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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all's fair in love and war »
unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict.
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also ran »
unplaced horse
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bad news »
News of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events.
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bad penny »
A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.
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bang out »
To do something quickly, in a slipshod, or unprofessional manner.
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be in for »
To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.
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beat around the bush »
To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
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between a rock and a hard place »
Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
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bitter pill »
Something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.
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blow chunks »
To be very bad, inadequate, unpleasant, or miserable; to thoroughly suck.
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catch on »
To become popular; to become commonplace; to become the standard.
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caught with one's pants down »
Caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation.
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come the acid »
To make oneself unpleasant, especially by sarcasm.
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could not get elected dogcatcher »
Is unpopular.
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dead »
Unproductive.
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everything happens for a reason »
All events are purposeful.Everything happens for a reason, so there is no such thing as failure. Mary-Kate OlsenPeople like to say "everything happens for a reason." If you repeat that in your head long enough that starts to sound like "anything can happen with a razor." Laura KightlingerI believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it's important to seek out that reason - that's how we learn. Drew Barrymore
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face the music »
To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.
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face up to »
To confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.
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fear »
A strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
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flat-footed »
Unprepared to act.
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fly in the ointment »
Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.
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garbage in, garbage out »
(computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"
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get it over with »
To do or finish, especially said of something unpleasant.
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get something over with »
To do something quickly and hastily; without procrastination, especially so as to have something unpleasant behind oneself.
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give the devil his due »
To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.
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glutton for punishment »
One persistent in an effort in spite of harmful or unpleasant results.
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go from zero to hero »
To become very popular after being unpopular.
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hatchet man »
Someone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.
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hell on earth »
A very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.
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hit on »
To discover, pinpoint; to think up; to realize; to invent.
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hold up »
To rob at gunpoint.
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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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holding pattern »
Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.
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horse's ass »
A jerk; an unpleasant, unlikable person; an asshole.
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key off »
To take as a controlling input datum.
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lie back and think of England »
Used to preface any unpleasant but inevitable experience.
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Loose cannon »
An uncontrolled or unpredictable person who causes damage to his own friends, faction, political party, etc.
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muck about »
To do random unplanned work or spend time idly.
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no good deed ever goes unpunished »
Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.
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no good deed goes unpunished »
Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.
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on acid »
Exaggerated, bizarre or unpredictable.
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one in the eye for »
An event or achievement which is unpleasant for someone, especially for those who considered it impossible or unwelcome; an annoyance.
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out of one's depth »
To be in a situation which one is poorly prepared or unprepared to handle.
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pull the plug »
To unplug or cut power.
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rough and ready »
Crude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.
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rush hour »
The times of the day when traffic jams are commonplace, due mainly to people commuting to or from work.
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set of pipes »
A wind instrument incorporating multiple pipes, such as a panpipe or bagpipe.
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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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stew in one's juices »
To be alone and self-absorbed in an uncomfortable state of mind, especially while experiencing the unpleasant effects of one's own actions.
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stick in the mud »
More generally, one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive; an old fogey.
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stick up »
To rob at gunpoint.
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take a powder »
To leave in a hurry; run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.
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take something in one's stride »
Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.
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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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the pits »
Something miserable or unpleasant.
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turn a blind eye »
To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.
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where there's muck there's brass »
(UK, Irish) There is money to be made in unpleasant dirty jobs.
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whistle Dixie »
To engage in a pointless or unproductive activity; to do something without resolve, seriousness or commitment.
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white elephant »
An ornament etc that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.
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you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear »
It is not possible to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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