We've found 5053 phrases for y (0.131 seconds):

a bad workman always blames his tools »    It is not the tools we use which make us good, but rather how we employ them.

a camel is a horse designed by a committee »    An expression critical of committees

a cat can look at a king »    Alternative form of a cat may look at a king.1982, A J Ayer,

a cat may look at a king »    Even a purported inferior has certain abilities, even in the presence of a purported superior

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link »    An organization (especially a process or a business) is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.

a closed mouth gathers no feet »    One who does not speak can be certain he won't say anything embarrassing.

a cold day in Hell »    An event that will never happen.

a cut above »    Superior to; of a higher quality than.

a cut below »    Inferior to; of a lower quality than.

a day late and a dollar short »    Action that was taken too late and too feeble to be of any use.

a different ballpark »    Something totally unrelated or of a vastly different scale or scope.

a drop in the bucket »    An effort or action having very little overall influence, especially as compared to a huge problem.

a dumb priest never got a parish »    (Irish) Those who fail to speak up fail to get what they want.

a fool and his money are soon parted »    It is easy to get money from foolish people, especially rich ones.

a friend in need is a friend indeed »    A true friend is one who helps you when you are in need.

a golden key can open any door »    Sufficient money can accomplish anything.

a great deal »    Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.

a house is not a home »    A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step »    even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point

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.

a lie has no legs »    You can't get away with a lie, the truth will always come out.

a little bird told me »    Of information which was gathered from a source not to be overtly exposed.

a man is known by the company he keeps »    People are similar in character to their friends.

a man's home is his castle »    (US) a proverbial expression of personal privacy and security

a million times »    by a factor of a million

a miss is as good as a mile »    A failure remains a failure, regardless of how close to success one has actually come.

a notch above »    Superior to; of a higher quality than.

a penny saved is a penny earned »    A maxim for thrift that says that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime

a picture paints a thousand words »    A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.1971, David Gates (of Bread), If, from Manna album:If a picture paints a thousand wordsThen why can't I paint you;The words will never showThe you I've come to know.1989, Alan Kay, quoted in K?o-tung Huang, Timothy D. Huang, Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing, World Scientific, ISBN 9971506645, p. 9:Most human beings, no matter how familiar they are with abstract symbols, respond to voice and images better than written language. In other words, A picture paints a thousand words.2006, Paul Shakespeare, Building a Dune Buggy: The Essential Manual, ISBN 1904788734, p. 52:See accompanying diagram: a picture paints a thousand words, and all that!

a pull of the hair for being unfair »    The general response to "A kick and a flick for being so quick", which is in turn a response in itself to "A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month".

a question of »    The important question is; the necessary question is.

a riddle wrapped up in an enigma »    Something very mysterious and hidden.

a rising tide lifts all boats »    Benefits provided to a few may lead to conditions that are beneficial to all.

a rolling stone gathers no moss »    A person who never settles in one place will never be successful.A person who does not keep active will grow mouldy.

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.

a stopped clock is right twice a day »    A normally unreliable person or instrument can occasionally provide correct information, even if only by accident.

a watched pot never boils »    A process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.

abide by »    To accept a decision or law and act in accordance with it; to conform to; to acquiesce; as, to abide by an award.

abide by »    To remain faithful to something or someone; to stand to; to adhere.

able seaman »    ordinary sailor

abominable snowman »    yeti

abound in »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

abound with »    To have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.

about to »    Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates that something is imminent.

about turn »    An about face; a military command to a formation of soldiers to reverse the direction in which they are facing.

above and beyond »    More than is expected or required.

above board »    Honestly, reputably.

above the law »    Exempt from the laws that apply to everyone else.

absence makes the heart grow fonder »    When someone or something is faraway, you realise how much you love (or miss) them or it.

accident of birth »    Reference to the fact that various benefits or detriments to the life of a person arise from the circumstances into which that person was born, these being entirely beyond his control.

accident waiting to happen »    A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

according to »    According to him, every person was to be bought. - Thomas Babington Macaulay.

according to »    According to the directions, the glue takes 24 hours to dry.

according to Hoyle »    In strict accordance with the rules, especially of card games; in the proper or expected manner.

account for »    To explain by relating circumstances; to show that some one, thing or members of a group are present or have been processed.

ace of spades »    The playing card belonging to the spades suit and featuring one pip.

ache for »    To desire, or want something, or someone, very much.

acid test »    A rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something.

act like a bull in a china shop »    To act rudely or clumsily in a delicate situation.

act on »    To act decisively on the basis of information received or deduced.

act out »    To go through the process of a scene from a play, a charade or a pointless exercise.

actions speak louder than words »    It is more effective to act directly than to speak of action.

ad fontes »    Go to the sources: An expression emphasizing the importance of conducting fundamental research and of consulting primary sources.

add fuel to the fire »    To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.

add insult to injury »    To further a loss with mockery or indignity.

admiral of the blue »    A landlord or publican wearing a blue apron, as was formerly the custom among men of that vocation.

after all »    In the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be.

after all »    in spite of everything

against all odds »    Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability.

against the clock »    In a time-restricted manner, to meet a deadline, hurriedly, timed.

against the grain »    Contrary to what is expected; especially, of behavior different from what society expects.

against the grain »    To sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.

against the grain »    Unwillingly, reluctantly. It went much against the grain with him, i.e. it was much against his inclination, or against his pluck.

age before beauty »    A phrase said to allow older people to go before younger ones.

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.

ahead of the game »    Having completed a task before it is due; ready, prepared, or anticipating.

albatross »    A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole.

albatross »    Any of various large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae ranging widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific and having a hooked beak and long narrow wings.

ale post »    A maypole.

all along »    The entire time; always.

all and sundry »    All, everyone.

all and sundry »    Each one.

all at once »    Unexpectedly; without warning; all of a sudden.

all but »    nearly; except that

all cats are gray at night »    Variant of all cats are grey in the dark.

all cats are gray in the dark »    Variant of all cats are grey in the dark.

all cats are grey at night »    Variant of all cats are grey in the dark.

all cats are grey in the dark »    In the dark, physical appearance is unimportant.

all ears »    Listening intently; fully focused.

all eyes »    Gazing at devotedly.

all eyes »    Having prominent eyes.

all eyes »    Watching alertly or attentively.

all eyes and ears »    To be attentive.

all fired up »    Excited or energized; highly enthusiastic.

all hell breaks loose »    Vi A place or state of fury, turmoil, destruction, or chaos.

all holiday »    A saying signifying that it is all over with the business or person spoken of or alluded to/.

all in a day's work »    A nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment.

all in all »    Generally; for the most part; mostly.

all in all »    everything considered

all mouth and no trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all mouth and trousers »    Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.

all of a sudden »    Adv suddenly, quickly.

all of the sudden »    Suddenly, rapidly.

all one's eggs in one basket »    Investing heavily in just one area.

all over but the shouting »    The substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.

all over grumble »    Unsatisfactory.

all over hell's half acre »    All over the place; everywhere.

all over the map »    Widely scattered or distributed; numerous and differing greatly.

all over the place »    Everywhere, especially chaotically or in such a way as to make a mess.

all over the shop »    Everywhere, scattered, disorganised.

all over with »    Completely finished; over.

all right, my lover »    An informal affectionate greeting.

all set »    Ready; prepared.

all that »    Very.

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.

all that jazz »    Everything else related to something; other similar things.

all the marbles »    Everything; all that is to be had.

all the rage »    Very fashionable and popular, like a craze.

all the same »    Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.

all the time »    Always; constantly; for the complete duration.

all the time »    Very often; frequently.

all the way to Egery and back »    The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.

all things being equal »    Without considering or being affected by external factors.

all thumbs »    Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous.

all told »    With everything included, counted or summed.

all very well »    All right, to a certain extent.

all very well »    True, as far as it goes.

all walks of life »    All professions, lifestyles or social classes.

all well and good »    Basically good, but with some shortcoming or limitation.

all wet »    Thoroughly soaked; drenched.

all wet »    Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed.

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy »    Too much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably.Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.

almighty dollar »    The dollar, satirically characterized as a being a god.

along about »    Approximately; at around some time.

am I right or am I right »    Rhetorical question from somebody who has stated what they consider to be an unassailable truth.

amateur hour »    A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism.

an apple a day »    Healthy eating and living using traditional temperate-zone fresh foods.

an apple a day keeps the doctor away »    Apples are healthy and stave off illness.Eat healthy and you won't get sick.

an Englishman's home is his castle »    (UK) a proverbial expression of personal privacy and security

an offer one can't refuse »    An offer from one side in any transaction with terms so attractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

an offer one can't refuse »    An offer from one side in any transaction with the results of failing to accept so unattractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

and change »    And some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.

and counting »    Used to show that the number previously mentioned is continuously changing, i.e. increasing or decreasing.

and how »    Used to strongly confirm preceding utterance.

and then some »    Used to confirm preceding utterance, while implying that what was said or asked is an understatement.

angle for »    To try to obtain something by subtle indirect means. Political manoeuvres, suggestion, etc.

ankle socks »    hosiery

answer back »    To reply impertinently; to talk back.

answer back »    To reply to a question at a later time.

any press is good press »    Being mentioned in the media is beneficial to the subject because it gets publicity.

any way one slices it »    From any perspective; in every case.

anything goes »    There are no rules or restrictions.

Apa Sâmbetei »    "for nothing", "to no result", or that what you have done was destroyed or is rendered useless after you finish it.

Apa Sâmbetei »    Saturday's waters.

apple does not fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient

apple of somebody's eye »    A favourite, a particular preference, or a loved one; the object of somebody's affections.

apply oneself »    To put forth a concerted effort; to try; to focus.

Après-ski »    A place "after skiing". Typically a bar or pub where people go after a day on the slopes to ease off and meet other people.

April showers bring May flowers »    April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains.By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.

apron string hold »    An estate held by a man during his wife's life.

are your ears burning »    Said of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

ark ruffian »    Rogues who, in conjunction with watermen, robbed, and sometimes murdered, on the water, by picking a quarrel with the passengers in a boat, boarding it, plundering, stripping, and throwing them overboard, etc. A species of badger.

arm and a leg »    A relatively high price for an item or service; an exorbitant price.

arm candy »    An attractive, seemingly romantic companion who accompanies a person in public simply so that one or both of the individuals can gain attention, enhance social status, or create an impression of sexual appeal.

arm to the teeth »    To equip thoroughly with weapons.

arm's length »    Barely within reach.

around Robin Hood's barn »    The long way around; a roundabout or circuitous route.

around the bend »    Crazy, insane.

around the clock »    All the time or seemingly all the time; constantly.

arse about face »    Something that is placed or arranged the opposite way to the way it should be.

arse end of nowhere »    A very remote place.

arsy varsey »    Tumbling upside down; head over heels.

as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly »    Foolish people repeatedly do foolish things.

as a rule »    normally

as all get-out »    Extremely; to a superlative degree; very much.

as best one can »    In the best possible way, given the circumstances.

as if »    In mimicry of.

as is »    In its present state or condition, especially as a contractual condition of sale.

as luck would have it »    As it happened; how it turned out; by good fortune; fortunately or luckily.

as yet »    Up to the present; thus far.

as you sow, so shall you reap »    The personal consequences of one's actions are in proportion to the good or bad intentions towards others.

ash wednesday »    first day of lent

ask for »    To increase the likelihood of something by persisting in some action; to invite.

ask my arse »    A common reply to any question; still deemed wit at sea, and formerly at court, under the denomination of selling bargains.

ask out »    To invite somebody, especially on a date.

ask round »    To invite someone to your house.

asleep at the switch »    Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.

asphalt jungle »    A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.

ass over teakettle »    Frantically.

assault and battery »    . This legal distinction exists only in jurisdictions that distinguish assault as threatened violence rather than actual violence.

assume the mantle »    To take on a specific role or position, along with any associated responsibilites.

at a glance »    Upon cursory examination; an abbreviated review.

at a loss for words »    Having nothing to say; stunned to the point of speechlessness.

at a moment's notice »    Immediately; instantaneously; without need of warning.

at a pinch »    By the skin of one’s teeth; only just; Deo volente; perhaps; if you’re lucky..

at a pinch »    in an emergency

at a stand »    In a state of confusion or uncertainty; undecided what to do next.

at all »    Indicating degree, quantity or frequency greater than zero; to the slightest degree, in any way, somewhat, rather.

at all hours »    Late into the night or early morning; when people ought to be sleeping.

at arm's length »    At a distance, away from one's body.

at bay »    Cornered; unable to flee.

at bay »    Unable to come closer; at a distance.

at cross purposes »    Against one another; contrary in direction or goals.

at cross-purposes »    Mutually misunderstanding each other's plans, intentions or meanings.

At ease with nudity »    ISM free identification with nude recreation

at first »    Initially; at the start.

at full tilt »    At full speed; very quickly.

at hand »    Readily available; within easy reach; nearby.

at heart »    In spirit; according to one's beliefs, views or feelings; deep down, really, fundamentally.

at large »    In full, fully.

at large »    On the loose; roaming freely; not confined.

at last »    After a long time; eventually.

at last »    In the end; finally; ultimately.

at once »    At the same time; simultaneously; together.

at once »    Immediately; now; right away.

at one's fingertips »    Readily available.

at peace with »    Not disturbed or upset by.

at rest »    Not moving; stationary.

at sea »    On the ocean or sea, typically of a ship or person aboard a ship.

at the drop of a hat »    Without any hesitation; instantly.

at the end of one's tether »    At the limit of one’s patience; frustrated or annoyed..

at the end of the day »    In summary; ultimately.

at the high port »    At once; unhesitatingly; quickly and vigorously.

at the mercy of »    In the power of; defenceless/defenseless against.

at the ready »    Ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation.

au fait »    fully informed;

autem cackler »    Dissenters of every denomination.

autem mort »    A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity.

avant la lettre »    An example of a term before the term was coined. Describing a term used anachronistically.

avoir du pois lay »    Stealing brass weights off the counters of shops.

away with the fairies »    Not with it, dreaming, not all there.

babe magnet »    A person, especially a man, to whom women are attracted.

babes in the wood »    Criminals in the stocks, or pillory.

baby blues »    Blue eyes.

baby blues »    Period and feeling of depressiveness after giving birth; a less severe form of postnatal depression.

back at you »    Used to return a greeting.

back away »    Of your attention on the thing in front being avoided.

back burner »    A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance.

back down »    To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to.

back gammon player »    A sodomite.

back in the day »    In the past; at one time, especially a time which is fondly remembered.

back of beyond »    A very remote place.

back off »    To move backwards away from something.

back off »    To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.

back office »    The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.

back up »    As a security measure.

back up »    To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.

back water »    A very remote, rural area.

back-burner »    Having low urgency; not currently important.

back-to-back »    With one's back facing somebody else's back.

backseat driver »    By extension, anybody offering unsolicited or unwelcome advice.

bacon fed »    Fat, greasy.

bad apple »    A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.

bad blood »    Feelings of hostility or ill will.

bad for you »    Unhealthy.

bad joke »    A situation that is badly planned, or illogical.

bad money drives out good »    Debased coinage (with low levels of precious metals) replaces purer coinage (with higher levels of precious metals).(metaphorically) Mediocre talent drives away real talent.

bad penny »    A counterfeit or damaged penny.

bad penny »    A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling of guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.

bad taste in one's mouth »    A feeling something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.

bad to the bone »    Completely bad and evil; pure evil.

badge bunny »    A woman who is romantically attracted to police officers and who seeks out their companionship.

bag of bones »    A skinny, malnourished person.

bag of rations »    A fussy or overly zealous military superior.

baggage »    Heavy baggage; women and children. Also a familiar epithet for a woman; as, cunning baggage, wanton baggage, &c.

baggage »    In a metaphorical sense, factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way: emotional baggage.

bail out »    To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail money.

bail out »    To remove water from a boat by scooping it out.

bail out »    To rescue, especially financially.

balance the books »    To put or keep any closed or conservative system or its analysis in balance.

balancing act »    A performance that involves balancing things precariously and suspensefully.

balancing act »    An effort to manage many conflicting or competing items or interests.

ball-breaker »    A person or task which is excessively demanding or punishing.

ballpark estimate »    A ballpark figure, a very rough approximation.

balls-up »    Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.

balum rancum »    A hop or dance, where the women are all prostitutes. N. B. The company dance in their birthday suits.

bang about »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

bang around »    To make a lot of percussive noise while doing an activity.

bang for the buck »    Efficiency; cost-effectiveness; value.

bang on »    Exactly at.

bang on about »    To keep talking endlessly about the same subject.

bang out »    To do something quickly, in a slipshod, or unprofessional manner.

bang to rights »    Caught red-handed; in a guilty state.

bang up cove »    A dashing fellow who spends his money freely.

bang up job »    Something done very well; something performed above average or better than expected.

banged up »    Physically injured or wounded.

bank night »    An event where patrons are enticed to buy entry tickets into some venue, for example a movie theater, with the anticipation that they will be entered into a drawing to win an amount of money if their ticket is drawn and they are on-site at the time of the winning.

bankers' hours »    Any easy job, especially one with a short working day.

banyan day »    In British naval tradition, this originally referred to a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

banyan day »    In modern usage it refers to a picnic or cookout for the ship's crew.

baptism by fire »    A change in initial attitude or ideals through a traumatic situation.

baptism by fire »    A rite of passage through the survival or success of a crisis.

baptism by fire »    A trying ordeal that was not experienced before.

bar fly »    A person who frequents bars or lounges to get drunk.

bar star »    A female who frequents bars or lounges, usually late at night.

barge in »    To intrude; to enter or interrupt suddenly and without invitation.

barking dogs seldom bite »    People who make big threats never usually carry them out.

barn burner »    Any successful or impressive event.

barnburner »    Liberal faction of the New York state United States Democratic Party in the mid 19th century.

barrel »    A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.

barrel »    A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case.

barrel »    The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31 1/2 gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds; of beer 31 gallons; of ale 32 gallons; of crude oil 42 gallons.

barrel »    The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.

barrel of laughs »    A toy in the shape of a barrel that emits sounds of laughter.

barrel of laughs »    That which is enjoyable or entertaining.

barrel of monkeys »    Something very funny or amusing.

barrow man »    A man under sentence of transportation; alluding to the convicts at Woolwich, who are principally employed in wheeling barrows full of brick or dirt.

bash about »    To physically damage something or assault someone.

bash in »    To break or dent badly by hitting violently.

bash in »    To injure someone by hitting violently.

bash out »    To write something very quickly, without much thought.

bash up »    To assault someone with the intention of causing physical injury.

basket case »    One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress.

bastardly gullion »    A bastard's bastard.

bat a thousand »    To reach first base on every at-bat.

bat an eyelash »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

bat an eyelid »    To react in any slight way; to respond.

bat away »    To knock an object, usually a ball.

bat away »    To avoid by diverting the focus of a discussion.

battle cry »    By extension, a strong motto or purpose statement, especially in regards to winning a goal in sports, games or work.

battle cry »    Something the troops yell out when going to war or battle.

bawdy basket »    The twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.

be after »    To try to obtain.

be after »    To try to capture.

be all ears »    To listen carefully or eagerly; to anticipate.

be at one's beck and call »    To be in the position of serving someone in any way they desire, usually unwillingly.

be in for »    To be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.

be in on »    To be a party to a secret shared by a small group of people.

be left holding the baby »    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

be my guest »    Do as you wish; go ahead; help yourself; go for it!.

be off »    To be away from.

be on the edge of one's seat »    To be in suspense; to wait eagerly or anxiously for some resolution.

be still my heart »    Calm down, this situation is too exciting or overly distressing.

be that as it may »    Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.

be the way to go »    Represent the best of all possible options or courses of action; pre-eminate over all other choices or alternatives.

be there for »    To be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty.

be up against »    To be challenged by someone or something stronger than oneself.

beam up »    To be teleported over a long distance by means of a specific imaginary technology, specifically from the surface of a planet to an orbiting starship.

bear down »    To intensify one's efforts.

bear down on »    To approach someone in a very determined way.

bear up »    To endure hardship cheerfully.

beat a dead horse »    To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.

beat around the bush »    To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.

beat around the bush »    To treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally.

beat Banaghan »    An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.

beat down »    To severely beat someone up.

beat it »    To go away.

beat off »    To drive something away with blows.

beat out »    To sound a rhythm on a percussion instrument such as a drum.

beat out »    To win by a narrow margin.

beat somebody to the punch »    To do something before somebody else is able to.

beat someone's brains out »    To beat someone very severely.

beat the crap out of »    To beat really badly.

beat the shit out of »    To beat really badly.

beat up »    To alarm by a sudden attack.

beat up »    To cause by some other means, injuries comparable to the result of being beaten up.

beat up »    To feel badly guilty and accuse oneself over something. Usually followed by over.

beat up »    Repeatedly bomb a military target or targets.

beat up »    To verbally assault repeatedly.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder »    Individuals have different inclinations on what is beautiful. Individuals have different beauty standards.

beauty is only skin deep »    What matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.

beauty mark »    Or artificially using cosmetics.

beauty sleep »    C. 1900, Ralph Connor, The Man From Glengarry, ch. 23.

beauty sleep »    Extra sleep or a special nap.

beauty sleep »    Sleep before midnight, on the belief that early sleep hours conduce to health and beauty.[1].

beauty spot »    mole

beaver away »    To busily undertake a large task.

because you touch yourself at night »    Used to humourously deflect a request for a reason.

bed down »    To lie down to sleep for the night, usually of livestock or machinery.

bed of roses »    A pleasant or easy situation.

beddable »    Sexually attractive.

beddable »    [...] feminine, great body great legs great taste, trained and beddable, Jesus, how beddable.

beddy-bye »    Bedtime for a toddler, going to sleep, going to bed.

beef to the hoof »    Fat, chubby, particularly with fat legs.

beefed out »    Having been improved greatly or upgraded; beefed up.

beefed out »    Muscular, often in an exaggerated way.

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt »    Expresses the speaker's complete familiarity with a situation, with overtones of cynicism or exhaustion.

beer goggles »    The illusion that people are more attractive, brought on by alcohol consumption.

before you can say Jack Robinson »    Very quickly. Quicker than you expect.

beg off »    To avoid, or cancel some event that one has previously arranged with someone.

beg to differ »    To differ strongly in opinion or interpretation.

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.

behind somebody's back »    Without somebody's knowledge; secretly.

behind the counter »    Of drugs, dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription or other form of compliance.

believe you me »    An emphatic form of "believe me"; you [the subject] had better believe me [the speaker].

bells and whistles »    Extra features added for show rather than function; fancy additions or features.

belly up »    Dead or defunct.

below the belt »    Of a punch, landing illegally, below the opponent's waist.

below the belt »    Unfair; dirty; not according to the generally accepted rules.

belt and suspenders »    Redundant systems, affording mutual backup in the event of one failing.

bench jockey »    A baseball term for a player, coach or manager who is annoying and distracts opposition players and umpires from his team's dugout bench with verbal repartee.

bend one's elbow »    To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.

bend over backwards »    To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.

bend somebody's ear »    Sorry to bend your ear with the whole story, but I think you ought to know.

bend somebody's ear »    To bore; to talk too long.

bend the truth »    To change or leave out certain facts of a story or situation, generally in order to elicit a specific response in the audience.

bent on »    Completely determined; obstinate.

beside oneself »    Overcome; consumed by an emotion.

best laid plans »    A proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the outcome is uncertain.

best of both worlds »    A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.

bet dollars to donuts »    To suggest that something is very likely to be true or that one has a strong hunch about something.

bet the farm »    To be absolutely certain, to have no doubts.

better an egg today than a hen tomorrow »    It is better to have a sure thing now than a possibility of more later.

better safe than sorry »    It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to suffer afterwards.

between a rock and a hard place »    Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.

between Scylla and Charybdis »    Similar in meaning to between a rock and a hard place.

between the jigs and the reels »    Eventually, despite all the confusion.

beyond one's pay grade »    Beyond one's capability.

beyond one's pay grade »    Beyond one's level of authority.

beyond the black stump »    Extremely remote, outside the populated area.

beyond the pale »    Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.

big boy »    A large object or person.

big boys »    Plural form of big boy.

big boys »    The people or bodies with the most influence and/or power.

big break »    A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.

big bucks »    Lots of money.

big cheese »    A very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.

big daddy »    Something or someone of importance.

big deal »    Something very important, difficult, or of concern.

big enchilada »    A very important person, especially the highest-ranking individual in an organization.

big enchilada »    Some item of high value, especially a top prize or reward.

big fish in a small pond »    One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.

big gun »    A large-caliber artillery piece.

big mouth »    The mouth of someone who talks too much, especially by making exaggerated claims or by inappropriately revealing information.

big picture »    The totality of a situation.

big wheel »    A person with a great deal of power or influence, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.

bigger fish to fry »    A higher valued result or target to reach.

bigger fish to fry »    A much more pressing issue to attend to.

bird's-eye view »    The view from directly or high above.

birds and bees »    Informal sex education, especially describing the sexual activity of animals rather than that of people.

birds of the feather flock together »    People who are alike physically tend to congregate and socialize together, despite government efforts at forced integration.

birthday suit »    Nakedness; a lack of clothing.

bit by a barn mouse »    Tipsy.

bit on the side »    Secondary lover, mistress.

bite me »    An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.

bite of the reality sandwich »    A wake-up call, a reality check.

bite off more than one can chew »    To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.

bite one's tongue »    To forcibly prevent oneself from uttering a word.

bite someone's head off »    To severely berate someone.

bite the bullet »    To endure a punishment or consequence with dignity or stoicism.

bite the hand that feeds you »    To cause harm to a benefactor.

black-on-black »    Something that is invisible or intentionally obfuscated, such as warnings or fine print.

blame Canada »    A catch phrase for shifting attention away from a serious social issue by laying responsibility with Canada.

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.

blaze a trail »    To show the way or proceed rapidly.

bleeding edge »    Something very current, or modern where there may actually be a hazard or risk in using it, such as with potentially unstable software. The term relates to a sword.

bleep out »    To censor inappropriate spoken words by obscuring them with the sound of a bleep.

blessed event »    An occurrence or occasion which is particularly noteworthy and enjoyable.

blessed event »    The birth of a baby.

blimp out »    To become fat or fatter, especially as a result of excessive eating.

blind »    A covering for a window to keep out light. The covering may be made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.

blind »    A player who is or was forced to make a bet.

blind »    Any device intended to conceal or hide; as, a duck blind.

blind as a bat »    Nearly totally blind, having a very poor sense of vision.

blink of an eye »    A very short period of time; quickly.

blood is thicker than water »    Family relations and loyalties are stronger than relationships with people who are not family members.1866, Anthony Trollope, The Belton Estate, ch. 30,Blood is thicker than water, is it not? If cousins are not friends, who can be?circa 1915, Lucy Fitch Perkins, The Scotch Twins, ch. 5,The old clans are scattered now, but blood is thicker than water still, and you're welcome to the fireside of your kinsman!

blood mary »    Vodka and tomato juice

blot one's copy book »    To damage one's own reputation through bad behavior.

blow a gasket »    To become very angry or upset.

blow away »    Flabbergast; scintillate; impress greatly.

blow away »    To be dispersed as a result of being blown.

blow away »    To cause to go away by blowing.

blow chunks »    To be very bad, inadequate, unpleasant, or miserable; to thoroughly suck.

blow hot and cold »    To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

blow off »    To vent, usually, to reduce pressure in a container.

blow one's top »    To be explosively angry. To lose one's temper.

blow out of proportion »    To overreact to or overstate; to treat too seriously or be overly concerned with.

blow over »    To pass naturally; to go away; to settle or calm down.

blow smoke »    To speak with a lack of credibility, sense, purpose, or truth; to speak nonsense.

blow someone out of the water »    To trounce; to defeat someone thoroughly, at a game or in battle.

blow the whistle »    To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the illegal or socially harmful actions of a person or group, especially a corporation or government agency.

blow this popsicle stand »    To leave an establishment speedily.

blow up »    To explode or be destroyed by explosion.

blow up »    To explode something or somebody or destroy something or injure or kill somebody by explosion.

blow up »    To fail disastrously.

blow up »    To become popular very quickly.

blow up »    To suddenly get very angry.

blow up in one's face »    To fail disastrously.

blow-by-blow »    Detailing every action or occurrence completely.

blue moon »    The moon tinted towards blue as it appears in the sky, caused by dust or smoke in the atmosphere.

blue note »    Notes added to the major scale for expressive quality in jazz and blues music, particularly the flatted third, fifth and seventh.

blue-eyed boy »    Someone's favourite, especially a young one.

bluewash »    To tout a business or organization's commitment to social responsibility, and to use this perception for public relations and economic gain; to present a humanitarian front in this manner.

blurt out »    To say suddenly, without thinking.

bog standard »    Especially plain, ordinary, or unremarkable; having no special, excess or unusual features; plain vanilla.

bogged down »    Stuck; mired, as in detail, difficulty; delayed or made slower.

boil down »    As an allusion to the cooking technique of reducing liquids by heat, one boils down a problem, argument, etc. to its most central elements.

bolt bucket »    A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.

bone dry »    Completely dry; without any trace of moisture.

bone idle »    lazy

bone up »    To study or cram, especially in order to refresh one's knowledge of a topic.

booby prize »    A prize or status, often unwelcome, awarded as a joke or disincentive to the loser of a contest or for poor performance.

boot camp »    A short, intensive, quasi-military program generally aimed at young offenders as an alternative to a jail term.

boot camp »    Any short, intensive course of training.

boot camp »    Indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps.

booze can »    A nightclub or bar, especially one which operates illegally or is otherwise disreputable.

borganism »    An organization of autonomous organisms that exhibit collectivism: individual "units" that have merged to yield a unified construct. Such an amalgam may possess a collective consciousness, arguably an emergent phenomenon of social networking.

born in a barn »    Engaging in the annoying behavior of inappropriately, and usually neglectfully, leaving open a door or window.

born in a barn »    Of humble birth, especially when referring to Jesus Christ.

born on the Fourth of July »    Demonstratively patriotic.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth »    Born rich or in a wealthy family.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth »    Note. The original nautical expression is just born with a silver spoon and describes those young gentlemen who were able to enter the Royal Navy without examination and whose promotion was assured. the converse was born with a wooden ladle.

born yesterday »    New, naive, innocent, inexperienced or easily deceived.

boss about »    To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.

boss around »    To act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.

bottom line »    The final balance; the amount of money or profit left after everything has been tallied.

bottom line »    The summary or result; the most important information; the upshot; the net-net.

bottom of the line »    The worst, the most lackluster, or lowest quality currently on the market, especially among selections in a product line.

bottom of the ninth »    By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.

bottoming the house »    The process by where someone cleans their house 'from top to bottom'. It is a very thorough clean indeed, even more so than 'spring cleaning'.

bought the farm »    Simple past tense and past participle of buy the farm: died; often refers to death in battle.

bounce back »    To recover from a negative without seemingly any damage.

bouncing off the walls »    Moving hyperactively.

bow out »    To resign, or leave, with one's credibility still intact.

bowl a googly »    Something unexpected, underhand or requiring a quick reaction or correction.

bowl of cherries »    An enjoyable experience.

box on the ear »    Administered on the victim's ear, usually by an educator, to enforce attention.

box-office bomb »    A motion picture that generates relatively low revenue at the box office, especially that which is less than the budget for the motion picture.

boy in the boat »    Clitoris.

boys and their toys »    Used to evoke the idea that adult men sometimes dote excessively on machines, automobiles, and gadgets in a childish manner.

boys will be boys »    It is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.

brace of shakes »    A very short time.

brain fart »    A lapse in the thought process; an inability to think or remember something clearly.

brain fart »    Something ill-considered and said or done impulsively.

brain surgeon »    Someone very intelligent.

brain surgeon »    Someone who does brain surgery.

brain surgery »    Something that is overly complex, detailed or confusing.

brain surgery »    Surgery on any part of the nervous system, especially the brain; neurosurgery.

brain-dead »    Having an irreversible loss of brain function and cessation of brain activity.

brain-dead »    Having no useful thoughts; stupid; ditzy.

brass monkey »    A cocktail of vodka, rum and orange juice, sometimes with the addition of galliano.

brass monkey »    A kind of inexpensive liqueur.

brass monkey »    An Australian beer.

brass monkey »    Said of the weather when it is very cold.

brass monkeys »    Very cold.

brass ring »    Figuratively, a prize or goal. Often used with respect to employment goals e.g. promotion, better job, etc.

brass-neck »    To behave boldly or shamelessly.

brass-necked »    Nervy; cheeky; shameless.

break a leg »    A wish for a successful performance; primarily a valediction to an actor wishing him or her a successful theatrical stage performance.

break a sweat »    January 2008, The Age - Walkovers blaze a trail for women's equal-pay theory.

break away »    To leave suddenly.

break down »    To become unstable, mentally or otherwise.

break down »    To decay.

break even »    To neither gain nor lose money.

break even »    To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.

break ground »    To begin digging in the earth at the start of a new construction, or, originally, for cultivation.

break ground »    To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements.

break in »    To enter by force or illicit means.

break in »    New function more naturally through use or wear.

break in the case »    A new discovery in a case.

break into »    To enter illegally or by force.

break into »    To try to start in a profession or business.

break into »    To begin suddenly.

break new ground »    By extension, to initiate a new venture.

break new ground »    To begin excavating and levelling earth for a new building, or, originally, for cultivation.

break off »    To end abruptly, either temporarily or permanently.

break off »    To remove a piece from a whole by breaking or snapping.

break out »    To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly.

break out »    To begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition.

break rank »    To march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit.

break the bank »    To win more money than is available to be paid.

break the ice »    To start to get to know people, by avoiding awkwardness.

breakfast of champions »    An ironic appellation for beer, junk food, or other foods implied to be unhealthy.

breathe down someone's neck »    To follow someone too closely, making it uncomfortable for them.

breathe easy »    To relax or feel secure about something.

brick by brick »    To create or build something in a steady, step-by-step fashion.

brick up »    To block by masonry, particularly using bricks.

brickbat »    A piece of brick used as a weapon, especially if thrown, or placed in something like a sock and used as a club.

brickbat »    A criticism or uncomplimentary remark hurled at artwork or other recipient.

brickbat »    Reason Magazine: Daily Brickbat[1].

bridge »    A device which connects two or more computer buses, typically in a transparent manner.

bridge »    A song contained within another song, often demarcated by meter, key, or melody.

bridge »    A statement, such as an offer, that signals a possibility of accord.

bridge »    A system which connects two or more local area networks at layer 2.

bridge »    An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.

bridge »    Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit.

bridge »    The upper bony ridge of the human nose.

