balancing act »
A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.
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bang up job »
Something done very well; something performed above average or better than expected.
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big break »
A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.
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black magic »
Magic derived from evil forces, as distinct from good or benign forces; or magic performed with the intention of doing harm.
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booby prize »
A prize or status, often unwelcome, awarded as a joke or disincentive to the loser of a contest or for poor performance.
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bottle out »
To fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage.
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break a leg »
A wish for a successful performance; primarily a valediction to an actor wishing him or her a successful theatrical stage performance.
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break a leg »
To perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.
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busy work »
Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.
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carry the message to Garcia »
To perform a requisite task despite obstacles.
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carry the message to Garcia »
To perform a requisite task without having been informed specifically by what method to do so.
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carry water for »
To perform menial tasks for; to serve; to assist.
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chew the scenery »
To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.
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cop out »
To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.
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cop-out »
An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.
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cop-out »
Avoidance or inadequate performance of a task or duty; the action of copping out.
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copious free time »
A hypothetical time set aside for performing time-consuming tasks, however insinuating that the speaker really has no free time.
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cross someone's palm »
To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service.
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do something with mirrors »
To insinuate one has performed a magic or optical trick with the use of hidden mirrors, insinuating trickery and sham.
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do the hard yards »
To perform a difficult task or tasks.
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do the honors »
Perform a duty.
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do the honours »
Perform a duty.
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dog it »
To underperform; to lag behind; to fail to exert effort.
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don't look at me »
A response indicating that one is not willing or able to perform a task.
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drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »
(idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.
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earn one's keep »
To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.
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eat out »
To perform cunnilingus.
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eat pussy »
To perform cunnilingus.
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every cloud has a silver lining »
In every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,
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fall behind »
To be progressively below average in performance.
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fill somebody's shoes »
To do somebody's job; to perform or assume somebody's role.
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force of habit »
An act that has been repeated to the point where the performance of the act becomes automatic.
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get into trouble »
To perform an action which is illegal, prohibited, forbidden or proscribed and to become subject to punishment for such action.
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give head »
To perform oral sex on another person.
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go down »
To perform oral sex.
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go to work »
To begin performing some task or work.
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hardwired »
Designed to perform a specific task.
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hold one's own »
To stand up to; to give a respectable performance; to provide worthy competition.
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in the hot seat »
Under pressure to perform; under scrutiny; at the center of attention.
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kick off the team »
In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.
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labor of love »
A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement; an altruistic work or undertaking.
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lick out »
To perform cunnilingus on.
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many hands make light work »
A large number of people co-operating can perform tasks easily.
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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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mess up »
To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.
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mess up »
To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.
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mike up »
To fit a microphone and transmitter to a person. Usually for television performers, or for police informers.
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off one's game »
Performing in any activity below one's usual level; behaving in an irregular, inept, or awkward manner; feeling unwell.
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off one's game »
Playing or competing below one's usual level of performance.
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off the hook »
Performing extraordinarily well.
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on ice »
Performed by ice skaters as an ice show.
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on the bubble »
Having qualification for an event depend on the upcoming performances of other competitors.
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one-hit wonder »
A musical performer or musical group known for a single hit song, especially after failing at later attempts at success.
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one-night stand »
An occasion when a performer or team of them expects to perform at a theater for a single evening.
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one-trick pony »
A performing animal that knows only one trick.
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out of character »
Not acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.
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out of character »
Not in character; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance. See also break character, drop character.
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over one's head »
Performing at a level greatly superior to one's usual level of performance.
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peel grapes »
To perform a menial task, eliminating trivial inconveniences.
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pinch-hit »
To do something in the place of another person who is not able to perform or is less skilled; to substitute or stand in for somebody.
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prime of life »
The period of one's mature life when one is at a peak of health and performance.
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put across »
To perform a theatrical production.
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put by »
To perform an action without attracting attention.
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round of applause »
An outburst of clapping among a group or audience. Often asked for by the Master of Ceremonies at a concert or other performance.
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run away »
To leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.
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run for one's money »
A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.
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shape up or ship out »
To either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave; to either improve one's performance in an activity or else withdraw from that activity completely.
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show up »
To outperform or one-up, often in an arrogant manner.
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showstopper »
A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive reaction strong enough to pause the production.
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sing soprano »
To perform vocal music in a higher pitch than alto.
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soft shoe »
A kind of tap dancing performed in soft-soled shoes, popular in vaudeville.
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square meal »
A satisfying meal, especially suitable for one performing physical labor.
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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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strut one's stuff »
To behave, or to perform in a showy or ostentatious manner, especially in a way to impress others; to show off.
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swan song »
A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.
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take a bow »
To accept applause at the end of a performance in a theatre. Often this includes actually bowing to the audience.
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tear up the pea patch »
To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.
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think tank »
A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.
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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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throw out »
To dismiss or expel someone from any longer performing duty or attending somewhere.
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time and material »
A form of contractual compensation involving payment for materials used and at agreed rates for the those involved in performing the services.
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tin ear »
Insensitivity to and inability to appreciate the elements of performed music or the rhythm, elegance, or nuances of language.
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to be the cat's whiskers »
To perform better than was generally supposed possible.
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touch a nerve »
To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.
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track record »
An organization's, product's, or person's past performance reviewed in its entirety, usually for the purpose of making a judgment.
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trick out »
To trick out; to mod or customize an object, typically for the purpose of both personalization as well as enhancing the object's performance capabilities and more particularly for the purpose of performing stunts with that object.
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tune up »
To make adjustments to an engine in order to improve its performance.
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turn a trick »
To perform a sexual service for a customer.
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two birds with one stone »
Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
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under the gun »
Under great pressure to perform.
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unring a bell »
To perform the impossible.
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way out of a paper bag »
A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.
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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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work the room »
To interact with one's audience, taking queues from its reactions and adapting one's performance or words to elicit the audience's attention and enthusiasm.
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