all over the map »
Widely scattered or distributed; numerous and differing greatly.
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avant la lettre »
An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.
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barrel »
The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.
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been to the rodeo »
N.d., Alan Neff, Precious Tribes, Vicious Lies, page 72.
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believe in »
To ascribe existence to.
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believe in »
To ascribe some powers or other attributes to.
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beyond the pale »
Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.
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birds and bees »
Informal sex education, especially describing the sexual activity of animals rather than that of people.
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blanket term »
A word or phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of related things. The degree of relation may vary. Blanket terms often trade specificity for ease-of-use; in other words, a blanket term by itself gives little detail about the things that it describes or the relationships between them, but is easy to say and remember. Blanket terms often originate as slang, and eventually become integrated into the general vocabulary.
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born with a silver spoon in one's mouth »
Note. The original nautical expression is just born with a silver spoon and describes those young gentlemen who were able to enter the Royal Navy without examination and whose promotion was assured. the converse was born with a wooden ladle.
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calling card »
An attribute, object, or behavior which is distinctly characteristic of someone or something.
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carry one's weight »
To contribute or produce one's fair share, as of work, money, etc.
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catbird seat »
Expression used to describe an enviable position, often one of great advantage.
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chalk up »
To attribute, credit, or blame.
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chalk up to »
To attribute or account for something.
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cheat sheet »
Any summary or quick reference used as a shortcut or reminder, a crib sheet.
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chip in »
To contribute.
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chip in »
To make a contribution; help in a small way; especially, to pay for a part of something.
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crab mentality »
A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.
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crack a crib »
To break into a house.
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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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cry for help »
In her second year at the school Alexis stopped doing her homework and would often scribble on walls. Her teachers wondered whether this was a cry for help, or if she was simply misbehaving.
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dead wood »
Personnel no longer contributing to an organization.
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dirty money »
Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized. Especially money gained through forgery, bribery, or thievery.
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dish out »
To distribute or deliver something.
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do a »
To emulate the behavior/behaviour that is generally attributed to the individual named.
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dribs and drabs »
A series of negligible amounts.
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e pluribus unum »
A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.
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every man has a price »
Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.
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eye candy »
A very attractive person or persons, or the salient visible physical attributes of same.
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feed into »
To be a tributary of another river or waterway.
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first among equals »
A person or position that if formally equivalent to others in a group, but is superior in some attribute.
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first among equals »
In the British and other parliamentary systems, a term used to describe the relationship of the prime minister to the other members of the cabinet.
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flutter in the dovecote »
A disturbance, usually one caused within a prescribed group of people.
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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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gild the lily »
To embellish or improve something unnecessarily; to add superfluous attributes to something.
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give somebody a hard time »
To tease, kid, or rib.
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grease payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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grease someone's palm »
To bribe a person.
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head scratcher »
December 2007, W:Daily News Tribune - Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher.
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in one's pocket »
Subject to one's whims because of bribery.
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jumped-up »
Describes a person who thinks he is superior in some way that the speaker disagrees with. For instance, of a higher class, or has more authority than they have in reality.
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kick in »
To contribute, especially to a collection of money.
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legal duty »
A duty prescribed by the law, to act or forbear from acting.
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lion »
An individual who shows strength and courage, attributes associated with the lion.
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lubrication payment »
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
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mete out »
To distribute something in portions; to apportion or dole out.
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nugget of truth »
January 2008, Chicago Tribune - Clinton's Hispanic edge over Obama.
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paint with a broad brush »
To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.
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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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pass out »
To distribute, to hand out.
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pass the hat »
To ask for money, especially from a group of people; to solicit donations or contributions.
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pay off »
To bribe, especially to deter oversight.
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pay out »
To distribute money; to disburse.
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pay the fiddler »
To contribute in order to participate.
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pitch in »
To help out; lend assistance; contribute; to do one's part.
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plump up »
To shake or arrange so as to be fatter or more evenly distributed.
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pre-war »
Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.
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pre-war »
Describing the period before a war.
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pre-war »
Describing the period before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
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pull a »
To emulate a behaviour generally attributed to the individual named.
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put down for »
To record that someone has offered to help, or contribute something.
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put words in somebody's mouth »
To attribute to somebody something he or she did not say; to claim inaccurately that somebody said or intended something.
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rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic »
To do something pointless or insignificant that will soon be overtaken by events, or that contributes nothing to the solution of a current problem.
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run over »
To briefly describe.
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serpentine »
Of, or having attributes associated with, the mythological serpent, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.
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sign off »
Term used to describe the closing of a radio or television station's studios and cessation of a broadcasting signal, usually during the overnight hours.
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sing the praises of »
To commend someone's attributes to others.
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suck donkey balls »
To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.
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tar with the same brush »
To characterize using the same undesirable attribute, especially unjustly.
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the plot thickens »
Used, often ironically, to describe an increasingly complex or mysterious situation.
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there you have it »
Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.
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three-on-the-tree »
On an automobile, describing the gearshift lever of a steering column-mounted three-speed manual transmission.
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timeserver »
A device, node or program that distributes the correct time to clients in a network.
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tit for tat »
Equivalent retribution, an eye for an eye, returning exactly what you get.
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touch of the tar brush »
Of South Asian or Afro-Caribbean in their background and/or in their appearance.
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walk the line »
To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.
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wear out »
To exhaust; to cause or contribute to another's exhaustion, fatigue, or weariness, as by continued strain or exertion.
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what it says on the tin »
Exactly what is described or what one would expect from the name.
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wouldn't say boo to a goose »
Describing a quiet, exceptionally shy person.
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