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed »    Alert and in an eager, frisky, or playful mood; full of life.

bright-line rule »    A clear-cut, easy to make decision.

bright-line rule »    A clearly defined rule or standard, comprised of objective factors, which leaves little or no room for varying interpretation.

brighten up »    Brighten up my day.

bring down »    To make something flying fall to the ground. Usually by firing a weapon of some kind.

bring down »    To make someone feel bad emotionally.

bring forth »    To display, produce, bring out for display.

bring forward »    To make something happen earlier than originally planned.

bring home the bacon »    To have a job and earn money or to lead a successful career.

bring in »    To introduce a new rule, law, or system of organisation.

bring in »    To earn money for a company or for the family.

bring off »    To succeed in doing something considered to be very difficult.

bring out »    To elicit, evoke, or emphasize a particular quality.

bring out »    To make a shy person more confident.

bring out »    To cause a visible symptom such as spots or a rash.

bring owls to Athens »    Perhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. — Herbert Burkert.

bring owls to Athens »    To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.

bring to heel »    To be forced to obey.

bring to heel »    To force someone to obey.

broad shoulders »    The ability to take criticism, or accept responsibility.

broken vessel »    A person who is destroyed or forgotten, or who feels flawed or broken.

broken-hearted »    Alternative spelling of brokenhearted. Feeling depressed, despondent, or hopeless, especially over losing a love.

brown bag »    A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.

brown bread »    Bread with a brown colour as distinct from white bread, wholemeal, granary or other specific types of bread.

brown noser »    One who sucks up; a bootlicker, ass-kisser, sycophant.

brown power »    The production of electricity made from conventional sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

brown thumb »    Lack of skill at growing plants; something possessed by a poor gardener.

browned off »    Annoyed, upset, angry, bored, fed up, disgusted.

brush up »    To review; to improve an existing but rusty or under-developed skill.

buck up »    Hurry up; make haste.

bucket down »    To rain heavily.

bucket of bolts »    A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.

buckle down »    To put forth the needed effort; to focus; become serious; apply oneself.

buckle up »    To fasten one's seat belt or safety belt.

bug off »    Used to tell somebody to leave them alone.

bug out »    Hastily.

bug out »    Miss school, play truant, play hooky.

bugger off »    Go away.

built like a brick shithouse »    Exceptionally well constructed; strong or tough.

built like a brick shithouse »    Of a person, with an exceptionally well-developed chest.

built like a tank »    Sturdy; exceptionally well constructed.

bull's eye »    sweet

bulletproof »    Capable of withstanding a direct shot by a bullet fired from a gun.

bulletproof »    Reliable, infallible, sturdy or error-tolerant.

bulletproof »    Unbreakable, very tough.

bum around »    To wander around idly to no purpose; to loaf or loiter.

bum rap »    A false accusation, or an injustice, especially one that leads to imprisonment.

bum rap »    An undeservedly unfavorable portrayal or reputation.

bump and grind »    A combination of movements resembling such a dance, as in road racing, whitewater kayaking, or exercising; any activity involving prolonged jarring or shaking.

bump and grind »    A sexually suggestive dance involving exaggerated hip movements, especially a striptease dance.

bump into »    To meet someone by chance.

bump off »    To kill, especially to murder.

bump up »    To increase something suddenly.

bumper crop »    A large yield; an excess of something.

bundle of energy »    One who is especially lively, continually active, or industrious.

bundle of energy »    The energy associated with being lively, continually active, or industrious.

bundle of joy »    A newborn baby.

bundle of joy »    A pet.

bundle of nerves »    A lively, continually active person.

bundle of nerves »    A person with an especially nervous, excitable, or fearful disposition.

bunk off »    To play truant.

bunk off »    We all bunked off school yesterday to watch the football.

bunny hop »    A dance from the big band era, a variation of the conga.

bunny hop »    A ground ball that hops along the field instead of rolling.

bunny hop »    A jump made where both wheels leave the ground.

bunny hug »    A style of dance.

bunny hug »    A sweatshirt with a hood.

buoy up »    To uplift, hearten, inspire or raise the spirits.

burn a hole in one's pocket »    To cause someone to be tempted to spend money.

burn down »    To completely burn, so that nothing remains.

burn one's bridges »    To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc.

burn one's candle at both ends »    To work extremely or excessively hard; to work too hard for good health or peace of mind.

burn rubber »    To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.

burn the midnight oil »    To work studiously, especially late into the night.

burn up »    To catch fire and burn until destroyed.

burn up »    To destroy by burning.

burn up »    To anger; to annoy.

bury the hatchet »    To stop fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.

bury the lead »    To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.

bury the lede »    To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts.

bush telegraph »    A system used by undeveloped societies in remote regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds, word-of-mouth relay, or smoke signals.

business as usual »    The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.

business before pleasure »    An admonishment that discharging one's obligations must take precedence over devoting time to pursuits meant solely for one's own gratification.

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.

business girl »    A young woman employed in business or office work.

busman's holiday »    A holiday or vacation during which you do the same thing that you do for your usual work.

bust ass cold »    Extremely cold.

bust one's butt »    To work exceptionally hard.

busted flush »    A potential flush which ultimately was not filled.

busted flush »    Anything which ends up worthless despite great potential.

bustle with »    To teem with; abound with; to exhibit an energetic and active abundance of a thing; to be full of a certain activity or active beings.

busy beaver »    Someone who is very busy or hard-working.

busy work »    Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

but seriously folks »    Directs attention to immediately preceding failed attempt at humor.

butt heads »    To argue uncompromisingly with someone.

butt-naked »    Stark-naked, completely nude.

butter fingers »    A clumsy person who always drops things, a klutz.

butter up »    To flatter, especially with the intent of personal gain.

butterfly upon a wheel »    An innocent person crushed by life's adversities.

buy out »    To purchase the entire stock or extent of something.

buy out »    To purchase the ownership of a company.

buy straw hats in winter »    Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price is low, sell when demand and price is high.

buy the farm »    To die; often, to die in battle.

buy time »    Purposefully cause a delay to something, in order to achieve something else.

buy to let »    To purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it.

buzz off »    Used to tell someone to go away.

buzz up »    To allow entrance into a building from a higher floor by triggering an electronic lock.

by a long shot »    By a wide margin; indicates a very big difference or disparity.

by all means »    Yes certainly; definitely.

by and large »    Mostly, generally; with few exceptions.

by dint of »    By reason of; by means of.

by far »    To a considerably large extent, easily.

by hand »    Manually; without the use of automation or machines.

by heart »    Knowing completely; as having committed completely to memory.

by hook or by crook »    By any means possible; one way or another.

by leaps and bounds »    Rapidly. Said of making progress.

by no means »    Certainly not; definitely not.

by one's lights »    According to one's understanding.

by one's own hand »    As a result of one's own actions, especially with reference to death by suicide.

by oneself »    Alone; without assistance, accompaniment, or help from others.

by the book »    In a manner which adheres strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.

by the by »    Used to introduce a new topic; incidentally.

by the Grace of God »    By divine right.

by the Grace of God »    Used as part of the titles of royalty.

by the numbers »    To do something exactly, precisely, or in a formulaic way.

by the same token »    For a similar reason; in a similar manner; similarly; likewise; along the same lines.

by the skin of one's teeth »    Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.

by the time »    When.

by the way »    His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.

by the way »    Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.

by the way »    [...] I had counted on a life-lease of the profits, whereas I only received those of a few short years. But this is by the way.

by trade »    As a profession; professionally.

by virtue of »    Because of; on the grounds of; by reason of; due to; based on.

by-the-book »    Adhering strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.

by-the-numbers »    Done in a predictable manner; formulaic.

bye-bye »    Goodbye.

cake crumbs »    Hardly anything.

call 'em as one sees 'em »    To candidly and honestly express an opinion or viewpoint.

call a spade a spade »    To speak the truth; to say things as they really are.

call in »    To communicate with a base etc, by telephone.

call in »    To summon someone, especially for help or advice.

call it a day »    To cease the activity for the day.

call it a day »    To retire.

call it quits »    To conclude; to quit or stop an activity.

call on »    To visit somebody; to pay a call.

call on »    To request or ask of somebody; to select for a task.

call out »    To specify, especially in detail.

call out »    To yell out; to vocalize audibly; announce.

call out »    To arrange for a professional to call at your home for some purpose.

call up »    An order to report for military service.

calling card »    A prepaid card or credit card, usually electronically readable, used to pay the charges when making a telephone call.

calling card »    A small printed card which identifies the bearer, traditionally presented for introduction when making a social visit to a home or when attending a formal social event or business meeting.

calling card »    An attribute, object, or behavior which is distinctly characteristic of someone or something.

calling card »    Excrement, especially of a domestic animal.

camel through the eye of a needle »    Hyperbole to illustrate that something is almost impossible to do or to happen.

camel's nose »    A metaphor for a situation where the permitting of some small act will lead consequently to a larger undesirable act or circumstance.

can of worms »    A troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious, but not necessarily complex.

can't wait »    To eagerly anticipate; to find it unbearable to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.

Cannon fodder »    Military personnel who are regarded as expendable when attacking the enemy.

captain of industry »    A prominent business person who owns or is the highest-ranking executive of one or more major firms, especially one who has considerable wealth and influence.

carbon copy »    duplicate

carpe diem »    seize the day, make the most of today, enjoy the present

carpe diem cras »    seize the day tomorrow, make the most of tomorrow

carried away »    Made excessively emotional or excited.

carry a torch for »    [2] To harbor feelings of love despite not being in a relationship; generally unrequited or after a relationship has ended, and sometimes implying secret feelings. There is the implication of keeping hope alive.

carry a tune »    To produce music, especially to sing, with accurate pitch.

carry away »    To break under sudden pressure of violent wind.

carry coals to Newcastle »    To do something that is unneeded or redundant.

carry off »    Knowledge, confidence, or familiarity.

carry off »    To transport away.

carry on »    To act or behave; especially to act or behave so as to attract attention.

carry on »    To continue or proceed as before.

carry on »    To have an illicit sexual liaison.

carry on »    To have or maintain.

carry on »    To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.

carry one's own weight »    A variant of carry one's weight.

carry one's weight »    To contribute or produce one's fair share, as of work, money, etc.

carry out »    To hold while moving something out.

carry out »    To fulfill.

carry someone's water »    To do someone's bidding; to serve someone's interests.

carry the can »    To take responsibility, especially in a challenging situation.

carry the message to Garcia »    To perform a requisite task despite obstacles.

carry the message to Garcia »    To perform a requisite task without having been informed specifically by what method to do so.

carry water for »    To perform menial tasks for; to serve; to assist.

cash cow »    Someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money; a moneymaker.

cash in »    To profit from; to use an opportunity to maximum advantage, especially financially.

cast away »    To discard.

cast away »    To abandon or maroon.

cast off »    To let go a cable or rope securing a vessel to a buoy, wharf etc so that she may proceed.

cast off »    To finish the last row of knitted stitches and remove them securely from the needle.

cast on »    To start the first row of knitting by putting stitches on a needle.

cast the first stone »    To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing that one is blameless.

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.

cat and dog life »    Unhappy married life.

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.

cat got someone's tongue »    Why are you not saying anything?.

cat that ate the canary »    A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.

cat that ate the canary »    A person whose appearance and behavior suggest guilt mixed with other qualities, such as satisfaction or feigned nonchalance.

cat's cradle »    Any complicated structure which appears to be without purpose.

cat's meow »    A highly sought-after and fancy example of something.

cat's pyjamas »    A highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects.

cat's pyjamas »    That new car was really the cat's pyjamas.

catch a buzz »    To become slightly inebriated, but not yet be drunk.

catch dust »    To be rarely used.

catch flies »    An ostensible product of awkwardly having one's mouth open wide.

catch hell »    Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.

catch it »    Be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.

catch out »    To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.

catch someone's eye »    To capture someone's attention.

catch up »    To pick up suddenly.

catch up »    To compensate for or make up a deficiency.

catch-as-catch-can »    A. 1681, John Fryer, Richard Chiswell, Robert Roberts, Robert White, A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters, Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672 and Finished 1681.

catch-as-catch-can »    Intermittent; only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself.

catmeat »    Someone who has been badly beaten.

cattle call »    An audition which is open to the public and thus draws a large number of applicants, many of whom are inexperienced.

caucus race »    The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, esp. presidential; a primary election via caucus.

caught in the act »    To be found doing something that you weren't supposed to be doing, while you're doing it.

caught with one's hand in the cookie jar »    Observed or apprehended while committing a theft, especially while embezzling money.

cause a stir »    To cause controversy, or raise a disturbance.

center field »    A central role in some activity that requires speed.

center field »    The defensive position in the outfield in the middle, typically played by a player that can run fast.

center field »    The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

ceterum censeo »    A formulaic expression used to end a speech by reinforcing one, often unrelated, major view.

chain reaction »    A nuclear reaction in which particles produced by the fission of one atom trigger fissions of other atoms.

chalkface »    A cliff or quarry exposing chalk, e.g. the White Cliffs of Dover.

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.

champ at the bit »    To bite the bit, especially when restless.

champ at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

chance'd be a fine thing »    Given to indicate that an aforementioned thing would be desirable but unlikely. Comparable to if I should be so lucky.

chances are »    It is likely that, it is probable that.

change hands »    To become the property of someone else; to be bought or sold.

change horses in midstream »    To change plans or approaches at an inopportune time, such as when an effort is already underway, generally considered an inadvisable thing to do.

change one's mind »    To decide differently than one had decided before.

change one's tune »    To change one's story.

charity mugger »    A person employed by a charity, or by an intermediary fundraising agency employed by the charity, who stands in the street and invites passersby to set up standing orders or direct debits to make regular donations to the charity.

charley horse »    A muscle cramp, usually in the thigh or leg.

chase a rainbow »    To pursue something illusory, impractical, or impossible.

chat up »    In a friendly, open, or casual manner, sometimes also in a charming or affected manner, usually to curry favor, and sometimes flirtatiously with the intention of establishing a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship with that person.

che sara sara »    Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1892 March 17, Cigarette,

che sera sera »    Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.

cheaper by the dozen »    Things are handled more efficiently as a group, rather than individually.

cheat sheet »    Any summary or quick reference used as a shortcut or reminder, a crib sheet.

check is in the mail »    A common excuse used by debtors to put off creditors.

check out »    To pay the bill, and record one's departure, as from a hotel.

check out »    To leave in a hurry.

check out »    To have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.

check out »    To withdraw an item, as from a library, and have the withdrawal recorded.

check out »    To examine or inspect; to espy.

check out »    To obtain computer source code from a repository.

cheek by jowl »    In close proximity; crammed uncomfortably close together.

cheer up »    To become happy.

cheer up »    To make someone happy.

cheese off »    To annoy.

cheesed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

cherry pick »    To position oneself near the opponent's goal to attempt to receive an errant or intentional pass for an easy score, as in basketball or versions of soccer where offsides are not enforced.

cherry pick »    To select only the best from a range of options.

cherry picking »    Selecting only the best from a group or other range of choices.

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.

chew somebody out »    To berate; to shout at someone.

chew the fat »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

chew the scenery »    To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.

chicken feed »    A very small or insignificant quantity, especially of money.

chicken feed »    Food given to poultry.

chicken out »    To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.

chickens coming home to roost »    Consequences visited upon someone who originally had appeared to escape them.

child's play »    Something particularly simple or easy.

children should be seen and not heard »    Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.

chill out »    Relax, take it easy.

chin up »    Be happy; cheer up.

chinese gooseberry »    kiwi fruit

chip in »    To make a contribution; help in a small way; especially, to pay for a part of something.

chip in »    To put into the pot the amount of chips or money required to continue.

chip on one's shoulder »    A habitually combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove.

chip on one's shoulder »    A tendency to take offence quickly.

chomp at the bit »    To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

chopped liver »    A Jewish food made by frying liver and onions in schmaltz.

chopped liver »    A person or object which is not worthy of being noticed; someone or something insignificant.

chow down »    To eat, especially to eat vigorously.

chrome horn »    The front bumper of a car when used to bump another vehicle, usually to inform the driver of the other vehicle, that the first car would like to pass.

chuck away »    To discard, or throw away.

chuck it down »    To rain heavily.

chump change »    A sum of money considered to be insignificant.

chump change »    An amount of remuneration, reward, or other monetary recompense considered to be insultingly small.

chump-change »    Of or pertaining to something of little monetary value.

circular firing squad »    A political party or other group experiencing considerable disarray because the members are engaging in internal disputes and mutual recrimination.

cite chapter and verse »    To speak authoritatively, providing detailed factual information.

city slicker »    One accustomed to a city or urban lifestyle or unsuited to life in the country.

class clown »    A student who frequently makes jokes or pokes fun; a wiseacre.

clay »    A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.

clay »    A tennis court surface.

clay »    An earth material with ductile qualities.

clay »    The material of the human body.

clean code »    Software code that is formatted correctly and in an organized manner so that another coder can easily read or modify it.

clean house »    To reform by removing undesirable personnel and procedures.

clean out »    To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.

clean out »    To empty completely; to remove all money or possessions from.

clean someone's clock »    To defeat decisively, in a physical fight or other competition or negotiation.

clean up »    To become clean, handsome, smart in appearance, e.g. for a special occasion, especially when it is out of character to be seen as such.

clean up »    To make a large profit; to win by a large margin, or to win a large amount, especially in gambling. Also clean house.

clean up »    To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.

clear up »    To clarify, to correct a misconception.

clear up »    Of stormy weather, to dissipate, to become calm.

climb the walls »    To behave in a distressed or frantic manner; to feel very agitated.

climb up »    To gradually ascend something.

close as wax »    Miserly.

close fisted »    stingy

close one's eyes »    To ignore.

close shave »    A near accident or mishap; a dangerous or risky encounter or incident.

close shave »    A shave that is very short or near the skin.

close the stable door after the horse has bolted »    To attempt to prevent a problem only to find it has already happened.

close to home »    Affecting people close to, or within, ones family circle.

close up shop »    To shut down a shop; to end a business activity.

closed book »    A person or thing that cannot be easily understood; someone or something incomprehensible or puzzling.

clothes don't make the man »    An aphorism meaning that you cannot judge a person solely by his appearance. Usually pertains to men.

cloud up »    To become cloudy.

clout list »    A usually secret list containing the names of people who are to be given special access, benefits, or influence in a political or social situation, especially as a result of having personal, professional, or financial relationships with those in authority.

coals to Newcastle »    A pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it's made, or where they already have an abundance.

cock up »    Unintentionally; to screw up, mess up or f** up.

cock-and-bull story »    A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.

cold fish »    A heartless individual; a person lacking empathy and emotion.

cold hands, warm heart »    Implies inner beauty; a caring person; warm-hearted

Cold hands, warm heart; Dirty feet, no sweetheart! »    A few old timer's "fun" way to compliment a lady & to find out if she could be courted.

cold snap »    A period of exceptionally cold weather.

cold turkey »    The physiological effects of such a withdrawal.

cold turkey »    The sudden and complete withdrawal of a dependent substance, especially of a drug.

collect one's thoughts »    To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.

come across »    To find, usually by accident.

come along »    To accompany.

come around »    To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.

come by »    To obtain; to get, now especially by chance or involuntarily.

come by »    To come near to; to pass.

come down to »    To reach by moving down or reducing.

come down to »    To depend upon, basically, ultimately or in essence.

come down to us »    To survive to the present day; to be extant in some form.

come down with »    To contract or get; to show symptoms of a minor illness.

come full circle »    To complete a cycle of transition, returning to the point of origin.

come in »    To join or enter; to begin playing with a group.

come in handy »    To be useful or helpful, especially at some time in the future.

come of age »    To mature, or become fully developed.

come of age »    To reach a specific age where one is legally considered to be an adult.

come out »    To make a formal debut in society.

come out in the wash »    Of problems or difficulties, to work out, resolve, or become understood eventually and naturally.

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.

come out of the woodwork »    To appear or emerge as though out of nowhere, frequently in large numbers or quantity.

come out with »    To say something unexpected.

come round »    To cease anger or hostility.

come the acid »    To make oneself unpleasant, especially by sarcasm.

come through »    Not to let somebody down, keep one's promise.

come to »    To stop a sailing vessel, especially by turning into the wind. See also come about.

come to »    To regard or specify, as narrowing a field of choices by category.

come to a head »    To rapidly come to a turning point.

come to a head »    To suddenly make mature or perfected that which was inchoate or imperfectly formed.

come to a head »    To suddenly reveal that which has lain latent for a time.

come to grips »    To confront or deal with directly.

come to terms »    To accept or resign oneself to something emotionally painful.

come to think of it »    By the way; now that I think about it; indicates something brought to mind.

come unhinged »    To become angered or crazy; to lose control of one's senses or sanity.

come up »    To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly; to come to attention, present itself.

come what may »    In spite of anything that might happen; whatever may occur.

comfort woman »    A woman forced, or supposedly recruited, into brothels by the Japanese occupation forces during World War II.

coming out of one's ears »    In great or excess quantity.

common ground »    A characteristic or interest shared by multiple people or systems.

common or garden variety »    Ordinary, standard. Nothing special.

common-and-garden »    Ordinary, standard.

common-or-garden »    Ordinary, standard.

company »    A group of individuals with a common purpose, as in a company of actors.

company »    A military unit, typically consisting of two or three platoons.

company »    A unit of firefighters and their equipment.

company »    As he had worked for the CIA for over 30 years, he would soon take retirement from the company.

company »    Companionship.

company »    I treasure your company.

company »    In legal context, an entity that manufactures or sells products , or provides services as a commercial venture. A corporation.

company »    In non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation.

company »    It took six companies to put out the fire.

company »    Keep the house clean, I have company coming.

company »    Nickname for an intelligence service.

company »    Social visitors.

company »    The Boys in Company C.

company »    The entire crew of a ship.

comply with »    To abide by a set of rules.

concrete jungle »    An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe.

conk out »    To fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly.

consume mass quantities »    To use large amounts of any resource.

controlled substance »    Except for very limited professional testing purposes.

cook the books »    To manipulate accounting information, esp. illegally, by a corporation.

cook up »    To manufacture; to falsify; to devise an elaborate lie.

cook up »    To prepare a heroin dose by heating.

cookie-cutter »    A solution to a problem that can be applied in many situations without modification.

cooking with gas »    Now doing something in an effective way.

coon's age »    A very long time.

cop a feel »    To stealthily fondle someone in a sexual manner.

cop out »    To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.

cop-out »    An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.

cop-out »    Avoidance or inadequate performance of a task or duty; the action of copping out.

copious free time »    A hypothetical time set aside for performing time-consuming tasks, however insinuating that the speaker really has no free time.

copper-bottomed »    Having lower parts made of or covered by copper.

copper-bottomed »    Thoroughly reliable.

copy typist »    office worker

cordon off »    To protect from intrusion by enclosing in a rope barrier.

corner the market »    To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.

correlation does not imply causation »    (statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.

cost a pretty penny »    To be expensive.

coug it »    To suddenly lose a contest through reversal of fortune, mistakes, or bad judgment. The phrase is analogous to "blow it", or "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory".

cough up »    To expel from the lungs, throat, etc. by coughing.

cough up »    To pay money.

cough up »    To lose a competition by one's own mistakes, usually near the end of the contest.

couldn't happen to a nicer »    Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.

count on »    To rely upon, trust, or expect.

count sheep »    To attempt to go to sleep by thinking of something boring, traditionally by counting imaginary sheep.

country mile »    A long way, a great distance.

court martial »    military trial

cover one's bases »    To be thorough; to prepare thoroughly or completely.

cozy up »    With "to", to ingratiate oneself .

crab mentality »    A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.

crack down »    To enforce more stringently or more thoroughly.

crack down on »    To enforce laws or punish more vigilantly.

crack of dawn »    The first moment of daylight; sunrise.

crack up »    To laugh heartily.

crack up »    To cause to laugh heartily.

cradle robber »    A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.

cramp someone's style »    To restrict someone's free actions, or to give the impression of such.

crane fly »    daddy longlegs

crank out »    To produce in large volumes mechanically or as if by machine.

crank up »    To increase, as the volume, power or energy of something.

crash and burn »    To fail utterly.

crash course »    A quick, intense course of learning, especially one which is informal or hurried.

crashpad »    Any place used for temporary lodging.

crashpad »    In the aviation industry, used for a place of temporary lodging for airline flight crews.

cream in one's jeans »    To experience an orgasm while clothed; to be thoroughly excited or delighted.

creature comfort »    Any small item or detail that makes a person comfortable and at home.

creature feature »    A horror film in which one or more monsters plays a prominent role.

creep into »    To enter something or somewhere by creeping.

creep into »    To enter surreptitiously.

crème de la crème »    Best of the best; something that's superlative. The very best.

crocodile tear »    A tear shed insincerely, in a false display of sorrow or some other emotion.

crocodile tears »    A display of tears that is forced or false.

crop up »    To occur, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.

cross my heart »    A declaration that the speaker is telling the truth.

cross paths »    To be, by chance, in the same physical place at the same time, as a result of two completely separate journeys.

cross someone's palm »    To give money to a person, especially as a bribe or as an inducement to perform a service.

cross someone's path »    To meet by chance.

cross that bridge when one comes to it »    To deal with a problem or situation only when it arises.

cross the aisle »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

cross the aisle »    To vote, unite, or otherwise co-operate with members of another political party in order to achieve governmental or political action.

cross the floor »    Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.

cross the floor »    To vote against one's own political party in parliament.

cross the line »    To overstep a boundary, rule, or limit; to go too far or do something unacceptable.

crown jewels »    A part of a company sought by another in a hostile takeover.

crown jewels »    The jewelry that accompany the office of rulership in a monarchy. I.e., crown, scepter, signet ring, etc.

cruising for a bruising »    Following a course of action likely to result in injury or other trouble for oneself.

crush out »    To force out or separate by pressure.

cry all the way to the bank »    To be happy due to the receipt of money, although expressing sorrow about the cause of such receipt.

cry for help »    Acting out as a means of displaying a subconscious desire for attention or help.

cry for help »    In her second year at the school Alexis stopped doing her homework and would often scribble on walls. Her teachers wondered whether this was a cry for help, or if she was simply misbehaving.

cry off »    To cancel something that one has previously arranged with someone.

cry one's eyes out »    To moan.

cry one's eyes out »    To weep for an elongated time, or in an excessive manner.

cry out »    To shout in a loud voice, due to pain, or fear, or unhappiness.

cry out against »    To complain strongly, usually as a group.

cry out for »    To say that a situation needs a thing, or a solution urgently.

cry someone a river »    To try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling.

cry someone a river »    To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.

cry the blues »    To complain, especially in order to obtain sympathy for one's own purportedly sad situation.

cry the blues »    To sing in the style of blues music.

cry wolf »    To raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.

crying shame »    A situation that is considered to be a disgrace, or deplorable.

crying shame »    It's a crying shame that so much money has been wasted on this pointless political campaign.

crystal clear »    Completely clear and understood.

crystal-clear »    Completely clear and understood.

curiosity killed the cat »    One should not be curious about things that can be dangerous.

curry favor »    To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.

curveball »    A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".

curveball »    An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance.

cut a rug »    To dance, especially in a vigorous manner and in one of the dance styles of the first half of the twentieth century.

cut a wide swath »    To behave in an expansive, flagrantly showy, or pushy manner, especially in public venues; to exert sweeping influence.

cut a wide swath »    To clear a broad track through a grassland, woodland, geographical region, or other area, either by natural means or by human action.

cut corners »    To do a less than thorough or complete job; to do something poorly or take short cuts.

cut down »    To bring down by cutting.

cut in »    Especially, to dance with someone who is already dancing by replacing his or her partner.

cut of one's jib »    Someone’s general appearance or the implications thereof, especially in relation to making an impression or one’s style..

cut off »    To end abruptly.

cut off one's nose to spite one's face »    To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

cut one's coat according to one's cloth »    Live according to your means.

cut one's teeth »    To begin; to gain early experience.

cut out »    Well suited; appropriate; fit for a particular activity or purpose.

cut red tape »    To reduce bureaucracy.

cut short »    Make shorter by cutting.

cut somebody some slack »    To be patient or lenient with somebody; to relax standards or expectations.

cut to the chase »    To get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.

cut up »    To aggressively move in front of another vehicle.

cut up »    distress greatly

daily grind »    The difficult, routine, or monotonous tasks of daily work.

damn by association »    Discredit or condemn a position, person, or thing by attacking those things with which he/she/it is associated.

damn with faint praise »    To provide praise that is so minimal or inconsequential as to actually amount to criticism.

damp squib »    Anything that doesn’t work properly, or fails to come up to expectations..

dark horse »    A candidate who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.

darken somebody's doorstep »    To enter somebody else's home uninvited.

darn tootin' »    Absolute, utter, complete, very.

darn tootin' »    Absolutely correct; speaking the truth.

dash off »    To leave a place quickly or briefly.

dash off »    To write quickly or informally.

date with destiny »    An inevitable future event or encounter, especially one which is likely to be momentous.

dawn of a new day »    A new beginning; a fresh start; an important, promising turning point.

dawn on »    To occur to somebody; to be realized.

day and age »    A time period of years or more.

day and night »    All the time; round the clock; unceasingly.

day in, day out »    Every day; daily; constantly or continuously; especially, of something that has become routine or monotonous.

day nursery »    creche

day one »    The very beginning.

day out »    An excursion, returning home on the same day.

daylight robbery »    An exorbitant charge for a product or service.

days »    Life.

days »    Plural form of day.

dead »     : So hated by that they are absolutely ignored.

dead »    Completely inactive; without power; without a signal.

dead »    Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.

dead »    Not in play.

dead »    Stationary; static.

dead as a dodo »    Undoubtedly and unquestionably dead.

dead as a doorknob »    Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

dead as a doornail »    Unquestionably dead. Used for both inanimate objects and once living beings.

dead end »    A path or strategy that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.

dead giveaway »    Obvious, easily apparent.

dead in the water »    Nearly dead, doomed.

dead last »    The standings, often by a considerable margin to the next-to-last-place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.

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.

dead on »    Exactly at.

dead ringer »    Someone or something that very closely resembles another; someone or something easily mistaken for another.

dead set against »    Completely opposed, with no possibility of a change of mind.

dead to rights »    With sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.

deadbeat dad »    A man, especially one who is divorced or estranged from his partner, who fails to provide monetary child support when he is legally required to do so.

deadstick landing »    When a pilot lands a plane after the engine has died; a landing lacking any propulsion control.

deadweight »    A useless, usually encumbering factor.

deadweight »    The largest weight of cargo a ship is able to carry; i.e, the weight of a ship when fully loaded minus its weight when empty.

deafening silence »    A silence, or a lack of any response, that signifies disapproval or lack of any enthusiasm.

death by spellcheck »    The problems caused by spellcheckers being incapable of correcting most homophone confusions.

deathblow »    A strike or blow that leads to death, especially a coup de grace.

debris field »    Any area, non-dependent of locale, space, or contour, that contains the debris of wreckage, impact, sinking, or other material that once constituted a complete object. Debris fields can be found at the site of air crashes, water vessel sinking, explosions of buildings, collapses, and other events that render a whole entity into components, pieces, or other non-whole items.

deep down »    Fundamentally; in essence; in reality; really.

deep end »    The part of a swimming pool with relatively deep water.

deep pockets »    An ample supply of money, especially money which one is willing to spend; the possessor of such money.

deep six »    To discard, cancel, halt; to completely put an end to something.

deep water »    Waters suitable for deep-draft ships, especially ocean-going.

deer in the headlights »    A mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety fear, panic, surpriseand/or confusion, or substance abuse. The behavioral signs are like a deer subjected to a car's headlights, such as widely opened eyes and a lack of motor reactions.

deliver the message to Garcia »    Alternative form of carry the message to Garcia.

deliver the message to Garcia »    Programmers are consistently dehumanized because so many do indeed deliver the message to Garcia only to be at best ignored.

deliver the message to Garcia »    What we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.

den of iniquity »    A place of immoral behavior, usually of a sexual type.

desk jockey »    One who spends his or her time seated at a desk; especially one who is more concerned with procedure, paperwork, or administration than with its ultimate goal or practical consequence.

desperate times call for desperate measures »    In adverse circumstances actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice.

devil is in the details »    The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.

devil's advocate »    A canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate.

devil's advocate »    One who debates from a view which they may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity, or simply for the sake of argument.

diamond in the rough »    A person whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.

diamonds are a girl's best friend »    A statement that suggests, while love is a luxury, material wealth (particularly jewellery) is more valuable in the long run.

dicky-bird »    A insignificant sound or thing.

dicky-bird »    Endearing term for a small bird, often used when talking with young children.

dictated but not read »    Dictated, as to a secretary or stenographer, but not proofread by the person who dictated the text so annotated.

die »    Followed by for. Often expressing wider contextual motivations, though sometimes indicating direct causes.

die »    Followed by from. General use, though somewhat more common in medical or scientific contexts.

die »    Followed by of. General use.

die »    Followed by with. Now rare as indicating direct cause.

different as chalk and cheese »    Two things which are superficially alike but very different in substance.

dig deep »    Try especially hard.

dig up »    To discover something by digging; to unearth.

dig up dirt »    To examine in order to find negative information for public opinion, usually with the purpose of embarrassing or discrediting a person.

dimber damber upright man »    The chief of a gang of thieves or gypsies.

dime a dozen »    So common as to be practically worthless.

diplomatic flu »    An illness feigned by one or more government officials or other public figures as an excuse for an absence really based on political reasons.

dirty laundry »    A clothes hamper or other container used to place unclean or soiled laundry.

dirty laundry »    Laundry that is unclean or soiled.

dirty laundry »    Unflattering facts or questionable activities that one wants to remain secret, but which some other may use to blackmail with.

dirty money »    Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized. Especially money gained through forgery, bribery, or thievery.

dirty old man »    An adult male - usually middle-aged or elderly - who acts in a lecherous or lewd manner.

dirty word »    A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.

dirty word »    The name of a topic that a person does not like to hear or discuss.

disc jockey »    radio presenter

discretion is the better part of valour »    It is often wise to refrain from seemingly brave speech or action.1597

dish out »    On to a dish ready for eating.

dishpan hands »    Hands which are rough, reddish, and dry, as from irritation and chafing caused by immersion in hot water mixed with detergent.

dismal science »    Nickname for economics or for the field of political economy.

dive in »    To start a new endeavor enthusiastically and wholeheartedly.

divide and conquer »    A combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.(computing) Applied to various algorithms, such as quicksort, that solve a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial.(as imperative, proverb) In order to rule securely, don't allow alliances of your enemies.

divvy up »    To divide or parcel out.

do a »    To emulate the behavior/behaviour that is generally attributed to the individual named.

do a number on »    To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects.

do a slow burn »    To experience a gradually increasing feeling of anger or frustration.

do as I say and not as I do »    Don't imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.

do away with »    To destroy, eliminate, or make an end of.

do drugs »    To abuse an illegal drug or drugs, especially as a result of chemical addiction.

do justice »    To really allow to be apprehended in its full scope.

do one »    To depart from a place, often with a sense of urgency.

do one's damnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

do one's darnedest »    To do one's utmost; to make every effort or to try every possible approach or way.

do one's thing »    To do what one habitually does.

do something with mirrors »    To insinuate one has performed a magic or optical trick with the use of hidden mirrors, insinuating trickery and sham.

do something with mirrors »    To jokingly pretend that one did something using magic mirrors, that one is a magician; a joking explanation of the fantastic or the unexplained.

Do the best and live the rest »    First do your work with your 100% dont think about the result

do the hard yards »    To perform a difficult task or tasks.

do the honors »    Perform a duty.

do the honours »    Perform a duty.

do the math »    You can do the calculation yourself, with the implication that you don't have to trust someone else's assertions.

do the nasty »    To engage in sexual intercourse.

dodge a bullet »    To have a narrow escape; to avoid injury or disaster.

does a bear shit in the woods »    Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.

