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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against the grain »
To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.
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apples and oranges »
Said of a comparison of items that are not comparable.
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at the ready »
Ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation.
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back office »
The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.
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back up »
For the non-striker to take a few steps down the pitch, in preparation to taking a run, just as the bowler bowls the ball.
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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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better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all »
Having experience of love, even if it ended, is better than having no experience of love.Love is worthwhile despite the pain involved in separation.
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break a leg »
To perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.
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break out »
To separate from a bundle.
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break up »
To break or separate into pieces; to disintegrate or come apart.
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break up »
To break or separate into pieces.
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break up »
To stop a fight; to separate people who are fighting.
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chance'd be a fine thing »
Given to indicate that an aforementioned thing would be desirable but unlikely. Comparable to if I should be so lucky.
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collect one's thoughts »
To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.
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correlation does not imply causation »
(statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.
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cover one's ass »
To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that one is not blamed or punished for one's conduct.
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cross paths »
To be, by chance, in the same physical place at the same time, as a result of two completely separate journeys.
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crush out »
To force out or separate by pressure.
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cut in »
When painting, to paint edges, corners, or trim in preparation for rolling larger areas.
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draw a bath »
To fill a bathtub with water in preparation for taking a bath.
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field day »
A parade day.
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fool's paradise »
A state of happiness due to illusion or false hope.
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from scratch »
From the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation; starting from raw ingredients.
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full-fledged »
Having full qualification, credentials or preparation; entire; real.
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good to go »
Ready for some specific task or ready for normal activity, especially after preparation or recovery.
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hatchet job »
A treatment which serves primarily to disparage its subject; a piece of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.
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jug ears »
Ears whose plane is markedly not parallel to the plane of the head.
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jump »
To employ a parachute to leave an aircraft or elevated location.
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late bloomer »
A person who lives a child's life comparatively later than their peers.
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late bloomer »
A person who reaches puberty comparatively later than their peers.
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lead »
A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.
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legwork »
Work, especially research or preparation, that involves significant walking, travel, or similar effort.
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letters after one's name »
A list of abbreviations, separated by commas, representing the academic qualifications and civil or military honours achieved by a person.
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make amends »
To repair a relationship; to make up; to resolve an argument or fight; to make reparations or redress.
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off-the-cuff »
Extemporaneous; without prior preparation; impromptu.
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on the spot »
Having to answer or decide without warning or preparation.
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ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny »
(biology, social sciences, art, philosophy) The physical, cultural, moral, or intellectual development of each individual passes through stages similar to the developmental stages of that individual's species, society, or civilization.1905, J. A. Harris, "The Importance of Investigations of Seedling Stages," Science, New Series, vol. 22, no. 554, p. 186:With reference to seedling stages the statement that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny must be made with great reserve.1961, M. E. Wolfgang, "Pioneers in Criminology: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)," The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, vol. 52, no. 4, p. 367:Haeckel maintained that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and this idea was incorporated by Lombroso into his parallelism between the criminal and the child.2002, B. S. Jackson, "Models in Legal History: The Case of Biblical Law," Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 11:For even if we accept that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," those responsible for the drafting of ancient legal documents were not children, and are hardly to be endowed with some form of infantile mentality.
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out of the blue »
Unexpectedly; without warning or preparation.
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parade of horribles »
A parade featuring a progression of people wearing comic and grotesque costumes.
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parade of horribles »
A rhetorical device employing a series of progressively more terrible results following from an act.
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rain on someone's parade »
To disappoint or discourage someone.
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run a bath »
To fill a bathtub with water in preparation for taking a bath.
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say goodbye »
To separate from someone.
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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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separate the wheat from the chaff »
To select only that which is of value.
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set aside »
To separate and reserve something for a specific purpose.
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sort out »
To organise or separate into groups, as a collection of items, so as to make tidy.
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sort out »
To separate from the remainder of a group; often construed with from.
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split up »
Separate, disassociate, cause to come apart.
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straight man »
A member of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in preparatory dialog with the principal comedian; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy.
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sweet hereafter »
Heaven; paradise as enjoyed in the afterlife.
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than a bygod »
Used with a comparative to express extreme heat or cold.
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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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tune up »
To make preparations for vigorous exercise; to warm up.
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wall off »
To separate with a wall.
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wing it »
To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; or to perform with little or no preparation.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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