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!
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abound in »
To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.
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abound with »
To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.
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account for »
To explain by relating circumstances; to show that some one, thing or members of a group are present or have been processed.
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all nations »
A composition of all the different spirits sold in a dram-shop, collected in a vessel into which the drainings of the bottles and quartern pots are emptied.
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all walks of life »
All professions, lifestyles or social classes.
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ark ruffian »
Rogues who, in conjunction with watermen, robbed, and sometimes murdered, on the water, by picking a quarrel with the passengers in a boat, boarding it, plundering, stripping, and throwing them overboard, etc. A species of badger.
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autem cackler »
Dissenters of every denomination.
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backseat driver »
A passenger in a car who insists on giving the driver directions.
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bag and baggage »
All one's possessions.
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barrel »
A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
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be-all and end-all »
Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.
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bear down »
To approach another vessel from windward.
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been there, done that »
An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is now bored.
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been there, done that, bought the T-shirt »
Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.
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bite i gresset »
To bite the dust, to die.
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bite i gresset »
To loose.
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blessed event »
An occurrence or occasion which is particularly noteworthy and enjoyable.
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blessed event »
The birth of a baby.
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borganism »
An organization of autonomous organisms that exhibit collectivism: individual "units" that have merged to yield a unified construct. Such an amalgam may possess a collective consciousness, arguably an emergent phenomenon of social networking.
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bottle up »
Keep suppressed and hidden.
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boys will be boys »
It is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.
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bragging rights »
The prerogative to praise oneself for an accomplishment or for possession of a superior characteristic.
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broken vessel »
A person who is destroyed or forgotten, or who feels flawed or broken.
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broken-hearted »
Alternative spelling of brokenhearted. Feeling depressed, despondent, or hopeless, especially over losing a love.
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brown noser »
One who sucks up; a bootlicker, ass-kisser, sycophant.
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brown thumb »
Lack of skill at growing plants; something possessed by a poor gardener.
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bury the lead »
To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.
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bury the lede »
To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.
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by the way »
His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.
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by the way »
Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.
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cast off »
To let go a cable or rope securing a vessel to a buoy, wharf etc so that she may proceed.
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charity mugger »
A person employed by a charity, or by an intermediary fundraising agency employed by the charity, who stands in the street and invites passersby to set up standing orders or direct debits to make regular donations to the charity.
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clean out »
To empty completely; to remove all money or possessions from.
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climb the walls »
To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to feel very agitated.
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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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come about »
To tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.
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come down to »
To depend upon, basically, ultimately or in essence.
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come to »
To stop a sailing vessel, especially by turning into the wind. See also come about.
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corner the market »
To have exclusive possession; to possess something to a high or excessive degree.
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couldn't happen to a nicer »
Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.
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cross the line »
To cross the equator, as a vessel at sea.
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crown jewels »
A prized possession or asset.
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dark horse »
A candidate who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.
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debris field »
Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components, pieces, or other non-whole items.
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deep down »
Fundamentally; in essence; in reality; really.
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deep pockets »
An ample supply of money, especially money which one is willing to spend; the possessor of such money.
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deliver the message to Garcia »
...heaves in a deep breath, gathers himself as though he's crossed a continent to deliver the message to Garcia.
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do the math »
You can do the calculation yourself, with the implication that you don't have to trust someone else's assertions.
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don't get me started »
About the subject currently being discussed.
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don't shoot the messenger »
The bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.
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dressed to the nines »
Very fancily or formally dressed; wearing very showy or splendid clothing.
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drop off »
To lessen or reduce.
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east sussex »
english county
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easy street »
A carefree situation or lifestyle, especially as resulting from possession of wealth.
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empty vessels make the most sound »
noisy, opinionated people are often stupid.
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err on the side of »
To behave in a manner which favours or which is biassed toward.
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f** this »
The phrase emphatically diminishes the activity or event referred to and expresses that the speaker will have no more to do with it.
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facts on the ground »
A euphemism, similar to fait accompli, used as an oblique way of saying that discussions over the possession of a given piece of territory has been rendered moot by the presence of military forces.
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fall off a truck »
Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally.
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fall off the back of a lorry »
Of an item of merchandise, to come into a perons's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.
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fall through the cracks »
To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.
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fashion plate »
A person who dresses in especially stylish fashions.
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fill in »
To inform somebody, especially to supply someone missing or missed information.
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first port of call »
The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.
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fit to be tied »
Very agitated or distressed; enraged.
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fly-by-night »
Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.
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for crying out loud »
Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.
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for goodness' sake »
This interjection expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.
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for goodness' sake »
This interjection expresses surprise or amazement.
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for heaven's sake »
Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.
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for Pete's sake »
Expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.
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front and center »
A command to come to the center of attention of an assemblage, as of military personnel or students.