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.

dog and pony show »    Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate.

dog and pony show »    Originally, a small, traveling circus featuring animals as entertainment.

dog around »    To follow diligently.

dog my cats »    Used as a mild oath, or as an expression of astonishment.

dog's breakfast »    An unappealing mixture; a disorderly situation; a mess.

dog's life »    A life of indolence where the individual may do as he or she pleases, just like a pampered dog.

dog's life »    A miserable, unhappy existence.

dogs »    With the, a greyhound racing event.

don't be penny wise and pound foolish »    Don't be careful when it comes to spending small amounts of money, but careless when spending much larger amounts.Don't focus on minutiae and lose sight of the big picture; don't obsess over tiny inconsequential efficiencies while glaring inefficiencies are going on elsewhere.

don't count your chickens before they're hatched »    You should not count on something before it happens.

don't cry over spilled milk »    Alternative spelling of don't cry over spilt milk.

don't cry over spilt milk »    It is no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed.

don't dip your pen in company ink »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly »    Driving (a vehicle) very fast is a dangerous act.

don't drop the soap »    (idiomatic) Used as a mockery to someone who is about to be or should be confined in prison.

don't get me started »    About the subject currently being discussed.

don't give up your day job »    Implying that they could not earn a living from it without other regular employment.

don't hold your breath »    "Don't wait." Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned to is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

don't look a gift horse in the mouth »    Do not unappreciatively question a gift or handout too closely.

don't put all your eggs in one basket »    Don't dedicate all your resources into one thing.

don't shit where you eat »    (idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation in which one regularly finds oneself.1998 April 14, Nelson Navarro, "Ever faithful, ever true," Manila Standard (Philippines) (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):The guiding principle is Don't shit where you eat. Office romances are always destructive of morale and objectivity.2003 Oct. 8, Jonathan Valania, "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Pussy," Philadelphia Weekly (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Limbaugh was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the NAB convention in, of all places, Philadelphia, thus violating the cardinal law of the animal kingdom: Don't shit where you eat.2006 Sept. 19, Michael Musto, "NY Mirror," Village Voice (retrieved 12 Aug. 2011):Mitchell refused to indulge in on-set romances with either gender. "You don't shit where you eat," he told me, plainly.

don't take any wooden nickels »    Do not permit yourself be cheated or duped; do not be naive.

don't try to teach grandma how to suck eggs »    Don't presume to give advice to those who are more experienced.

done deal »    An agreement that has been finally resolved or decided.

donkey jacket »    thick garment

donkey work »    Hard, boring, routine work.

donkey's ears »    A long time.

donkey's years »    A long time.

dot the i's and cross the t's »    To take care of every detail, even minor ones; To be meticulous or thorough.

double back »    To retrace one's steps; to go back where one has already gone.

double cream »    dairy product

double Dutch »    A date where both man and woman pay for their portion of the bill.

double Dutch »    A game of jump rope with two ropes and frequently two jumpers.

double entendre »    A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo..

double talk »    Lying, especially in a formal political statement.

double up »    To double the quantity, amount or duration of something.

double up »    To have a secondary use.

double up »    After a fly ball has been caught.

double-edged sword »    A benefit that is also a liability, or that carries some significant but non-obvious cost or risk.

double-tongued »    Saying one thing to one person and something different to another; double talking; deceitful in speech.

down and out »    In trouble; in a bad time or situation or having very bad luck.

down for the count »    Decisively beaten; rendered irrelevant for the long term.

down in the mouth »    Sad or discouraged, especially as indicated by one's facial appearance.

down on one's luck »    Unlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.

down pat »    Thoroughly practiced, rehearsed, or understood.

down the road, not across the street »    Along the radial artery rather than across the wrist from side to side.

down to a fine art »    Having or showing exceptional proficiency.

down to the short strokes »    In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.

down to the wire »    At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

doze off »    To fall asleep unintentionally.

drag »    To act or proceed slowly or without enthusiasm; to be reluctant.

drag »    To move slowly.

drag »    To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.

drag one's feet »    To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.

drag out »    To extend or lengthen excessively.

drag out »    To haul or bring out forcefully or as though with force.

drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators »    (idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.

drama queen »    Any exaggeratedly dramatic person.

drama queen »    Who behaves and speaks in an overly dramatic manner so as to garner attention.

draw on »    To sketch or mark with pencil, crayon, etc., on a given surface.

draw on »    To appeal to, make a demand of, rely on; to utilize or make use of, as a source.

draw on »    To advance, continue; to move or pass slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force.

draw out »    To make something last for more time than is necessary; prolong; extend.

draw out »    To physically extract, as blood from a vein.

draw out »    To improve a losing hand to a winning hand by receiving additional cards.

draw stumps »    To cease doing something, at least for the day.

draw stumps »    To declare an end to the days play, and remove the bails and sometimes the stumps.

draw the line »    To set a boundary, rule, or limit, especially on what one will tolerate.

dress up »    To wear fancy dress or a costume.

dress up »    To decorate; to prettify.

dressed to the nines »    Very fancily or formally dressed; wearing very showy or splendid clothing.

dressing-down »    A reprimand or rarely, a thrashing.

drill down »    To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.

drink from a firehose »    To take a small amount from an enormous, hard-to-manage quantity.

drink off »    To drink the entirety of in a short period; originally and especially, in a single gulp.

drip »    To have a superabundance of valuable things. Usually followed by "with".

drip »    To leak slowly.

drip »    To put a small amount of a liquid on something, drop by drop.

drive away »    To depart by driving a vehicle.

drive away »    To force someone or something to leave.

drive off »    To force to leave or go away.

drive one up the wall »    To make a person very angry or bored; to infuriate.

drive the porcelain bus »    To vomit, especially while drunk or hung over.

drive-by media »    Media professionals who "spray" a bunch of repetitive misstatements, mistaken and misinterpreted news reports to cause excitement and confusion. They then figuratively "drive off" leaving the cleanup of their mess and hysteria to others, to correct and properly explain and interpret.

drop a bomb »    To announce surprising or alarming information suddenly and without warning.

drop a dime »    To make a phone call, usually means calling the police to report another's activities.

drop back »    Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.

drop in »    . Often hyphenated drop-in.

drop somebody a line »    To write, call or visit somebody.

drop the ball »    To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.

drown out »    To cover, obscure, or hide by being louder than.

druthers »    Wishes, preferences, or ways.

dry eye »    An eye which is not crying, i.e. someone emotionally unmoved.

dry eye »    Keratoconjunctivitis sicca , an eye disease caused by decreased tear production.

dry one's eyes »    To cease crying.

dry out »    To have excess water evaporate or be otherwise removed.

dry out »    To sober up; to cease to be drunk.

dry rot »    timber decay

dry run »    A practice; a rehearsal.

duck soup »    Easy, or a piece of cake.

due course »    A. 1399, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.

due course »    A. 1803, Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey.

duke it out »    To argue heavily or at length.

duke it out »    To fight, especially with the fists.

duly noted »    In a due, fit, or becoming manner; as it ought to be; properly.

dumb bunny »    A stupid person.

dumb down »    To become simpler in expression or content; to become unacceptably simplistic.

dumb down »    To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending.

dummy out »    From a video game in the process of localizing that game from a foreign country.

dummy run »    A trial or practice before the real attempt.

dummy up »    To make a mock-up or prototype version of something, without some or all off its intended functionality.

dummy up »    To not answer questions.

dusty miller »    A formulaic phrase for a miller, related to the dust generated in the milling process.

dusty miller »    One of several species of plants with leaves of a dusty appearance: Centaurea cineraria, Senecio cineraria, and Lychnis coronaria.

dye in the wool »    To dye woolen fibers before they are spun into thread.

dyed in the wool »    Simple past tense and past participle of dye in the wool.

dyed-in-the-wool »    Dyed before being formed into cloth.

dyed-in-the-wool »    Firmly established in a person's beliefs or habits; deeply ingrained in the nature of a person or thing.

e pluribus unum »    A national motto of the United States of America, meaning "From many, one", or "out of many, one", referring to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one country, and that has taken an additional meaning, giving the pluralistic nature of American society from immigration.

each to his own »    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion or tastes.My housemate is a strict vegan. I personally could never not eat meat, but each to his own.

eager beaver »    Who is very excited or enthusiastic to begin a task.

ear splitting »    very loud

ear tunnel »    A piece of jewelry that fits into a stretched earlobe hole and makes it seem like a peephole and makes it see-through.

early bath »    Being shown a red card in soccer.

early bird catches the worm »    Alternative form of early bird gets the worm.

early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise »    platitude from Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym Poor Richard.

earn one's keep »    To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.

east sussex »    english county

easy as falling off a log »    Very easy.

easy as pie »    Very easy.

easy come, easy go »    Easily won and easily lost; usually said when resigned to a loss.

easy does it »    Relax; do something gently, lightly or carefully; slow down; calm down.

easy on the eyes »    Attractive; beautiful.

easy street »    A carefree situation or lifestyle, especially as resulting from possession of wealth.

eat crow »    To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting that one has made a humiliating error.

eat humble pie »    To admit one's faults; to make a humiliating apology.

eat one's heart out »    To feel overwhelming sorrow, jealousy or longing, to grieve.

eat one's own dog food »    To use or consume the economic goods or services that oneself is producing; to be part of a closed household economy.

eat one's young »    To betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation; savaging.

eat out of somebody's hand »    To behave in a docile, submissive way towards somebody.

eat pussy »    To perform cunnilingus.

eat someone out of house and home »    C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act II Scene I.

eat up »    To accept or believe entirely, immediately, and without questioning.

eat up »    To consume completely.

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.

edge out »    To win in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.

egg on »    To encourage or coax a person to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.

egg somebody on »    To tease, provoke or encourage.

elbow grease »    Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.

elbow room »    Freedom or leeway.

elephant in the room »    A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.

eleventh hour »    Nearly too late; the last minute.

emperor's new clothes »    Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.

empty promise »    A promise that is either not going to be carried out, worthless or meaningless.

empty vessels make the most sound »    noisy, opinionated people are often stupid.

end of »    A short form of end of story.

end of the line »    Final cessation or discontinuance of a process, institution, or person, especially one which has existed for a considerable period of time; death.

end of the line »    The termination point of a railway or similar transportation system.

end of the world »    Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.

end of the world »    End of habitability for life on Earth.

end of the world »    End of humanity.

end up »    To conclude, turn out, sometimes unexpectedly.

end up »    To arrive at a destination, sometimes unexpectedly.

end up »    To eventually do.

engine room »    A compartment on a ship in which the engine machinery is located.

err on the side of caution »    To act in the least risky manner in a situation where one is uncertain about the consequences.

esprit de corps »    A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group, for example of a military unit.

estate agent »    property seller

esthetically challenged »    Of a person, ugly.

eureka moment »    The moment of a sudden unexpected discovery.

even keel »    Of a business or other activity which is under control and running smoothly.

even money »    A bet which offers odds of 1 to 1.

even money »    By extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.

every cloud has a silver lining »    In every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,

every day is a school day »    You learn something new every day.

every dog has its day »    Everyone has a time of success and satisfaction.

every Jack has his Jill »    everybody will find someone to have a romantic relationship with at some point in their life

every king needs a queen »    Every man needs a woman to be with for the rest of his life.

every last »    Every; without exception; used for emphasis.

every little helps »    Even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal.

every man has a price »    Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.

every man Jack »    All the members of a group with no exceptions.

every nook and cranny »    Everywhere.

Every rose has it's thorns »    everything, even if it seems perfect, has faults

every rule has an exception »    Alternative form of there is an exception to every rule.

every silver lining has a cloud »    Every good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.

every time »    At each occasion that.

every time »    Used to express a strong preference for something.

every which way »    All over; in every direction.

every which way »    In all sorts of ways or manners.

every which where »    A more emphatic version of everywhere.

everybody and his cousin »    Everybody; a huge crowd; too many people.

everybody and their brother »    A large number of people; most people.

everyone and their brother »    A large number of people; most people.

everything and the kitchen sink »    Alternative form of everything but the kitchen sink.

everything but the kitchen sink »    Almost everything, whether needed or not.

everything happens for a reason »    All events are purposeful.Everything happens for a reason, so there is no such thing as failure. Mary-Kate OlsenPeople like to say "everything happens for a reason." If you repeat that in your head long enough that starts to sound like "anything can happen with a razor." Laura KightlingerI believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it's important to seek out that reason - that's how we learn. Drew Barrymore

evil twin »    A duplicate or counterpart of something or someone that acts in a contrary, nefarious, or insidious manner.

execution style »    Resembling an execution; with the victim aware, but unable to defend himself or resist.

eye candy »    A very attractive person or persons, or the salient visible physical attributes of same.

eye candy »    Any object or sight with considerable visual appeal.

eye for an eye »    Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.

eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth »    Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.

eye of the beholder »    The evaluation depending on perception of person who sees and considers.

eye up »    To examine closely something coveted.

f** all »    Nothing at all or very little.

f** knows »    I don't know; nobody knows; it is unclear.

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.

f** this »    The phrase emphatically diminishes the activity or event referred to and expresses that the speaker will have no more to do with it.

f** with »    To mess with; to interact with in a careless or inappropriate way.

face off »    The starting point, in a match of ice hockey. Two players face each other, for snatching the puck.

face off »    Either an actual or a figurative face to face confrontation, especially a bitter one.

face that would stop a clock »    A shockingly attractive face.

face that would stop a clock »    A shockingly unattractive face.

face to face »    In person; directly; in the physical presence of somebody.

face up to »    To confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.

faceplant »    Death or defeat in popular multiplayer online games.

factor space »    A space obtained from another by identification of points that are equivalent to one another in some equivalence relation.

factotum »    A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.

facts on the ground »    A euphemism, similar to fait accompli, used as an oblique way of saying that discussions over the possession of a given piece of territory has been rendered moot by the presence of military forces.

fade out »    A type of transition used in movies usually at the end of a scene, in which the transition fades to black from the cut.

fade out »    decrease gradually

fail over »    To automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.

fair and square »    Totally fairly and undoubtedly.

fair game »    Actions permissible by the rules.

fair game »    An goal or object that may legitimately be sought.

fair sex »    Women collectively.

fair to middling »    Only tolerably good.

fair weather friend »    Only when it is advantageous or easy.

faith will move mountains »    Belief in oneself (read sometimes as belief in God) can help one overcome any hurdle in life's path.

fall apart »    To be emotionally in crisis.

fall away »    To cease to support a person or cause.

fall behind »    To be progressively below average in performance.

fall between two stools »    To attempt two tasks and fail at both, when either one could have been accomplished singly.

fall by the wayside »    To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out.

fall for »    To fall in love with somebody.

fall for »    be deceived by

fall in line »    C. 2004, Career Soldiers, "Won't Waste My Life".

fall in line »    To submit to the rules of a higher authority; obey; conform.

fall in with »    To accept a set of generally agreed rules, or a suggestion.

fall into »    To go into something by falling.

fall off »    A hip hop term; to completely lose the plot in terms of artistic direction.

fall off a truck »    Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally.

fall off the back of a lorry »    Of an item of merchandise, to come into a perons's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.

fall on one's face »    To fail, especially in a dramatic or particularly decisive manner.

fall on one's sword »    To commit suicide by allowing one’s body to drop onto the point of one’s sword..

fall on one's sword »    To resign from a job or other position of responsibility, especially when pressured to do so.

fall on one's sword »    To voluntarily take the blame for a situation.

fall out »    To come out of something by falling.

fall short »    To be less satisfactory than expected; to be inadequate or insufficient.

fall through the cracks »    To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

familiarity breeds contempt »    The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.

family jewels »    Testicles.

fancypants »    Alternative spelling of fancy pants. The condition of being overly showy; concerned more about one's reputation than anything else.

far and away »    By a large degree or margin; greatly.

far and wide »    Over a great distance, or large area; nearly everywhere.

far be it »    Pewtey in Marriage Guidance Counselor from And Now For Something Completely Different.

far cry »    Something very dissimilar or different.

fare thee well »    Goodbye, farewell.

farmer's tan »    The tan line left by clothing, especially, by a short-sleeved shirt.

fashion plate »    A person who dresses in especially stylish fashions.

fashion plate »    A picture, usually an advertisement, showing the latest fashion in clothing.

fat lip »    A swelling on the lip, especially one resulting from a punch or other blow.

fat of the land »    The greatest part of anything; the finest and most abundant share of resources; the cream of the crop.

fear »    A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone.

fear »    A strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.

fear »    Extreme veneration or awe, as toward a supreme being or deity.

feast for the eyes »    Visually pleasing sight.

feast or famine »    A situation in which something is always either extremely abundant or in extremely short supply.

feather in one's cap »    An accomplishment; particularly one that is flaunted or boasted of.

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.

fed up »    Frustrated, annoyed, tired .

federal case »    Any over-exaggerated ordeal.

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.

feed into »    To be a tributary of another river or waterway.

feed the dragon »    To buy or sell products labeled as "Made in China.".

feel for »    To express sympathy for, to sympathise with.

feel free »    Don't be ashamed, be my guest.

feel one's oats »    To feel energetic or frisky; to behave in a vigorous or bold manner.

feet of clay »    To say that someone, who appears strong or invincible, in fact has a hidden weak point which could cause their fall.

fencepost problem »    In computer programming, a problem dealing with how to treat the initial or boundary values of a discrete problem.

fend away »    To turn something away; to ward off.

fend off »    Away; to turn away; to defend against; to repel with force or effort.

field day »    A day of class taken away from school for a field trip.

field day »    A great time or a great deal to do, at somebody else's expense.

field day »    A great time or a great deal to do.

field day »    A parade day.

field day »    A school day for athletic events; a sports day.

field day »    Top-to-bottom all-hands cleaning.

fifteen minutes of fame »    A very short time in the spotlight or brief flurry with fame, after which the person or subject involved is quickly forgotten.

fifth wheel »    A type of trailer hitch, which consists of a horseshoe-shaped plate on a multi-directional pivot, with a locking pin to couple with the kingpin of a truck trailer.

fifth wheel »    A very large trailer that is towed with a pickup truck.

fifth wheel »    A very large truck trailer; an 18-wheeler.

fifth wheel »    Anything superfluous or unnecessary.

fight a losing battle »    To try to do something so difficult that it will probably end in failure.

fight off »    To resist, particularly an infection or an emotion.

fight shy of »    To avoid something.

fight tooth and nail »    To use every means possible to overcome a difficult opposition.

file away »    To store in a file.

fill in »    To inform somebody, especially to supply someone missing or missed information.

fill in »    To substitute for somebody or something.

fill somebody's shoes »    To do somebody's job; to perform or assume somebody's role.

fill the bill »    To satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements.

filter down »    Of a liquid; to move slowly down to lower substrate levels.

filter down »    Of information, or resources; to move slowly down to lower levels of an organisation, or population.

final cut »    In the movie industry, the final released version of the film.

find out »    To discover, as by asking or exploring.

fine feathers make fine birds »    Something that appears beautiful or good is by definition beautiful or good.

fine print »    The details, restrictions, terms, or conditions, especially of a contract, often printed in very small type.

finish off »    To finish completely.

fire away »    To begin shooting at an enemy.

fire away »    To begin to talk or present information quickly.

fire escape »    emergency exit

fire off »    To ask an unexpected question rapidly.

fire off »    To write a note or letter quickly.

fire on all cylinders »    To operate as effectively as possible.

fire up »    To excite; to infuse with energy.

firm up »    To make muscles more toned through physical exercise.

first among equals »    A person or position that if formally equivalent to others in a group, but is superior in some attribute.

first among equals »    In the British and other parliamentary systems, a term used to describe the relationship of the prime minister to the other members of the cabinet.

first come, first served »    People will be dealt with in the order they arrive.

first of all »    Firstly; before anything else.

first port of call »    The first port that a vessel calls in at after the start of a voyage.

first rate »    Superb, exceptional; of the best sort; very high quality.

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

fish for compliments »    To try to induce someone to make a compliment.

fish or cut bait »    To choose between taking action now, or forgoing the opportunity and putting that energy into another endeavor; to decide.

fish out »    To deplete the supply of fish in a given body of water.

fish to fry »    A matter to attend to.

fishing expedition »    A non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.

fit as a fiddle »    Perfectly fit; in excellent health.

fit to be tied »    Very agitated or distressed; enraged.

fits and starts »    Activity which is intermittent, variable in intensity, and prolonged by interruptions.

five by five »    I hear you loud and clear

five will get you ten »    I strongly believe.

five-finger discount »    Theft or pilferage, typically of a small item; shoplifting.

fix someone's wagon »    To punish someone; to cause injury, distress, or inconvenience for someone.

flap one's gums »    To speak idly; to talk without effect.

flash in the pan »    A career notable for early success not followed by significant accomplishment.

flat chat »    At maximum capability or speed.

flat chat »    Extremely busy.

flat out »    Bluntly, no holds barred.

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates an outlandish, discredited theory; a person who refuses to acknowledge the truth despite overwhelming evidence.

flat-earther »    A person who believes or advocates the theory that the earth is flat.

flat-footed »    Having the specific physical condition of flat feet.

flat-footed »    To firmly hold and maintain a decision; to stand one's ground.

flick the bean »    To masturbate by stimulating the clitoris.

flight of fancy »    An idea, narrative, suggestion, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.

flip one's lid »    To be explosively angry.

flipside »    A necessary consequence or corollary of something; especially one seen as opposite, or as pro versus con.

flower »    Typically including sepals, petals, stamens, and ovaries; often conspicuously colourful.

flower »    An inflorescence that resembles a flower, but actually contains many small florets, such as a sunflower.

flower »    The vulva, especially the labia majora.

flunk out »    Often requiring a retaking of the course or academic year.

flutter in the dovecote »    A disturbance, usually one caused within a prescribed group of people.

flutter in the dovecote »    I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote. — Israel Confronts Its Past.

fly in the face of »    To act in a manner highly contrary to; to counteract or contradict.

fly in the ointment »    Something which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.

fly off the handle »    To become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy.

fly on the wall »    A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.

fly the coop »    To depart hastily or unannounced; to escape or flee.

fly the coop »    To escape from a pen or similar enclosure.

fly the freak flag »    To behave in a unconventional or unrestrained manner; to exhibit the uninhibited side of one's personality.

fly-by-night »    A creatures which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler.

fly-by-night »    Businesses that appear and disappear rapidly, or that give an impression of transience.

fly-by-night »    One who departs or flees at night in order to avoid creditors, law enforcement etc. .

fly-by-night »    Traveling businessmen and tradesmen.

flying visit »    A very short visit.

fold one's tent »    To withdraw, especially in a discreet manner; to disengage; to quit.

fold up »    To make or become more compact by folding.

follow suit »    To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card.

follow through »    To finish; to complete, especially, of a commitment.

food chain »    A hierarchy.

food chain »    The feeding relationships between species in a biotic community.

fool's errand »    A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail.

fools rush in where angels fear to tread »    A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.

footloose and fancy free »    Able to do as one pleases, unconstrained by social ties or responsibilities.

for all intensive purposes »    For all highly demanding purposes.[1].

for all intents and purposes »    For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.

for all one is worth »    Intensely, vigorously, with as much effort as one can supply.

for all the world »    Entirely, to all appearances.

for crying out loud »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for good »    Forever; permanently.

for good and all »    Permanently, forever.

for goodness' sake »    This interjection expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

for heaven's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

for keeps »    Permanently.

for keeps »    To compete seriously, with a strong resolve to win or succeed, as in sports or business.

for my money »    Used to mark a statement made by the speaker as an opinion or something not known with certainty.

for Pete's sake »    Expresses frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

for the most part »    Mostly; in general; usually.

for the nonce »    For the time being, with the expectation that the situation may change.

for the record »    Already publicly known.

for the time being »    Temporarily; until later.

for XYZ reasons »    For reasons unknown and not worth speculating on.

force someone's hand »    Bring about a situation which necessitates an agent to act, often causing a plan to be executed prematurely.

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."

forked tongue »    The characteristic of deceptiveness; duplicity; untruthfulness.

fortune favors the bold »    Luck is usually on the side of those who take chances and risks.

forty winks »    Sleep, extra sleep, or a nap.

fountain of youth »    Anything reputed to have the power to restore health and vitality or to restore a youthful appearance.

four score and seven years ago »    87 years prior to today.

four score and seven years ago »    As an opener, a sometimes sarcastic indicator to indicate a past event being mentioned is particularly important.

four-eyes »    A person who wears spectacles.

four-on-the-floor »    Characterised by a steady, uniformly accented beat with a 4/4 time signature.

fourth wall »    The boundary between the fiction and the audience.

fourth wall »    The imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play.

fox in the henhouse »    A relationships wherein a predator is granted free reign within the prey's home confinement, often used in the political sense.

freak flag »    Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.

free lunch »    Something obtained without any payment, obligation or effort.

free range »    not intensively farmed

free ride »    An opportunity or benefit which has no cost, especially one enjoyed or undertaken at the expense of others.

fresh legs »    Somebody who has yet to play in a match, and therefore has plenty of energy.

fresh off the boat »    Newly arrived from a foreign place, especially as an immigrant who is still unfamiliar with the customs and language of his or her new environment.

fresh out of »    Of someone who has recently left one stage of life to begin another.

frog in one's throat »    Any temporary physical difficulty in speaking.

from A to Z »    Covering a complete range; comprehensively.

from cover to cover »    All the way to the last page.

from here to Sunday »    Everywhere; all over the place.

from here to ya-ya »    A very long distance.

from my cold, dead hands »    A statement that something will not be taken away from you until the day you die.

from the bottom of one's heart »    In earnest; sincerely; with one's full feeling.

from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious »    So obvious it was unnecessary to say.

from the get-go »    From the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting.

from the word go »    From the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting.

from time to time »    Occasionally; sometimes; once in a while.

front and center »    A command to come to the center of attention of an assemblage, as of military personnel or students.

front runner »    The most likely winners in a contest, election, etc.

fruit of one's loins »    C. 1950, Kay Boyle, "Adam's Death" in Fifty Stories , ISBN 9780811212069, p. 541.

fruit of the union »    A child, especially from a marriage or similar union.

fry up »    Full English breakfast.

frying pan »    cooking utensil

full blast »    Maximum capacity or effort.

full of hot air »    Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.

full of it »    Speaking nonsense; lying, exaggerating, or boasting.

full of shit »    Characterized by speaking nonsense or falsehoods.

full speed ahead »    A command, especially on military vessels, to move forward at maximum speed.

full speed ahead »    Maximum effort without reservations or delay.

full tilt »    As quickly as possible; very rapidly.

full tilt boogie »    In an extremely focused manner.

full tilt boogie »    Intensely, fast paced.

full to the gills »    Completely or overly full.

full-fledged »    Having all its feathers; able to fly.

funny farm »    An insane asylum.

funny money »    A highly inflated currency.

funny money »    Bills of any foreign currency or of counterfeit origin.

funny money »    Money gained in a devious or sneaky manner.

funny money »    Play money.

funny stuff »    Irregular, often illegal, activities.

gallows humor »    Comedy that makes light of death or other very serious matters.

game face »    The expression of one who is prepared for or is facing a lot of difficult and/or undesirable work, especially when it is imminent.

game plan »    Any strategy devised to reach a given objective.

gandy dancer »    A railway laborer, especially a member of a crew which carries rails and affixes them to ties.

garbage in, garbage out »    (computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"

garden variety »    Ordinary, common, or unexceptional.

gear up »    To prepare for an activity.

get a grip »    To relax; to calm down; to stop being angry; to come to one's senses or become more rational.

get a jump on »    To start early, especially to start before something begins or before others begin.

get a kick out of »    To be delighted by; to be amused by.

get a load of »    To experience someone or something, especially by looking or listening.

get a move on »    To hurry up, to get moving.

get a rise out of »    To obtain a reaction from someone, especially one of annoyance.

get a room »    A jocular or sarcastic expression commanding a couple to stop displaying affection in public, and to rent a hotel or motel room to continue amorous activities in private.

get away »    escape

get away »    make an escape

get away with »    To do something which is prohibited, forbidden or generally not allowed, and not be punished for the action.

get away with murder »    To do something bad or illegal and not be punished.

get bent out of shape »    To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset.

get busy »    Have sex.

get busy »    Start working, usually in opposition to idleness.

get by »    To subsist; to succeed, survive, or manage, at least at a minimum level.

get by »    to pass

get by the balls »    To have complete control over someone, especially of a woman abusing a man's infatuation with her.

get carried away »    To become excessively involved, to take something too far.

get cracking »    To get started; to get busy.

get in »    To get into or inside something, literally or figuratively.

get in someone's hair »    To annoy someone.

get into one's stride »    To become familiar with something recently learnt.

get it »    To realize or understand why a joke is funny.

get it over with »    To do or finish, especially said of something unpleasant.

get moving »    To start hurrying to undertake a task.

get off »    To become sexually aroused.

get off »    To complete a shift or a day's work.

get off lightly »    End up with a mild punishment.

get off one's high horse »    To stop acting in an imperious, overbearing or bossy manner.

get off with »    To befriend someone and snog them, especially in a public place.

get on somebody's case »    To lecture, berate, or complain to somebody, especially to find fault or criticize.

get on somebody's nerves »    To annoy or irritate; to bother.

get on someone's wick »    To annoy or upset someone, usually by repeated disagreeable actions.

get one's back up »    To become angry, defensive, or irritable.

get one's butt somewhere »    Go somewhere, especially quickly.

get one's end away »    To have sex.

get one's feet wet »    To begin gaining experience; To take a risk and try something new.

get one's foot in the door »    To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.

get one's knickers in a twist »    To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.

get one's marching orders »    To be dismissed disgracefully.

get out of bed on the wrong side »    To start the day in a bad mood for no apparent reason.

get ready »    prepare oneself

get somebody's goat »    To annoy, infuriate, bother, or incense.

get someone's back up »    To annoy a person either deliberately or inadvertently.

get someone's nose out of joint »    To become angry; to take offense or take exception.

get someone's nose out of joint »    To make someone angry.

get something over with »    To do something quickly and hastily; without procrastination, especially so as to have something unpleasant behind oneself.

get something straight »    To understand; to clarify.

get stuck into »    Get busy with; become occupied with; become immersed in.

get taken in »    To be unofficially fostered.

get the bacon bad »    To be morbidly obese.

get the better of »    To overwhelm or overcome; to influence heavily; to tend to control or persuade.

get the boot »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the boot »    To be voted off a competition in a reality television show.

get the chop »    To be dismissed from employment.

get the chop »    To be eliminated from a competition in a reality television program.

gift of the gab »    The ability to talk readily, glibly, and convincingly.

gild the lily »    To embellish or improve something unnecessarily; to add superfluous attributes to something.

give a man a fish »    Shortened form of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime »    It is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something, than to do something for them.

give as good as one gets »    To behave toward others in a manner resembling or commensurate with their behavior towards oneself, especially in a situation where one is insulted or otherwise ill-treated.

give away the store »    To transact, trade, or negotiate badly, by paying, providing, or conceding too much to the other party.

give birth »    To produce new life into the world; to have a baby. Transitive when used with to.

give curry »    Angrily.

give ear »    To listen: to devote one's attention to an auditory event.

give face »    To honor; to pay respect.

give heed »    Pay attention to.

give him enough rope and he'll hang himself »    If one gives someone enough freedom of action, they may destroy themselves by foolish actions.

give hostage to fortune »    He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.

give hostage to fortune »    To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later.

give in »    To relent or yield.

give it a go »    To try or attempt.

give it a whirl »    To try, test or attempt.

give it one's best shot »    To make one's best effort or attempt; to try as hard as possible.

give me liberty or give me death »    A set-phrase indicating enormous displeasure at any over-authoritarian policy or law.

give notice »    To announce one's intent to leave a job; to inform an employer that one is leaving.

give of oneself »    To devote oneself unselfishly to a task, especially to give time and energy.

give or take »    Approximately; plus or minus some unknown amount.

give over »    To devote oneself to a particular activity.

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.

give some skin »    To greet or congratulate someone by slapping his or her palm; see slap me five.

give somebody a hand »    To help, aid, or assist.

give somebody a hard time »    To tease, kid, or rib.

give somebody a piece of one's mind »    To express one's opinion strongly; to voice one's disagreement or dissatisfaction.

give somebody an earful »    To shout very loudly at someone.

give somebody pause »    To give somebody cause for concern.

give somebody the brush-off »    To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

give somebody the cold shoulder »    To snub, resist or reject somebody; to regard somebody distantly.

give somebody the creeps »    To give someone a feeling of uneasiness or mild fright.

give somebody the heave-ho »    To fire, expel or break up with someone.

give somebody the runaround »    Especially by providing useless information or directions .

give somebody the slip »    To evade, escape, or get away from somebody.

give somebody what-for »    To admonish or berate; to speak angrily at somebody.

give someone the chair »    To execute a person by means of the electric chair.

give someone the eye »    To show flirtatious signs with the eye.

give the elbow »    To terminate the employment of.

give the time of day »    To acknowledge somebody; to give somebody any respect or attention.

glimmer »    A faint or remote possibility.

go against the grain »    To defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.

go all the way »    To continue to the conclusion of a task or project.

go all the way »    To have sexual intercourse.

go along for the ride »    To accompany someone passively, or to take a passive role in a project.

go along with »    To comply with something, even if reluctantly; to accept or tolerate.

go apeshit »    To behave in an extreme manner; to act without restraint, especially by becoming explosively angry.

go away »    Command asking someone to leave them alone.

go away »    Go away, stop annoying me!.

go back on »    To be treacherous or faithless to; betray; as, to go back on friends.

go back to the drawing board »    To start again; to scrap a previous idea or plan and try again from the beginning.

go bad »    putrefy

go ballistic »    To become very angry and irrational.

go batshit »    To become completely irrational; to react in an irrationally extreme manner.

go belly-up »    To die.

go belly-up »    To fail or fold; especially, to close or shut down a business; to go out of business.

go between »    an intermediary

go blue »    Of states and counties, to be carried by a Democratic candidate in a given U.S. election.

go by »    To pass, to go past, without much interaction.

go by the board »    To be superseded, rejected, or obliterated; to pass by with little consequence; to amount to nothing.

go by the board »    To estimate the velocity of a boat or ship in knots by casting overboard the knotted line to whose end is attached the lead and thereafter counting the knots in the line as it goes aft along the side boards of the vessel.

go by the board »    To fall or to go overboard; to be cast over the side of a ship.

go by the wayside »    To become obsolete or outmoded.

go down that road »    To settle a way of doing something; do decide to do something in a particular way.

go down the pan »    To fail or degenerate rapidly.

go down the road »    A way of doing something; to do something in a particular way.

go down the tubes »    To fail or degenerate rapidly.

go down the wrong way »    To swallow food or drink so that it goes down the wrong tube in one's throat and makes one cough or for a short period lose one's breath or choke.

go Dutch »    To pay for one's own food and bills, or split the cost, when eating at a restaurant or going out for entertainment.

go dutch »    share expenses equally

go figure »    Expresses perplexity, confusion, surprise, or puzzlement.

go for »    To be equally valid or appropriate.

go for »    To do something, especially for leisure.

go for »    To try for something.

go for broke »    To try everything possible or do last thing possible in a final attempt.

go for broke »    To wager everything.

go for it »    A cry of encouragement.

go from zero to hero »    To become very popular after being unpopular.

go from zero to hero »    To change from negative outcome to positive outcome. To improve one's fortunes significantly.

go in off »    To pot the cue ball accidentally after hitting the object ball.

go in one ear and out the other »    Failed to pay attention.

go it alone »    To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups.

go jump in the lake »    Used to tell a person that to go away, or that their request will not be met.

go large »    To enjoy oneself to the maximum.

go native »    Of a contractor or consultant, to begin working directly as an employee for a company and cease to work through a contracting firm or agency.

go native »    To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.

go off »    To explode metaphorically; to become very angry.

go off »    To putrefy or become inedible.

go off at score »    Of a horse, to break suddenly into a gallop; of a person, suddenly to say or do something impetuous.

go off the boil »    To become of diminished intensity or urgency.

go on »    To travel on; go by.

go on the rampage »    To behave violently or to riot.

go out »    To leave, especially a building.

go out of one's way »    To make an extra effort.

go out on the town »    To party all night long.

go out the window »    To vanish or cease, especially due to lack of care, attention, etc.; to be discarded, disregarded, or ignored.

go over »    To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.

go public »    Make public, announce publicly or to the press.

go red »    Of states or counties, to be carried by a Republican candidate in a given U.S. election.

go round in circles »    To repeatedly do the same thing; without making any progress.

go the extra mile »    To make an extra effort; to do a particularly good job.

go the way of »    To end up the same way as. To receive the same fate as.

go the way of the dinosaurs »    To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go off the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.

go the way of the dodo »    To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go out of the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.

go the whole hog »    To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

go through the mill »    To experience the suffering or discipline necessary to bring one to a certain degree of knowledge or skill, or to a certain mental state.

go to sleep »    An expression used to dismiss an extremely foolish statement, or to dismiss somebody that one does not feel like talking to.

go to someone's head »    To strongly affect a person, especially to the detriment of their senses or mental faculties.

go to town »    To proceed enthusiastically, vigorously, or expertly.

go to work »    To go to one's job, as by commuting.

go too far »    To exceed an unstated limit, especially a limit of acceptable behaviour.

go up in smoke »    To be completely ruined.

go west »    To die; to become destroyed.

go without saying »    To be obvious, apparent or clear, or already established.

