baggage »
In a metaphorical sense, factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way: emotional baggage.
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beat Banaghan »
An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.
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brain surgeon »
Someone very intelligent.
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bug off »
Used to tell somebody to leave them alone.
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buzz off »
Used to tell someone to go away.
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clue in »
To inform, instruct, or tell.
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come out of the closet »
To tell others about homosexuality, bisexuality or any minority or disapproved-of belief, preference, etc., where previously this had been kept secret.
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company »
Nickname for an intelligence service.
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cross my heart »
A declaration that the speaker is telling the truth.
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dead men tell no tales »
Once someone is dead, they can no longer communicate, hence killing someone is the best way to keep him/her quiet.
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death knell »
A sign or omen foretelling the death or destruction of something.
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deep thinker »
A person whose thoughts are profound; an intellectual.
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does Macy's tell Gimbel's »
(US, dated, colloquial, rhetorical question) A rhetorical question with the implied answer being that competitors do not share business secrets with one another.
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economical with the truth »
Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often used with sarcasm or satire.
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feed a cold, starve a fever »
Eating more will cure the common cold, and eating less will cure a fever.1887, J. H. Whelan, "The Treatment of Colds.", The Practitioner, vol. 38, pg. 180:"Feed a cold, starve a fever." There is a deal of wisdom in the first part of this advice. A person with a catarrh should take an abundance of light nutritious food, and some light wine, but avoid spirits, and above all tobacco.1968, Katinka Loeser, The Archers at Home, publ. Atheneum, New York, pg. 60:I have a cold. 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.' You certainly know that.2009, Shelly Reuben, Tabula Rasa, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 015101079X, pg. 60:They say feed a cold, starve a fever, but they don't tell you what to do when you got both, so I figured scrambled eggs, tea, and toast.
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forewarned is forearmed »
Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 4:[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.1885, G. A. Henty, Saint George for England, ch. 4:Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.circa 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind":"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."
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give over »
Usually as an imperative. To tell someone to stop molesting, fooling around, or saying silly things. Or sometimes to stop saying flattering things.
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go jump in the lake »
Used to tell a person that to go away, or that their request will not be met.
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have a go »
Shout at or tell off unnecessarily or excessively.
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have other fish to fry »
C. 1710, Jonathan Swift, The Journal to Stella, ch. 2, Letter 15.
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in vino veritas »
drunken folks speak truth, one tells the truth under the influence of alcohol
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keep one's eye on the ball »
My ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.
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keep one's lips sealed »
To keep quiet; to keep a secret; to not tell.
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keep shtum »
Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.
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let in on »
To tell someone a secret.
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let somebody in on »
To disclose; to tell somebody a secret or share privileged information.
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lie through one's teeth »
To tell a gross or egregious untruth.
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long ways, long lies »
Someone who comes back from a far-off country can tell lies without fear of being contradicted.
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mind-numbing »
Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.
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no brainer »
Something that supposedly doesn’t take much intellectual thought. Whoever says that something is a no brainer is usually the one with no brains.
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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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out of house and home »
Gail White, Partying with the Intelligentsia.
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point out »
To tell, remind, indicate to someone.
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pour out »
To talk volubly and deeply. Usually implies telling the truth.
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quick on the uptake »
Able to readily understand things; intelligent.
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sharp as a tack »
Very intelligent.
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sharp cookie »
One who is intelligent, bright, or sharp; especially, one who can identify attempts to deceive or mislead.
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sob story »
A sad story told to make others feel sympathy for the teller.
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spanner »
A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.
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spin a yarn »
To tell or create a story, especially one which is lengthy or far-fetched.
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still water runs deep »
A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect
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still waters run deep »
A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect.
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stupid is as stupid does »
A person's intelligence may be judged by the wisdom of his or her actions.
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take somebody's word for it »
To believe what somebody tells one.
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tell all »
To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.
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tell all »
To tell everyone.
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tell apart »
To be able to know the difference between things; to distinguish.
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tell it to Sweeney »
I do not believe what you said.
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tell it to the marines »
I do not believe what you said.
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tell off »
To speak to someone rudely, disrespectfully or angrily; to berate; to unleash one's fury verbally towards someone.
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tell off »
To rebuke, to reprimand, or to admonish.
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tell on »
To inform on.
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tell tales »
To be lying, to be making false claims.
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tell the truth »
To speak frankly.
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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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telling off »
A reprimand, reproach, or lecture.
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the company »
Nickname for an intelligence service.
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timing is everything »
Consideration of other events can greatly influence some desired outcome (such as an audience laughing to a comedian's joke).Telling the old joke about a butt-crack was not a good idea, just as the plumber arrived, Bob.You know what they say: "timing is everything." I'm sure we can find another plumber before the house floods.
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to tell the truth »
An attestation to the truthfulness and frankness of an associated statement.
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where there's smoke, there's fire »
If there is telltale evidence of some event, the event is probably occurring.
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you can't tell a book by its cover »
Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover.
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you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows »
You don't need an expert to tell you what you already know.
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