a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
|
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!
|
a watched pot never boils »
A process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.
|
all cats are grey in the dark »
In the dark, physical appearance is unimportant.
|
all fur coat and no knickers »
Of superficial appearance and with no real substance beneath.
|
all that glitters is not gold »
Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so, things that look nice might not be as good as they look.
|
back off »
To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.
|
bad penny »
A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.
|
beauty is only skin deep »
What matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.
|
blue moon »
The moon tinted towards blue as it appears in the sky, caused by dust or smoke in the atmosphere.
|
cast pearls before swine »
To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it.
|
cat that ate the canary »
A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.
|
cat that ate the canary »
A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.
|
cat's cradle »
Any complicated structure which appears to be without purpose.
|
cheese down »
To coil the tail of a rope on deck so as to present a neat appearance.
|
chickens coming home to roost »
Consequences visited upon someone who originally had appeared to escape them.
|
clean up »
To become clean, handsome, smart in appearance, e.g. for a special occasion, especially when it is out of character to be seen as such.
|
clothes don't make the man »
An aphorism meaning that you cannot judge a person solely by his appearance. Usually pertains to men.
|
cold comfort »
C. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, act 4, sc. 1.
|
come across »
To give an appearance or impression; to project a certain image.
|
come out of the woodwork »
To appear or emerge as though out of nowhere, frequently in large numbers or quantity.
|
come to mind »
To appear in one's thoughts.
|
come up »
To appear before a judge or court.
|
cry wolf »
To raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.
|
cut of one's jib »
Someone’s general appearance or the implications thereof, especially in relation to making an impression or one’s style..
|
diamond in the rough »
A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.
|
down in the mouth »
Sad or discouraged, especially as indicated by one's facial appearance.
|
dusty miller »
One of several species of plants with leaves of a dusty appearance: Centaurea cineraria, Senecio cineraria, and Lychnis coronaria.
|
eat someone out of house and home »
C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act II Scene I.
|
expose oneself »
To appear nude in public.
|
feet of clay »
To say that someone, who appears strong or invincible, in fact has a hidden weak point which could cause their fall.
|
fine feathers make fine birds »
Something that appears beautiful or good is by definition beautiful or good.
|
flight of fancy »
An idea, narrative, suggestion, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.
|
flutter in the dovecote »
I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote. — Israel Confronts Its Past.
|
fly-by-night »
Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.
|
for all the world »
Entirely, to all appearances.
|
fountain of youth »
Anything reputed to have the power to restore health and vitality or to restore a youthful appearance.
|
from time to time »
C. 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act 3, sc. 3.
|
green about the gills »
Having the appearance of being ill.
|
high horse »
An appearance or sense of smug superiority.
|
hit the headlines »
To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.
|
hot mess »
Refers to a person, thing, or situation in such a state of disarray or disapproval by peers, often in reference to physical appearance, perceived to be disastrously embarrassing, pitiful, or beyond repair.
|
in shape »
In a good state of physical fitness or bodily appearance.
|
in the twinkling of an eye »
Circa 1598, William Shakespeare, "The Merchant Of Venice".
|
jump through hoops »
To put forth effort for the sake of appearance or demonstration.
|
keep up appearances »
To pretend to be all right or that everything is going well.
|
laughing stock »
C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, act 3, sc. 1.
|
look like »
To be similar in appearance to; resemble.
|
make a fool of oneself »
To appear foolish to others.
|
make a monkey out of »
To cause a person, organization, or action to appear foolish or inferior; to subject someone or something to ridicule..
|
make a virtue of necessity »
C. 1595, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 4, sc.1.
|
melt into »
To disappear into.
|
mutton dressed as lamb »
A mature woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if a deliberate attempt to appear young.
|
no slave to fashion »
A person whose style of clothing and appearance are unconventional, informal, or slovenly; a person who takes little interest in how he or she is dressed.
|
not a pretty sight »
Something visually unappealing, ranging from mildly unattractive to utterly disgusting in appearance.
|
pearl of wisdom »
A succinct, insightful saying, piece of advice, or moral precept.
|
penny for your thoughts »
Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.
|
play up »
To make or attempt to make something appear more important, likely or obvious; to showcase or highlight.
|
plus »
(literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.
|
pop up »
To appear without warning.
|
pop up »
appear suddenly
|
power behind the throne »
Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.
|
show up »
To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
|
smack of »
To seem like; to appear or give an impression or feeling of; to arouse suspicion of.
|
snazz up »
To improve appearance or appeal by increasing stylishness or functionality, or by adding other attractive features.
|
speak of the devil and he appears »
Alternative form of speak of the devil.
|
spit-and-polish »
Paying much attention to outward appearance.
|
spring to mind »
To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.
|
spruce up »
To refresh, revamp; to freshen or improve something, especially its appearance.
|
still water runs deep »
A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect
|
still waters run deep »
A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect.
|
switch on »
To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.
|
take after »
In appearance or habit.
|
to thine own self be true »
The easiest person to deceive is oneself."This above all:to thine own self be true,and it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man." -William Shakespeare
|
touch of the tar brush »
Of South Asian or Afro-Caribbean in their background and/or in their appearance.
|
truth be told »
Used when admitting something one might otherwise lie about, e.g. to keep up appearances or be polite.
|
turn up »
To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.
|
wear off »
To disappear because of being abraded, over-polished, or abused.
|
window dressing »
A means of creating a deceptively favourable impression of something or someone; something for appearance only.
|
you can't judge a book by its cover »
It is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.
|
| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
[