a friend in need is a friend indeed »
A true friend is one who helps you when you are in need.
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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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at a moment's notice »
Immediately; instantaneously; without need of warning.
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behind the counter »
Of drugs, dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription or other form of compliance.
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buckle down »
To put forth the needed effort; to focus; become serious; apply oneself.
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calls for »
Requires; needs to
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camel through the eye of a needle »
Hyperbole to illustrate that something is almost impossible to do or to happen.
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carry coals to Newcastle »
To do something that is unneeded or redundant.
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cast off »
To finish the last row of knitted stitches and remove them securely from the needle.
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cast on »
To start the first row of knitting by putting stitches on a needle.
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cold comfort »
Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.
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cry out for »
To say that a situation needs a thing, or a solution urgently.
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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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every king needs a queen »
Every man needs a woman to be with for the rest of his life.
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everything but the kitchen sink »
Almost everything, whether needed or not.
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fill the bill »
To satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements.
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frog in one's throat »
Hoarseness or the need to cough.
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God works in mysterious ways »
Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.Expressing that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways - maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...
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had better »
Should; ought to; need to.
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hang out to dry »
To abandon someone who is in need or in danger.
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have a frog in one's throat »
To feel the need to cough; to have a tickle in one's throat; to have a scratchy or uneven voice.
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hold that thought »
Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what an speaker was saying.
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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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home stretch »
The final part of a distance or the final effort needed to finish.
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hot button »
The principal desire that a salesman needs to "hit" in order to make a sale.
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if need be »
If necessary; if there is a need.
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if needs be »
If need be; if there is a need.
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in case »
In the event; should there be a need.
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it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God »
The rich can afford more immoral behavior than the poor.
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it takes two to tango »
Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.
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just in case »
In the event; should there be a need.
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keep up with the Joneses »
To do or buy things for status, show, or image rather than out of need, especially for the purpose of competing with friends or neighbors.
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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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loose end »
A small job that needs to be done, or minor problem that needs to be resolved, before a task can be considered complete.
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man up »
To staff adequately; to staff up; to successfully fill all needed labor positions.
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necessity is the mother of invention »
A person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it.
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needle in a haystack »
Something that is difficult or impossible to locate; something impossibly complex or intractable.
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on demand »
When needed or required.
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on pins and needles »
Feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.
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overkill »
A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.
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overkill »
An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.
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pick up stitches »
Stitches to the knitting needle that were previously bound off, or that belong to the selvage, during the process of knitting or entrelac.
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piss and moan »
To complain, especially needlessly and loudly.
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point blank »
The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.
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quarter of »
"I need twenty minutes to get to the shop." "You'll be late. It's already a quarter of.".
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rainy day »
A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.
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rest assured »
Be sure; no need to worry; trust.
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ride the short bus »
To have a need for a special education program, as because learning disabled.
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rough around the edges »
In need of refinement; unsophisticated.
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see a man about a horse »
A message signaling one needs to go missing for a short while, for any reason, without giving a real explanation.
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seeing is believing »
You need to see something to believe it; visible facts cannot be denied.
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skeleton crew »
The minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency or shut down, and at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.
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special needs »
Needs for special care, services or accommodations.
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sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof »
No need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.
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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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that's the ticket »
That's just right; that's just what is needed.
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tuits »
"tricky": Needs many tuits. [2].
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tuits »
Virtual tokens for an amount of time or attention that a particular issue would need to resolve.
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up the ying yang »
Far more than one needs.
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waste breath »
To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded.
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waste not, want not »
If one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.
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you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows »
You don't need an expert to tell you what you already know.
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