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fruit salad »
dessert dish
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full speed ahead »
A command, especially on military vessels, to move forward at maximum speed.
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get it »
To possess a preferred outlook on a given issue or issues.
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get one's marching orders »
To be dismissed disgracefully.
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get one's wires crossed »
To get confused or mixed up; to make a mistake.
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get the boot »
To be dismissed from employment.
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get the chop »
To be dismissed from employment.
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give a sneck posset »
To fasten the door latch.
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give a sneck posset »
To give someone a cold reception; to close the door on someone; to reject them.
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go by the board »
To estimate the velocity of a boat or ship in knots by casting overboard the knotted line to whose end is attached the lead and thereafter counting the knots in the line as it goes aft along the side boards of the vessel.
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go down »
To decrease; to change from a greater value to a lesser one.
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go figure »
Expresses perplexity, confusion, surprise, or puzzlement.
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go large »
To have the wind at such an angle to the sail that the vessel gains its highest speed.
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go overboard »
Fall out of a vessel.
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go to the mattresses »
To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.
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grass roots »
The essential foundation or source of something.
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hack into »
To gain unauthorized entry to, particularly by exploiting little-known weaknesses.
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hand over »
To relinquish control or possession of something to someone.
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hard cheese »
Expressed to someone suffering misfortune.
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hard lines »
Expressed to someone suffering misfortune.
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hard pressed »
Having or likely to have difficulty or to find a task almost impossible.
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have the blues »
To be depressed, to have a low morale.
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hedge one's bets »
To place bets with a third party in order to offset potential losses.
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hold off »
To delay commencing an action (until some specified time or event has passed).
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horse's mouth »
Source; someone who directly experienced or witnessed something.
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hospital pass »
An unwinnable case, often passed to a newly-qualified member of the firm.
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hot off the presses »
Freshly printed, minted, written, or created.
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ice cream »
dessert item
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if pigs had wings they would fly »
(colloquial) Expresses speakers skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.
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in the red »
Having net losses; in debt.
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it takes all kinds to make a world »
Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.
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keel over »
Of a vessel: to roll so far on its side that it cannot recover; to capsize.
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kill the messenger »
To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.
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knacker's yard »
That area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue.
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knock together »
To assemble something quickly; to knock up.
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knock up »
To put together, fabricate, or assemble, particularly if done hastily or temporarily. See also knock together.
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lay down »
To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate .
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lay down the law »
To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted.
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less is more »
That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieres
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let up »
To lessen.
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level-headed »
Sensible; rational; possessing sound judgment.
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look through rose-tinted glasses »
Alternative spelling of wear rose-colored glasses.
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loose ends »
Leftover items that have not been addressed or attended to.
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make up »
To assemble, or mix.
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miss out »
To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.
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more cry than wool »
Asserted but not grounded in reality.
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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.
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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.
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noughts and crosses »
pen and paper game
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odd one out »
A visual puzzle where the guesser has to choose which word/picture/symbol etc. does not fit with the others.
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of course »
Asserts that the associated phrase should not be argued, particularly if it is obvious or there is no choice in the matter.
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off the chain »
Free from work or direct supervision. In reference to slave labor, where workers are chained, or to the figurative chain of workers of an assembly line.
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old hat »
Something uninteresting, hackneyed, or passé due to overuse or long-standing familiarity..
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one-note »
Having only one opinion, outlook, tone, etc., especially as expressed repetitively; without variety or range.
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one-track mind »
That said to be possessed by someone who is obsessed with something or only able to think of one thing.
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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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or what »
Or something else; allows for the existence of an unexpressed alternative to what was said.
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out on one's ear »
Fired, dismissed or thrown out, especially for some wrongdoing or otherwise with disgrace.
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out the window »
A missed opportunity.
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part and parcel »
An integral or essential piece; that which must be done or accepted as part of something else.
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penalty box »
That is assessed after an infraction.
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people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones »
Do not criticize others if you have weaknesses yourself.
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pick up »
To collect a passenger.
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pissed off »
Annoyed, upset, angry.
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play possum »
To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.
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play the race card »
To assert that race or racism is responsible for a course of events, especially when race is not of particular significance to the issue in question; to attempt to inspire a particular reaction by raising the issue of race.
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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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possession is nine-tenths of the law »
One who has possession of a thing has some right to it; a popular statement of the doctrine of adverse possession.
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poster child »
One who is a prototypical or quintessential example of something.
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proverbs go in pairs »
Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.1932, Bertrand Russell,
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puddle jumper »
A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports.
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pull rank »
To assert one's authority over a subordinate who disagrees.
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pump up »
To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focussed weightlifting.
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put together »
To assemble, construct, or build.
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rag bagger »
A sailboat, usually a cruising sailboats which tend to carry and store lots of supplies along the deck, or any sailboat that looks like a neglected vessel, or messy vessel.