God works in mysterious ways »    Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.Expressing that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways - maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...

going rate »    The current standard or usual price, rate, or salary for something.

gold mine »    A very profitable economic venture.

gold standard »    A monetary system where the value of circulating money is linked to the value of gold.

golden handcuffs »    Any arrangement or agreement designed to provide extremely favorable benefits or pay, so as to discourage participant from wanting to leave, especially to retain a choice employee.

golden handshake »    A generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.

golden hello »    A payment offered to an employee as an inducement to join, especially if currently working for a competitor.

golden opportunity »    Ideal moment to do something.

golden rule »    The principle that one should treat other people in the manner in which one would want to be treated by them.

golden syrup »    light treacle

golden ticket »    A philosophy that a quick fix can be achieved.

golf widow »    A woman who is deprived of her husband's time and attention due to his regular absence in order to play golf.

gongoozle »    To leisurely watch the passage of boats, from the bank of a canal, lock or bridge.

gongoozle »    To observe things idly.

good and »    Very; exceptionally; utterly.

good for you »    well done

good luck with that »    An expression wishing someone success in an unlikely enterprise.

good old boy »    A friendly, unambitious, relatively uneducated, sometimes racially biased white man who embodies the stereotype of the folksy culture of the rural southern USA.

good old boy »    A male friend or chum, especially a schoolmate; a man with an established network of friends who assist one another in social and business situations; a decent, dependable fellow.

good on you »    An exclamation of encouragement or congratulation; well done.

good to go »    Ready for some specific task or ready for normal activity, especially after preparation or recovery.

good to go »    Ready for use or ready for normal operation, especially after repair or renewal.

goodbye cruel world »    A call said before taking a stiff drink, especially a shot of vodka.

goodbye cruel world »    An exclamation made before commiting suicide, or in a suicide note.

goof off »    To dawdle; to engage in idle activity or inactivity.

goon squad »    A group of individuals serving as enforcers, bodyguards, and the like, especially persons hired for such a purpose and using violent, thuggish methods.

goose is cooked »    All hope is gone; there is no possibility of success.

grab and go »    To get something quickly.

grab bag »    Any random assortment, selection or possibility.

grain of salt »    A bit of common sense and skepticism. Generally used in some form of to take with a grain of salt.

granary »    A fertile, grain-growing region.

granary »    A storage facility for grain or sometimes animal feed.

granny smith »    apple

grasp all, lose all »    one who wants everything, may lose it all

grasp at straws »    To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, as due to lack of options or information.

grass roots »    People and society at the local level rather than at the national centre of political activity.

grass widow »    A married woman whose husband is away.

grass widower »    A married man whose wife is away.

gravy train »    A gorging on luxuries, since someone else foots the bill.

gravy train »    An occupation or any lucrative endeavor that generates considerable income whilst requiring little effort and carrying little risk.

gray area »    A part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.

grease monkey »    A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.

grease payment »    A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

greasy spoon »    An inexpensive diner or other informal restaurant, especially one specializing in frying or grilling.

great minds think alike »    Used to emphasize a coincidence, or two people reaching the same conclusion in any manner at the same time.

great oaks from little acorns grow »    Alternative form of mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

great unwashed »    A contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class.

greatest thing since sliced bread »    A relatively recent invention likely to significantly improve people's lives.

green fingers »    A seemingly natural gardening ability.

green state »    A state that is, or is perceived as, environmentally friendly.

green with envy »    Consumed by envy; envious to the point where it is noticeable to others.

greener pastures »    Any place or condition that is more favorable or beneficial.

grey area »    A topic that is not clearly one thing or the other.

grey area »    An area intermediate between two mutually exclusive states or categories where the border between the two is fuzzy.

grin like a Cheshire cat »    To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.

grind one's gears »    To annoy or irritate.

groaning »    That is heavily laden.

grow a pair »    To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.

grow out of »    To become too physically large for something, especially clothes.

guilt trip »    A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.

guilty as sin »    Unquestionably guilty.

gulp down »    To eat very quickly without chewing the food properly.

gun it »    To accelerate or speed up quickly or suddenly.

gunboat diplomacy »    The pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.

gunk up »    To soil or dirty; to mess up; to clog.

gunshy »    Being afraid to use a gun.

gunshy »    Fearing the consequences of repeating an act, especially after being reprimanded.

gussie up »    To make fancy or attractive, as by artificial or contrived means.

gut factor »    Feelings about what feels right or wrong, good or bad. An inner persuasion that one may feel convinced is the appropriate decision.

hack into »    To reduce something to by hacking with a cutting instrument.

hack into »    To gain unauthorized entry to, particularly by exploiting little-known weaknesses.

hair of the dog »    An alcoholic drink taken the morning after to cure a hangover or withdrawal symptoms.

hair-splitting »    The act of finding exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

hair-splittingly »    With exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.

halcyon days »    A period of calm, often nostalgic: “halcyon days of yore”, “halcyon days of youth”..

halcyon days »    Period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.

half-baked »    Partially cooked by heating in an oven.

halfway decent »    Good - better than expected.

halfway decent »    No more than adequate.

ham fisted »    clumsy

ham it up »    To act or emote, especially to overact or act badly.

hammer and tongs »    With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm.

hand in glove »    In very close cooperation.

hand in hand »    Naturally, ordinarily or predictably together; commonly having a correlation or relationship.

hand it to somebody »    To give somebody credit or praise.

hand over fist »    Quickly or in great quantity, especially in reference to earning money.

hand-in-glove »    Closely cooperative.

handbags at dawn »    A catty squabble.

handle with kid gloves »    To treat something very delicately or carefully.

hands down »    Without much effort; easily.

hang about »    To stay, linger or loiter.

hang around »    To stay, linger or loiter.

hang by a thread »    To be in danger, calling for precise caution. To be in a precarious situation.

hang on »    To pay close attention.

hang out one's shingle »    To open an office or business, especially in a profession.

hang out to dry »    To abandon someone who is in need or in danger.

hang out to dry »    To attach washing to a clothesline to dry.

hang up one's boots »    Retire, call it a day.

hanging offence »    A crime so serious that it is punishable by means of death by hanging.

happily ever after »    Living happily until death. Typically associated with fairy tales.

happy camper »    One who is thoroughly content or satisfied.

happy go lucky »    carefree

happy medium »    A balanced position between two opposite extremes.

hard as nails »    Very hard; tough.

hard done by »    Used, cheated, dejected.

hard of hearing »    Having difficulty hearing; somewhat deaf.

hard pressed »    Having or likely to have difficulty or to find a task almost impossible.

hard shoulder »    mortorway shopping area

hard-nosed »    Guided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.

hardball »    In baseball, a type of ball and baseball game, as opposed to softball.

hardwired »    In humans and animals, genetically determined, instinctive behavior, as opposed to learned behavior.

hardwired »    Of devices, closely or tightly coupled.

harsh one's mellow »    To annoy or irritate; to bother.

harsh one's mellow »    To make someone feel bad emotionally.

has-been »    A formerly popular or influential person whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline. Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose primary success is behind them.

hash out »    To work through the details of something; especially to work through difficulties.

haste makes waste »    One makes mistakes when being too hasty.

hat in hand »    With humility; in an apologetic or self-effacing fashion.

hatchet job »    A treatment which serves primarily to disparage its subject; a piece of criticism which aims to destroy a reputation.

hatchet man »    Someone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.

hate somebody's guts »    To despise; to hate intensely or passionately.

haul ass »    To hurry; to move quickly, especially to leave.

haul off »    To alter course so as to get farther away from an object.

haul somebody over the coals »    To express anger with someone in no uncertain terms when they do something wrong.

have a ball »    To enjoy thoroughly; to have lots of fun or excitement.

have a blast »    To thoroughly enjoy; to be excited or have lots of fun.

have a bone to pick »    To have a complaint or grievance with somebody.

have a bun in the oven »    To be pregnant; to be expecting a baby.

have a cow »    To get angry; have a fit.

have a fit »    To become suddenly enraged.

have a flat »    To have a flat tyre.

have a frog in one's throat »    To feel the need to cough; to have a tickle in one's throat; to have a scratchy or uneven voice.

have a go »    Shout at or tell off unnecessarily or excessively.

have a go »    To make an attempt; to try.

have a good time »    To enjoy oneself.

have a heart »    To be kind or sympathetic; to treat others kindly.

have a pair »    To be manly.

have a way with »    To be skilled, adept, or graceful in something.

have a whale of a time »    To enjoy oneself greatly.

have an axe to grind »    To have a dispute, resentment, or grudge, sometimes with a disposition to act on that resentment covertly; to have a bias; to take issue with something.

have an eye for »    To have good taste; to have the ability to discriminate or identify quality.

have ants in one's pants »    To be agitated and constantly fidgeting.

have ants in one's pants »    To be sexually excited.

have bats in one's belfry »    To be crazy or eccentric.

have been around »    To be experienced in worldly matters; to be seasoned, not naive.

have eyes bigger than one's belly »    To take more food on one's plate than one can eat; to be greedy.

have eyes bigger than one's stomach »    To take more food on one's plate than one can eat; to be greedy.

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.

have had it up to here »    To have become very frustrated or angry; to have reached the limit of one's patience or forbearance.

have it in for »    To be very angry at; to have a grudge against.

have it large »    To engage intensely in pleasure-seeking activities.

have it made »    To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty; to have achieved a lifestyle characterized by good fortune and comfort.

have it your way »    Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.

have one's ducks in a row »    To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal.

have one's hands full »    To be busy or thoroughly preoccupied.

have one's head in the clouds »    To daydream; to think about matters other than the present reality.

have one's head in the clouds »    To have fantastic or impractical dreams; to think impractically.

have one's heart set on »    To want or desire deeply, regardless of practicality or rationality.

have other fish to fry »    C. 1710, Jonathan Swift, The Journal to Stella, ch. 2, Letter 15.

have other fish to fry »    To have more important things to do.

have second thoughts »    To change one's opinion, or be uneasy about a previous decision.

have someone by the short hairs »    To have someone in a difficult situation in which he or she is without alternatives and can be controlled.

have someone's guts for garters »    To reprimand severely.

have something to eat »    To eat anything.

have the floor »    To have permission or time to speak, especially in a formal situation.

have the time of one's life »    To enjoy oneself immensely.

have the time of one's life »    To enjoy oneself more than ever before.

have to do with the price of tea in China »    To have any relation or bearing whatsoever on the topic at hand, usually used to emphasize the lack of relationship of a non sequitur.

he who laughs last laughs best »    success is better after having previously endured ridicule.

he who smelt it dealt it »    (colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a fart is likely trying to pretend it wasn't his or her own.(colloquial, by extension) Used to suggest that a person calling attention to or complaining about a given problem may in fact be the source of the problem.

he-man »    A strong, virile or sexually active man.

head and shoulders »    "She was head and shoulders better than any of her rivals.".

head for the hills »    To travel to a higher elevation, especially to a rural region on vacation.

head over heels »    At top speed; frantically.

head over heels »    Hopelessly smitten.

head scratcher »    A particularly puzzling or confusing event.

head scratcher »    December 2007, W:Daily News Tribune - Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher.

head scratcher »    July 2002, Fox News - Attorney: Williams' Kids Near Compromise About Father's Remains.

head start »    A factor conducive to superiority and success.

head to toe »    Entirely; completely; over one's full body.

heads or tails »    A game to bet upon a which side of a coin lays face up after it is thrown.

heads up »    Used as an informal warning, caution, or call for attention; pay attention!.

heads-up »    A warning or call to pay attention; an advisory notice.

hear the grass grow »    To be very aware or discerning; to pay attention to every small detail.

hear the grass grow »    To have an extremely sensitive sense of hearing.

hear the grass grow »    To hear very well due to being in an exceptionally quiet environment.

heart of glass »    A very fragile romantic state.

heat wave »    A period of exceptionally hot weather.

heavy-hearted »    Sad, melancholy.

hedge one's bets »    To place bets with a third party in order to offset potential losses.

hedge one's bets »    To reduce the risk of making a mistake, by keeping one's options open.

heebie-jeebies »    A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.

hell and half of Georgia »    A very large region; everywhere.

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned »    A woman will make someone suffer if they reject her.

hell on earth »    A very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.

hell or high water »    Highly adverse circumstances; acts of God.

help oneself »    Take freely.

helping hand »    Any assistance, help or aid.

hen's teeth »    Anything very rare or impossible to obtain is said to be like finding hen’s teeth.

hen's tooth »    Anything not naturally occuring.

here and now »    immediately

here goes nothing »    Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.

here you are »    Said when you hand something over to someone or do a favour to them, usually to draw the recipient's attention to the exchange; Equivalent to “thank you” when receiving something..

hic Rhodus, hic salta »    (politics) Prove what you can do, here and now.

hide nor hair »    A trace, indication, or evidence, especially of a person.

hide one's light under a bushel »    For a person to keep some talent or skill hidden from other people. The tone is that a person having a talent which they can be proud of ought not hide it.

hiding to nothing »    A situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.

high and low »    everywhere

high as a kite »    Very much under the influence of drugs, extremely high.

high ground »    A location which is at a relatively high elevation, especially in comparison to the immediate surrounding area.

high ground »    A position of advantage or superiority in a conflict or competition.

high horse »    An appearance or sense of smug superiority.

high noon »    Exactly noon; midday; the middle of the day.

high on the hog »    Well off; living comfortably or extravagantly.

high road »    A main road or highway.

hightail it »    To hurry or run; often, to flee.

highway robbery »    Said of excessive or exorbitant prices.

hike up »    To raise or increase sharply.

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.

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.

historical figure »    A fictional or fabricated person who was was given historical importance in legends and myth.

historical figure »    A person who lived long ago, usually of some historical note or importance.

history repeats itself »    Things that have happened in the past will happen again.

hit a snag »    To encounter an unexpected problem or delay.

hit home »    To be especially memorable or meaningful; to be fully understood, believed or appreciated.

hit home »    To do something particularly great.

hit one's stride »    To reach a full level of efficiency, competence, comfort, etc.; to get going.

hit paydirt »    To strike it rich; to get lucky or have a big break.

hit someone for six »    Be affected in a devastating way by some unexpected news.

hit someone for six »    To hit another person very hard.

hit the big time »    To become successful and widely known.

hit the books »    To study, especially with particular intensity.

hit the bottle »    To continually drink alcohol to excess, particularly in response to a setback.

hit the bricks »    To participate in a workplace strike or other job action; to participate in a public protest, especially one involving picketing.

hit the bricks »    To travel about, especially on foot.

hit the ceiling »    To be explosively angry. To lose one's temper.

hit the ground running »    To begin an activity immediately and with full commitment.

hit the hay »    To go to bed.

hit the headlines »    To appear prominently in the news, especially on the front page.

hit the nail on the head »    To identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.

hit the road »    To leave a place; to go away.

hit the rock »    To make a gesture to show celebration, friendship, or to be part of a secret handshake by one person raising their fist so the fist is pointing at the person and the other person lightly punches the fist.

hit the roof »    To be explosively angry.

hit the spot »    To be particularly pleasing or appropriate; to be just right.

hocus pocus »    chicanery

hoist by one's own petard »    To be hurt, or destroyed by one's own plot or device, of one's own doing which one intended for another; to be "blown up by one's own bomb".

hold a candle »    To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another.

hold back »    To delay, especially in school.

hold off »    To delay someone or something temporarily; to keep at bay.

hold off »    To delay commencing an action (until some specified time or event has passed).

hold one's breath »    To inhale and then intentionally close the epiglottis so that one's breath is not exhaled.

hold one's breath »    To wait, as if breathlessly.

hold one's own »    To stand up to; to give a respectable performance; to provide worthy competition.

hold one's tongue »    To keep quiet; especially, to leave something unsaid.

hold somebody's hand »    To grasp or hold a person's hand.

hold somebody's hand »    To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details.

hold someone's feet to the fire »    To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce him or her to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for his or her actions.

hold sway »    Dominate.

hold that thought »    Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what an speaker was saying.

hold the fort »    To assume responsibility, especially in another’s absence..

hold up »    To wait or delay.

hold up one's end »    I'm holding up my end and you had better hold up yours.

hold water »    To withstand scrutiny or criticism; to be valid.

hold with the hare and run with the hounds »    To oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite.

hold with the hare and run with the hounds »    To remain neutral by attempting to placate two factions or both sides of a controversy.

hold your fire »    Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.

hold your fire »    Wait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet.

holding pattern »    A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.

holding pattern »    Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.

hole in one »    A round that is completed by sinking the ball in a single shot or attempt, with one hit.

hole in one »    Any rare, wonderful, or remarkable accomplishment.

holy mackerel »    An expression of surprise.

home away from home »    A place in which one is as comfortable as one's actual home.

home in on »    To focus or narrow down to something; to find or draw closer, as by trial and error or a gradual seeking process.

home is where you hang your hat »    Rather than feeling nostalgic or sentimental, one should simply accept any place where one happens to reside as one's home.1948, Ruth L. Yorck, "D.P.

home run »    A success; especially, a popular success.

home run »    The portion of a journey that ends at home.

homeless dumping »    The practice of hospital employees or emergency workers releasing homeless patients on the streets instead of placing them into the custody of a relative or shelter or retaining them in a hospital where they may require expensive medical care.

honesty is the best policy »    Honesty is the most honorable and fulfilling way to live one's life.

honey trap »    The use of a seductive woman to entice a man into revealing secret information.

honorable mention »    An award or recognition given to something that does not make it to a higher standing but is worth mentioning in an honorable way.

hook line and sinker »    completely

hook, line and sinker »    Naively or unquestioningly.

hoover up »    Quickly, especially by taking it into the mouth directly from the plate rather than using cutlery.

hopping mad »    Extremely angry; furious to the point of outburst.

horror film »    scary movie

horse around »    To play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.

horse of a different color »    An unrelated or only incidentally related matter with distinctly different significance.

horse pucky »    Nonsense; feces.

horse sense »    Common sense, especially with a connotation of folk wisdom independent from, and trumping, formal education.

horse's ass »    A thing or person which is visually unappealing.

horse's mouth »    Source; someone who directly experienced or witnessed something.

Horsefeathers »    Absolute nonsense; poppycock

horses for courses »    A person suited for one job may not be suited for another job, regardless of their expertise in the former job.

hospital pass »    A poorly executed pass to a team-mate causing the receiver to present an easy target for a defender, and thus be tackled hard.

hospital pass »    A throw that stays in the air long enough that it allows too many people to get underneath it, increasing the risk of injury and a trip to the hospital. Thus, a hospital pass.

hospital pass »    An unwinnable case, often passed to a newly-qualified member of the firm.

hot air »    empty talk

hot and heavy »    Enthusiastic.

hot and heavy »    Passionate.

hot button »    A central issue, concern or characteristic, especially one that motivates people to make a choice.

hot cross buns »    good friday cakes

hot lunch »    A sexual act in which a pouch of clingfilm or similar material filled with faeces is placed in one of the participants' mouth and subsequently penetrated by the second participant.

hot mess »    A warm meal, usually cooked in a large pot, often similar to a stew or porridge; or, service of such a heated meal to soldiers.

hot mess »    Refers to a person, thing, or situation in such a state of disarray or disapproval by peers, often in reference to physical appearance, perceived to be disastrously embarrassing, pitiful, or beyond repair.

hot off the presses »    Freshly printed, minted, written, or created.

hot on somebody's heels »    Close behind; pursuing or following closely.

hot potato »    A child's game in which players pass a ball or other item between them, with the object of avoiding being left holding the item when time expires.

hot potato »    An awkward or delicate problem with which nobody wants to be associated.

hot spot »    lively place

hot to trot »    Eager for sexual activity.

hotfoot it »    To hasten; to move rapidly.

hotheaded »    Easily excited or angered.

house cooling party »    A party to celebrate when a person decides to leave a house or flat, and sometimes to help prepare the space for the incoming residents.

house of cards »    A structure made by laying cards perpendicularly on top of each other.

house of cards »    A structure or argument built on a shaky foundation.

house warming »    Presented as a way of welcoming someone to a home into which he or she recently moved.

household name »    A brand name that is well known to the great majority of households.

household name »    A genericized trademark or anepronym.

household name »    A very well-known public figure.

how are you »    An informal greeting, not requiring a literal response. Typical responses include.

how come »    Why; why is it; for what reason or purpose?.

how do you like them apples »    Directed jestingly or mockingly at someone who has received surprising information, ridiculing the situation.

how's the weather »    An inquiry about the weather.

how's tricks »    Informal greeting roughly equivalent to How are you?.

how-d'ye-do »    A troublesome state of affairs.

howdy-do »    Same as how-d'ye-do.

huckleberry above a persimmon »    Something better than something else.

humble pie »    Humility, being humble.

hunger is a good sauce »    (dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.

hunger is the best sauce »    Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.

hunger is the best spice »    When one is hungry, anything will taste good.

hunker down »    To take shelter; to prepare oneself for some eventuality; to focus on a task.

hunker down »    To stubbornly hold to a position.

hustle and bustle »    A large amount of activity and work, usually in a noisy surrounding.

ice over »    To become covered in ice, usually of a body of water.

ice up »    To become clogged with ice, usually of a mechanical device.

idiot light »    Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard of a car, designed to alert the driver of problems, such as the parking brake being on or the oil being low.

idiot mittens »    Mittens connected by yarn or string running through one sleeve, along the back and out the other sleeve of a coat, to prevent the mittens becoming lost. Generally worn by small children.

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail »    With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminatelyIf a person is familiar with a certain, single subject/has with them a certain, single instrument, they may have a confirmation bias to believe that it is the answer to/involved in everything.

if it ain't broke, don't fix it »    Leave something alone; avoid correcting, fixing, or improving what is already sufficient, as it could end up being detrimental

if it's all the same »    If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.

if looks could kill »    A phrase said upon catching sight of someone's giving you a particularly nasty look of discontent or disapproval.

if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle »    (colloquial, vulgar, humorous) It is fruitless to speculate about counterfactual situations."We would have won the match if we'd had a decent goalkeeper.""And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle!"

if need be »    If necessary; if there is a need.

if only »    I wish that; signifies a wish or desire.

if pigs had wings »    Shortened form of if pigs had wings they would fly.

if pigs had wings they would fly »    (colloquial) Expresses speakers skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if the mountain won't come to Muhammad »    "If one cannot get one's own way, one must bow to the inevitable.".

if the shoe fits »    If it has all of the characteristics of a thing, it probably is that thing.

if you can't beat them, join them »    If your adversaries are stronger than yourself, it is better to join the adversaries.

if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen »    If you cannot handle the pressure, you should not be in a position where you have to deal with it.

if you lie with dogs you will get fleas »    It is important whom to choose as one's closest acquanitances.

if you love somebody, set them free »    One should be willing to let go of someone they love if they truly love them.

if you want a thing done well, do it yourself »    It is better to do something oneself, than rely on others to do it well.

ignorance is bliss »    Lack of knowledge results in happinessSometime you are more comfortable if you dont know something.

ill advisedly »    unwisely

in a bake »    Very angry.

in a bind »    In a difficult situation, usually of one's own making; having a dilemma; faced with a problem or a set of problems for which there is no easy solution.

in a canter »    Without much effort; easily.

in a flash »    Very quickly.

in a league of one's own »    Far excelling even the closest contender; not having any worthy competition.

in a nutshell »    In summary; briefly or simply.

in a pig's eye »    Very unlikely; probably never.

in all my born days »    Ever.

in all one's glory »    Completely naked.

in any way, shape, or form »    In any way at all; whatsoever.

in bed »    Lying on a bed, especially under some bedsheets.

in bed with »    Engaging in a close mutually beneficial relationship, especially secretly and illicitly.

in black and white »    Explicitly, in writing, clearly and without doubt or misunderstanding, without any grey areas.

in black and white »    Having it displayed using shades of gray/gray rather than colour/color .

in black and white »    Using shades of grey/gray rather than colour/color.

in broad daylight »    In a blatant and publicly visible manner.

in broad daylight »    In ample natural illumination, during the daytime.

in business »    Engaged in business activity.

in business »    Ready to proceed in a desired activity.

in clover »    Happy and contented.

in clover »    In a condition of prosperity.

in detail »    Thoroughly; including every detail.

in effigy »    Symbolizing, usually as an effigy.

in evidence »    Visibly present; noticeable.

in fact »    Actually, in truth.

in focus »    Clearly perceived.

in for a dime, in for a dollar »    Americanised form of in for a penny, in for a pound.1983, Allen Drury, Decision, p. 356:In for a dime, in for a dollar, he thought crazily, and said what he had to say in a voice he forced to stay level and calm.1998, Ellen Miller, Like Being Killed, p. 47:In for a dime, in for a dollar. I whispered to Gerry,

in for a penny, in for a pound »    Expressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof; accepting that one must

in for an inch, in for a mile »    Given that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.

in front of one's nose »    Plain; clearly apparent; obvious.

in full swing »    Proceeding fully, quickly, or completely; thoroughly begun and in progress.

in high dudgeon »    Resentfully or furiously.

in hot water »    In trouble; in the position of arousing somebody's anger or displeasure.

in its infancy »    Still in an early stage.

in kind »    In the form of goods and service rather than money.

in layman's terms »    Explaining something in simple words.

in laymen's terms »    In layman's terms.

in no time »    Very soon.

in no uncertain terms »    With great clarity, emphasis, or exactness; without any ambiguity.

in no way, shape, or form »    Not in any way at all; not at all, nohow.

in on »    privy to

in one hell of a hurry »    In a very great hurry; very fast or hastily.

in one's element »    In a situation which is entirely appropriate or familiar.

in one's pocket »    Subject to one's whims because of bribery.

in one's right mind »    Sane, sensible, reasonable; thinking clearly.

in one's stockinged feet »    Wearing socks, stockings or other hosiery on one's feet but no shoes.

in order »    In accordance with the procedural rules governing formal meetings of a deliberative body.

in order »    Ready, prepared; orderly; tidy.

in other words »    Stated or interpreted another way; introduces an explanation.

in particular »    specially

in person »    actually present

in process of time »    In the course of time; as time goes on; gradually; in due course.

in shape »    I guess I'd better get my room in shape if I have guests.

in shape »    In a good state of physical fitness or bodily appearance.

in short »    briefly

in spades »    Beyond doubt.

in spades »    To excess, a lot, considerably; without restraint.

in the act »    In the process of doing something; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence.

in the clear »    Not guilty or not suspected of wrongdoing.

in the dock »    Under scrutiny; subject to critical inspection.

in the doghouse »    In trouble; the subject of somebody's anger or disapproval.

in the doghouse »    Unmarried and unlikely to marry.

in the driver's seat »    Having the most important role in a storyline or recognition. Of primary importance.

in the face of »    Despite, against, contrary to.

in the fast lane »    In a lifestyle, employment position, or other set of circumstances where the rapid pace is exciting, frantic, or risky.

in the hot seat »    Under pressure to perform; under scrutiny; at the center of attention.

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.

in the limelight »    In the focus of attention, especially from the media.

in the long run »    After a very long time; eventually; over a long period of time; more generally.

in the offing »    Nearby, soon to come, in the near future.

in the pink »    In very good health.

in the reign of Queen Dick »    When pigs fly; never.

in the running »    Of a candidate, potential or likely; worthy of consideration.

in the short run »    Lasting only a short time, shortsightedly.

in the swim »    Actively participating in the flow of events; very involved.

in the twinkling of an eye »    Circa 1598, William Shakespeare, "The Merchant Of Venice".

in the twinkling of an eye »    Immediately; instantaneously.

in the way »    Obstructing, blocking, or hindering.

in this day and age »    In the current time period of years.

in thunderation »    In any set of circumstances whatsoever.

in touch »    The ball, or a player, is in touch when it, or he, is outside the playing area or touching the touchlines of the playing area.

in two shakes »    Very quickly; without delay.

in unity there is strength »    More can be accomplished by a team with a common goal, than individuals.

in vain »    In a disrespectful manner, especially when concerning religion.

in virtue of »    By virtue of.

in your face »    An exclamation of derision or contempt.

inside baseball »    Matters of interest only to insiders.

inside job »    A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the help of someone either employed by the victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.

inside joke »    A joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are in the know about the details.

inside track »    Any advantage.

installed base »    The number of units of a system or product that are currently in use.

into detail »    Thoroughly; including every detail.

into thin air »    Immediately and inexplicably out of sight.

is the Pope Catholic »    The answer to the question is, obviously, resoundingly affirmative.

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings »    There are more developments yet to come.

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God »    The rich can afford more immoral behavior than the poor.

it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog »    (rare or obsolete, proverb) If a person is determined to punish someone, they will find a way to do so.1596

it is what it is »    This circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted or dealt with as it exists.

it never rains but it pours »    Unfortunate events occur in quantity.

it pays to advertise »    Good qualities do not get rewarded automatically.

it takes all kinds to make a world »    Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike.He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds.

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.

it's all Greek to me »    I don’t understand any of it; it makes no sense..

it's all grist to the mill »    Everything referred to in the present context has some sort of use.1999, Simon Blackburn, Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford University Press paperback, ISBN 0199690871), ch. 7 section 6: "Kant

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good »    There is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.

it's better to ask forgiveness than permission »    The value of acting promptly and making a mistake requiring forgiveness is greater than value of delaying to get permission.

it's never too late to mend »    You

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:

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

it's one's funeral »    One's decisions or actions will bring undesirable consequences only on oneself.

itchy trigger finger »    A tendency to act in haste or without consideration.

itsy bitsy »    Minuscule.

ivory tower »    A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.

jack in »    To stop doing a regular activity. Often a job or studies.

jack in »    To insert an electronic coupling into a receptacle; to connect to something, whether involving a physical medium or not.

jack it in »    An imperative to stop doing something that the speaker finds annoying.

jack of all trades »    One competent in many endeavors, especially one who excels in none of them.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A master of integration, who knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner; a polymath; a renaissance man.

jack of all trades, master of none »    A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one.

jacktar »    Nickname for a sailor in the Royal Navy.

jet set »    A set of wealthy people who travel for pleasure.

jet setting »    The actions of the jet set; travelling from one fashionable location to another by jet.

jet-setting »    The actions of the jet set; travelling from one fashionable location to another by jet.

jive turkey »    Someone who is jiving, as in behaving in a glib and disingenuous fashion.

jive turkey »    Someone who is jiving, as in dancing. Often applied to people being funny or showy.

joe job »    An act of e-mail spamming where the sender's identity and address are those of an innocent third party, intended either to tarnish that person's reputation or to flood that person's e-mail with bounces.

joe job »    An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.

join the club »    An expression of sympathy for a shared experience.

jolly someone along »    To make someone happy or compliant, as by encouragement or flattery.

jug ears »    Ears whose plane is markedly not parallel to the plane of the head.

jump »    By jerking the body violently.

jump »    To attack suddenly and violently.

jump »    To employ a move in certain board games where one game piece is moved from one legal position to another passing over the position of another piece.

jump »    To employ a parachute to leave an aircraft or elevated location.

jump »    To propel oneself rapidly upward such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.

jump about »    To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.

jump about »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump around »    To move erratically by jumping. Usually as a result of being excited.

jump around »    To move from side to side, or fidget annoyingly. Usually as a result of being nervous.

jump at »    To accept something enthusiastically. Usually an opportunity, or chance, or job etc.

jump at the chance »    To immediately accept an offer.

jump down »    To leave an elevated position to a lower position by one jump.

jump for joy »    Exalt, [rejoice]], feel elation.

jump in »    To enter something quickly. Usually a mode of transport.

jump off »    To move from an elevated place by one jump.

jump on »    To attack someone verbally, or criticise them over strongly for small errors.

jump rope »    A single jump in this game or activity, counted as a measure of achievement.

jump rope »    The activity, game or exercise in which a person must jump, bounce or skip repeatedly while a length of rope is swung over and under, both ends held in the hands of the jumper, or alternately, held by two other participants. Often used for athletic training and among schoolchildren. Variations involve speed, chants, varied rope and jumper movement patterns, multiple jumpers and/or multiple ropes.

jump rope »    The length of rope, sometimes with handles, casing or other additions, used in that activity.

jump the gun »    To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.

jump the queue »    To move into a queue ahead of others who have been waiting longer or that have a higher priority; push in.

jump the shark »    To undergo a storyline development which is so ridiculous that previous quality is considered to have been lost.

jump up »    To move from one position to a higher position by one jump.

jumped-up »    Describes a person who thinks he is superior in some way that the speaker disagrees with. For instance, of a higher class, or has more authority than they have in reality.

jumped-up »    We're doomed if this wee jumped-up monkey gets Gordon Smith's blessing.

jungle telegraph »    A gossip network; an informal communication system within a group or organization.

jungle telegraph »    A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.

just another pretty face »    Someone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.

just in case »    If and only if.

just like that »    Unexpectedly, without warning.

just the same »    Anyway; despite.

just what the doctor ordered »    Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation.

kangaroo court »    A judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, or a group which conducts such proceedings, which is without proper authority, abusive, or otherwise unjust.

keep a close watch on »    To pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.

keep a weather eye open »    To be alert; to concentrate on a matter in hand.

keep a weather eye open »    To maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occupying your full attention.

keep an eye on »    To watch and pay attention to.

keep an eye open »    To maintain vigilance for a possibly dangerous situation.

keep an eye open »    To maintain vigilance for someone or something.

keep an eye out »    To watch for, look for, or search for.

keep an eye peeled »    To look out attentively.

keep away from »    To avoid.

keep away from »    To evade.

keep away from »    To deny access to.

keep down »    To lie low. To stay concealed by not standing up.

keep mum »    Do not talk; especially keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep on truckin' »    To continue or persist, regardless of circumstances or setbacks; to keep trying or striving.

keep one on one's toes »    To keep one attentive, active, busy or alert.

keep one's cool »    To remain composed, calm, and even-tempered, especially in a provocative situation.

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.

keep one's eye on the ball »    To maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.

keep one's eyes peeled »    To watch closely; to look for.

keep one's mouth shut »    To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly.

keep oneself to oneself »    To be introverted; to stay away from others.

keep out of »    To stay away from a place or condition.

keep shtum »    Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.

keep somebody in stitches »    To keep somebody laughing hard or amused.

keep somebody posted »    To inform or to keep somebody up to date.

keep the wolf from the door »    To delay sexual ejaculation.

keep the wolf from the door »    To ward off poverty or hunger.

keep up »    To stay even or ahead.

keep up appearances »    To pretend to be all right or that everything is going well.

keep up with »    To manage to remain beside or just behind that is moving away from one.

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.

keep your friends close, and your enemies closer »    One should be on their toes and alert of their surroundings if malicious people are around, to ensure such people can't wreak havoc in one's life.

keep your hair on »    An admonition to stay calm.

keep your shirt on »    An admonition to be more patient or to calm down.

kernel of truth »    A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictitious elements.

kettle of fish »    A situation which is recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation, and which is not necessarily unfavorable.

key off »    To take as a controlling input datum.

kick around »    To abuse or mistreat; to bully.

kick ass »    To be very impressive.

kick butt »    To be impressive; to be decisively good or pleasant.

kick down »    To break or demolish something by physical bodily force.

kick in »    To start or connect suddenly.

kick in »    To contribute, especially to a collection of money.

kick off »    To shut down or turn_off suddenly.

kick off »    To force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders. Used figuratively or literally.

kick off the team »    In sports, to dismiss an athlete from a team, usually for misconduct, poor academic performance or other offenses.

kick oneself »    To reproach oneself for making a mistake or missing an opportunity.

kick out »    To stop, stall, or disconnect suddenly.

kick someone when they are down »    To make it worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.

kick up »    To function improperly.

kick up a fuss »    To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little importance in reality.

kick up the arse »    A severe reprimand, especially one to motivate someone into doing something.

kid around »    To engage in playful fun.

kids will be kids »    You cannot expect children to act like adults.

kill off »    To represent or portray as being dead.

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs »    To seek short term gain at the sacrifice of long term profit.

kill the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

kill the rabbit »    To get a positive test result from an old-fashioned pregnancy test.

kind of »    Slightly; somewhat; sort of.

king »    A male monarch; member of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation.

king »    A playing card with the image of a king on it.

kiss of death »    A kiss on the cheek that signifies the death of the receiver, as delivered by a mob boss or one with such influence.

kiss of death »    Something that may seem good and favourable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc.

kiss up »    To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

kiss up »    To pay false flattery.

kiss up to »    To pay false flattery to; to flatter in excess.

kit and caboodle »    Everything entirely, the whole lot.

kit and kaboodle »    Everything; the lot.

