his back is up »
He is offended or angry; an expression or idea taken from a cat; that animal, when angry, always raising its back. An allusion also sometimes used to jeer a crooked man.
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holding pattern »
A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.
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it's not the whistle that pulls the train »
Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.1956, James Reston, "Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train," New York Times, 1 July, p. E8:
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nut-cutting time »
Time to gather nuts before they are taken by other animals or buried in snow.
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out of the way »
Taken care of.
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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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straight out of the chute »
Something done immediately, or "from the beginning". Taken from rodeo routine: the bucking bronco, or bull, or the calf for the calf-roping contest is kept in a narrow pen, a chute, until it is released and dashes out to its fate.
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to go »
Served in a package or takeout container so as to be taken away from a restaurant rather than eaten on the premises.
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whole enchilada »
All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.
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you never know what you've got till it's gone »
Good friends and acquaintances shouldn't be taken for granted.
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