accident of birth »
Reference to the fact that various benefits or detriments to the life of a person arise from the circumstances into which that person was born, these being entirely beyond his control.
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ad fontes »
Go to the sources: An expression emphasizing the importance of conducting fundamental research and of consulting primary sources.
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babes in the wood »
Criminals in the stocks, or pillory.
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bawl out »
To deliver a loud, hard scolding or lecture; to reprimand.
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be had up »
To be accused of, or arrested for a criminal act.
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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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brim over »
To overflow over the brim.
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catch hell »
Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.
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catch it »
Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.
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caucus race »
The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, esp. presidential; a primary election via caucus.
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chew out »
To lecture, scold, reprimand, or rebuke.
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circular firing squad »
A political party or other group experiencing considerable disarray because the members are engaging in internal disputes and mutual recrimination.
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cut in »
When painting, to paint edges, corners, or trim in preparation for rolling larger areas.
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do a bunk »
To escape or flee under incriminating circumstances.
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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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dressing-down »
A reprimand or rarely, a thrashing.
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drop back »
Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.
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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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fishing expedition »
A non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.
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flower »
The best state of things; the prime.
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gloss over »
To cover up a mistake or a crime; to hush up or whitewash.
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go native »
To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.
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go to someone's head »
To strongly affect a person, especially to the detriment of their senses or mental faculties.
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gunshy »
Fearing the consequences of repeating an act, especially after being reprimanded.
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hanging offence »
A crime so serious that it is punishable by means of death by hanging.
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has-been »
A formerly popular or influential person whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline. Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose primary success is behind them.
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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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have an eye for »
To have good taste; to have the ability to discriminate or identify quality.
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have someone's guts for garters »
To reprimand severely.
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if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail »
With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminatelyIf a person is familiar with a certain, single subject/has with them a certain, single instrument, they may have a confirmation bias to believe that it is the answer to/involved in everything.
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if it ain't broke, don't fix it »
Leave something alone; avoid correcting, fixing, or improving what is already sufficient, as it could end up being detrimental
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in the driver's seat »
Having the most important role in a storyline or recognition. Of primary importance.
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inside job »
A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the help of someone either employed by the victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.
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jungle telegraph »
A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.
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kick up the arse »
A severe reprimand, especially one to motivate someone into doing something.
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left and right »
All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.
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left, right and center »
All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.
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long shot »
A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.
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look out for number one »
To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
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murder will out »
Secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered.
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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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over the hill »
Old, past the prime of life.
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plead the fifth »
To invoke the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves.
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potter's field »
A public place where strangers, paupers, and criminals are buried.
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price on one's head »
A compensation for capturing or killing a person, especially someone guilty of a crime.
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prima donna »
diva
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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 to the test »
To test something or someone; to evaluate, scrutinize or explore by testing or experimentation.
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read somebody the riot act »
To scold or berate somebody; to reprimand.
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rim job »
Anilingus; act where one person licks the other's anus.
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rule with an iron fist »
To rule with absolute authority or to the detriment of the people. To rule tyrannically.
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salad years »
The inexperienced, youthful prime of an individual, group, organization or entity.
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scrimp and save »
To scrimp greatly; to economize; to live very frugally, particularly when saving for something.
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sea legs »
Alternative name of surimi.
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shotgun approach »
An approach in which the subject is indiscriminate and haphazard, using breadth, spread, or quantity in lieu of accuracy, planning, etc.
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side issue »
An issue or topic which is not of direct significance to a primary concern.
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skimp and save »
Alternative form of scrimp and save.
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slap on the wrist »
A mild or too-mild punishment; a reprimand.
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smoking gun »
Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.
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stitch up »
To maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone.
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take the fifth »
To decline to comment, especially on grounds that it might be incriminating.
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tell off »
To rebuke, to reprimand, or to admonish.
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telling off »
A reprimand, reproach, or lecture.
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test bed »
Any venue, setup, etc. used for experimentation, testing, proving a concept, etc.
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three Rs »
The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic.
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throw money away »
To spend money foolishly or indiscriminately; to waste money without regard of the consequences.
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tick off »
To reprimand.
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trip to the woodshed »
An occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered.
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window dressing »
The goods and trimmings used in such display.
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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