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.

knacker's yard »    A place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.

knacker's yard »    That area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue.

knee high to a grasshopper »    Short; especially relating to when the subject was a small child.

kneel before »    To kneel in front of someone or something, especially in order to worship or supplicate.

knock about »    An informal game, usually football.

knock around »    To do a relaxing activity.

knock around »    To hit someone, or behave violently towards them.

knock back »    To drink an alcoholic beverage swiftly or often.

knock down »    To hit or knock (something), intentionally or accidentally, so that it falls.

knock for a loop »    To astonish; to surprise very much.

knock off »    An imitation, especially one of poorer quality.

knock on wood »    A self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.

knock on wood »    To take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.

knock out »    To render someone unconscious, as by a blow to the head.

knock out »    To complete, especially in haste; knock off.

knock out of the box »    To cause a pitcher to be replaced by heavy hitting.

knock out of the box »    To cause something to be replaced by something else.

knock over »    To bump or strike something in such a way as to tip it.

knock somebody's socks off »    To impress greatly; amaze; stun.

knock the living daylights out of »    To knock out; to hit and cause to be unconscious.

knock together »    To assemble something quickly; to knock up.

knock up »    To impregnate, especially out of wedlock. See knocked up.

knock up »    To put together, fabricate, or assemble, particularly if done hastily or temporarily. See also knock together.

knock up »    In the morning as by knocking at the door; rouse; call; summon; also, to go door-to-door on election day to persuade a candidate's supporters to go to the polling station and vote. See also knocker up.

knock up »    To exhaust; wear out; weary; beat; tire out; to fatigue until unable to do more.

knock up »    To gently hit the ball back and forth before a tennis match, as practice or warm-up, and to gauge the state of the playing surface, lighting, etc. See knock-up.

knock-on effect »    A secondary, often unintended effect.

knocked up »    "pregnant", typically outside of marriage.

knocking on heaven's door »    Dying, close to death.

know like the back of one's hand »    To be intimately knowledgeable about something, especially a place.

know something inside and out »    To know something very thoroughly.

know the score »    Be aware of a situation, especially of the consequences of misconduct.

knowledge is power »    With knowledge and/or education, one's potential or ability to succeed in the pursuit of his objectives will certainly increase.

knuckle sandwich »    A punch to the face, especially to the mouth.

knuckle under »    To yield or cooperate when pressured or forced to do so.

l'esprit de l'escalier »    The experience of thinking of a devastating rejoinder only after leaving the scene of the debate.

labor of love »    A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement; an altruistic work or undertaking.

ladies man »    Alternative spelling of lady's man.

ladies' man »    Alternative spelling of lady's man.

lady abbess »    A bawd, the mistress of a brothel.

lady of the night »    Prostitute.

lady or tiger »    A pure gamble with highly divergent outcomes.

lady's man »    A man who attracts women and enjoys their company.

lady's man »    A womanizer.

lame joke »    An attempt at humor which is perceived to have been used previously to the point of being cliche, or was never funny to begin with.

land of opportunity »    A nickname for the United States.

land on one's feet »    To be lucky, or successful, often in difficult situations.

landing strip »    A cultivated pubic hair pattern in which much of the pubic hair is removed, leaving only a central vertical line or rectangle.

landing strip »    A runway for aircraft, especially one which is auxiliary or temporary.

lap of luxury »    A position or situation in which one is spoiled and indulged.

lap up »    To consume by lapping.

lap up »    To revel in, to overtly enjoy.

lapsed academic »    A person formerly employed as a professor or researcher in a university or other institution of higher education, especially one who no longer attempts to remain current in his or her former academic field.

larger-than-life »    Of greater size or magnitude than is naturally or normally the case.

larger-than-life »    Very imposing, renowned, or impressively influential.

last burst of fire »    A state of exertion where one gives one's all; expending all of one's remaining energy in a final effort to achieve one's goal.

last minute »    Point in time, too close to a deadline to reasonably begin a critical task.

last of the big spenders »    Someone who doesn't spend much money.

last post »    military bugle call

last resort »    The only remaining, unwanted, option or choice.

last word »    The final statement uttered by a person before death.

late bloomer »    A person who lives a child's life comparatively later than their peers.

late bloomer »    A person who reaches puberty comparatively later than their peers.

late model »    Recently designed or fabricated; new.

latter day »    modern

laugh all the way to the bank »    To be happy due to the receipt of money.

laughing stock »    An object of ridicule, someone who is publicly ridiculed; a butt of sport.

laughing stock »    C. 1598, William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, act 3, sc. 1.

laughter is the best medicine »    It is healthy to laugh.

laundry list »    Hence, a long list of items, especially an exhaustive one.

laundry list »    Originally, a list of articles of clothing that had been sent to be laundered.

lay a finger on »    If you lay a finger on my little brother, I'll have your guts for garters.

lay a finger on »    To merely touch.

lay about »    To strike blows in all directions.

lay about »    To set about, with infinitive or gerund.

lay an egg »    To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

lay an egg »    To produce an egg.

lay down »    To give up, surrender, or yield , usually by placing it on the ground.

lay down »    To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate .

lay down »    To stock, store for the future. See also lay by.

lay down »    To sacrifice, especially in the phrase "to lay down one's life.".

lay down »    To lie down; to place oneself in a reclined or horizontal position, on a bed or similar, for the purpose of resting.

lay down the law »    To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted.

lay down the law »    To present the law that applies to a given case.

lay down the law »    To promulgate law.

lay hands on »    To find, obtain or procure.

lay it on the line »    To state something, for example an ultimatum, strongly and clearly.

lay low »    To remain hidden or to hide oneself.

lay low »    To knock out; to cause to fall.

lay off »    From employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.

lay off »    To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.

lay off »    Alone.

lay off »    made redundant

lay on »    provide;

lay open »    In Japan and South Korea, to publish a patent for initial public review, prior to the formal application for registration.

lay open »    to disclose

lay open »    reveal

lay out »    To arrange in a certain way.

lay out »    expend money

lay rubber »    To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.

lay the groundwork »    To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

lay to rest »    To bury one who has died.

lay up »    To store; to put by.

lay up »    To disable.

lay up »    To take out of active service.

lay up »    To go out of active service.

lead »    A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.

lead »    I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. — Bacon.

lead »    To estimate velocity in knots.

lead a charmed life »    To always be lucky and safe from danger.

leading lady »    starring actress

leaf through »    Rapidly reading short sections at random.

lean on »    To apply pressure on.

leap year »    Period of 366 days

learn by heart »    To memorize.

leather working »    The technology of making products from leather.

leave no stone unturned »    To do a task very carefully and thoroughly, not missing any step.

leave no stone unturned »    To search thoroughly for something, looking in every conceivable place.

leave nothing to the imagination »    To cover or hide very little or nothing.

leave somebody high and dry »    To abandon somebody; to stop providing assistance at a crucial moment.

leave somebody holding the bag »    To abandon somebody, leaving the responsibility or blame.

leave somebody in the lurch »    To abandon somebody; especially, to abandon somebody and leave him or her in a difficult situation.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient.

leave well enough alone »    To leave something alone; to avoid attempts to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient

left and right »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

left field »    The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and to your left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

left, right and center »    All over the place; indiscriminately; frequently or excessively.

left-handed compliment »    A complimentary remark which is ambiguous or ineptly worded, so that it may be interpreted as having an unflattering or dismissive sense.

legal beagle »    A skillful and adroit attorney.

legal duty »    A duty prescribed by the law, to act or forbear from acting.

legal duty »    I've done my legal duty.

legal eagle »    A skillful and adroit attorney.

legwork »    Work, especially research or preparation, that involves significant walking, travel, or similar effort.

lemon law »    A law dealing with defective items, especially automobiles, and consumers' rights.

lemonize »    To damage something and then deny or be aloof from the damage.

lend a hand »    To help or assist, especially voluntarily.

less is more »    That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.1855, Robert Browning, "Men and Women":Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.1954, "'Less Is More'," Time, 14 Jun.:The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."2007, Gia Kourlas, "Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness," New York Times, 3 Mar. (retrieved 22 Oct. 2008):The program, which features two premieres

let alone »    Much less; to say nothing of.

let down »    To disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.

let go »    To dismiss from employment.

let go and let God »    To consciously surrender one's free will to the will of God.

let one's hair down »    To relax and enjoy oneself.

let rip »    To get angry.

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.

let slip »    To divulge a secret, as by accident or mistake.

let somebody down »    To fail somebody; to disappoint or to fail to uphold a commitment.

let somebody in on »    To disclose; to tell somebody a secret or share privileged information.

let someone have it »    To verbally assail someone.

let the cat out of the bag »    To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

let the good times roll »    To have fun or live fully; may imply letting things that are going well proceed.

letters after one's name »    A list of abbreviations, separated by commas, representing the academic qualifications and civil or military honours achieved by a person.

level best »    The very best that one can do.

level up »    To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has aquired enough experience points.

licence to print money »    A means of generating a large income with little effort.

licence to print money »    The authority to print money, usually given to a central bank exclusively as the issuer of currency.

lick one's chops »    To anticipate something eagerly.

lick one's chops »    To look forward avidly to eating something.

lick one's wounds »    He's just off licking his wounds. He'll be back to try again.

lick one's wounds »    To withdraw temporarily while recovering from a defeat.

lie back and think of England »    Used to preface any unpleasant but inevitable experience.

life and limb »    Existence together with bodily faculties.

life is like a box of chocolates »    Life is full of surprises, you never know what will happen next.

life of Riley »    An ideal life of carefree prosperity and contentment.

life of the party »    A person who participates in entertainment events in a very enthusiastic manner and who has a leading role in inspiring others to join in the spirit of festivity.

life's a bitch »    An expression of acceptance of misfortune.1950, Joy Davidman, Weeping Bay, page 184:She'd have been willing enough to use them, poor dead little bitch. Life's a bitch. Life's a bad joke.

life's not all skittles and beer »    Skittles and Beer refers to the carefree, indulgent bar life; skittles being a British pub game. Thus, life's not all skittles and beer means that not everything is about pleasure.

light bucket »    Nickname for a reflecting telescope, especially one with a relatively large aperture and suitable for observing deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.

light middleweight »    type of boxer

like a cat on a hot tin roof »    Jumpy, nervous.

like a million bucks »    Extremely good or well.

like a million dollars »    Extremely good or well.

like crazy »    To a great or excessive degree; with great speed, output, enthusiasm, etc.

like gangbusters »    Vigorously, rapidly, zealously, or forcibly; in a manner which has considerable impact.

like hot cakes »    Quickly, especially by purchase or consumption.

like it's going out of style »    Enthusiastically, to an excessive degree.

like nobody's business »    In an extreme manner; rapidly; excessively; like crazy.

like the back end of a bus »    Very unattractive.

like the new time »    Furiously or vigorously, repeatedly.

lily-livered »    Cowardly, lacking bravery.

line one's pockets »    To accumulate personal wealth, especially in an illegal or morally objectionable manner.

link whoring »    The practice of going out of one's way to place links to one's website on someone else's webpage.

lion »    A stylized representation of a large cat, used on a coat of arms.

lion »    A large cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly to much of Europe. The term may apply to the species as a whole, to individuals, or to male individuals. It also applies to related species like mountain lions.

lion »    The arms of the University of the West Indies are Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure an open Book proper bound Gules garnished Or on a Chief of the third a Lion passant guardant Erminois. Crest: A Pelican proper. . See talk page.

lion's den »    Any dangerous or frightening place.

lion's share »    The majority; a large or generous portion.

lip service »    Empty talk; words absent of action or intention.

listen in »    To eavesdrop; to listen secretly.

listen up »    To listen closely; to pay attention. Often used in the imperative.

little pitchers have big ears »    Small children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).

live by the sword, die by the sword »    One who uses violence can expect a violent response. It is better to try to use peaceful means wherever possible.(figuratively) One can expect dire outcomes from any vice; used to convey poetic justice.

live it up »    To have a wonderful life; to live fully and have fun.

live large »    To have a lavish or overly-extravagant lifestyle.

live on »    To survive solely by consuming a certain thing.

live one »    A person, thing, or situation which is particularly interesting, noteworthy, or urgent.

live one »    Someone who is easily fooled, victimized, or ridiculed.

live paycheck to paycheck »    To spend all that one earns without saving anything.

live wire »    An especially energetic, alert, or vivacious person.

Living high on the hog »    Living richly, often above one's means

loaded for bear »    Mentally prepared for a daunting situation or confrontation.

loaded for bear »    Thoroughly equipped, as for a demanding task or confrontation.

loaded word »    Any word, set phrase or idiom that has strong positive or negative connotations beyond their ordinary definition.

lock up »    To close all doors and windows of a place securely.

log off »    To depart from conversation; to say goodbye.

log out »    To exit an account in a computer system so that it doesn't recognize you until you log in again.

lone gunman »    An individual person who acts on his or her own initiative, without partners, especially one who has sole responsibility for doing something questionable, confidential, or iniquitous.

long absent, soon forgotten »    Love fades away when people are distant and don't keep close physical contact.

long arm »    A pole tool used for handling things too far away to reach.

long drink »    Any drink containing more than 5 ounces of liquid and less than 9 ounces. Typically, a long drink will have lots of ice and mixer.

long goodbye »    Nickname for Alzheimer's disease, especially for the final phase of the disease, during which the patient suffers a progressive decline of cognitive and motor skills and gradually loses the ability to recognize and to communicate with family and friends.[1]; nickname for the relationship between a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease and that person's family or friends.

long shot »    A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.

long shot »    Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working. The term arose from the accuracy of early ship guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.

long story short »    Introducing a short version of, or simply the conclusion of, an involved story.

long time no hear »    I haven't heard from you for a long time.

long time no see »    I haven't seen you for a long time.

long ways, long lies »    Someone who comes back from a far-off country can tell lies without fear of being contradicted.

longpig »    Human flesh when cooked in cannabalistic rituals in certain Pacific Islands, due to the allegeded similarity to cooked pork.

look at »    Visually.

look before you leap »    Don't jump into something too precipitously; be at least a bit foresightful or circumspect.

look daggers »    To stare sharply at someone to indicate disapproval without actually speaking.

look forward »    To anticipate or expect; especially, to expect something to be pleasant.

look forward to »    To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure.

look off »    To mislead by directing one's apparent attention away from one's true object of intent.

look off »    To put off by one's facial expression.

look out for number one »    To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.

look the other way »    To ignore something wrong. Similar to connive.

look what the cat's dragged in »    Used as an ironic acknowledgement of someone's arrival, especially to imply that they are unwelcome or disagreeable in some way.

look-in »    A quick short pass to a receiver running diagonally toward the center of the field.

Loose cannon »    An uncontrolled or unpredictable person who causes damage to his own friends, faction, political party, etc.

lose it »    To be explosively angry; to lose one's temper.

lose one's head »    To go crazy.

lose one's marbles »    To go crazy.

lose one's shirt »    To lose all of one's money; to go broke; to undergo financial ruin or disaster.

lose one's temper »    To be explosively angry. To get very cross.

lose one's touch »    To lose one's special mastery of or knack for a particular skill or activity.

lose the plot »    To have one's results decline severely in quality or suddenly fall below an acceptable standard, especially when compared to past excellence.

lost errand »    A mission likely to fail.

love nest »    A room, especially a bedroom or boudoir, used for sexual intercourse.

low road »    A course of action which is undignified, wrongful, or otherwise unseemly.

low-hanging fruit »    Easily obtained gains; what can be obtained by readily available means.

lower the boom »    To suddenly overpower, with "on".

lower the boom »    To use one's superior physical strength; clobber.

lubrication payment »    A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.

luck out »    To experience great luck; to be extremely fortunate or lucky.

lucky break »    A stroke of luck; a fortunate event, particularly of the sort that propels one to success, fame, etc.

lucky dip »    A game in which prizes are covered up and mixed together in a container, so that contestants can dip their hand into the container and randomly pull out a prize.

lucky dip »    A selection solely at random.

lucky dip »    September 2005, BBC News - Dome sale 'was like a lucky dip'.

lump in one's throat »    A feeling of emotional sadness. On the point of crying.

lump to one's throat »    A feeling of emotional sadness. On the point of crying.

mad as a March hare »    Crazy, demented.

mad money »    A sum of money kept in reserve or to insulate oneself financially in the event of the sudden breakdown of a relationship in which one is economically dependent.

mad money »    A sum of money, often relatively small in amount, kept in reserve to use for impulsive, frivolous purposes.

made in China »    Cheaply manufactured in East Asia.

made in China »    Of poor or low quality.

made in Japan »    Cheaply manufactured in East Asia.

made in Japan »    Of poor or low quality.

made in the shade »    In a condition characterized by comfort, success, easy living, or general well-being.

magic bullet »    A simple remedy to a difficult or complex problem, especially a cure for a disease.

make a go of it »    To attempt; especially, to attempt to make a living.

make a killing »    To win or earn a large amount of money.

make a living »    To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.

make a meal of »    That is the eleventh edit that you have made to that word, you are really making a meal of it.

make a meal of »    To spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants; to make something overly complicated.

make a monkey out of »    To cause a person, organization, or action to appear foolish or inferior; to subject someone or something to ridicule..

make a pig's ear of »    To do badly; to make a mess of.

make a point »    To take care in doing something of something; to pay attention or ensure that something is done.

make a pug face »    To put on a sorry face, as a pug would look.

make a pug-face »    Putting on a sorry face, as a pug would look.

make a stink »    To complain; to demand attention or remedy for a problem.

make a virtue of necessity »    C. 1595, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 4, sc.1.

make a virtue of necessity »    To make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits.

make an example of »    He made an example of the drunken sailor with twenty lashes, to show that he must have a sober crew.

make an exhibition of oneself »    She had far too much to drink and made an exhibition of herself by flirting with everyone.

make an honest woman »    Especially if she is having a sexual relationship.

make book »    To be very confident.

make book »    To gamble, either by placing or taking bets.

make for »    ????, translator unknown, author Galileo Galilei, Two Chief World Systems.

make haste »    hurry

make hay »    To cut grass to turn into hay for animal feed.

make hay »    To take advantage of an opportunity.

make hay while the sun shines »    To act while an opportunity exists; to take action while a situation is favorable.

make head or tail of »    To understand even minimally.

make headway »    To progress; to move forward.

make it do or do without »    If you don't have a lot of money, extend the life of what you have.

make it snappy »    Do it quickly; be quick about it.

make it up as one goes along »    To improvise continuously.

make light of »    To regard without due seriousness; to joke or disregard inappropriately.

make no bones about »    To see no difficulty in, have no objection to.

make off »    To run away; to exit.

make oneself scarce »    To leave or depart, or to avoid or stay away.

make out »    To fabricate a story.

make out like a bandit »    To profit greatly; to get an excessively good deal.

make over »    To transfer ownership, especially by means of a legal document.

make quick work of »    To accomplish a specified task easily and quickly.

make someone's day »    To make someone happy or to be a source of satisfaction.

make sure »    To verify; to recheck; to use extra care or caution.

make the grade »    To prove satisfactory; to be successful or worthy of merit.

make the welkin ring »    By extension of.

make the welkin ring »    By extension of , to celebrate or revel.

make tracks »    To leave in a hurry.

make tracks »    To leave or depart; to go away.

make up »    To apply cosmetics or makeup.

mama's boy »    A male person, especially a young man or boy, who is overly attached to or influenced by his mother; a sissy.

man of few words »    A man who doesn't speak much, or speaks only for a short period of time.

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.

man proposes, God disposes »    Things don't always work out as they were planned.

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.

man up »    To staff adequately; to staff up; to successfully fill all needed labor positions.

managerial inbreeding »    Bad management, caused by managers making poor selection choices in recruitment, rewards, and promotions of the staff that report to them, leading to another generation of managers who lack the necessary skill sets to reward and promote the most effective staff.

manoeuvre the apostles »    To rob Peter to pay Paul; that is, to borrow money of one man to pay another.

many a mickle makes a muckle »    (UK) a lot of small amounts together, become a large amount.

many hands make light work »    A large number of people co-operating can perform tasks easily.

many happy returns »    A greeting, usually for birthdays, in reference to the passing year; Happy birthday!.

march to the beat of a different drum »    To do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.

mark my words »    Listen to me; used before a statement one wishes to emphasize.

mark time »    Marching in place; not going anywhere.

mark up »    To add coding to text so that it will display properly on a computer.

marry in haste, repent at leisure »    Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.

marry in haste, repent at leisure »    Two things together too soon will lead to problems.

match made in heaven »    A marriage that is likely to be happy and successful because the two people are very compatible with each other.

match made in heaven »    A very successful combination of two people or things.

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.

match made in hell »    A very unsuccessful or conflicting combination of two people or things.

matter of course »    An expected or customary outcome.

matter of fact »    Something completely true.

may the Force be with you »    Used to wish someone luck with a difficult endeavor.

me three »    Used to express agreement, after someone has already said "me too".

meal ticket »    Someone or something that provides income or livelihood, especially as an exploited source.

mean the world to »    To be loved or cared about a great deal by.

measure twice and cut once »    (literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn

meatball surgery »    A nickname for surgery that is meant to be performed rapidly to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.

meaty »    Of a person or a body part, large and solid.

meaty »    Of, relating to, or containing meat.

meaty »    Resembling meat in flavour, etc.

meaty »    Substantial.

meet up »    To meet somebody, by arrangement.

melt into »    To become a liquid by melting.

member for Barkshire »    Said of one troubled with a cough, vulgarly styled barking.

memory lane »    A set of recollections available to be reviewed, especially accompanied by a feeling of nostalgia.

mend one's ways »    To recognise one's failings and attempt to remedy them.

mercury »    A silvery-colored metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.

mess around »    To fiddle idly.

mess around »    To joke, kid, or play.

mess of pottage »    Something of trivial value, especially of immediate value.

mess up »    To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.

mess up »    To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.

mess up »    To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.

mess up »    To make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.

mess up »    To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.

mickey finn »    spiked drink

middle of nowhere »    Nowhere; any place lacking population, interesting things, or defining characteristics.

middle of the road »    Having a centrist attitude or philosophy; not extreme, especially politically.

middle of the road »    Of a type of melodic popular music that has wide appeal.

midi system »    hi-fi

mighty oaks from little acorns grow »    Something great can come from a modest beginning.Don't give up on the project - mighty oaks from little acorns grow!

mike up »    To fit a microphone and transmitter to a person. Usually for television performers, or for police informers.

mill around »    To move or circulate in a confused or disorderly manner within a limited area.

mills of the gods grind slowly »    Justice may arrive slowly, but it cannot be avoided.

mince words »    To restrain oneself in a conversation by withholding some comments or using euphemisms.

mind one's own business »    To concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.

mind one's p's and q's »    To be very careful to behave correctly.

mind over matter »    Willpower alone can overcome a physical problem.

mind the store »    To remain present in a retail business, in order to maintain the security of the premises and to serve customers.

mind the store »    To take active responsibility for a group or process, especially within an organization.

mind you »    Mind that you; be careful that you.

mind you »    Used to draw attention to adjacent words.

mind-numbing »    Excessively boring, tedious, or dull; repetitive; of an activity, etc., lacking any interest or variety that might serve as intellectual stimulation.

mine arse on a bandbox »    An answer to the offer of any thing inadequate to the purpose for which it is proffered, like offering a bandbox for a seat.

miner's canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miner's canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

miners' canary »    A caged bird kept caged in mines because its demise provided a warning of dangerous levels of toxic gases.

miners' canary »    Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

mint condition »    Used, but still like new, as if freshly minted.

misery loves company »    Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.1995, Chris Abbott,

misfortunes never come singly »    bad things or situations always come in groups, they never come in a single way.

miss out »    To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.

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.

mix apples and oranges »    To mix two totally different things.

mix it up »    To compete vigorously, to quarrel, or to fight physically.

mixed bag »    Any bag containing a mixture of something.

mixed bag »    By extension, a group of entities with few characteristics in common; an assortment.

mixed message »    Any communication that is contradictory, inconsistent, or unclear, especially in its motive or intent.

mock up »    To create a model or demonstration; to create a preliminary version or sample.

mocking is catching »    An admonishment to be careful of criticising others, lest the same happen to you.Mocking is Catching was the title of a 1726 song by Henry Carey.

money can't buy happiness »    Money can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.

money doesn't grow on trees »    You must work in order to have money.

money for old rope »    Money exchanged for goods of low value.

money maker »    A woman's buttocks.

money maker »    Something profitable.

money talks »    It is easier to accomplish goals using money instead of just talk.

monkey around »    To act foolishly.

monkey business »    An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.

monkey business »    An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious.

monkey business »    Do your homework and forget about all this monkey business.

monkey business »    Wasting time, or effort, on some foolish project.

monkey on one's back »    A state of persistent distress or worry or the cause of such a state.

monkey on one's back »    An addiction, especially to narcotic drugs.

monkey wrench »    A pipe wrench.

monkey wrench »    A problem, obstacle or dilemma; something unexpected or troublesome.

monkey wrench »    A wrench with a smooth adjustable jaw to grip different sizes of nuts.

month of Sundays »    A very long time; too long.

mop the floor with somebody »    To trounce or defeat thoroughly or in a humiliating manner.

mop up »    To clean with a mop; especially to clean up a spill or mess.

moral high ground »    A position or point of view which is ethically superior or more reputable, in comparison to others which are under consideration.

more cry than wool »    Asserted but not grounded in reality.

more equal »    Ostensibly equal, but in reality more privileged.

more haste, less speed »    When we are in a hurry, we often end up completing our task slower.

morning person »    A person whose who wakes up without difficulty early each morning and who is alert and active during the first part of the day.

morning, noon and night »    Constantly; ceaselessly; without stopping.

motor mouth »    One who talks incessantly; a chatty or loquacious person.

mouth breather »    A person who routinely inhales and exhales through the mouth, instead of through the nose.

mouth of a sailor »    The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities; a person having this characteristic.

move heaven and earth »    To do whatever is necessary, including extreme or unusual actions; to go to extremes.

move it »    To hurry; to hurry up.

move one's body »    To dance.

move the goal posts »    To unilaterally change the rules, or terms of an agreement, especially in an unfair or underhand way.

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.

mover and shaker »    Someone who has power and influence in some field or activity.

much of a muchness »    Of two or more things, having little difference of any significance between them.

muck about »    To do random unplanned work or spend time idly.

muck about »    To do somethings with a piece of equipment when you do not understand how it works.

muck about »    To be playful; full of fun and high spirits.

muckety muck »    A person in a position of power, authority, or status.

mug up »    To study intensely.

mull over »    To think deeply about something; to ponder, deliberate or ruminate.

mum's the word »    The accompanying facts are a secret, not to be divulged.

murder will out »    A murderer will always be discovered.

murder will out »    Secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered.

muscle in »    To interfere, or intrude forcibly.

muscle in on »    To interfere with, or intrude on something forcibly.

music to one's ear »    Some unexpected good news; a favorable outcome after some initial confusion or delay.

mutton dressed as lamb »    A mature woman dressed in a style more suited to a young woman, especially if a deliberate attempt to appear young.

mutual admiration society »    A group of two or more people, in a workplace or other social environment, who routinely express considerable esteem and support for one another, sometimes to the point of exaggeration or pretense.

my arse »    Indicates disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

my eye »    Cheech and Chong.

my eye »    Expression of disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

my foot »    Indicates disapproval, disregard, disdain, disgust or disbelief.

my lips are sealed »    See keep one's lips sealed.

my way or the highway »    Will be excluded.

myope comme une taupe »    Blind as a bat.

naked as a jaybird »    Stark naked; nude; especially, naked in a public setting and without embarrassment.

nary a »    Not one; none.

ne'er cast a clout til May be out »    Advice not to change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May.

near miss »    narrowly avoided accident

near the knuckle »    Risqué, sexual, suggestive of impropriety..

nearly never bulled a cow »    (Irish) Near enough is not good enough.

necessity is the mother of innovation »    Alternative form of necessity is the mother of invention.

necessity is the mother of invention »    A person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it.

neck and neck »    Very close in progress, as in a race or contest.

necker's knob »    A knob attached to the steering wheel of an automobile, especially before the widespread availability of power steering, helping the driver steer with one arm and leaving the other arm free to provide romantic attention to a companion.

necktie party »    An execution by hanging, especially a lynching.

needle in a haystack »    Something that is difficult or impossible to locate; something impossibly complex or intractable.

neither fish nor fowl »    Said of something not easily categorized or not fitting neatly into any established group.

nervous as a cat »    Very nervous.

nervous hit »    A production which receives generally favorably notice, but is not assured of success.

nest egg »    A natural or artificial egg placed in a bird's nest, to encourage the bird to lay its own eggs there.

nest egg »    A savings; a reserve of money.

never change a running system »    Don't change something that is working

never in a million years »    Absolutely not.

never in a month of Sundays »    At no time whatsoever.

never in a month of Sundays »    Never in a month of Sundays would I have imagined that you'd be this tall in real life!.

never mind »    I withdraw my previous statement.

never you mind »    Do not concern yourself with it; it is none of your business.

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.

next to »    Almost; nearly.

nice guy »    An adult male who seeks sexual attraction and romantic intimacy, but only finds cordial friendship and platonic love.

nickel and dime »    Small time; operating on a small scale; involving small amounts of money; petty or cheap.

night owl »    One who stays up late at night or goes to bed late.

night person »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours, and who usually sleeps during part of the daytime.

nightcap »    A beverage drunk before bed that is usually alcoholic.

nighthawk »    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours.

nine day wonder »    Something that generates interest for a limited time and is then abandoned.

nine lives »    Durability; near immunity to damage.

nip and tuck »    So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.

nip in the bud »    To stop something at an early stage.

no biggie »    Not a big deal, not something to worry about.

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.

no comment »    A refusal to say the obvious impolite retort.

no comment »    An "official" refusal to relay any further information, as a response to a newspaper reporter's question.

no fear »    certainly not

no frills »    Basic or simple; providing only what is necessary, without anything extra or fancy.

no good deed ever goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no good deed goes unpunished »    Used to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.

no great shakes »    Unexceptional; not special or noteworthy; not very effective.

no holds barred »    Without reserve; in an especially ruthless or vicious manner.

no holds barred »    Without restrictions on holds or what opponents may do.

no ifs, ands, or buts »    Period; exactly so; without modification, limitation, or addendum.

no joy »    A negative outcome.

no love lost »    Dislike, animosity.

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney »    Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.

no screaming hell »    Something that is not particularly effective or impressive; something that is below expectations.

no slave to fashion »    A person whose style of clothing and appearance are unconventional, informal, or slovenly; a person who takes little interest in how he or she is dressed.

no slouch »    Pretty good; not bad.

no smoke without fire »    Indicative of the fact that gossip or accusations are often substantiated by fact.

no spring chicken »    Said of a person who is no longer particularly young.

no two ways about it »    No other possible action, choice or option.

no way »    In no way; nowise.

no-show »    An absence; somebody who doesn't show up or a failure to show up.

noarch »    Short for "no architecture". It is a term used mainly in package management systems to mark packages which are architecture independent. Such packages usually contain graphics, documentation or similar data that can be used on any architecture.

nobody's perfect »    Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best

nod off »    To fall asleep, especially while in a seated position or in inappropriate circumstances.

non-starter »    An idea or argument that cannot be sensibly debated.

none too »    Not very

nose candy »    Cocaine.

nose test »    An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

nose-picking »    To insert a finger into one's nostril, especially to remove mucus.

nosebleed seat »    A seat high in the back of bleachers, stands, or the balcony at a theater.

not a chance »    Absolutely not; no way.

not a pretty sight »    Something disappointing, disquieting, disreputable, or otherwise unworthy of admiration.

not a pretty sight »    Something visually unappealing, ranging from mildly unattractive to utterly disgusting in appearance.

not a sausage »    Absolutely nothing, none of something.

not a sausage »    John: Do you know how I get to the town center from here?.

not a zack »    No amount of money; no money at all.

not at all »    Used similarly to you're welcome, as a conventional reply to an expression of gratitude.

not bad »    Reasonably good.

not be able to get a word in edgeways »    To be unable to say a single word because of someone else's talkativeness.

not be caught dead »    To refuse completely to do something.

not give a monkey's »    Not to have the slightest interest or concern.

not half bad »    Pretty good; okay; decent.

not in Kansas anymore »    No longer in quiet and comfortable surroundings; in the big city.

not long for this world »    Unlikely to remain for much time.

not much of anything »    Very little; not a lot.

not on your life »    Absolutely not; under no circumstances.

not on your nelly »    Not on your life, an emphatic form of no.

not on your tintype »    An answer indicating outright rejection or denial; no way; absolutely not.

not quite »    Almost, very nearly.

not to put too fine a point on it »    Used to apologise for a possibly impolite statement one is making.

not touch something with a ten foot pole »    Francis Lynde, The Quickening.

not very »    Not.

not win for losing »    To repeatedly fail in one's gambles or efforts.

nothing special »    Ordinary, run-of-the-mill.

nothing to it »    Easy; simple or straightforward.

nothing to write home about »    Not exceptional; not noteworthy or especially good.

nothing ventured, nothing gained »    If one takes no risks, one will not gain any benefits.

now and then »    Sometimes; occasionally.

now you mention it »    The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling.

now you're cooking »    A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.

now you're talking »    A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.

nudge nudge wink wink »    A phrase added at the end of the sentence to hint that the speaker is referring to something else, euphemistically.

nugget of truth »    A small amount of truth in a generally untrue statement.

nugget of truth »    January 2008, Chicago Tribune - Clinton's Hispanic edge over Obama.

nut-cutting time »    Time to gather nuts before they are taken by other animals or buried in snow.

nutfarm »    An insane asylum.

nuthouse »    A lunatic asylum.

nutty as a fruitcake »    Behaving in an eccentric, foolish, or kooky manner; very nutty.

object lesson »    An example that typifies a principle.

object lesson »    Anything used an example or lesson which serves to warn others as to the outcomes that result from a particular action or behavior, as exemplified by the fates of those who followed that course.

odd and curious »    A way to designate special coins, namely coins that are both odd and imperfect or seriously damaged.

odd one out »    A visual puzzle where the guesser has to choose which word/picture/symbol etc. does not fit with the others.

of a »    Every.

of all people »    Especially; more than other people.

of an »    Indicates a more or less habitual activity during the given part of the day.

of course »    Acknowledges the validity of the associated phrase.

of course »    Asserts that the associated phrase should not be argued, particularly if it is obvious or there is no choice in the matter.

of late »    In the recent past; recently; lately.

of sorts »    Resembling; similar to; in a way; partial or not entire; somewhat.

off and on »    Intermittently.

off balance »    Not physical balanced; not having physical equilibrium.

off chance »    A condition of not being likely or probable.

off one's game »    C. 1910, Ralph Henry Barbour, "The Dub" in The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories.

off one's game »    Performing in any activity below one's usual level; behaving in an irregular, inept, or awkward manner; feeling unwell.

off one's game »    Playing or competing below one's usual level of performance.

off one's rocker »    Crazy; insane.

off the bat »    From the start; immediately; right away.

off the beaten path »    In a secluded location; in a place which is not frequently visited or not widely known.

off the beaten track »    In a place or places not commonly visited.

off the chain »    Crazy and exciting; delirious and wild. By analogy to a frenetic dog when unleashed.

off the chain »    Free from work or direct supervision. In reference to slave labor, where workers are chained, or to the figurative chain of workers of an assembly line.

off the deep end »    Crazy, erratic, or irrational.

off the hook »    Performing extraordinarily well.

off the hook »    Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure.

off the radar »    Unlikely to happen, or be important in the near future or tending to escape detection or attention.

off the rails »    In an abnormal manner, especially in a manner that causes damage or malfunctioning.

off the table »    Beyond consideration.

off the wagon »    No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.

off-color »    Considered dirty, vulgar or obscene.

off-the-shelf »    As purchased or as commonly available, without modification or customization.

off-the-wall »    Greatly inappropriate.

off-the-wall »    Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.

offer affordances »    To give elbow room or leeway for something to happen.

offer one's condolences »    To offer sympathy to someone.

oh dark hundred »    Some unspecified hour in the early morning.

oh dark thirty »    Some unspecified hour in the early morning.

oh, well »    An expression of disappointment or resignation; too bad; pity.

old college try »    A vigorous, committed attempt or effort.

