talk about; mean, intend.
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beam up »
To be teleported over a long distance by means of a specific imaginary technology, specifically from the surface of a planet to an orbiting starship.
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beat up »
To cause by some other means, injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up.
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behind the bit »
An equestrian term, meaning that the horse is evading the bit.
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between Scylla and Charybdis »
Similar in meaning to between a rock and a hard place.
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blind »
An 1800s baseball term meaning no score.
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break in »
To enter by force or illicit means.
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business before pleasure »
An admonishment that discharging one's obligations must take precedence over devoting time to pursuits meant solely for one's own gratification.
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by all means »
Yes certainly; definitely.
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by dint of »
By reason of; by means of.
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by hook or by crook »
By any means possible; one way or another.
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by no means »
Certainly not; definitely not.
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clothes don't make the man »
An aphorism meaning that you cannot judge a person solely by his appearance. Usually pertains to men.
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cry for help »
Acting out as a means of displaying a subconscious desire for attention or help.
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cut a wide swath »
To clear a broad track through a grassland, woodland, geographical region, or other area, either by natural means or by human action.
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cut one's coat according to one's cloth »
Live according to your means.
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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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draw out »
To use means to entice or force to be more open or talkative.
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drop a dime »
To make a phone call, usually means calling the police to report another's activities.
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e pluribus unum »
A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.
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empty promise »
A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless.
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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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fight tooth and nail »
To use every means possible to overcome a difficult opposition.
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full of hot air »
Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.
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get at »
mean, intend
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give it the gun »
Literal meaning.
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give someone the chair »
To execute a person by means of the electric chair.
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gussie up »
To make fancy or attractive, as by artificial or contrived means.
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hanging offence »
A crime so serious that it is punishable by means of death by hanging.
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have a screw loose »
A phrase meaning that the subject is insane or irrational.
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hit home »
To be especially memorable or meaningful; to be fully understood, believed or appreciated.
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hit the pavement »
Literal meaning.
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hold your fire »
Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.
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hot desking »
The working practice of sharing desks or workstations between workers, as a means of saving space and resources.
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inside joke »
A joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are in the know about the details.
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jack up »
To raise, hoist, or lift a thing using a jack, or similar means.
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lean and mean »
Efficient because of having nothing in excess of what is needed, and single-minded in one's objective.
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less is more »
That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieres
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licence to print money »
A means of generating a large income with little effort.
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life's not all skittles and beer »
Skittles and Beer refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life; skittles being a British pub game. Thus, life's not all skittles and beer means that not everything is about pleasure.
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live by the sword, die by the sword »
One who uses violence can expect a violent response. It is better to try to use peaceful means wherever possible.(figuratively) One can expect dire outcomes from any vice; used to convey poetic justice.
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Living high on the hog »
Living richly, often above one's means
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lord of the flies »
A ruler over a worthless kingdom; leader of a meaningless microcosm.
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low-hanging fruit »
Easily obtained gains; what can be obtained by readily available means.
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make over »
To transfer ownership, especially by means of a legal document.
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mean the world to »
To be loved or cared about a great deal by.
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meatball surgery »
A nickname for surgery that is meant to be performed rapidly to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.
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miss the point »
To fail to grasp the meaning of an utterance.
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muck around »
Means the same as muck about.
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now you're cooking »
A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.
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off board »
Not on or in a means of transportation.
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on board »
On or in a means of transportation.
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peachy keen »
Extremely good, exactly right; all right. Often used in the negative or with an ironic or sarcastic connotation to mean the opposite.
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play hardball »
To use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.
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pump up »
To inflate by means of a pump.
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pump up »
To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focussed weightlifting.
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put down »
To insult, belittle, or demean.
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read between the lines »
To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.
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red face test »
A hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.
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rule of thumb »
A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
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screen out »
To use a screen, grate, sieve or similar means to separate large from small objects or particles.
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see someone's point »
To comprehend the meaning that someone is trying to convey.
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shanks' nag »
Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.
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Shittin in high cotton »
Living well, often above one's means
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shoot the moon »
To hit the moon, with a rocket or by other means.
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smoke signal »
A method of long-distance communication sometimes used in ancient and undeveloped societies, consisting of messages conveyed by means of columns or intermittent puffs of smoke.
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stand for »
To mean; to symbolize; to represent.
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standard fare »
The usual price for travel by air, rail, or another means of transport.
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stat whore »
Through unscrupulous or tacky means.
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string up »
To suspend by means of rope, cord or similar material.
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take someone's point »
To grasp the essential meaning of what a person is saying.
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tempus fugit »
time flies (used as an alternative to this phrase)."Meanwhile, the irreplaceable time escapes", expressing concern that one's limited time is being consumed by something which may have little intrinsic substance or importance at that moment.
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the end justifies the means »
Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome.
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the ends justify the means »
Alternative form of the end justifies the means.
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the jig is up »
An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered.".
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treat them mean, keep them keen »
A woman will be more interested in a man if he is not kind to her.
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turn down »
To reduce the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light.
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turn up »
To increase the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light.
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two for two »
In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.
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up the creek without a paddle »
In a difficult situation with no means of rectifying it.
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walk around »
To walk with no real planned destination, but to just walk, to meander "around".
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window dressing »
A means of creating a deceptively favourable impression of something or someone; something for appearance only.
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without fail »
Certainly; by all means; as a matter of importance.
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word of mouth »
Verbal means of passing of information.
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