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rag bagger »
A sailor who tends to sail on messy cruising vessels.
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rag the puck »
To retain possession of the puck by skillful skating and stickhandling without attempting to score, as a deliberate tactic intended to use up time.
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rebrousser chemin »
To retrace one's steps, to turn back.
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red face test »
A hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.
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ride shotgun »
To ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.
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rose-colored glasses »
An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.
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rose-colored glasses »
Glasses that are tinted in a pink or rose shade.
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rub it in »
To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.
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run back »
To rewind a film or cassette.
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run out the clock »
To preserve a lead in a game by retaining possession, to waste time.
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scrape together »
To collect, assemble or gather small amounts , from various sources, with some difficulty.
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see red »
To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.
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see you later »
A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.
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set for life »
Possessing sufficient resources, especially financial, to last a lifetime.
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sexual congress »
Loose translation of the title of Aristophanes' play Ecclesiazousae, more literally translated as Assemblywomen.
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shoot the messenger »
To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.
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short strokes »
Bare essentials.
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shotgun »
The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver.
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show the flag »
Of a naval vessel or military force, to identify itself by displaying the flag of its country of origin, especially in order to establish an authoritative presence and to exert diplomatic or political influence.
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silver spoon »
Wealth passed down or inherited.
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sitting pretty »
In a favorable situation, especially a situation in which one possesses an advantage.
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smell test »
An assessment of a subject's ability to detect and distinguish odors.
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sneck posset »
A cold reception, closing the door on a visitor.
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sneck posset »
A fastened latch.
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some people »
Expresses disgust at the actions of a person; a response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.
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speak for oneself »
Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.
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speak out »
To assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.
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speak up »
To make oneself or one's opinions known; to advocate or assert oneself.
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stars in one's eyes »
The state of being overly or extremely impressed with something; enchanted with romance.
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stepping razor »
A dangerous person, who is not to be messed with.
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stickhandle »
To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.
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sticking point »
A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.
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stop the presses »
An imperative form used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.
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strip down »
To remove inessentials from.
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surprise surprise »
An indication that the unsurprising happened, especially contrary to someone's hopes or assertions.
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swings and roundabouts »
Offsetting gains and losses.
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take a stand »
To assert an opinion or viewpoint; to defend one's point of view or beliefs.
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take back »
To regain possession of something.
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take someone's point »
To grasp the essential meaning of what a person is saying.
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take something in one's stride »
Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.
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take the wheel »
To be in control of the steering wheel of a vehicle or a vessel.
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talk of the town »
A subject discussed by many people.
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talk through one's hat »
To assert something as true or valid; to bluff.
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talking head »
A pundit who discusses issues of the day, especially one on TV.
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taper off »
To diminish or lessen gradually; to become smaller, slower, quieter, etc.
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tear away »
To remove oneself reluctantly; often expressed in the negative.
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tell you the truth »
Used to positively assert the frank honesty of an associated statement of set of statements; equivalent to "to you tell the truth".
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the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »
(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."
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the long and short of it »
The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.
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the nose knows »
Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.
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three-martini lunch »
A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.
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tiger team »
A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.
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tiger team »
An engineering or other group assembled to tackle especially difficult or critical problems, often outside the normal chain of command.
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tight-lipped »
Having the lips pressed together.
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to go »
Belonging to the subgroup that have not passed or have not been finished or have not been addressed yet.
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tomorrow is another day »
Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket:Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,whether shall I flie?Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,while she passeth by.Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,remember, remember,to morrow is another day:1896, Amelia E. Barr, A Knight of the Nets, ch. 8:"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch. 63:"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."2005, Fran Schumer, "JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women," New York Times, 19 June (retrieved 18 Aug. 2009):"Half of me is depressed
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twatfaced »
F**ed, pissed, drunk as a skunk.
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under way »
A vessel is said to be underway when she is not anchored, moored, aground, or beached[1]. Compare with make way.
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unwashed masses »
Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.
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weaker vessel »
A woman; women collectively.
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wear rose-colored glasses »
To see the positive in things while being oblivious to the negative.
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weigh up »
To assess a person or situation.
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what of it »
So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.
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whipped cream »
dessert topping
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wind back »
To wind a tape, cassette, or film, etc towards the beginning; to rewind.
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wine tosser »
A person who buys wine, but does not drink it.
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wine tosser »
A person who talks a great deal about wine but actually knows very little.
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wouldn't you know it »
Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at bad luck or misfortune.
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write down »
To make a downward adjustment in the value of an asset.
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write off »
To reduce an asset's book value to zero.
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you bet »
Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.
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you can't get a quart into a pint pot »
What is being discussed is not possible.They've asked me to get to New York by five o'clock, but you can't get a quart into a pint pot!
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| BTW, Why won't you become an editor? |
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