Old Fart »    An elderly person who holds views that are considered old-fashioned.

old fogey »    Old person.

old hand »    A person who is experienced at a certain activity.

old hat »    Something uninteresting, hackneyed, or passé due to overuse or long-standing familiarity..

old hat »    Something widely or long practiced, known, or accepted; something conventional.

old hat »    Something with which one is very familiar, or in which one is experienced or skilled.

old money »    Families that have been wealthy for generations or members of such families.

old money »    The imperial system of measurement, as opposed to the metric system.

old money »    The monetary system used in the United Kingdom before decimalisation and consisting of pounds, shillings, and pence.

old saw »    A cliché, saying, or overused expression; especially a proverb or maxim.

old school »    Characteristic of a style, outlook, or method employed in a former era, remembered either as inferior to the current style, or alternately, remembered nostalgically as superior or preferable to the new style, the older denoting something that would be considered out of date or out of fashion to some, but as such, is considered by others as cool and hip.

old stick »    A man, chap, fellow, guy.

old time used to be »    Ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend. Often used in songs.

old time used to be »    Roberta, lyrics by Leadbelly.

old time used to be »    Somebody Loan Me A Dime. lyrics by Boz Scaggs.

on a full stomach »    Directly after eating, after a meal.

on a regular basis »    Regularly, occurring in regular time intervals or patterns.

on a shoestring »    On a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.

on a whim »    Done without thinking seriously about the consequences.

on accident »    Accidentally; not intentionally; because of error, misfortune, or lack of caution.

on an irregular basis »    Irregularly, occurring in irregular time intervals or patterns.

on at »    to pester; to irritate; to annoy

on average »    Usually, typically; as a rule; as often as not.

on board »    Even when I am on board the plane, I can never feel secure that my luggage is, too.

on board »    Is that new teammate properly on board yet?.

on cloud nine »    Very happy, blissful.

on course »    Proceeding smoothly as planned.

on end »    Remarkably long; continuously.

on end »    Upright; erect; endways.

on good terms with »    Friendly towards; having good relations with.

on hand »    Available; ready; in stock.

on hand »    close by; ready to help

on high »    In authority.

on high »    In the sky or the heavens.

on hold »    Delayed; postponed.

on ice »    Performed by ice skaters as an ice show.

on its merits »    Considering only intrinsic good points and bad points, without prejudice or other considerations, such as procedural ones.

on one's feet »    Being stable or capable, especially in a financial or emotional sense.

on one's hands »    Being one's liability or responsibility; with which one is lumbered.

on one's own »    Alone; by oneself; without the companionship or assistance of others.

on one's toes »    Attentive, active, busy or alert.

on one's watch »    During the period of time when one is in a position of authority or responsibility.

on opposite sides of the barricades »    Of starkly different, opposite views on an issue.

on pins and needles »    Feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.

on purpose »    Purposefully; with intention; deliberately.

on sight »    Immediately when sighted.

on spec »    I'm writing an article on spec. I hope some magazine will buy it.

on steroids »    To a greater degree, exaggerating the characteristics of the previously named object.

on sufferance »    Unwillingly agreed to or barely tolerated.

on the anvil »    Refers to anything in the making, being created, or in production, especially in the metalworking field.

on the blink »    Functioning erratically, malfunctioning; not working or not working well. Usually refers to a mechanical or electronic device.

on the bounce »    Consecutively, in succession.

on the brain »    Obsessively in mind.

on the brink »    Very nearly; imminent; close.

on the bubble »    Holding the last qualifying position with qualification still in progress, and thus liable to lose that position.

on the button »    Exactly, precisely.

on the cheap »    Economically, especially if too economically.

on the clock »    Displayed numerically on the mileage or kilometric gauge.

on the clock »    Of a taxicab, engaged for hire; displayed numerically as time or fare on the meter of a taxicab.

on the clock »    Working at one's job; occupied in some manner during one's hours of remunerated employment.

on the cuff »    On credit, with payment to be made later.

on the dot »    Exactly; precisely, especially of a numerical quantity.

on the double »    Rapidly or immediately.

on the face of it »    Apparently; as far as can be seen or determined.

on the fly »    Spontaneously or extemporaneously; done as one goes, or during another activity.

on the go »    Actively traveling; busy; moving often.

on the house »    Free, complimentary.

on the ladder »    Figuratively a property ladder, owning property.

on the level »    A discreet reference to freemasonry.

on the line »    On a level with the eye of the spectator; said of a picture, as hung in an exhibition of pictures.

on the loose »    Not incarcerated or in captivity; not under control.

on the make »    Actively seeking a romantic encounter or relationship.

on the make »    Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.

on the mend »    Healing or recovering, as from an injury or illness.

on the nose »    Exactly; precisely.

on the nose »    Smelly, malodorous.

on the outs »    On unfriendly terms; estranged.

on the plus side »    Positively; from a favorable view or perspective.

on the point »    Very nearly; imminent; close.

on the pull »    Seeking the intimate company of a member of the opposite sex.

on the right track »    Using the correct general approach to a particular task or problem; pursuing something in a promising way.

on the run »    Constantly traveling or moving from place to place.

on the sly »    Slyly, in an inconspicuous manner, so as not to be seen; secretly; stealthily.

on the spot »    At that very moment; right away.

on the spur of the moment »    On very short notice; spontaneously.

on the square »    "Are you on the square?".

on the square »    A discrete, unassuming reference to freemasonry.

on the town »    Casually enjoying the nightlife of a town or city.

on the uptake »    In understanding or in the ability to absorb new information; especially in the phrases "quick on the uptake" and "slow on the uptake".

on the verge »    Very near or close.

on the wagon »    By extension, maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.

on the way »    Coming, approaching.

on tiptoe »    Moving carefully, quietly, warily or stealthily.

on top of »    Fully informed about, and in control of something; up to speed with.

on top of the world »    Delighted; ecstatic; exceptionally pleased, happy, or satisfied.

on track »    On a well-defined promotion path in an organisation, usually tenure.

on-the-spot »    In the right place at this very moment.

once and for all »    Finally, permanently, conclusively.

once bitten, twice shy »    One is cautious in the future if one has been hurt in the past.

once in a blue moon »    Very rarely; very infrequently.

once in a while »    Occasionally; sometimes.

once you go black, you never go back »    An expression assuming that once a person of another race gets in a sexual relationship with a black person they won't return to their own race.

one and all »    All, everyone.

one and the same »    The same person or thing. Used to emphasize the identity or equivalence of two things.

one at a time »    Individually, as opposed to collectively; slowly or methodically, figuratively.

one brick short of a full load »    Not mentally sound; insane.

one by one »    Individually in succession; one at a time.

one can run but one can't hide »    There is nothing someone can do to evade something.You can run but you can't hide.

one can't hold two watermelons in one hand »    do not attempt to take on more than you can handle

one card shy of a full deck »    Mentally deranged; demented; insane.

one fell swoop »    One stroke; one action or event with many results.

one good turn deserves another »    One act of kindness should be paid back by another act of kindness.

one in the eye for »    An event or achievement which is unpleasant for someone, especially for those who considered it impossible or unwelcome; an annoyance.

one of his majesty's bad bargains »    A worthless soldier, a malingeror.

one of those days »    A bad day.

one side »    You should move to one side and allow me to go through the passageway you are blocking.

one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind »    Words spoken by Neil Armstrong when taking the first steps on the moon.

one step at a time »    Slowly and carefully, ensuring that each action has been completed successfully before taking the next.

one step forward, two steps back »    A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.

one swallow does not a summer make »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one swallow doesn't make a summer »    One sighting or instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend.

one thousand »    Used in a common chronometric counting scheme, in which each iteration is sequentially numbered and supposed to be approximately one second in length.

one up »    To outdo, to do something slightly better than a competitor's prior effort.

one who hesitates is lost »    A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.

one's bark is worse than one's bite »    The individual acts threatening but is relatively harmless.

one's days are numbered »    Some period of time, such as a term of employment or a lifetime, is coming to an end.

one-hit wonder »    A musical performer or musical group known for a single hit song, especially after failing at later attempts at success.

one-hit wonder »    A person or group known for achieving only a single major accomplishment.

one-horse town »    A very small town.

one-man band »    A musician who plays several musical instruments at once.

one-man band »    An organisation or business that is effectively run by only one person.

one-night stand »    A single sexual encounter between two individuals, where at least one of the parties has no immediate intention or expectation of establishing a longer-term sexual or romantic relationship. As the phrase implies, the relationship lasts for only one night.

one-note »    Having only one opinion, outlook, tone, etc., especially as expressed repetitively; without variety or range.

one-track mind »    That said to be possessed by someone who is obsessed with something or only able to think of one thing.

one-trick pony »    A performing animal that knows only one trick.

one-trick pony »    A person or group noteworthy for only a single achievement, skill, or characteristic.

one-up »    To outdo, to do something slightly better than a competitor's prior effort.

one-upmanship »    The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.

onesie-twosie »    Individually or in very small groups, rather in larger batches.

only fools and horses work »    Philosophy of life that people who do not look for an easy way of earning a living are foolish.

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.

open a can of whoop ass »    A good-humored threat of physical harm.

open a can of whoop ass »    I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on ya.

open one's big mouth »    To speak about things, when it would be better to stay silent.

opposite number »    A person who holds a position in an organization that corresponds to that held by another person in an other organization; a counterpart.

opposites attract »    people who are completely different make ideal partners.

or else »    Clean up your room, or else!.

or else »    Go now, or else you'll have to stay all night.

or so »    approximately; there abouts

orange up »    To make more prominent by making orange or adding orange colour.

orphan drug »    But which is not manufactured or marketed because the demand is insufficient to cover the costs of supply.

other days, other ways »    People of the past thought and acted differently.

out loud »    Using the voice; not silently; aloud.

out of bounds »    Beyond the bounds of civility or morality; extremely unreasonable.

out of character »    Inconsistent with one's personality, disposition, or usual expected behaviour.

out of character »    Not acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.

out of character »    Not in character; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance. See also break character, drop character.

out of date »    Not current, outmoded, out of style, or too old to be used.

out of gas »    Tired; lacking energy or motivation.

out of house and home »    Gail White, Partying with the Intelligentsia.

out of house and home »    Global Checkup: How Healthy is Earth?, Science NOW.

out of house and home »    Helping Your Dog Adjust to a New Home, The Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

out of it »    Disoriented; not thinking clearly.

out of kilter »    Disturbed; out of order; not working or adjusted properly.

out of line »    Inappropriate or unsuitable, especially by reason of being unmannerly or indelicate.

out of luck »    Experiencing a temporary misfortune.

out of one's depth »    To be in a situation which one is poorly prepared or unprepared to handle.

out of one's league »    In a situation in which one is mismatched with one or more others, whose accomplishments, preparedness, or other characteristics are on a significantly higher or lower level than one's own.

out of order »    Not functioning properly.

out of place »    Amongst all those horsey people I felt quite out of place.

out of proportion »    Not in a proper or pleasing relation to other things, especially in terms of size.

out of sight »    How was the party? Out of sight, man!.

out of sight »    You better stay out of sight for a few days.

out of sight, out of mind »    When something is not nearby, it is forgotten about.

out of sorts »    Irritable or somewhat unwell, with vague medical symptoms.

out of stock »    Temporarily unavailable for sale.

out of the blue »    Unexpectedly; without warning or preparation.

out of the box »    Immediately, without intervention from the customer.

out of the frying pan, into the fire »    From an already bad situation to a worse one.

out of the mouths of babes »    The greatest wisdom comes from children, who are not afraid or weary of the world and its pressures.

out of the way »    Improper or offensive.

out of the way »    Not obstructing or hindering; not in the way.

out of the way »    Remote or secluded.

out of the way »    Taken care of.

out of the way »    Unusual or out of the ordinary.

out of the woods »    Out of peril; likely to recover or prevail over trouble; finished with the worst or most threatening part of a problem or illness.

out of this world »    Exceptionally high quality; wonderful; marvellous.

out of wedlock »    Of parents not legally married.

out of whack »    Not working or operating properly.

out of whack »    Wrong, broken; specifically.

out of work »    Unemployed, or having nothing to do.

out on one's ear »    Fired, dismissed or thrown out, especially for some wrongdoing or otherwise with disgrace.

out the wazoo »    Out the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

out the window »    A missed opportunity.

out the window »    Made obsolete; altered drastically as a result of situational change.

out to lunch »    Away eating lunch or for a midday break; especially, away from work or a job.

outside the box »    Beyond the bounds of convention.

outsider »    A newcomer with little or no experience in an organization or community.

outsider »    One who is not part of a community or organization.

over a barrel »    In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, in which one may be controlled or victimized.

over and out »    Used to signal the end of a conversation, especially one conducted by CB radio or the like.

over and over »    Repeatedly; again and again; many times.

over my dead body »    Under no circumstances; absolutely not.

over one's head »    More complex or confusing than one can understand; beyond one’s comprehension..

over one's head »    Performing at a level greatly superior to one's usual level of performance.

over the top »    Bold; beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; outrageous.

overkill »    A destructive capacity that exceeds that needed to destroy an enemy; especially with nuclear weapons.

overkill »    An unnecessary excess of whatever is needed to achieve a goal.

overleap »    To leap over, to jump over, to cross by jumping.

pachyderm »    A member of the obsolete taxonomic group Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant, pig and horse.

pachyderm »    Someone who is insensitive.

pachyderm »    Someone with thick skin. It is used for animals such as an elephant or a hippopotamus.

pachyderm »    What others say about him or her.

pack away »    To store away, place out of the way, or stash, especially for the longer term.

pack away »    To eat a great deal.

pack up »    To clear away.

packing heat »    Carrying one or more firearms on one's person, especially in a concealed manner.

pain in the butt »    A nuisance; a source of trouble or annoyance.

pain in the neck »    Someone or something which is annoying, irritating or inconvenient.

paint the town red »    To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.

painting rocks »    Pointless or futile work organised by the government, supposedly to increase employment but in fact merely disguising the unemployment level.

palace politics »    The relationships and interactions of top-level officials, advisors and other powerbrokers within a government, especially as involving internal rivalry and intrigue.

pan out »    By swirling dirt or crushed rock in a pan of water, in the manner of a traditional prospector seeking gold.

paper »    A newspaper or anything used as such .

paper »    A sheet material used for writing on or printing on , usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.

paper »    A written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting .

paper »    A written document, generally shorter than a book , in particular one written for the Government.

paper »    Money.

paper trail »    A written record, history, or collection of evidence.

paper trail »    The records left by a person or organization in the course of activities.

parade of horribles »    A rhetorical device employing a series of progressively more terrible results following from an act.

pardon me »    Sorry; said as an apology.

pardon my French »    Please excuse my swearing or bad language.

pare down »    To reduce by paring or a similar gradual process.

park the car in Harvard Yard »    A sentence used to illustrate that the Boston accent is non-rhotic; typically pronounced "pahk the cah in Hahvad Yahd".

parking lot »    A major thruway blocked by stop and go traffic.

parking lot »    An open area, generally paved, where automobiles may be left when not in use.

party animal »    A person known for frequent, enthusiastic attendance at parties, especially one whose partying behavior is exuberant or excessive.

party crasher »    Someone who attempts and often gains entry to a party or club to which they were not invited, often using social engineering techniques. The party crasher usually tries to blend into the party so as not to be kicked out.

party pooper »    Someone who unnecessarily dampens fun.

party to »    Privy to; having knowledge of.

pass away »    To die.

pass by »    To proceed past something.

pass by »    To pass over. disregard, overlook.

pass muster »    To adequately pass a formal or informal inspection.

pass on »    To convey or communicate.

pass out »    To graduate, usually marked by the ceremony at the end of their training.

pass the buck »    To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.

pass the hat »    To ask for money, especially from a group of people; to solicit donations or contributions.

pave the way »    To make future development easier.

pay attention »    To be attentive; to focus one's attention.

pay for »    To exchange for, especially money for goods or services.

pay for »    To be punished or held accountable for.

pay for it »    To suffer the consequences of one's actions.

pay off »    To bribe, especially to deter oversight.

pay off »    To become worthwhile after a lapse.

pay one's dues »    To acquire status or to earn the right to enjoy certain benefits, especially through lengthy experience, hardship, or service to an organization.

pay one's dues »    To outlay money which is owed as a membership fee or price of admission.

pay out »    To distribute money; to disburse.

pay out »    To slacken a rope by lengthening it; to allow a rope to run out.

pay out »    To repay, take revenge.

pay the bills »    To provide enough income to sustain one's lifestyle.

pay the fiddler »    To contribute in order to participate.

pay the fiddler »    To face the consequences of one’s actions..

pay the freight »    To bear the cost.

pay the freight »    To pay for the cost of transport.

pay the piper »    To pay a monetary debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable in spite of attempts to avoid them.

pay through the nose »    To pay a high price, especially an exorbitant or excessive amount, either in money or in some other manner.

pay up »    To pay for something in total, after a certain amount of time after receiving a purchase.

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence as an interjection: I am amused that someone got their revenge on you...but you certainly had it coming.

payback's a bitch »    Usually a complete sentence: I will get revenge when you least expect it.

peace and quiet »    Tranquility; freedom from stress or interruptions.

peaches and cream »    A very enjoyable experience.

peaches-and-cream »    Of facial complexion, smooth, with attractive yellow-pink coloring.

peachy keen »    Extremely good, exactly right; all right. Often used in the negative or with an ironic or sarcastic connotation to mean the opposite.

peanut gallery »    Any source of heckling, unwelcome commentary or criticism, especially from a know-it-all or of an inexpert nature.

pearl of wisdom »    A succinct, insightful saying, piece of advice, or moral precept.

peashooter »    A toy gun, consisting of a tube through which peas or small objects are blown.

peashooter »    Any small or ineffective gun.

peel out »    To start abruptly from a standing stop, accelerating rapidly, especially so as to produce skid marks.

peg it »    To run away; to leg it; to scarper.

pelt of the dog »    An immoderate, excessive quantity of alcohol drunk the morning after whilst suffering withdrawal symptoms or a hangover, which goes beyond alleviating the complaint to causing drunkenness; cf. hair of the dog.

penalty box »    That is assessed after an infraction.

penalty box »    The penalty area.

pencil pusher »    One who does routine office work; someone involved mainly in paperwork.

pencil whip »    To approve a document without actually knowing or reviewing what it is that is being approved.

pencil-neck »    A person with a very thin neck.

pencil-necked »    Having a very thin neck.

pencilneck »    A person with a very thin neck.

pendre la cr%C3%A9maill%C3%A8re »    To have a housewarming party.

penny black »    old stamp

penny for your thoughts »    Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.

penny pincher »    One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money.

penny wise and pound foolish »    Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful and profligate with large amounts.

people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones »    Do not criticize others if you have weaknesses yourself.

per se »    by or in itself

perfect storm »    A powerful hurricane or other major weather disturbance, especially as produced by a combination of meteorological conditions.

perfect storm »    A situation where a calamity is caused by the convergence and amplifying interaction of a number of factors.

perp walk »    The intentional public display before news cameras of someone in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the authorities' effectiveness, or shaming the person.

phase in »    To introduce something little by little.

phase out »    To remove or relinquish the use of something little by little.

physical break »    A short break in a meeting or in a classroom setting, intended to improve attention.

pick on »    To bully or make fun of a victim; to bother or harass.

pick somebody's brain »    To seek information from someone knowledgeable; to ask questions of someone.

pick up »    To collect an object, especially in passing.

pick up »    To meet and seduce somebody for romantic purposes, especially in a social situation, sometimes used with "on".

pick up »    To pay for.

pick up stitches »    Stitches to the knitting needle that were previously bound off, or that belong to the selvage, during the process of knitting or entrelac.

pick up the tab »    To accept a charge and pay for it, especially at a bar or restaurant.

pickin' and grinnin' »    Vigorously playing folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.

pickle »    Any vegetable preserved in vinegar and consumed as relish.

pickle »    A cucumber preserved in a solution, usually a brine or a vinegar syrup.

piece of ass »    A very attractive woman, when considered as a sex object.

piece of ass »    An act of intercourse, especially a one night stand.

piece of cake »    A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple to do.

piece of work »    A product or manufactured article, especially an item of art or craft.

piffy on a rock bun »    A person ignored or sidelined from an activity.

pig in a poke »    Something whose true value is concealed or unknown, especially something offered for sale.

pig out »    To eat voraciously or ravenously; to gorge oneself.

pig out »    They watched the game and pigged out on chips and pizza.

pin down »    To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer.

pinch and a punch for the first of the month »    Said the first day of a new month, accompanied by a pinch and a punch to the victim.

pinch-hit »    To bat in place of another player.

pinch-hit »    To do something in the place of another person who is not able to perform or is less skilled; to substitute or stand in for somebody.

pinchpenny »    One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money.

pink slip »    Notice of the termination of employment.

pipe down »    To be quiet; to refrain from being noisy.

pipe dream »    A plan, desire, or idea that will not likely work; a near impossibility.

piping hot »    Very hot.

piss and moan »    To complain, especially needlessly and loudly.

piss and vinegar »    Exuberance or enthusiasm, especially to an excessive degree; bravado; youthful energy.

piss away »    To spend wastefully.

piss money up the wall »    To waste money, normally through ineptness in business.

piss off »    To leave, to go away.

piss off »    To annoy, anger.

piss up a rope »    To engage in futile or impossible activity.

pissed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

pissin like a race horse »    To urinate profusely.

pissing contest »    A boys' prankish competition to determine who can urinate the furthest up a wall.

play along »    To take part in a charade, deception, or practical joke.

play around »    To behave in a silly, or childish, or irresponsible way.

play around »    To work with in a non-serious manner.

play around »    To engage in sexual practices outside of marriage.

play ball »    An expression used at the beginning of a game of baseball.

play ball »    To start anything tumultuous.

play ball »    To work together; to cooperate.

play down »    To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.

play dumb »    To pretend to be mute.

play dumb »    To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.

play fast and loose »    To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.

play fast and loose »    To ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits ones purpose.

play for love »    To play a game of cards without stakes.

play games »    To deceive, to lie about one's intentions.

play hardball »    To act rough and ruthless, especially in politics or business.

play hardball »    To use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.

play hookey »    To be absent without permission, especially from school.

play hooky »    To miss school, work, or other duties without permission or an excuse.

play it by ear »    To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur.

play it by ear »    To play a song according to how it sounds, rather than from a written score.

play it safe »    To take a cautious, risk-free approach.

play Old Harry »    Blenkiron and I have been moving in the best circles as skilled American engineers who are going to play Old Harry with the British on the Tigris. — John Buchan, "Greenmantle", 1916..

play Old Harry »    To play the devil; to make mischief.

play on words »    A pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.

play one against another »    To manipulate two persons into competing against one another in a way that benefits the person carrying out the manipulation.

play one's cards right »    To act sensibly; to make the right moves.

play possum »    To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive.

play possum »    To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lay low.

play possum »    To feign sleep, illness, etc.

play second fiddle »    To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.

play silly buggers »    To act in a stupid or reckless manner.

play someone like a fiddle »    Skilfully.

play the field »    To date more than one person at the same time.

play the fool »    To behave in a foolish or comical manner.

play the ponies »    To bet on horse racing.

play the race card »    Donald A. Carson, Love in Hard Places p.94.

play the race card »    Mark Fuhrman, Murder in Brentwood p.153.

play the race card »    To assert that race or racism is responsible for a course of events, especially when race is not of particular significance to the issue in question; to attempt to inspire a particular reaction by raising the issue of race.

play the same tape »    To repeat exactly what one previously said or did.

play to the gallery »    To appeal to the least sophisticated parts of an audience in order to obtain maximum approval.

play up »    To misbehave.

play up »    To make or attempt to make something appear more important, likely or obvious; to showcase or highlight.

play with fire »    To put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.

plays down »    minimises

plead the fifth »    To refuse to answer a question, or refuse to speak, especially when the response would reflect badly on the speaker.

plug away »    To persist or continue, as with an effort.

plump up »    To shake or arrange so as to be fatter or more evenly distributed.

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.

poacher turned gamekeeper »    A person who now works against the same people they once supported.

pocket money »    child's allowance

point blank »    The distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it. In particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile.

point of no return »    The point in any journey, process, or sequence of events when it is no longer possible to reverse course or stop the process.

point out »    To identify with a bodily gesture, notably by pointing a finger or implement.

point the finger »    To accuse; to direct or imply blame.

poison pen »    A usually intentionally rude, spiteful, and/or condescending piece of writing directed at a person, group, lifestyle, way of thought, or other target.

polish off »    To remove by polishing .

pony in the barn »    An exciting and real prospect, something to be legitimately excited about.

poor power »    Limited ability.

pop off »    To die suddenly.

pop someone's cherry »    To deflower someone.

pop the cherry »    To break the hymen; to lose one's virginity.

pop up »    appear suddenly

pore over »    To examine something carefully and attentively.

poster boy »    See poster child.

poster child »    One who is a prototypical or quintessential example of something.

pot calling the kettle black »    A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.

potter about »    To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.

potter around »    To potter, to be gently active doing various things in an almost aimless manner.

potter's clay »    A nation or kingdom.

potter's clay »    A person or people created and shaped by God.

potter's clay »    I am the potter’s clay.

potter's clay »    The clay used by a potter.

potter's clay »    We are but potter’s clay.

potty mouth »    The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities; a person having this characteristic.

pound sand »    To engage in a futile activity.

pound the pavement »    To campaign diligently; to seek something, such as business, employment, or answers.

pour out »    To leave a place quickly, and in large numbers.

pour out »    To talk volubly and deeply. Usually implies telling the truth.

power behind the throne »    Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.

power chord »    A chord or combination of notes used in rock music and typically selected to sound good at high volume and high levels of distortion. Power chords make extensive use of intervals such as open fourths and fifths.

power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely »    The corrupting influence of power is total when one's power is total.Lord Acton see: Wikiquote

power up »    To become ready for operation as a result of the provision of electrical power.

powers that be »    The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially as seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.

practice makes perfect »    If one practices an activity enough, one will eventually master it.

prawn cocktail offensive »    A strategy of the Labour Party in winning over important people in the world of finance.

pre-war »    Describing the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.

preach to the choir »    Speaking as if to convince a person or group of something which that person or group already believes.

present day »    current

press the flesh »    To shake hands and socialize, especially in a political gathering.

pretty penny »    A considerable amount of money; a high price or a high income.

pretty pictures »    Image supplements in a presentation: graphs, charts, etc.

pretzel »    A toasted bread or cracker usually in the shape of a loose knot.

pretzel »    Anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled.

prevention is better than cure »    it is better to prevent the creation of a bad thing, than to destroy it.

price on one's head »    A compensation for capturing or killing a person, especially someone guilty of a crime.

prick up one's ears »    To listen attentively.

pride comes before a fall »    A person who is extremely proud of his or her abilities will often suffer a setback or failure, because he or she tends to be overconfident and to make errors of judgment.

private eye »    A private personal detective, employed to gather information about someone.

problem child »    A child who is particularly difficult to raise or educate, especially due to a lack of self-control and disruptive and antisocial behavior.

problem child »    Someone or something persistently difficult or vexing; a frequent source of trouble or annoyance.

prone out »    In order to be propelled shorewards by a broken wave.

pronunciamiento »    A military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. They received this designation because coups were usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void.

prove out »    To demonstrate the feasibility of.

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.

proverbs run in pairs »    Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.

puddle jumper »    A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports.

puff out »    To blow briefly and lightly.

puff up »    To swell due to injury or illness.

pulcher »    Beauty.

pull a »    He pulled an Elvis and got really fat.

pull a »    To emulate a behaviour generally attributed to the individual named.

pull an all-nighter »    Work diligently throughout the night.

pull apart »    To open something by pulling on various parts of it.

pull away »    To move ahead.

pull my finger »    A phrase used when playing a prank regarding flatulence, in which a mark is asked to pull the finger of the person playing the prank, who simultaneously flatulates so as to suggest a causal relationship between the pulling of the finger and the resulting expulsion of gas.

pull off »    To remove by pulling.

pull oneself together »    To become mentally focused after a period of being unfocused.

pull oneself up by one's bootstraps »    To begin an enterprise or recover from a setback without any outside help; to succeed only on one's own effort or abilities.

pull out »    To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.

pull rank »    To assert one's authority over a subordinate who disagrees.

pull somebody's leg »    To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.

pull strings »    To manipulate, especially by asking favours of.

pull teeth »    To do something that is especially difficult or effortful.

pull teeth »    To remove teeth, usually because they are diseased or damaged.

pull the other leg »    In imperative/precative form, used to imply that the speaker does not accept or believe what another has just said.

pull the other one, it's got bells on »    Monty Python's Holy Grail.

pull up »    Lift upwards or vertically.

pull up »    Drive close to something, especially a curb.

pull up stumps »    To cease doing something, at least for the day.

pump up »    To inflate by means of a pump.

pump up »    To excite a person or group to a frenzy.

pump up »    To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focussed weightlifting.

punch in »    To enter a workplace by punching a time card.

purple prose »    Extravagant or flowery writing, especially in a literary work.

push one's luck »    To take an excessive risk or to attempt some task unlikely to succeed, especially after having already been unexpectedly lucky.

push the boat out »    To do something, especially spend money, more extravagantly than usual, particularly for a celebration.

push the envelope »    To go beyond established limits; to pioneer.

put a damper on »    To stop people from enjoying an activity.

put across »    To explain or state something clearly and understandably.

put all one's eggs in one basket »    Rather than diversifying.

put aside »    To save money.

put aside »    To ignore or intentionally forget something, temporarily or permanently, so that more important things can have one's attention.

put away »    To store away, place out of the way, clean up, or organize.

put away »    To eat a great deal.

put away »    To send someone to prison.

put away »    Divorce.

put away »    To strike out a batter.

put away »    To catch a fly ball or tag out a baserunner.

put away »    To take a large lead in a game.

put by »    To preserve food by canning, freezing, drying, etc.

put by »    To perform an action without attracting attention.

put by »    To save money.

put by »    To run a ship aground intentionally to avoid a collision.

put down »    To set down, stop carrying, or place in a low location.

put down »    To pay an initial amount of money on a large purchase.

put down »    To halt, eliminate, stop, or squelch, often by force.

put down »    To place a baby somewhere to sleep.

put down roots »    To do things which show that one wishes to stay put.

put forth »    To give or supply; to make or create.

put hair on somebody's chest »    To make a person stronger or more masculine.

put in »    To apply, request, or submit.

put into practice »    To take a theory and make it a practical reality.

put on »    To play recorded music.

put on airs »    To become haughty, to assume a haughty manner.

put one foot in front of the other »    To move forward, progress steadily.

put one foot in front of the other »    To walk, decomposed to stress the fundamentality of the task.

put one past somebody »    To deceive, trick, or fool, especially by concealing something.

put one's best foot forward »    To show oneself in the best or most positive way possible; to make a favorable impression.

put one's foot in one's mouth »    To misspeak; to say something embarrassing or wrong.

put one's mind to it »    To apply oneself; to exert a directed effort.

put one's money where one's mouth is »    More generally, to take an obvious stake in the truth of a claim that one is making.

put one's money where one's mouth is »    To make or take a bet.

put one's shoulder to the wheel »    To work or exert oneself heavily or with full effort.

put oneself across »    To explain one's ideas and opinions clearly so that another person can understand them and get a picture of your personality.

put oneself in someone's shoes »    To try to look at a situation from a different point of view; as if one were the other person. To empathise.

put out »    The statistic of the number of outs a defensive player directly caused.

put somebody in his place »    To bring somebody down; to humble or insult.

put someone down as »    To assume someone has a particular character from very little information.

put someone's back up »    To annoy someone deliberately.

put the bee on »    To beg; to borrow money from.

put the boot in »    To kick someone when they are down.

put the cat among the pigeons »    If you set the cat among the pigeons, you will cause a flutter in the dovecote.

put the cat among the pigeons »    Professor Stephen Hawking put the cat among the pigeons last week with his cheery remarks about comet Machholz-2, which some astronomers believe could be heading our way. — The Times, 19 September 1994.

put the hammer down »    To drive quickly; to step on the accelerator.

put through its paces »    To test completely; to exercise the full range of abilities or functions.

put through the wringer »    To interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.

put to the test »    To test something or someone; to evaluate, scrutinize or explore by testing or experimentation.

put up »    To store away.

put up »    To present, especially in "put up a fight".

put up one's dukes »    Prepare to fight; literally, to raise your fists.

put up or shut up »    Desist from saying something unless one is able to prove it.

put up with »    To tolerate, suffer through, or allow, esp. something annoying.

put words in somebody's mouth »    To attribute to somebody something he or she did not say; to claim inaccurately that somebody said or intended something.

put your hands together »    Clap; applaud.

quantum mechanics »    Something overly complicated or detailed.

quantum mechanics »    The branch of physics which studies matter and energy at the level of atoms and other elementary particles, and substitutes probabilistic mechanisms for classical Newtonian ones.

quarter of »    "I need twenty minutes to get to the shop." "You'll be late. It's already a quarter of.".

quarter past »    Fifteen minutes past any hour.

question mark »    Doubt or uncertainty.

quick on the uptake »    Able to readily understand things; intelligent.

quick-and-dirty »    Done or constructed in a hasty, approximate, temporarily adequate manner, but not exact, fully formed, or reliable for a long period of time.

quick-and-dirty »    Of or pertaining to the creation or repair of software or hardware in a manner which permits operation within a brief period of time, although with compromised functionality or reliability.

quicumque vult »    A forward girl, ready to oblige every man that shall ask her.

quiet down »    To reduce intensity of an activity.

quieten down »    To reduce intensity of an activity.

quote unquote »    Emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony, as used almost exclusively in spoken language.

rag bagger »    A sailboat, usually a cruising sailboats which tend to carry and store lots of supplies along the deck, or any sailboat that looks like a neglected vessel, or messy vessel.

rag bagger »    A sailor who tends to sail on messy cruising vessels.

rag doll »    soft toy

rag the puck »    To proceed slowly at any activity in order to use up time; to stall for time.

rag the puck »    To retain possession of the puck by skillful skating and stickhandling without attempting to score, as a deliberate tactic intended to use up time.

rag-chewing »    A phrase used by morse code operators for a longer than usual conversation, generally a conversation extending about 30 minutes.

rags to riches »    In a biographical context, from poverty to exceptional wealth.

rain cats and dogs »    To rain very heavily.

rain check »    In social interactions, a polite way to turn down an invitation, with the implication one is simply postponing it and that another time would be acceptable.

rain cheque »    Any postponement, especially of an offer.

rain cheque »    Any voucher or note issued by a store to allow a customer to get a special or sale price later if an item is out of stock.

rain dogs and cats »    To rain very heavily.

rain pitchforks »    To rain heavily.

rainy day »    A difficult period of need, when things do not go right.

raise a stink »    To complain; to demand attention or remedy for a problem.

raise somebody's hackles »    Make someone angry.

raise the bar »    To raise standards or expectations, especially by creating something to a higher standard.

raise the flag and see who salutes »    It generates, usually as a preliminary step.

rake »    A lot, plenty.

rake »    A set of coupled rail vehicles, normally coaches or wagons.

ramp up »    To increase rapidly to a new value.

ramp up »    To be in the process of learning a new ability.

rank and file »    Those lacking any particular title or status; those having no station.

raring to go »    Extremely eager or anxious to begin.

rat race »    An activity or situation which is congested with participants and which is hectic or tedious, especially in the context of a busy, modern urban lifestyle.

rat run »    A small road that people venture down when they want to sneak off the motorway and take a short cut.

rattle off »    To list or recite quickly.

reach an early grave »    To be sentenced to death before the age of 18.

reach an early grave »    To die young. To die before the age of 80.

reach an early grave »    To resign near the start for good.

read between the lines »    To infer a meaning that is not stated explicitly.

read out »    To read something and say the words to inform other people.

read somebody the riot act »    To scold or berate somebody; to reprimand.

read somebody's lips »    To discern what somebody is saying by watching the shape of the mouth rather than by hearing the sounds of the words.

real deal »    A thing or person which is genuine, authentic, or worthy of serious regard.

real job »    A hobby that takes all of a person's free time.

real job »    A job that can't be replaced advantageously by a machine or a procedure.

real job »    A job which requires the employee to, work regular hours for a consistent wage that often exceeds the provisions of applicable minimum wage legislation. A job that produces a living wage.

real Macoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McCoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

real McKoy »    The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

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.

reality check »    A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.

reality check »    A wake-up call, reminder.

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.

rebound relationship »    A relationship proceeding a longterm relationship, usually short in duration and used to help mend the "broken heart".

reckon for »    To answer for; to pay the account for.

reckon without »    To ignore that which cannot readily be ignored.

