a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush »
It is preferable to have a small but certain advantage than a mere potential of a greater one.
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a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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ace in the hole »
A hidden or secret strength, or unrevealed advantage.
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ace up one's sleeve »
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
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ahead of one's time »
Showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field; coming earlier than could be generally accepted.
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an axe to grind »
A grievance, with implications of confrontation.
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avant la lettre »
An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.
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bang straw »
A nick name for a thresher, but applied to all the servants of a farmer.
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bear on »
To be relevant to.
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behind its time »
Showing characteristics of the past; present in one's work after later advances in the field; coming later than could be generally accepted.
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behind the eight ball »
At a disadvantage.
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beside the point »
Irrelevant, moot.
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bog standard »
Especially plain, ordinary, or unremarkable; having no special, excess or unusual features; plain vanilla.
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break even »
To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.
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break ground »
To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements.
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bump up »
To give a more prominent place to; to advance position in queue.
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cash in »
To profit from; to use an opportunity to maximum advantage, especially financially.
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cat and mouse game »
Two individuals and/or groups repeatedly keeping check on each other in a suspicious or self-protective way, often with the goal of one or both parties trying to gain a malicious advantage over the other.
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catbird seat »
Expression used to describe an enviable position, often one of great advantage.
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chalkface »
A musical concept or genre in which music is completely improvised and never played twice. Most often mixing elements of hip-hop, metal, punk and avant-garde jazz.
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cherry-pick »
To pick out the best, or most desirable items from a list or group, especially to obtain some advantage or to present something in the best possible light.
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chip on one's shoulder »
A habitually combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove.
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creep up »
To advance with stealth, unnoticed.
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cutting edge »
The forefront, or position of greatest advancement in some field.
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down for the count »
Decisively beaten; rendered irrelevant for the long term.
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draw on »
To advance, continue; to move or pass slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force.
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f** someone over »
To exploit somebody in a way which result in an advantage to oneself, at the cost of the other party gaining a considerable disadvantage.
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factotum »
A general servant.
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fair weather friend »
Only when it is advantageous or easy.
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feather one's nest »
To achieve benefits, especially financial ones, by taking advantage of the opportunities with which one is presented; to amass a comfortable amount of personal wealth.
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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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from scratch »
From the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation; starting from raw ingredients.
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get a leg up »
To gain some advantage; to get a head start.
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go out the window »
To vanish or cease, especially due to lack of care, attention, etc.; to be discarded, disregarded, or ignored.
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hang an arse »
To hang back, to be afraid to advance.
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have a bone to pick »
To have a complaint or grievance with somebody.
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have eyes in the back of one's head »
To be particularly, especially uncannily, observant; a perceived ability to see in all directions at once.
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have to do »
To relate; to be relevant.
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high ground »
A position of advantage or superiority in a conflict or competition.
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hold all the aces »
To be in a strong position when one is competing with someone else, having all the advantages.
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holding pattern »
Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.
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in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king »
Among others with a disadvantage or disability, the one with the mildest disadvantage or disability is regarded as the greatest.Even someone without much talent or ability is considered special by those with no talent or ability at all.
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inside track »
Any advantage.
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it's not what you know but who you know »
For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.1951, G. P. Bush and L. H. Hattery, "Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers," Science, vol. 114, no. 2966, p. 456:Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know
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kitchen table software »
Especially in the early years of personal computers, a set of computer programs developed by an entrepreneurial advanced amateur or self-employed professional computer programmer in his or her own home; software developed by a small business using the services of such programmers.
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lead »
Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as leading.
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look out for number one »
To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
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lose out »
To be at a disadvantage.
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make hay »
To take advantage of an opportunity.
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miss the boat »
To fail to take advantage of an opportunity; to overlook or be too late to pursue an option or course of action.
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mixed bag »
Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.
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move the goalposts »
To alter the agreed basis, scope, standards or target of a procedure or task during its course, especially to do so to someone's advantage.
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neither here nor there »
Not important; having no significance or influence on the question at hand; not related; not relevant; not germane; not pertinent.
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nip and tuck »
So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.
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on the make »
Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.
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over a barrel »
In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, in which one may be controlled or victimized.
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play dumb »
To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.
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preprogram »
To program something in advance.
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proverbs come in pairs »
Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.1979, Irving Howe, John Hollander, David Bromwich, Literature as Experience: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ISBN 0155511130, page 325:Sometimes proverbs come in pairs, the first one providing the context, the second, the revision.
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real job »
A job that can't be replaced advantageously by a machine or a procedure.
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ringside seat »
Any vantage point providing an excellent view.
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sell out »
To abandon one's supporters or principles to seek profit or other personal advantage.
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sitting pretty »
In a favorable situation, especially a situation in which one possesses an advantage.
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soapbox »
Especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.
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take liberties »
To behave disrespectfully, especially to make unwanted sexual advances.
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take the lead »
To become the leader, to advance into first place.
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take to the hills »
To flee or vanish; to run away.
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the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on »
Life goes on, even if some will try to stop or talk against progress.
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the shoe is on the other foot »
The roles of people in a situation have been reversed, such the advantage has shifted to a party which was previously disadvantaged.
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the upper hand »
An advantage or lead.
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those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay »
(archaic) One should take immediate advantage of an opportunity that may not be available later.
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timeserver »
A person who conforms to current opinions, especially for reasons of personal advantage; an opportunist.
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tip one's hand »
To inadvertently reveal any secret, particularly a secret that puts one at an advantage or disadvantage.
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to the point »
Relevant or pertinent; succinct; specific.
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turn the tables »
To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.
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what's the good of »
What is the purpose or advantage of.
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when the cat's away »
People are likely to take advantage of the absence of authority or enforcement of compliance.
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when the cat's away the mice will play »
In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.
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you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone »
It is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice.
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