across the board »
Pertaining to all categories or things.
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all good things come to an end »
Nothing lasts forever.
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all that glitters is not gold »
Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so, things that look nice might not be as good as they look.
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all that jazz »
Everything else related to something; other similar things.
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all things being equal »
Without considering or being affected by external factors.
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all things come to those who wait »
(dated) A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.
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all's well that ends well »
Problems do not matter if things turn out well in the end.
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angle for farthings »
To beg out of a prison window with a cap, or box, let down at the end of a long string.
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as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly »
Foolish people repeatedly do foolish things.
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balancing act »
A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.
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bits and bobs »
A random assortment of things; small remaining pieces and things.
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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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boss about »
To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.
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boss around »
To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.
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butter fingers »
A clumsy person who always drops things, a klutz.
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call a spade a spade »
To speak the truth; to say things as they really are.
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cast pearls before swine »
To give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it.
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cheaper by the dozen »
Things are handled more efficiently as a group, rather than individually.
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cookie-cutter »
Of or pertaining to identical looking things.
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curiosity killed the cat »
One should not be curious about things that can be dangerous.
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damn by association »
Discredit or condemn a position, person, or thing by attacking those things with which he/she/it is associated.
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different as chalk and cheese »
Two things which are superficially alike but very different in substance.
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drip »
To have a superabundance of valuable things. Usually followed by "with".
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every little helps »
Even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal.
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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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flower »
The best state of things; the prime.
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forbidden fruit is the sweetest »
Forbidden things have more worthwhile short-term consequences.
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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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God helps those who help themselves »
Fortune comes to those who make a genuine effort to accomplish things.
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gongoozle »
To observe things idly.
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good things come to those who wait »
A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue.
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have other fish to fry »
To have more important things to do.
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hindsight is 20/20 »
(idiomatic) In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.
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history repeats itself »
Things that have happened in the past will happen again.
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it takes two to tango »
Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.
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it's a long road that has no turning »
encouragement when things are not going well. Just as a long road eventually has a turning, problems also eventually have a solution, even though one might have to wait.
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keep up with the Joneses »
To do or buy things for status, show, or image rather than out of need, especially for the purpose of competing with friends or neighbors.
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let sleeping dogs lie »
To leave things as they are; especially, to avoid restarting or rekindling an old argument; to leave disagreements in the past.
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let the good times roll »
To have fun or live fully; may imply letting things that are going well proceed.
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long arm »
A pole tool used for handling things too far away to reach.
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man proposes, God disposes »
Things don't always work out as they were planned.
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man up »
To "be a man about it"; to do the things a good man is traditionally expected to do, such as: taking responsibility for the consequences of one's actions; displaying bravery or toughness in the face of adversity; providing for one's family, etc.
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march to the beat of a different drum »
To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.
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marry in haste, repent at leisure »
Two things together too soon will lead to problems.
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match made in heaven »
A very successful combination of two people or things.
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match made in hell »
A very unsuccessful or conflicting combination of two people or things.
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middle of nowhere »
Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.
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misfortunes never come singly »
bad things or situations always come in groups, they never come in a single way.
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mix apples and oranges »
To mix two totally different things.
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money can't buy happiness »
Money can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.
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much of a muchness »
Of two or more things, having little difference of any significance between them.
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muck about »
To do somethings with a piece of equipment when you do not understand how it works.
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odds and ends »
Miscellaneous things.
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on the ball »
Alert, active, or attentive; on top of things.
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one and the same »
The same person or thing. Used to emphasize the identity or equivalence of two things.
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one another »
Used of a reciprocal relationship among a group of more than two people or things; compare each other.
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open one's big mouth »
To speak about things, when it would be better to stay silent.
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out of proportion »
Not in a proper or pleasing relation to other things, especially in terms of size.
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people person »
Someone who is happier or more skilled at dealing with people rather than things or concepts.
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plus »
(literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same).Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.
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potter about »
To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.
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potter around »
To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.
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put aside »
To ignore or intentionally forget something, temporarily or permanently, so that more important things can have one's attention.
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put down roots »
To do things which show that one wishes to stay put.
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put the cart before the horse »
To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities.
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quick on the uptake »
Able to readily understand things; intelligent.
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rainy day »
A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.
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real men don't eat quiche »
(aphorism, humorous) The stereotypical man does not do things that are considered effeminate, as to do so would imply they are effeminate.
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run about »
To be very busy doing many different things.
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run around »
To be very busy doing many different things.
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run around after »
To spend a lot of time doing things for another person or group of people. Often used when that person could reasonably do the things for themselves.
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shit happens »
Bad things happen, and there is nothing we can do about it.
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small fry »
One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
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small potatoes »
One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.
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take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves »
If you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ?used to say?Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.1999,
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take things as they come »
To accept and deal with events as they occur, with a composed state of mind.
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tell apart »
To be able to know the difference between things; to distinguish.
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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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the more things change, the more they stay the same »
A proverb making the observation that turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
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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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throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick »
Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2005, Mike Busson (poster on UKScreen forum) Re: Voiceovers!, read at [1] on 02 Nov 06,In terms of places to send your URL or CD's, there's no easy answer. It really is a case of throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.2005, "forwardone" (administrator posting on the HYIPForum), re: Alertpay phishing email, read at [2] on 02 Nov 06,I also think that sometimes they send out phishing e-mails in the hope that it`ll hit people who do have an account with a particular organization. You know, throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick theory.2006, Rob Manuel, How to be funny, read in Comedy Soup on the BBC website at [3] on 02 Nov 06,Throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick. Be prolific and don't be afraid to make stuff that's rubbish. If you keep trying eventually you'll get there.2006, Rex Pierce, Re: [303rd-Talk] D Day read on 303rd Bomb Group Talk Forum at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Believe the planners worked on the principle of "throw enough mud at the wall, and some of it will stick".If enough (perhaps false or reckless) accusations are made against someone, his reputation will suffer, whether or not this is deserved2006, "money" (poster on eTalk Money), Some thoughts about compact surfing, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,Word of advice NVUS time to distance yourself from LuukH as quickly as possible and dish some dirt, otherwise well the saying goes - throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stick.
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throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick »
Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at [1] on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at [2] on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at [3] on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at [6] on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isn
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trick of the trade »
A shortcut or other quick, or very effective way of doing things, that professional workers learn from experience.
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two birds with one stone »
Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
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watch one's head »
To look out for things one's head might bump into.
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wear rose-colored glasses »
To see the positive in things while being oblivious to the negative.
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whole enchilada »
All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.
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wing it »
To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; or to perform with little or no preparation.
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you can't judge a book by its cover »
It is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.
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you can't unring a bell »
Some things can't be undone.
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you name it »
Used after a short list to show that further examples are unnecessary; all kinds of things.
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you're never too old to learn »
It is possible to learn new things, at any age; (implying) follow your desires and dreams
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