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.

red letter day »    Usually very positive, sometimes very negative.

red light »    A warning light, especially as a traffic signal indicating ‘stop’..

red light »    Denial to proceed. Ruling out of any possibility.

red tape »    A derisive term for regulations or bureaucratic procedures that are considered excessive or excessively time- and effort-consuming.

rediscover fire »    To relearn fundamental concepts, principles or practices that had been previously well known and widely practiced at a prior time in human society.

reflect on »    To think carefully about something, and give it due consideration.

rein in »    To stop or slow a horse by pulling the reins.

rein in »    To stop or slow something, by exercising control.

reinvent the wheel »    To redo work unnecessarily when it has already been done satisfactorily; to rethink an already working system, technique, etc. in a pointless attempt to improve it.

rely on »    To be confident in.

rely on »    To be dependent upon.

remains to be seen »    Is not yet known.

rest assured »    Be sure; no need to worry; trust.

rest his soul »    Used parenthetically to mark the referent as being deceased.

rest on one's laurels »    To rely on a past success instead of trying to improve oneself further.

rev up »    To increase the speed of an engine, especially that of a stationary motor car.

rhyme off »    To list or recite quickly.

rhyme or reason »    Logic. Common sense.

ridden hard and put away wet »    Mistreated; not properly cared for.

ride one's luck »    To avoid failure only by good fortune.

ride roughshod over »    To act in a bullying or inconsiderate manner; to display disregard towards someone or something.

ride tall in the saddle »    To act or conduct oneself in a manner that is imposing, impressive, resolute, or manly.

ride the rails »    To travel by railway train, trolley, etc.

right as rain »    Correct; factually accurate.

right as rain »    Very good; healthy.

right away »    Very soon; quickly; immediately.

right back »    Used in several informal constructions to indicate return -- especially imminent return to a point of origin.

right on the money »    Exact; precise; exactly right.

ring a bell »    To seem at least vaguely familiar.

ring around »    To call a number of people by phone, usually a circle of friends, to organise something.

ring off the hook »    Of a telephone, to ring constantly or excessively.

ring out »    To sound very loudly.

ring out »    To make a phone call from an internal phone system to a general telephone network number.

ring round »    To call a number of people by phone, usually a circle of friends, to organise something.

ring up »    To enter a payment into a cash register, or till in a shop.

ringside seat »    Any vantage point providing an excellent view.

rip off »    To pull off by ripping.

rip off »    To copy, especially illegally.

rip to shreds »    To rip up, so that only shreds remain.

rip to shreds »    To severely devalue, to refute.

rise from the ashes »    To make a comeback after a long hiatus. To come back into common use or practice. To come back into popularity. To come back to being a thing of today.

rivet counter »    A person who has an obsession with the minutae of their particular interest. Anyone preoccupied with small distinguishing features between different items.

roach coach »    Whimsically, a catering or food truck.

road apple »    Horse manure, especially when deposited on a road.

road movie »    A film in which much of the action takes place during a journey, especially one involving overland travel.

road to Damascus »    That was my Road to Damascus moment. They played one hit after another and this is the song I remember most clearly.

rob Peter to pay Paul »    To solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse.

rob the cradle »    To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person.

rob the cradle »    To use a young person for a purpose inappropriate to his or her age.

robber baron »    Especially in the 19th-century and early 20th-century, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable.

robber baron »    In Europe, an aristocrat who charged exorbitant fees or otherwise exacted money from people who journeyed across land or waterways which he controlled.

rock bottom »    The very lowest possible level.

rock up »    To work one's way vertically up a chimney or cleft using a rocking movement.

rock up »    To turn up to a place or function unexpectedly, or without notice or prior warning.

rocket science »    Anything overly complex, detailed or confusing.

rocket science »    The science or study of rockets and their design.

rocket scientist »    One specializing in the science or study of rockets and their design.

rocket scientist »    Someone qualified to understand or handle that which is overly complex, detailed or confusing; a genius.

rocking horse »    toy

rocking horse shit »    A metaphor for something exceedingly rare or, more likely, nonexistent.

roll in wealth »    To be very rich.

roll out the red carpet »    To extend the utmost hospitality; to treat someone as an honored guest; to welcome or host, especially in a showy or extravagant manner.

Rome wasn't built in a day »    It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

romper suit »    baby's outfit

root up »    To dig or pull up by the roots; to deracinate.

rose-colored glasses »    An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.

rose-coloured »    Cheerfully optimistic.

rough and ready »    Crude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.

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.

round of applause »    An outburst of clapping among a group or audience. Often asked for by the Master of Ceremonies at a concert or other performance.

round out »    To make more complete by adding details.

round the bend »    Crazy, mad or insane.

round the clock »    Nonstop, 24 hours per day.

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.

royal flush »    poker hand

rub in »    To apply by rubbing.

rub in »    To irritatingly make a point.

rub it in »    To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.

rub off on »    To adapt to a way of behaving after constant exposure to it.

rub out »    By rubbing.

rub salt in the wound »    To make an injury feel worse.

rub somebody the wrong way »    To bother, disturb, irritate, or annoy.

rub up against »    To touch something with one's body.

rub up against »    To touch another person with one's body in a sexually stimulating manner.

rub up against »    Of pets. To touch a person's body in a friendly manner, seeking attention.

rubber-chicken dinner »    A formal dinner or event thrown by politicians to raise funds.

rugby league »    sport

rule out »    To cross an item out by drawing a straight line through it, as with a ruler.

rule with an iron fist »    To rule with absolute authority or to the detriment of the people. To rule tyrannically.

rules OK »    To be popularly accepted, or supported by the general majority of people.

rumor campaign »    A method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are deliberately spread concerning a person or other target, while the source of the rumors tries to avoid detection.

run a mile »    To escape, flee or leave a situation or relationship, usually as a result of a shocking or sudden announcement or revelation.

run about »    To be very busy doing many different things.

run across »    To cross by running.

run across »    To find or discover by chance.

run around »    To be very busy doing many different things.

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.

run away »    To flee by running.

run away »    To leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.

run away »    escape

run away with »    To leave secretly with another person. Usually with the intention of getting married or of living together against the wishes of the family.

run away with »    To be misled by imagining that one's desires can come true.

run back »    To take someone home by car. Give someone a lift to their house.

run by »    To inform someone briefly of the main points of an idea.

run by »    To repeat some information.

run down »    To criticize someone or an organisation, often unfairly.

run down »    To lose power slowly. Used for a machine, battery, or other powered device.

run down »    To read quickly a list or other short text.

run for »    To try to obtain political position through the democratic voting process.

run for one's money »    A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.

run for one's money »    A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.

run for the roses »    A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.

run for the roses »    A hard-fought competition or demanding challenge of any kind.

run for the roses »    Nickname for the Kentucky Derby horse race.

run into »    To enter by running.

run into »    To blend into; to be followed by or adjacent to without there being a clear boundary.

run into the ground »    To wear out, especially through excessive use.

run off »    To flee or depart quickly.

run off »    To write something quickly.

run off »    To chase someone away.

run off »    To operate by a particular energy source.

run off with »    To leave with someone with the intention of living with them or marrying them. Usually in secret because other people think it is wrong.

run on »    To operate with a particular energy source.

run on fumes »    By extension, to operate with few resources or little money.

run out of steam »    To run out of energy; to run out of motivation.

run out on »    To leave a partner suddenly and without prior warning.

run out the clock »    To preserve a lead in a game by retaining possession, to waste time.

run over »    To cross by running.

run over »    To drive over, causing injury or death.

run over »    To briefly describe.

run over »    To practice quickly, briefly.

run roughshod over »    To treat roughly or without care, respect, or moderation; to act without control; to damage.

run scared »    To try everything to avoid defeat.

run somebody ragged »    To exhaust; to demand excessive effort or work from somebody.

run something by »    To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of someone in order to obtain their opinion.

run the gamut »    To encompass the full range or variety possible.

run through »    To go through by running.

run through »    To briefly summarise.

run through »    To use completely, in a short space of time. Usually money.

run through »    To pervade, of a quality that is characteristic of a group, organisation, or system.

run through »    To impale a person with a blade, usually a sword.

run up »    To make something, usually an item of clothing, very quickly.

run-of-the-mill »    Ordinary; not special.

running on empty »    Losing enthusiasm or willingness, lacking energy.

rush hour »    The times of the day when traffic jams are commonplace, due mainly to people commuting to or from work.

rush hour »    busy travel period

rustle up »    To quickly prepare something.

sabre-rattling »    A flamboyant display of military power as an implied threat that it might be used.

sabre-rattling »    Any threat, such as one company threatening another with a lawsuit.

sack out »    To fall asleep, usually from implied exhaustion.

sacked out »    Sound asleep, usually from a healthy exhaustion.

sacred cow »    Something which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry.

safe and sound »    Having come to no harm, especially after being exposed to danger.

safety pin »    fastener

salad years »    The inexperienced, youthful prime of an individual, group, organization or entity.

same old story »    What usually happens, a happening which is not surprising.

save the day »    To rescue the situation.

saw wood »    To snore loudly.

say goodbye »    To separate from someone.

say goodbye »    To wish someone farewell upon their leaving.

say grace »    To recite a prayer of invocation or thanksgiving at meal time.

say so »    power of decision

scare out of one's wits »    To frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

scare the bejeebers out of »    To thoroughly terrify.

scare the pants off of »    To scare or startle thoroughly.

scared shitless »    Very scared, terrified.

scared to death »    Extremely frightened.

scarf down »    To eat something quickly.

school of hard knocks »    An education consisting of real-world experiences, especially harsh experiences.

scissorbill »    And railroad term for someone who refused to join the union or who openly colluded with management to thwart the union.

scrape off »    To remove something by a scraping action.

scrape through »    To marginally manage to progress.

scrape together »    To collect, assemble or gather small amounts , from various sources, with some difficulty.

scratch the surface »    To barely begin; to see or do only a fraction of what is possible.

scream »    A form of singing associated with the metal and screamo styles of music. It is a loud, rough, distorted version of the voice; rather than the normal voice of the singer.

scream »    An entertaingly outrageous person.

scream bloody murder »    To protest loudly or angrily.

screen out »    Figuratively, to exclude.

screw back »    To cue the cue ball in such a way as to impart backspin. On impact, the ball will follow a reverse trajectory according to the spin.

scrimp and save »    To scrimp greatly; to economize; to live very frugally, particularly when saving for something.

scrounge up »    To seek or find despite a lack of apparent resources or availability.

sea legs »    Ability to travel by ship without becoming seasick.

sea legs »    The ability, when walking aboard ship, to anticipate the motion of the deck so as to walk steadily without losing balance.

seagull approach »    The occurence of casual, ill-informed and hasty decisions or comments made by outside authorities who lack an understanding of the local issues or a real understanding of the facts of a particular situ.

seagull manager »    A manager who comes into the workplace or office only on occasion, especially when a problem arises or to criticize or critique employees.

seat-of-the-pants »    Done by feel, guess, or trial and error rather than by careful planning, thought or technique.

second banana »    A comedian who plays a secondary or supporting role, especially as straight man and traditionally in vaudeville or burlesque theatre.

second banana »    A person who serves in a supporting, secondary, or subsidiary capacity; an assistant.

second childhood »    A childlike state in any adult, resulting from mental illness, trauma, or other conditions.

second childhood »    The period or state of cognitive decline of an elderly person, characterized by childlike judgment and behavior.

second fiddle »    A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle.

second fiddle »    The person playing second fiddle.

second nature »    A mindset, skill, or type of behavior so ingrained through habit or practice that it seems natural, automatic, or without a basis in conscious thought.

second sight »    clairvoyance

second string »    In sports, a unit of players that plays behind the first string.

second string »    Not as good; of a lower quality or condition.

second-guess »    Presumably from trying to guess with second sight.

second-guess »    Presumably from trying to improve with a second stab.

secret agent »    spy

see a man »    To take one's leave for some urgent purpose, especially to go to the bathroom.

see a man about a horse »    A message signaling one needs to go missing for a short while, for any reason, without giving a real explanation.

see eye to eye »    To agree with someone; to concur; to get along.

see red »    To be angry or irritated.

see red »    To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.

see someone through »    To constitute ample supply for one for.

see someone's point »    To comprehend the meaning that someone is trying to convey.

see the forest for the trees »    To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the bigger picture, or the broader, more general situation. Generally used in the negative.

see the light »    To gain an understanding of something previously not understood, especially in a sudden insight.

see yellow »    To receive a yellow card.

see you later »    A phrase used at parting, and not necessarily implying that the person being addressed will be seen later by the speaker.

see you next Tuesday »    A euphemism for cunt.

seeing is believing »    You need to see something to believe it; visible facts cannot be denied.

seek and ye shall find »    something can be found if it is looked for.

seize the day »    To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.

seize the day »    To make the most of today by achieving fulfillment in a philosophical or spiritual sense.

sell »    To agree to transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.

sell »    To pretend that an opponent's blows or maneuvers are causing legitimate injury; to act.

sell a bargain »    A species of wit, much in vogue about the latter end of the reign of Queen Anne, and frequently alluded to by Dean Swift, who says the maids of honour often amused themselves with it. It consisted in the seller naming his or her hinder parts, in answer to the question, What? which the buyer was artfully led to ask. As a specimen, take the following instance: A lady would come into a room full of company, apparently frightened, crying out "It is white, and follows me!" As soon as someone responded "What?" she sold him the bargain, by saying "Mine arse".

sell down the river »    To betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.

sell ice to Eskimos »    To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

sell wolf tickets »    To make empty threats or promises; to bluff.

sell-by date »    The final date on which a perishable product can be legally sold to the public.

sell-by date »    Used to indicate that something, or someone, is old and out of date.

seller's market »    An excess of demand over supply, leading to abnormally high prices; a market condition favoring the seller.

send away »    To dismiss from one's presence.

send away »    To send to a particular place for a long time, as a family member, an employee, etc.

send away for »    To write to a business or other organisation, requesting a thing.

send somebody packing »    To expel or eject somebody; to chase off or force out.

send to Coventry »    To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone.

send up »    parody

senior note »    A bond that takes priority over other debt securities sold by the issuer. In the event the issuer goes bankrupt, senior debt must be repaid before other creditors receive any payment.

sent to Coventry »    Ostracised, ignored.

separate the wheat from the chaff »    To select only that which is of value.

serpentine »    Of, or having attributes associated with, the mythological serpent, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.

serve somebody right »    To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.

set back »    To cost money, as.

set back »    To delay or obstruct.

set down »    Simple sum of parts set + down, to place, especially on the ground or a surface; to cease carrying.

set for life »    Possessing sufficient resources, especially financial, to last a lifetime.

set in one's ways »    Driven by habit; inclined or determined to continue according to one's custom or established preferences.

set off »    To leave; to begin a journey or trip.

set one's cap at »    . Or, more generally, to choose something as a goal.

set up shop »    To physically arrange a shop or workplace.

settle for »    To accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.

settle someone's hash »    To physically or verbally subdue someone.

sex machine »    Any machine that is used for sexual pleasure.

sex up »    To arouse somebody sexually.

sex up »    To make more sexually attractive.

sexual congress »    Loose translation of the title of Aristophanes' play Ecclesiazousae, more literally translated as Assemblywomen.

sexual enjoyment »    Sexual intercourse that produces physical and psychological pleasure.

sexual tension »    Physically induced libidinal unrest arising between two individuals when aware of each other's presence.

shack up »    To live together, especially of an unmarried couple.

shake a leg »    To get busy; to get going; to be productive.

shake the pagoda tree »    To find a source of easy enrichment; to become absurdly rich in a short time.

shanks' mare »    One's own legs used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride on shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.

shanks' nag »    Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.

shanks' pony »    Transportation by foot.

shape up or ship out »    To either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave; to either improve one's performance in an activity or else withdraw from that activity completely.

sharp as a tack »    Very intelligent.

sharp cookie »    One who is intelligent, bright, or sharp; especially, one who can identify attempts to deceive or mislead.

she'll be apples »    Everything will be all right.

she'll be right »    OK, no problem, everything will be all right.

shell out »    To pay money; especially, to pay a great deal of money.

shell out »    To use a program's "shell escape" function to execute an unrelated command or to invoke a subsidiary, interactive shell.

shift gears »    To change the gear by which motion is transmitted from a powered shaft to another shaft, especially in a motor vehicle.

shirtless »    Very poor.

shit a brick »    To react strongly or excessively, especially in anger or fear.

shit one's pants »    To be extremely frightened.

shit one's pants »    To involuntarily defecate into one's pants or other clothing.

shit or get off the pot »    To choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.

shit-eating grin »    A broad smile indicating self-awareness that may suggest self-satisfaction, smugness, discomfort, or embarrassment.

shoo-in »    A candidate or contestant generally agreed upon as the presumptive winner; somebody who is well-liked or widely agreed upon.

shoot 'em up »    A short story, novel, television show, film, computer game, or other narrative which depicts considerable gunplay.

shoot first and ask questions later »    To act boldly.

shoot first and ask questions later »    To take action with serious consequences without delay, preserving the benefit of surprise by not providing indication of one's intent.

shoot off at the mouth »    Don't let [presidential press secretary Ron] Ziegler shoot off at the mouth without our knowledge.

shoot one's bolt »    To use up one's resources, especially a singular one or one not readily restored.

shoot oneself in the foot »    To act against one's own interests, e.g., by saying what one is really thinking.

shoot oneself in the foot »    To deliberately sabotage an activity in order to avoid obligation, though it causes personal suffering. Origins in first world war trench warfare.

shoot the boots »    To kick swiftly and violently, especially in the groin.

shoot the breeze »    To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

shoot the bull »    To chinwag; to talk idly.

shoot the messenger »    To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable a problem because he/she brought attention to it.

shoot the moon »    To achieve the lowest score possible, such that the player is usually rewarded with bonus points.

shoot the moon »    To attain great heights, a high value, or a numerically high measurement.

shoot the moon »    To hit the moon, with a rocket or by other means.

shoot the moon »    To take a risk which may result in great rewards; to succeed after taking such a risk.

shoot the shit »    To chat casually; to gossip.

shooting iron »    A firearm, especially a handgun.

short fuse »    The personality trait of being quick to anger.

short leash »    Forcing one to function within a strict set of rules, or under great scrutiny or oversight.

short of »    Insufficiently equipped with.

short sighted »    myopic

short strokes »    The final steps of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.

short temper »    The personality trait of being quick to anger.

shotgun »    A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line. Mostly heard in the southern United States.

shotgun »    A play formation in which the quarterback is a few feet behind the snapper when the ball is hiked, ideally allowing for an easier pass play.

shotgun approach »    An approach in which the subject is indiscriminate and haphazard, using breadth, spread, or quantity in lieu of accuracy, planning, etc.

shotgun wedding »    A wedding in which the bride is already pregnant.

shoulder to cry on »    Someone offering emotional support to another in distress.

show one's true colors »    To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed.

show somebody the door »    To dismiss or reject; to exclude someone who was formerly included.

show somebody the door »    To escort someone to the exit of the premises; to expel someone from a room, gathering, etc.

show the flag »    Of a naval vessel or military force, to identify itself by displaying the flag of its country of origin, especially in order to establish an authoritative presence and to exert diplomatic or political influence.

show the flag »    To display the flag of one's country, especially as an expression of patriotic pride.

show the flag »    To represent one's country or some other group in a manner intended to suggest the authority or importance of that country or group.

show up »    To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

showstopper »    Any impediment that prevents all further progress.

shrinking violet »    A very shy person, who avoids contact with others if avoidable.

shroud »    A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt.

shroud »    A rope or cable serving to support the mast sideways.

shroud »    Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.

shroud »    One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.

shrouded »    Concealed or hidden from sight, as if by a shroud.

shuffle »    A rhythm commonly used in blues music. Consists of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note. Sounds like a walker dragging one foot.

shuffle »    To get lost in the shuffle: to lack attention when you deserve it.

shuffle off this mortal coil »    To die; to divest oneself of one's mortal body.

shut the hell up »    Shut up intensified by "the hell".

shy bairns get noot »    (Geordie) Alternative spelling of shy bairns get nowt.

shy bairns get nowt »    If you're too shy, or don't ask, you will not get what you want.A' forgot te ask hor for me money back!Wye, shy bairns get nowt

shy bladder »    An inability to urinate in the presence of others.

sick joke »    A joke which is in poor taste, especially one which depicts as amusing a situation which the listener considers to be tragic or disgusting.

sick puppy »    In a morbid or gruesome way.

side issue »    An issue or topic which is not of direct significance to a primary concern.

sigh of relief »    A reassurance or support, something that reduces stress from an arduous activity.

sight for sore eyes »    A pleasing sight, something that is beautiful to look at.

sign in »    In order to get into the office after hours, you'll have to sign in at the security desk.

sign of the times »    A symbol of an era; a zeitgeist.

sign off »    Term used to describe the closing of a radio or television station's studios and cessation of a broadcasting signal, usually during the overnight hours.

sign on »    The time of day when a radio or television station begins broadcasting, usually after being off the air for several hours.

sign on »    register as unemployed

signet ring »    jewellery item

silence is golden »    Peace and quiet have immense value.Often the best choice is to say nothing.

silly money »    Sum of money.

silver bullet »    A bullet made of silver, usually with reference to the folkloric belief that such bullets are the only weapons which can kill a werewolf.

silver bullet »    Any straightforward solution perceived to have great effectiveness or bring miraculous results.

silver screen »    By extension, the movies or that related to movies or cinema.

silver surfer »    An elderly person who regularly uses the Internet.

silver-tongue »    The trait of being clever at speaking, often in a deceitful way.

simmer down »    To decrease in intensity of anger, agitation, or excitement.

since when »    Used to indicate doubt as to the veracity of a statement.

sing from the same hymnbook »    To make the same or similar statements, especially to express the same opinions in public as a result of a prior agreement.

sing soprano »    To suffer castration or an injury to the testicles.

singing from the same hymnbook »    Present participle of sing from the same hymnbook.

sink one's teeth into »    To become involved in; particularly in an enthusiastic manner.

sit in for »    To substitute; to take somebody's place.

sit out »    To decline to participate; particularly, to decline to dance.

sit out »    To escape a hold while face-down by swinging one's legs around into the sitting position.

sit through »    To unwillingly stay seated until the end of an event.

sit tight »    To wait patiently.

sitting pretty »    Having a comfortable or certain supply of money or resources.

sitting pretty »    In a favorable situation, especially a situation in which one possesses an advantage.

size up »    To evaluate; to estimate or anticipate the magnitude, difficulty, or strength of something.

skate on thin ice »    In a risky, potentially dangerous or delicate situation.

skeleton crew »    The minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency or shut down, and at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.

skin and bones »    Said of one who is emaciated; very skinny, as from lack of nutrition.

skinny as a rail »    Especially of a person, very skinny.

skip out »    To shirk; to avoid attending or to leave early, especially without permission.

skip rope »    To jump over a rope, both of whose ends are held by the jumper or by two others, while the rope is moved under the jumper's feet in a continual rhythm; to play the game of jump rope or exercise by jumping rope.

skirt chaser »    A man with amorous intentions who habitually seeks out female companionship.

slag off »    To talk insultingly to or about someone or something.

slam dunk »    A task expected to present no difficulty.

slam dunk »    An impressively forceful dunk.

slam dunk »    Tacking on top of the wind of the following yacht in close quarters.

sleep in »    To sleep late; to go on sleeping past one's customary or planned hour.

sleep on »    To consider after a period of sleep, implying a decision will be made the next day.

sleep on it »    To postpone a decision until the following day to avoid making a hasty choice.

sleep with the fishes »    To be killed and have one's body disposed off in the sea or other body of water.

sleepy head »    A very tired person.

slip into something a little more comfortable »    To wear something suitable to be stripped off by a lover.

slip on »    shoe type; to try out

slip someone's mind »    To be forgotten; to escape one's memory.

slippery as an eel »    So crafty, or cunning that they cannot be caught by the police, although it is known that they are acting illegally.

slippery as an eel »    So slippery that it is almost impossible to hold with one's hands.

slippery slope »    A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.

slippery slope »    A logical argument that follows a chain of events or causes and effects to some conclusion.

slob »    A lazy and slovenly person.

slob »    A term used to insult a lazy, obese person.

slow burn »    A gradually increasing feeling of anger or frustration.

slowly but surely »    In a slow, yet careful manner

small arms »    Firearms designed to be carried and fired by a single person; often held in the hand.

small change »    A minor or insignificant amount of money.

small fry »    One or more children.

small fry »    One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

small fry »    One or more small or immature fish.

small potatoes »    One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

smallpox blanket »    An apparently benevolent offering whose real intent is to disrupt, destabilize or weaken.

smart arse »    One who is particularly flippant or insolent or tends to make snide remarks or jokes.

smart chance »    A substantial quantity of something.

smart off »    To show disrespect verbally.

smash hit »    Something that is tremendously popular or successful.

smear campaign »    An effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda.

smell test »    An assessment of a subject's ability to detect and distinguish odors.

smell test »    An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

smell the barn »    To experience heightened anticipation or to act with renewed speed or energy as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome, like a livestock animal at day's end returning to its barn.

smoke like a chimney »    To smoke tobacco frequently.

smoke signal »    A method of long-distance communication sometimes used in ancient and undeveloped societies, consisting of messages conveyed by means of columns or intermittent puffs of smoke.

smoke signal »    A type of flare or combustion device sometimes used as a distress signal.

smoke signal »    An indirect message or indication, especially concerning a future event.

smoking gun »    Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.

smooth operator »    A person who accomplishes tasks with efficiency and grace, especially one with verbal skills who is persuasive in interpersonal relationships, negotiation, etc.

snail's pace »    A very slow pace.

snake eyes »    Two ones, after rolling two dice.

snake oil »    A type of 19th century patent medicine sold in the United States that claimed to contain snake fat, supposedly a Native American remedy for various ailments.

snake oil »    Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.

snap someone's head off »    To suddenly and sharply rebuke or insult a person, especially in response to a harmless remark.

snappy comeback »    A prompt, clever retort.

snazz up »    To improve appearance or appeal by increasing stylishness or functionality, or by adding other attractive features.

sniff out »    To find, especially to find something that cannot be seen.

sniff test »    An informal reality check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

snot-nosed »    Young and arrogant or conceited.

snow in »    By a large snowfall.

snow job »    An attempt to persuade a person using flattery or deception.

snow on the mountaintop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

snow on the rooftop »    Gray or white hair on one's head, especially as an indication of aging.

snug as a bug in a rug »    Very cosy and comfortable.

so far »    Until now; previously; yet.

so far »    as yet; up till now

so far so good »    Up to this point, all is OK.Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good, now let's get to Minorca without any troubles.

so much as »    Even; suggests a minimum, especially regarding what might be expected.

so quiet one can hear a pin drop »    Said during a lull in a normally bustling place or scene, or as the result of a sudden dramatic or tense moment.

so there »    A defiant expression used to finish a poorly-made argument.

so-and-so »    Anything generic.

so-called »    So named; called by such a name, with a very strong connotation that the item is not worthy of that name.

soapbox »    A crate for packing soap, or, by extension, any inexpensive crude platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it, especially when used for speeches.

soapbox »    Especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.

sob story »    A sad story told to make others feel sympathy for the teller.

soccer player »    footballer

social death »    The alienation of certain people from society to the point of being forgotten, excluded, or ignored in society.

socialized medicine »    A politically charged term used to contrast such systems with free market alternatives and emphasize the perceived link to socialism.

socialized medicine »    An umbrella term for any system of government-run health care.

sod off »    Go away.

soft as a grape »    someone who is limited in their ability

soft sawder »    "How the old boy swallowed my soft sawder and Brummagem notes!" —Tom Taylor, The Ticket-of-Leave Man.

soft sawder »    "If she goes to act ugly, I'll give her a dose of "soft sawder"; that will take the frown out of her frontispiece...!" —Thomas Haliburton, "The Trotting Horse" — first usage.

soft sawder »    Cajoling or flattery.

soft shoe »    A speech, explanation, sales pitch, or other set of remarks delivered in a restrained or conciliatory manner in order to persuade, distract, or otherwise influence someone.

soft spot »    A point of vulnerability in a defence.

soft touch »    A comfortable situation; an easy task or undemanding occupation, especially one which is comfortably remunerative.

soft touch »    A person or group which is sympathetic, accommodating, easily overcome, or easily persuaded, especially one which loans or readily gives money to another.

softly softly »    Discreet, low-key, careful.

softroader »    . This involves increased ground clearance with tyre, wheel, and suspension tweaks, skid plates and refers to mini SUV or wagons.

soldier on »    To continue or persist, despite adversity or difficulty.

some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you »    One cannot always overcome a powerful adversary.

some people »    Expresses disgust at the actions of a person; a response to a person doing something silly, bizarre, nonsensical or ill-mannered.

something awful »    Intensely or extremely; badly; in the worst way.

somewhere along the line »    At some unspecified time; eventually or once; at some point.

song and dance »    An excessively complex set of instructions.

song and dance »    An excessively elaborate story or excuse used to justify something.

sort of »    Approximately; in a way; partially; not quite; somewhat.

sort oneself out »    To calm down emotionally.

sort out »    To clarify by reviewing mentally.

sort out »    To organise or separate into groups, as a collection of items, so as to make tidy.

sort out »    To attack physically.

sound asleep »    Sleeping still and silently.

sow one's wild oats »    To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior, particularly sexually; Often used in reference to young adults or to the recently divorced.

sow one's wild oats »    To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females.

sow the wind, reap the whirlwind »    Every decision has consequences; a person's actions will come back to him.

space out »    To stupefy, intoxicate, disorient, or lose attention or focus, especially by the use of drugs.

spaghetti western »    Nickname for a motion picture produced by an Italian-based company and filmed in Europe, depicting a tale of cowboys and desperadoes set in the American Old West.

spanner »    A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.

spare tyre »    A large stomach and rolls of fat around the waist.

spare tyre »    An extra tyre carried in case one of the vehicle's tyres is damaged or deflated.

spark off »    To initiate something by providing the necessary conditions.

spark spread »    The difference between the cost of the fuel required to produce a unit of electricity, and the price of that same unit of electricity.

speak for »    To speak on somebody's behalf.

speak for »    To claim, reserve, or occupy.

speak for oneself »    Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.

speak for oneself »    To provide an opinion only on one's own behalf.

speak one's mind »    To state one's thoughts or opinions honestly or frankly.

speak up »    To talk more loudly or plainly.

speak with a forked tongue »    To speak deceptively; to be duplicitous or untruthful.

spectator sport »    A sporting activity which has a relatively high ratio of watchers to direct participants.

spectator sport »    An activity which consists of watching or observing.

spectator sport »    Something, especially a process or activity, which is a popular object of observation; an activity which a person prefers to watch rather than to participate in.

spend a penny »    To use the toilet.

spic and span »    Perfectly clean.

spice up »    To enhance the flavor of something by adding spice to it.

spill one's guts »    To confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.

spill over »    To enter into another zone by way of accident or overcrowding; to overflow.

spin a yarn »    To tell or create a story, especially one which is lengthy or far-fetched.

spine-tingling »    Nervy or scary.

spit it out »    To overcome reluctance to say something particular or to speak in general.

spit the dummy »    To a situation childishly, in an angry or frustrated manner.

spit-and-polish »    Paying much attention to outward appearance.

spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar »    To have something important fail for want of a small amount of money or effort.

spot check »    A cursory inspection or examination or the inspection or examination of a sample of something.

spring for »    To pay for; to offer money.

spring in one's step »    Enthusiasm, energy or a positive outlook or cheerful attitude.

spring to mind »    To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.

spruce up »    To dress or arrange smartly, elegantly, and neatly.

spruce up »    To refresh, revamp; to freshen or improve something, especially its appearance.

spy on »    To secretly watch; to surveil.

square away »    To finish, complete, tidy or put in order.

square meal »    A satisfying meal, especially suitable for one performing physical labor.

square off »    To get ready for a fight.

square up »    To get ready for a fight.

square up »    To pay back money that is owed.

squeaky wheel gets the grease »    The person who complains or speaks up most loudly receives the redress or attention which he or she seeks.

squint like a bag of nails »    To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

squirrel away »    To stash or hide; to hoard, collect, save, or accumulate; to create a reserve, stash, or hoard of some supply, so as to recall a squirrel's burying of nuts.

stab in the back »    An act of betrayal or treachery.

staircase wit »    Thinking of an idea or course of action too late to use it effectively, or the tendency to do so.

stamp duty »    tax on documents

stand back »    To stand a long way behind the wicket so as to catch balls from a fast bowler.

stand by »    To wait in expectation of some event; to make ready.

stand by »    To remain loyal or faithful.

stand by »    To do nothing. To be inactive in a situation.

stand corrected »    Said to acknowledge someone who corrects something that one says or writes that was not correct.

stand for »    To mean; to symbolize; to represent.

stand in »    temporary substitute

stand off »    To prevent any would-be attacker from coming close by adopting an offensive posture.

stand on end »    To stand erect, bristle, especially from fear.

stand on one's own two feet »    To be independent. To survive without any help.

stand one's ground »    To maintain or stick by an opinion or position; to remain resolute in the face of opposition.

stand stock still »    Paul Travers' Adventures, by Sam T. Clover.

stand stock still »    To stand completely motionless.

stand up »    To rise from a lying or sitting position.

stand up »    To stand immediately behind the wicket so as to catch balls from a slow or spin bowler, and to attempt to stump the batsman.

stand up against »    To defy or challenge someone.

standard fare »    Menu items or dining options which are regularly available in a restaurant or other place where food is served.

standard fare »    Something which is normal, routine, or unexceptional; something which is commonly provided or encountered.

standard fare »    The usual price for travel by air, rail, or another means of transport.

stare someone in the face »    To be extremely visible and obvious.

starry eyed »    natively optimistic

stars in one's eyes »    The state of being overly or extremely impressed with something; enchanted with romance.

start off on the wrong foot »    To begin badly; especially, to begin a relationship badly.

start up »    To rise suddenly.

stat whore »    Through unscrupulous or tacky means.

stately home »    mansion

stay put »    To remain in one fixed place.

stay the course »    To persist or continue.

stay up »    To remain awake, to not go to bed.

steal a march »    To start early.

steal a march on »    To get ahead of someone or something by starting earlier.

steal away »    To leave secretively.

steal somebody's thunder »    To detract from somebody's accomplishments or glory; to undermine.

step down »    To gradually reduce something, a little at a time, as an electronic step down transformer.

step in front of a moving train »    To sacrifice one's own life for a noble and loyal cause.

step on a rake »    To step on the tines of a garden rake, causing the handle of the rake to rise from the ground rapidly, invariably striking the person walking in the face.

step on it »    To act quickly.

step up to the plate »    To initiate action; to assume a responsibility.

stepping stone »    A stone that can be stepped on in crossing something, especially a marsh or creek.

stepping stone »    Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

stew in one's juices »    To be alone and self-absorbed in an uncomfortable state of mind, especially while experiencing the unpleasant effects of one's own actions.

stick around »    To stay; to linger; to remain.

stick in someone's craw »    To cause lasting annoyance, irritation, or hard feelings.

stick in the mud »    A person unwilling to participate in activities, often because he or she believes the activity is not wholly kosher; a party pooper.

stick in the mud »    More generally, one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive; an old fogey.

stick it to the man »    To take some action intended to defy a source of oppression such as globalization, commercialization, big business or government.

stick one's nose in »    To be nosy; to meddle or interfere in the affairs of another.

stick out »    To protrude; to extend beyond.

stick up »    To put up by sticking.

stick with »    To remain close by.

stickhandle »    To deal capably and swiftly with a situation, especially in a manner which deflects potential problems.

stickhandle »    To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.

sticking point »    A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.

sticking point »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking-place.

sticking-place »    The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking point.

sticks and stones »    Evocative of the saying "sticks and stones may (or will) break my bones, but words (or names) will never hurt (or harm) me".1957, Brendan Gill, The Day the Money Stopped

sticky fingers »    A petty thief or petty thieves.

sticky fingers »    An inclination to steal.

stiff upper lip »    The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, associated with stereotypical British people.

still life »    type of painting

still water runs deep »    A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect

still waters run deep »    A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect.

stir-crazy »    By extension, restless, uncomfortable, or impatient due to inactivity.

stir-crazy »    Of a prisoner, mentally unbalanced due to prolonged incarceration.

stitch up »    To close by sewing.

stitch up »    To maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone.

stock phrase »    A phrase frequently or habitually used by a person or group, and thus associated with them.

stone cold »    Very cold; lacking any semblance of warmth.

stone dead »    Utterly dead.

stone deaf »    Utterly deaf.

stone's throw »    A short distance, roughly equivalent to how far a person can throw a stone.

stop and smell the roses »    To relax; to take time out and enjoy or appreciate life.

stop dead »    To stop suddenly.

stop on a dime »    To stop dead; stop suddenly.

stop press »    The event or news article important enough to delay or interrupt the print, or require a reprint, of a publication, particularly of a newspaper edition.

stop someone in his tracks »    To prevent someone from continuing along a path or way, literal or figurative, he has begun going along.

stop the lights »    An interjection expressing exasperation or incredulity. or to illustrate the humour in a situation.

stop the presses »    An imperative form used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.

stop up »    To fill a hole or cavity, or block an opening or passage, as with a plug.

stop up »    To increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.

straight away »    Very soon; quickly; immediately.

straight face »    A face that is expressionless, especially not laughing.

straight from the horse's mouth »    Directly from the source; firsthand.

straight man »    A member of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in preparatory dialog with the principal comedian; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy.

