a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down »
An otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.
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all the marbles »
Everything; all that is to be had.
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arse about face »
Something that is placed or arranged the opposite way to the way it should be.
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bad joke »
A situation that is badly planned, or illogical.
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be that as it may »
Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.
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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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black sheep »
A sheep that is black.
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black-on-black »
Something that is invisible or intentionally obfuscated, such as warnings or fine print.
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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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brain surgery »
Something that is overly complex, detailed or confusing.
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bridge »
An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.
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bring owls to Athens »
To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.
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bucket of bolts »
A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.
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business end »
The part of a tool or other similar item, that is physically used for its operation, rather than the part which is held.
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carry coals to Newcastle »
To do something that is unneeded or redundant.
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castle in the air »
A visionary project or scheme; a day-dream; an idle fancy; a pipe dream; any plan, desire, or idea that is unlikely to be ever realized; a near impossibility.
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clay »
A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
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clean code »
Software code that is formatted correctly and in an organized manner so that another coder can easily read or modify it.
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close shave »
A shave that is very short or near the skin.
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crocodile tears »
A display of tears that is forced or false.
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crying shame »
A situation that is considered to be a disgrace, or deplorable.
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damn with faint praise »
To provide praise that is so minimal or inconsequential as to actually amount to criticism.
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dead duck »
A project that is doomed to failure from the start.
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dirty laundry »
Laundry that is unclean or soiled.
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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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dirty word »
A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.
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do a »
To emulate the behavior/behaviour that is generally attributed to the individual named.
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dog and pony show »
Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate.
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double-edged sword »
A benefit that is also a liability, or that carries some significant but non-obvious cost or risk.
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dumb down »
To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending.
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elephant in the room »
A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.
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emperor's new clothes »
Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.
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empty promise »
A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless.
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even money »
By extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.
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face up to »
To confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.
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fair game »
A game that is fair, that does not involve cheating etc.
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feather in one's cap »
An accomplishment; particularly one that is flaunted or boasted of.
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fifth wheel »
A very large trailer that is towed with a pickup truck.
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fill in »
To fill; to replace material that is absent or has been removed.
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first things first »
Deal with matters of highest priority first; deal with matters in logical sequence.1922, H. G. Wells, The Secret Places of the Heart, ch.4,"First things first," said Sir Richmond. If we set about getting fuel sanely, if we do it as the deliberate, co-operative act of the whole species, then it follows that we shall look very closely into the use that is being made of it.1999, Frank Pellegrini, "House Republicans Quell Mutiny Over Tax Bounty," Time, 23 Jul.,Judging by the polls
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fool's errand »
A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.
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for that matter »
As far as that is concerned.
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give hostage to fortune »
To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later.
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go against the grain »
To defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.
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go it alone »
To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups.
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go mad »
Used to indicate that the second verb represents an action that is out of character.
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gold standard »
A test or measure of comparison that is considered ultimate or ideal.
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gratuitous violence »
Violence that is not justified.
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gray area »
A part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.
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green state »
A state that is, or is perceived as, environmentally friendly.
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greener pastures »
Any place or condition that is more favorable or beneficial.
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grey area »
A topic that is not clearly one thing or the other.
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groaning »
That is heavily laden.
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grunt work »
That is considered undesirable and therefore delegated to underlings.
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hole in one »
A round that is completed by sinking the ball in a single shot or attempt, with one hit.
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household name »
A brand name that is well known to the great majority of households.
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in the dark »
Without light; somewhere that is dark.
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inside joke »
A joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are in the know about the details.
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jump »
That is further forward.
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jump the gun »
To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.
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just deserts »
A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.
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keep up with »
To manage to remain beside or just behind that is moving away from one.
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knacker's yard »
A place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.
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knock on wood »
To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.
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la goutte d'eau qui fait d%C3%A9border le vase »
The final thing that is too much and forces a reaction; the straw that broke the camel's back.
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lost cause »
A cause, attempt, or effort that is hopeless or futile.
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low blow »
A rhetorical attack that is considered unfair or unscrupulous.
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make a meal of »
That is the eleventh edit that you have made to that word, you are really making a meal of it.
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man of parts »
A man that is talented in multiple areas of life. This includes but is not limited to the area of seduction. He puts very little emphasis on memorized scripts or "peacocking" and instead relies on individualized ways to charm a woman.
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manoeuvre the apostles »
To rob Peter to pay Paul; that is, to borrow money of one man to pay another.
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match made in heaven »
A marriage that is likely to be happy and successful because the two people are very compatible with each other.
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match made in hell »
A marriage that is likely to be unhappy or abusive and unsuccessful because the two people are very incompatible with each other.
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meatball surgery »
A nickname for surgery that is meant to be performed rapidly to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.
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mixed message »
Any communication that is contradictory, inconsistent, or unclear, especially in its motive or intent.
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monkey business »
An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.
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needle in a haystack »
Something that is difficult or impossible to locate; something impossibly complex or intractable.
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never change a running system »
Don't change something that is working
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new school »
A style, way of thinking, or method for accomplishing a task that is typical of the current era, as opposed to former eras.
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nightcap »
A beverage drunk before bed that is usually alcoholic.
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no screaming hell »
Something that is not particularly effective or impressive; something that is below expectations.
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non-starter »
Something that is not going to happen.
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odd one out »
Something or someone in a group that is different or exceptional, that does not fit.
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off-roader »
A vehicle that is designed to drive off the road.
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one-man band »
An organisation or business that is effectively run by only one person.
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penalty box »
That is assessed after an infraction.
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pencil whip »
To approve a document without actually knowing or reviewing what it is that is being approved.
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piece of cake »
A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple to do.
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poison »
A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism.
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pretzel »
Anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled.
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pull teeth »
To do something that is especially difficult or effortful.
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put one's foot in it »
To make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing, or offensive.
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read between the lines »
To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.
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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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red herring »
A clue that is misleading or that has been falsified, intended to divert attention.
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ride tall in the saddle »
To act or conduct oneself in a manner that is imposing, impressive, resolute, or manly.
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round down »
To the greatest integer that is not greater than it, or to some other lower value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.
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round up »
To the smallest integer that is not less than it, or to some other greater value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.
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run on fumes »
To operate a vehicle that is low on fuel.
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run through »
To pervade, of a quality that is characteristic of a group, organisation, or system.
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sell out »
To sell all of a product that is in stock.
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sex machine »
Any machine that is used for sexual pleasure.
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sight for sore eyes »
A pleasing sight, something that is beautiful to look at.
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smash hit »
Something that is tremendously popular or successful.
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smoking gun »
Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.
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square up »
To pay back money that is owed.
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straight face »
A face that is expressionless, especially not laughing.
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suck in »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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suck into »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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take down »
To write a note. Usually to record something that is said.
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tell all »
To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.
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that is »
to be precise
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that's the way life is »
That is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything [1], page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption [2], ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.
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that's the way the ball bounces »
That is the way things happen
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that's the way the cookie crumbles »
That is the way things happen; that's life.
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that's the way the mop flops »
That is the way things happen.
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them's the breaks »
(idiomatic) That is the way things happen; that's life.
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there you have it »
That is it; that is the situation or state of things.
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valley of the shadow of death »
Valleys on earth one must walk through, that is, part of the human experience.
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waltz Matilda »
To travel with a swag; that is, with one's belongings wrapped in a cloth.
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white elephant »
An ornament etc that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.
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you can say that again »
That is very true.
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you can't say fairer than that »
That is good, reasonable, or fair; one cannot hope for a better decision or outcome.
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