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.

straighten out »    To correct or rectify.

strap on a pair »    To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation where one has so far failed to do so.

straw poll »    A survey of opinion which is unofficial, casual, or ad hoc.

streak of good luck »    A series of lucky events.

stretch one's legs »    To walk about, especially after prolonged time sitting or lying down.

stretch out »    To lie fully extended.

stretch out »    To fully extend a part of the body.

strike through »    Partly obliterate text by drawing a continuous line through the centre thereof, usually to indicate the deletion of an error or obsolete information.

strike up »    To start something with somebody else. Usually a conversation or relationship.

strike up »    To start something, usually playing live music.

strike while the iron is hot »    To act on an opportunity promptly; to avoid waiting.

string up »    To die by hanging.

string up »    To kill by hanging, especially to lynch.

string up »    To suspend by means of rope, cord or similar material.

strip away »    To ignore a factor which obscures the reality.

strip away »    To remove something bit by bit.

strip off »    To remove anything by stripping, e.g. items of clothing or paint from the side of a ship.

strip off »    To be removed by stripping.

strut one's stuff »    To behave, or to perform in a showy or ostentatious manner, especially in a way to impress others; to show off.

stuck up »    Snobbish, conceited; believing oneself to be better than others; haughty.

stuffed like a turkey »    Engorged from overeating.

stuffed shirt »    One who is overly official or officious; somebody in charge but not necessarily in power or effective.

stumble across »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumble across »    To meet somebody by chance.

stumble on »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumble on »    To meet somebody by chance.

stumble upon »    To discover or find something by accident.

stumble upon »    To meet somebody by chance.

stump up »    To pay for something. Often indicating reluctance to pay.

stupid is as stupid does »    A person's intelligence may be judged by the wisdom of his or her actions.

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan »    Many will seek credit for success, few will accept responsibility for failure.

suck donkey balls »    To be terrible, of extremely poor quality.

suck face »    To kiss, especially deeply and for a prolonged time.

suck hind tit »    To be the youngest or most neglected child.

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.

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.

suck up »    To adulate or flatter somebody excessively, generally to obtain some personal benefit or favour.

suffer fools gladly »    To be tolerant of stupidity or incompetence in other people.

sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof »    No need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.

sugarcoated »    Made superficially more attractive. This often implies the reality has faults that are being hidden.

sure as eggs is eggs »    Absolutely certain.

surprise surprise »    An indication that the unsurprising happened, especially contrary to someone's hopes or assertions.

swallow up »    To completely enclose or envelop.

swan song »    A final performance or accomplishment, especially one before retirement.

swear by »    To wholeheartedly trust.

swear off »    To quit or cease completely, or to promise to quit, as of a bad habit.

sweat »    Fluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.

sweat bullets »    To sweat profusely; especially, to be very nervous or anxious.

sweep someone off their feet »    To seduce someone romantically.

sweet dreams »    Phrase said to someone before they fall asleep, wishing them a good sleep.

sweet hereafter »    Heaven; paradise as enjoyed in the afterlife.

sweetheart deal »    A transaction, contract, or other agreement in which one party provides particularly favorable terms to the other, especially in suspicious circumstances.

swing for the fences »    To act in a way that might generate a very good result, but which also has a large chance of failing.

swing state »    A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally; a purple state.

swing the lead »    To pretend to be unwell so that you do not have to work.

switch on »    To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.

sword and sandal »    Of or pertaining to a genre of books or films relating fantasy-adventure tales involving heroic exploits in ancient or biblical times.

sword and sorcery »    Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines wizardry and other fantastical supernatural elements with violent combat using medieval weaponry..

swot up on »    To study particularly hard to learn a subject quickly.

tack up »    To prepare a horse for riding by equipping it with tack.

tag along »    To accompany, join, or follow; to go with.

tag team »    Two or more people or groups acting alternately to accomplish some task.

tail between one's legs »    A reaction to a confrontation, specifically one with excessive shame and hurt pride.

take a back seat »    To be second to someone or something; to be less important or have a lower priority.

take a bath »    To lose a large amount of money in an investment.

take a bow »    To accept applause at the end of a performance in a theatre. Often this includes actually bowing to the audience.

take a breather »    To take a break; to pause or relax briefly.

take a bullet »    To purposely receive a gunshot that was intended for another.

take a chance »    To risk; to try something risky.

take a crack at »    To attempt or try.

take a dive »    To feign a knockout in order to lose intentionally.

take a dive »    To lose or fail intentionally.

take a gamble »    To risk; to try something risky.

take a hike »    To go away; to leave or depart.

take a number »    Recognize that many others are in the same situation; recognize that one's concerns are not of high priority; be prepared to wait.

take a picture »    To photographically capture an image.

take a powder »    To leave in a hurry; run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.

take a risk »    To do something risky.

take a shot in the dark »    To try on something without having any knowledge about the subject.

take a spin »    To go for a ride; especially, to try riding or driving something.

take a stab at »    To attempt or try.

take aback »    Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly.

take against »    To stop liking someone. Become unfriendly.

take apart »    To soundly defeat someone, or a team.

take apart »    To move someone away from others to be able to talk to, or give them something in private.

take away »    To remove something and put it in a different place.

take away »    To remove something, either material or abstract, so that a person no longer has it.

take away »    To subtract or diminish something.

take away »    To leave a memory or impression in one's mind that you think about later.

take away »    To make someone leave a place and go somewhere else. Usually not with the person's consent.

take away »    To prevent, or limit, someone from being somewhere, or from doing something.

take away from »    To make something seem not so good or interesting.

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,

take down »    To write a note. Usually to record something that is said.

take down »    To remove a temporary structure such as scaffolding.

take five »    To take a five-minute break from some activity, take a short break from some activity.

take in »    To foster or adopt a child informally.

take in »    To receive into your home for the purpose of processing for a fee.

take into account »    Or pay attention to; to notice.

take it easy »    An informal greeting for parting or closing.

take it easy »    Immediately calm yourself down; your state of panic does not help.

take it easy »    To relax or rest.

take its toll »    To affect, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause destruction.

take kindly »    To accept or condone.

take leave of one's senses »    To go crazy; to stop behaving rationally.

take liberties »    To behave disrespectfully, especially to make unwanted sexual advances.

take lying down »    To endure without complaint or protest.

take off »    To quantify.

take off »    To absent oneself from work or other responsibility, especially with permission.

take on »    To assume responsibility for.

take one's eye off the ball »    To lose one's concentration on what is most important.

take one's hat off to »    To publicly praise or thank.

take one's leave »    Say goodbye.

take one's lumps »    To endure through criticism or other adversity.

take one's lumps »    To receive physical abuse and to survive.

take one's time »    To go about something slowly and carefully.

take out of context »    To interpret something in a manner in which it was not intended to be understood, often deliberately.

take out the trash »    To forcefully remove people from a place.

take over »    To assume control of something, especially by force; to usurp.

take over »    To adopt a further responsibility or duty.

take over »    To relieve someone temporarily.

take over »    To buy out the ownership of a business.

take over »    To annex a territory by conquest or invasion.

take sides »    To ally oneself with a given opinion, agenda or group; to support one side or viewpoint in a competition or confrontation.

take somebody's word for it »    To believe what somebody tells one.

take someone's point »    To agree with what a person says; to understand a person's argument and be persuaded by it.

take someone's point »    To grasp the essential meaning of what a person is saying.

take something in one's stride »    Not to allow oneself to be set back, daunted, upset or embarrassed by unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.

take the biscuit »    To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.

take the bull by the horns »    To confront a difficulty, rather than avoiding it.

take the cake »    To be especially good or outstanding.

take the cake »    To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.

take the field »    To go out onto the playing field.

take the fifth »    To decline to comment, especially on grounds that it might be incriminating.

take the heat »    To take the blame; to be the focus of anger or scrutiny; to take the consequences.

take the liberty »    To act on one's own authority.

take the Michael »    Alternative form of take the mickey, usually considered more polite.

take the mick »    Alternative form of take the mickey.

take the mickey »    To ridicule or mock.

take the piss »    Are you takin' the piss? You'll get yer 'ead bashed in.

take the piss »    Everyone takes the piss out of the bankers these days.

take the rap »    To be blamed or punished for something, especially for the actions of another.

take the red pill »    To understand the world in its previously unknown reality.

take the shadow for the substance »    To be easily deceived, credulous, superficial.

take the stand »    To testify as a witness in a trial.

take the wind out of someone's sails »    To discourage someone greatly; to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue.

take things as they come »    To accept and deal with events as they occur, with a composed state of mind.

take to one's heels »    To leave; especially, to flee or run away.

take to task »    To lecture, berate, admonish, or hold somebody accountable for his or her actions.

take to the cleaners »    To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through gambling, unfavorable investing, fraud, litigation, etc.

take to the hills »    To flee or vanish; to run away.

take up »    That which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a stitch.

take with a pinch of salt »    Not take entirely seriously.

taking to ones heels »    running away

talk a mile a minute »    To speak quickly or excessively.

talk back »    To reply impertinently; to answer in a cheeky manner.

talk dirty »    To use profane language, especially sexual vulgarities for the purpose of arousal.

talk down »    To speak condescendingly or as though the listener is inferior.

talk is cheap »    It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.

talk like an apothecary »    To use hard or gallipot words: from the assumed gravity and affectation of knowledge generally put on by the gentlemen of this profession, who are commonly as superficial in their learning as they are pedantic in their language.

talk of the town »    A subject discussed by many people.

talk out of turn »    To make a remark or provide information when it is inappropriate or indiscreet to do so, or when one does not have permission or the authority to do so.

talk out one's ass »    To speak authoritatively on a subject which one actually knows little about; to exaggerate.

talk somebody under the table »    With excessive talk or numerous arguments.

talk someone's ear off »    To talk excessively or far more than is wanted or appreciated.

talk through one's hat »    To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.

talk turkey »    To talk or negotiate plainly, frankly, or seriously.

talk up »    In such a way as to make the thing or person sound better than it actually is.

talking head »    A pundit who discusses issues of the day, especially one on TV.

tall in the saddle »    Imposing, impressive; resolute; manly.

tall tale »    A greatly exaggerated, fantastic story.

taper off »    To diminish or lessen gradually; to become smaller, slower, quieter, etc.

tar with the same brush »    To characterize using the same undesirable attribute, especially unjustly.

tart up »    To dress garishly.

tart up »    To modify or repackage a product, service, or idea to make it more attractive or easier to sell.

tartufo »    Hypocrite; tartuffe.

task force »    A group of people working towards a particular task, project, or activity, especially assigned in a particular capacity.

taxi driver »    cabby

tea service »    crockery set

teacher's pet »    A student who is perceived to be favored by the teacher.

tear a strip off somebody »    To scold vigorously.

tear away »    To remove oneself reluctantly; often expressed in the negative.

tear up the pea patch »    To put on a notable performance, especially in sports; to go on a rampage.

tee off »    To irritate, vex, or annoy.

teed off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

teeny weeny »    minute

teething troubles »    Small problems such as are to be expected with some any new and untried system or product.

tell all »    To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.

tell all »    To tell everyone.

tell it to Sweeney »    I do not believe what you said.

tell it to the marines »    I do not believe what you said.

tell off »    To speak to someone rudely, disrespectfully or angrily; to berate; to unleash one's fury verbally towards someone.

tell tales »    To be lying, to be making false claims.

tell the truth »    To speak frankly.

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".

tempus fugit »    time flies (used as an alternative to this phrase)."Meanwhile, the irreplaceable time escapes", expressing concern that one's limited time is being consumed by something which may have little intrinsic substance or importance at that moment.

ten a penny »    So common as to be practically worthless.

test bed »    Any venue, setup, etc. used for experimentation, testing, proving a concept, etc.

than a bygod »    Used with a comparative to express extreme heat or cold.

thanks a bunch »    A mildly sarcastic thank you.

thanks a bunch »    An unsarcastic thank you.

that does it »    Expression of annoyance or frustration; indicates that one has reached the limit of one's patience or temper.

that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

that'll be the day »    Said in reply to something that one believes will never happen.

that's just me »    Indicates the expression of a personal opinion, but often used ironically as an understatement.

that's that »    There is nothing more to say or to do concerning the matter.

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.

that's the way the ball bounces »    That is the way things happen

that's the way the cookie crumbles »    That is the way things happen; that's life.

that's the way the mop flops »    That is the way things happen.

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree »    A child grows up to be very similar to its parents in the way they act and in their physical abilities.

the ball is in your court »    It is your turn to do something; often making a decision.

the bee's knees »    Most excellent; surpassingly wonderful; cool.

the bigger they are, the harder they fall »    The larger something is, the more disastrous and spectacular its downfall

the bronx »    new york borough

the company »    Nickname for an intelligence service.

the course of true love never did run smooth »    There will always be problems in a relationship.

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on »    Life goes on, even if some will try to stop or talk against progress.

the early bird catches the worm »    the early bird gets the worm

the early bird gets the worm »    Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are only available to the first competitors.

the end justifies the means »    Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome.

the end of one's rope »    At the limit of one’s patience, when one is so frustrated or annoyed that one can no longer take it..

the ends justify the means »    Alternative form of the end justifies the means.

the finger »    An obscene gesture, typically consisting of extending the middle finger at somebody.

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get »    (vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you take »    Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you're going to get »    Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.

the grass is always greener on the other side »    Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not

the jig is up »    An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered.".

the long and short of it »    The gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.

the long arm of the law »    The body of law enforcement officers.

the man »    The man gets you down.

the man »    The oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations; the system, as coordinated outside of one’s control..

the man »    You’re the man!.

the map is not the territory »    Our models of the world, and our sensations of the world, are not the true world.

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.

the nose knows »    Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.

the other day »    Recently; lately; a few days ago.

the pen is mightier than the sword »    More influence and power can be usurped by writing than by fighting.

the plot thickens »    Used, often ironically, to describe an increasingly complex or mysterious situation.

the proof of the pudding is in the eating »    The only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for.

the rabbit died »    A statement spoken to indicate one's own pregnancy, or that someone has found out they are pregnant.

the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you get »    Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.

the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you take »    Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.

the screwing you get isn't worth the screwing you're going to get »    Alternative form of the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get.

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.

the sky is the limit »    Nothing is impossible or out of reach

the sky is the moon »    A new modern combination of "the sky is the limit" and "shoot for the moon".

the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak »    (proverbs) For much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible.

the straw that broke the camel's back »    A small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that renders it too much to bear; the small thing which causes failure, or causes inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.

the terrorists will have won »    Phrase used following a description of an activity to indicate that if that activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, an which is an unacceptable result.

the way to a man's heart is through his stomach »    Cooking for a man is a good way to win his affections.

the whole nine yards »    All the way; with everything done completely or thoroughly.

the whole nine yards »    And everything. Often used, like etc., to finish out a list.

the whole shooting match »    Everything; the entire collection, endeavor, or activity.

the whole world and his dog »    Everybody; too many people; a huge crowd.

the world is one's lobster »    (UK, humorous) intentional misrendering of the proverb "the world is one's oyster"

the world is one's oyster »    All opportunities are open to someone, the world is theirs.

the world is one's oyster »    In order to achieve something in this world, one has to grab the opportunity.

the world over »    All over the world; globally; throughout the world.

them's the breaks »    (idiomatic) That is the way things happen; that's life.

them's the facts »    That's the truth, that's how it is; frequently used in reference to an unfortunate truth.

there and back »    One or for a round trip journey, literal or figurative.

there are plenty more fish in the sea »    There are many more potential opportunities available.

there are plenty of fish in the sea »    There are many more potential opportunities available.

there are two sides to every question »    One should not make a judgement until one hears the other side.

there but for the grace of God go I »    A recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.

there is an exception to every rule »    Usually said in a situation when the rule is incorrect and unusable.

there is nothing new under the sun »    There is nothing truly novel in existence. Every new idea has some sort of precedent or echo from the past.

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace »    Even if a person is in his or her senior years, with gray hair, he or she can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual energy.

there ya go »    Expressing exasperation.

there ya go »    You have done it precisely correctly.

there you go »    Expressing exasperation.

there you go »    Here you are.

there you go »    You have done it, or are doing it, correctly.

there you have it »    That is it; that is the situation or state of things.

there you have it »    Used to introduce a speaker's interpretation of what has just transpired or been described.

there's a sucker born every minute »    There are a great number of fools in the world, and there always be.

there's many a slip twixt cup and lip »    In any situation, however well planned, something can always go wrong.

there's more than one way to skin a cat »    A problem generally has more than one solution.

there's no accounting for taste »    When it comes to subjective matters of taste, people have wildly different opinions.Disagreements about matters of taste can't be objectively resolved.

there's no point crying over spilt milk »    You should not be upset over something that cannot be undone.

there's no such thing as a free lunch »    Nothing is free; everything has a price.

there, there »    Conveys comfort; used to calm somebody urge somebody to relax, especially when the person is crying.

they're only after one thing »    Men are only interested in sex.

thief in the night »    Something stealthy or that occurs without warning.

thieve out »    To walk out of a place stealthily.

thin end of the wedge »    Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.

thin-skinned »    Overly sensitive to criticism; quick to take offence; touchy.

think better of it »    To change one's mind; especially to decide against.

think of England »    To tolerate or endure bad sex. Used in conjunction with "I just lie on my back and.." "I just go through the motions and..." etc.

think tank »    A group of which performs research and develops reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporations, interest groups, or government.

think through »    To fully consider an action, and understand all its consequences.

third string »    A unit of players that plays behind the first and second strings; a junior varsity team.

third string »    Of a decidedly lower quality or condition.

third time's a charm »    One is sure to succeed at a task or event on the third try.

thorn in someone's side »    A persistent annoyance.

thorn in the flesh »    A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

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.

thrash out »    To discuss something so fully as to resolve a problem or conflict; to hammer out.

three Rs »    The basic education any child can expect to receive, but not necessarily limited to reading, writing and arithmetic.

three Rs »    The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic.

three Rs »    The basic precepts of any subject matter.

three-martini lunch »    A leisurely, expensive, midday meal associated with drinking, which is tax-deductible because business is discussed.

through and through »    Completely; entirely; fundamentally.

through the roof »    Rapidly increasing.

throw a fit »    To become angry, enraged, or upset; to act or react with an outburst, as by shouting, swearing, etc.

throw a sickie »    To take a day off from work, supposedly because of ill health. The illness could be either real or feigned.

throw a wobbly »    To burst out into a verbal uproar.

throw away »    To discard or dispose of something.

throw away »    To place a son or daughter for adoption.

throw dirt enough, and some will stick »    If enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at [1] on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say

throw down »    To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully.

throw down »    Admirably or forcefully.

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.

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

throw in at the deep end »    To introduce a person to a new situation without adequately preparing him or her.

throw money away »    To spend money foolishly or indiscriminately; to waste money without regard of the consequences.

throw off »    To confuse; especially, to lose a pursuer.

throw off balance »    To unsettle, to catch by surprise.

throw one's hat in the ring »    To announce one's candidacy in a contest.

throw one's toys out of the pram »    To lose one's temper; to throw a tantrum.

throw one's weight around »    To exercise influence or authority especially to an excessive degree or in an objectionable manner.

throw out »    To discard; to dispense with something; to throw away.

throw out »    To dismiss or expel someone from any longer performing duty or attending somewhere.

throw shapes »    To act tough or put up a front. For example, to threaten a person by making "karate chops" at them, without actually doing harm or knowing karate.

throw smoke »    To consistently pitch fastballs that are difficult to hit.

throw somebody a curve »    To pitch a curve ball.

throw somebody a curve »    To surprise; to introduce something unexpected or requiring a quick reaction or correction.

throw the baby out with the bathwater »    To discard something valuable, often inadvertently, in the process of removing waste.

throw the book at »    To apply the harshest possible punishment to.

throw to the dogs »    To throw away useless.

throw to the wolves »    To remove or cast out someone or something out of one's protection, such as onto the streets, especially towards predators.

throw to the wolves »    To sacrifice someone, especially in an attempt to save oneself.

throw under the bus »    To betray or blame; to use as a scapegoat.

throw up »    To display a gang sign using the hands.

throwing money away »    The act of spending money foolishly; wasting money without regard of the consequences.

thumb a ride »    To secure a ride by flagging down a vehicle.

thumb one's nose »    To act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect.

thumb one's nose »    To place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, usually while simultaneous wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.

thumbs up »    A gesture signifying approval or okay; a thumb pointing up out of a fist.

thumbs up »    An approval or okay.

tick off »    To annoy, aggravate.

tick over »    To run smoothly and without problems.

tickle pink »    To thoroughly delight or amuse; to elate.

tickle somebody's funny bone »    To amuse; to strike somebody as funny.

tickle someone's fancy »    To amuse, entertain, or appeal to someone; to stimulate someone's imagination in a favorable manner.

tickle the ivories »    I don't have as much time as I'd like, but I still enjoy tickling the ivories from time to time.

tickle the ivories »    To play the piano.

tide over »    To support or sustain someone, especially financially, for a limited period.

tie the knot »    To marry, wed, get married.

tie up »    To occupy, detain, keep busy, or delay.

tie up loose ends »    To deal with the minor consequences of a previous action; to tidy up, finish, or complete.

tiger team »    A specialized group tasked with testing the effectiveness of an organization's ability to protect assets by attempting to circumvent, defeat or otherwise thwart that organization's internal and external security.

tiger team »    An engineering or other group assembled to tackle especially difficult or critical problems, often outside the normal chain of command.

tight ship »    A well-organized and highly disciplined organization.

tilt at windmills »    To attack imaginary enemies.

tilt at windmills »    To go on a wild goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.

time after time »    Again and again; repeatedly; every time; always.

time and material »    A form of contractual compensation involving payment for materials used and at agreed rates for the those involved in performing the services.

time and tide wait for no man »    action is necessary without delay

time flies »    Time seems to pass quickly. Time flies when you're having fun.

time flies when you're having fun »    Time seems to pass quicker when one is enjoying oneself.

time heals all wounds »    Negative feelings eventually erode away

time is money »    When a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.

time out »    To call for a suspension of activity or conversation.

time out of mind »    A lengthy duration of time, longer than is readily remembered.

time out of mind »    The distant past beyond anyone's memory.

timeserver »    A person who conforms to current opinions, especially for reasons of personal advantage; an opportunist.

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.

tin ear »    Insensitivity to and inability to appreciate the elements of performed music or the rhythm, elegance, or nuances of language.

tin god »    An individual that abuses or exceeds his authority over others, frequently in petty ways; for example a low-level manager in situational comedies and other entertainment.

tip of the iceberg »    Only the beginning; just a small indication of a larger possibility; a problem is much bigger than it seems.

tip one's hand »    In card playing, to accidentally reveal one's cards or hand.

tip one's hand »    To inadvertently reveal any secret, particularly a secret that puts one at an advantage or disadvantage.

tip one's hat »    To briefly remove or tap one's hat as a gesture of greeting, deference, or respect.

tipping it down »    Raining heavily.

tipsy turvy »    upside down

tit for tat »    Equivalent retribution, an eye for an eye, returning exactly what you get.

to a fault »    To an excessive degree; extremely.

to a T »    Precisely; exactly; perfectly; with great attention to detail.

to all intents and purposes »    For every functional purpose; in every practical sense; in every important respect; practically speaking.

to be honest »    Frankly, honestly.

to be sure »    Admittedly, undoubtedly, certainly.

to be the cat's whiskers »    To perform better than was generally supposed possible.

to beat the band »    Very vigorously; at a frantic pace; to a high degree; in large quantities.

to die for »    Very good; exquisite; excellent; particularly desirable.

to each his own »    Every person is entitled to his or her personal preferences and tastes.

to err is human »    Everyone makes mistakes.

to give a person line »    To allow a person more or less liberty until it is convenient to stop or check him/her, like a hooked fish that swims away with the line.

to go »    Belonging to the subgroup that have not passed or have not been finished or have not been addressed yet.

to go »    Served in a package or takeout container so as to be taken away from a restaurant rather than eaten on the premises.

to hell in a handbasket »    To a bad state of affairs quickly.

to say the least »    Used to suggest that what was previously stated was an understatement.

to the gills »    Entirely or extremely; to the greatest degree possible.

to the letter »    Literally, exactly, to follow the rules as they're written.

to the max »    To a great degree or extent; very.

to the moon »    To a very distant or unreachable place.

to the tune of »    Roughly; about; as much as; to the sum of, to the extent of.

to the victor go the spoils »    The winner of a conflict wins additional benefits, beyond just the subject of the conflict.

to thine own self be true »    The easiest person to deceive is oneself."This above all:to thine own self be true,and it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man." -William Shakespeare

today we are all »    An expression indicating that the speaker empathizes with members of an identifiable group that was the subject of a disaster, and projects that others empathize as well.

today we are all »    August 12, 2008:, Robert Barnes, "McCain to Georgian President: "Today, We Are All Georgians"", Washington Post.

today we are all »    March 11, 2004: Denis MacShane, Guardian Unlimited.

today we are all »    September 12, 2001: Jean-Marie Colombani, "Today, We Are All Americans", Le Monde.

toe the line »    To abide by the rules or conventions.

tomorrow is another day »    Tomorrow will bring new opportunities and a fresh start for one's endeavors.1600, author unknown, "Phillidaes Love-call to her Coridon, and his replying" (song), in England's Helicon, printed at London by I.R. for John Flasket:Phil. Yonder comes my Mother, Coridon,whether shall I flie?Cor. Under yonder Beech my lovely one,while she passeth by.Say to her thy true-Love was not heere,remember, remember,to morrow is another day:1896, Amelia E. Barr, A Knight of the Nets, ch. 8:"Well, well, my dear lass, to-night we cannot work, but we may sleep. . . . Keep a still heart tonight, and tomorrow is another day."1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch. 63:"Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day."2005, Fran Schumer, "JERSEY: In Princeton, Taking On Harvard's Fuss About Women," New York Times, 19 June (retrieved 18 Aug. 2009):"Half of me is depressed

tone down »    To make a television program, piece of writing, etc. less offensive and so more suitable for a family audience.

tone up »    To strengthen and make the muscles of the body firmer by regular excercise.

tongue-in-cheek »    Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.

too bad »    That's a pity; that's unfortunate.

too big for one's britches »    Disturbingly confident, unacceptably cocky.

too hot to hold »    A place that has too much police activity to harbor a fugitive unnoticed.

too many cooks spoil the broth »    If too many people try to take charge at a task, the end product might be ruined.

tooth and nail »    Viciously; with all one’s strength or power; without holding back..

top dollar »    The maximum amount of money that an item, service, or worker is worth; a very high price.

top drawer »    Of the highest quality.

top heavy »    unbalanced

top notch »    Very good; of the highest quality.

top of the line »    The best, fanciest, or highest quality, especially among selections in a product line.

top off »    To fill completely; to fill or refill the final portion of something not empty.

top shelf »    Best, or high quality.

topsy turvy »    upside down

torque off »    To annoy, distress, or anger.

torqued off »    Annoyed, upset, angry.

toss-up »    A decision in which neither choice is clearly favorable or unfavorable, or for which the outcome does not matter.

toss-up »    Either of two outcomes that are equally likely.

toss-upness »    The quality of being a toss-up, usually used in reference to a toss-up state in American presidential elections.

totus porcus »    Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version totus porcus.

touch a nerve »    To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.

touch judge »    rugby official

touch off »    To start; to cause, especially used for unstable situations that may magnify if disturbed.

touch up »    To touch or to grope someone in flirtatious or sleazy way.

touch with a barge pole »    Get romantically involved with.

touch%C3%A9 »    An acknowledgement of the success, appropriateness or superiority of an argument, sometimes used sarcastically to mock one's opponent's absurd logic.

touch-and-go »    Precarious, delicate, dangerous, risky, sensitive or of uncertain outcome.

touched in the head »    Demented, slightly mentally deficient.

touchy-feely »    Driven by intuition or emotion, with a connotation of de-emphasis of rational thought or logic.

touchy-feely »    Having a fondness for physical contact with other people, especially to an excessive degree.

tough call »    A choice or judgment which is difficult to make, especially one involving only two alternatives.

tough cookie »    A person who can endure physical or mental hardship; a hardened, strong-willed person.

tough love »    The compassionate use of stringent disciplinary measures, to attempt to improve someone's behavior.

tough nut to crack »    A difficult or sticky problem.

tout de suite »    Immediately, right away.

toy with »    Handling something in a careless or frivolous manner.

toy with »    Play, esp. with or as with a toy.

track record »    An organization's, product's, or person's past performance reviewed in its entirety, usually for the purpose of making a judgment.

travel iron »    holiday accessory

travel junkie »    Who are using their time and money to seek out adventure holidays and travel.

tread lightly »    To proceed carefully; especially, to seek to avoid causing offense.

trench mouth »    Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, typically characterized by inflammation, bleeding, deep ulceration, necrotized tissue, pain, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and halitosis.

trick of the trade »    A shortcut or other quick, or very effective way of doing things, that professional workers learn from experience.

trick out »    To trick out; to mod or customize an object, typically for the purpose of both personalization as well as enhancing the object's performance capabilities and more particularly for the purpose of performing stunts with that object.

trigger-happy »    Having a tendency or desire to shoot a firearm irresponsibly before adequately identifying the target.

trigger-happy »    Inclined to behave recklessly, especially with machinery.

trigger-happy »    Inclined to react excessively or violently at the slightest provocation.

trip balls »    Experiencing severe drug-induced hallucinatory trip.

true blue »    Indubitably loyal or faithful.

trump up »    Heavily publicise, promote or market a product.

truth will out »    A mystery will always be solved, or a truth will always be discoveredTruth will eventually and inevitably be discovered.

try on »    By wearing it.

try one's hand »    To attempt a skill, craft, or trade.

try out »    To test something in order to see if it works.

try out »    To undergo a test before being selected for a team etc.

try out one's own chops »    To produce one's own records with one's own vocals.

tuck into »    To eat, especially with gusto.

tuits »    "tricky": Needs many tuits. [2].

tumble to »    To discover, or suddenly understand something.

tune in »    To pay attention.

tune in, turn on, drop out »    Pay attention to the new way of living; take drugs; abandon the established ways.

tune out »    To change the channel or frequency away from.

tune out »    To fail to pay attention to; to ignore.

tuppence worth »    Two pennys' worth.

turf war »    A dispute over territory between rival gangs.

turn a blind eye »    To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.

turn a hair »    To become afraid or visibly upset.

turn a phrase »    To create a particular linguistic expression which is strikingly clear, appropriate, and memorable.

turn against »    To rebel or oppose something formerly supported.

turn away »    To rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something.

turn away »    To bend or turn from a fixed course.

turn away »    To refuse to admit someone.

turn away »    To avert or deflect something.

turn down »    To refuse, decline, or deny.

turn down »    To reduce the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light.

turn down »    To reposition by turning, flipping, etc. in a downward direction.

turn in one's grave »    To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.

turn into a pumpkin »    Used to indicate a curfew, or the time by which one must depart.

turn loose »    To roam freely or to act freely.

turn off »    To power down; to stop a device by switching it off.

turn on »    To power up; to start a device by switching it on.

turn on »    To rebel; to go against something formerly supported.

turn on its head »    To completely change.

turn over »    To produce, complete, or cycle through.

turn tail »    To flee; to run away; to leave.

turn the other cheek »    To accept a punishment or an injury and not act out revenge or retaliate.

turn the tables »    To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.

turn to stone »    To become completely still, not moving.

turn tricks »    To work as a prostitute, providing sexual services for money.

turn up »    To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly.

turn up »    To increase the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light.

turn up »    To reposition by rotating, flipping, etc. upwards.

turn up »    To belay or make fast a line on a cleat or pin.

turn up for the book »    A very unexpected, usually pleasant, surprise.

turn up one's nose »    To refuse, especially as due to pride or status.

turn upside down »    To thoroughly examine.

turn-on »    Something that attracts, gives pleasure, or encourages, especially sexually.

turnabout is fair play »    It is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.

twenty-twenty hindsight »    Perfect understanding of events only after they have happened.

twiddle one's thumbs »    To circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored.

twist in the wind »    To be unassisted and without comfort in a situation likely to result in distress or failure.

twist in the wind »    To wait for an uncomfortably long period of time.

two a penny »    Very common; cheap.

two birds with one stone »    Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.

two can play that game »    The tactics and/or strategies of an enemy can be used against him.

two cents »    A nearly worthless amount, alluding to placing a copper penny on each of the eyelids of a pauper's or slave's body before burial.

two for two »    In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.

two heads are better than one »    Some problems may be solved more easily by two (or more) people working together than by one working alone.

two left feet »    Exhibiting particular clumsiness, especially at dancing or at soccer.

two penn%E2%80%99orth »    Two pennys' worth.

two wrongs don't make a right »    (ethics) A wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to correct or cancel a previous wrongful action.1915, William MacLeod Raine, The Highgrader, ch. 15:"But when it comes to taking what belongs to another

two wrongs make a right »    A logical fallacy whereby a wrongful action is justified by the commission of another

two's company, three's a crowd »    One companion is better than two.

two-second rule »    A rule of thumb for safe driving by which a driver must maintain a two-second distance from the vehicle in front.

under a spell »    Bewitched, held by the power of a magical spell.

under erasure »    Of a bit of text, written and strickenthrough; hence, figuratively in some sense both present and absent.

under fire »    Subjected to enemy attack.

under lock and key »    Imprisoned with little or no chance of escape.

under one's belt »    Already done; within one's experience; practiced.

under one's breath »    Softly, so as not to be heard.

under one's nose »    Directly in front of one; clearly visible.

under one's thumb »    Completely controlled by someone; at someone’s command..

under pressure »    Being subjected to physical pressure.

under sail »    With sails unfurled; powered by the wind.

under the gun »    The first player to act on the first round of betting in Texas hold 'em.

under the impression »    Thinking or making assumptions, often incorrectly.

under the influence »    Drunk; intoxicated; affected by alcohol.

under the microscope »    Under close scrutiny or examination.

under the table »    Secretly or without reporting, especially of payments made or business transacted.

under the weather »    Experiencing adversity.

under the weather »    Somewhat ill or gloomy.

under the wire »    At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.

under the yoke »    Under subjugation.

under way »    A vessel is said to be underway when she is not anchored, moored, aground, or beached[1]. Compare with make way.

under way »    In operation, in progress, commenced.

underwater basket weaving »    An easy and useless college or high school class.

university of life »    The real world as a source of instruction, as opposed to a formal education.

until hell freezes over »    Forever; One will never in their life get the results that they want, no matter what they're doing involving the situation.

until one is blue in the face »    Forever; for a hopelessly long time.

until the cows come home »    For a very long time.

unwashed masses »    Of people who are considered by someone to be somehow uneducated, uninformed, godless, or in some other way unqualified for inclusion in the speaker's elite circles.

up a creek without a paddle »    In a difficult situation, without any help. Superlative form of up a creek: most up a creek.

up for grabs »    Available for anyone to obtain, claim or win.

up hill and down dale »    Here and there; everywhere.

up in arms »    Angry; preparing for a fight.

up in the air »    Literal: up in or into the sky or air.

up one's alley »    Matching a person's interests or abilities well.

up the creek without a paddle »    In a difficult situation with no means of rectifying it.

up the wall »    Crazy, mad.

up the walls »    Very busy, swamped.

up the wazoo »    Up the ass; excessive or excessively; too much.

up the ying yang »    Far more than one needs.

up to eleven »    Beyond the maximum possible threshold.

up to here »    Overwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.

up to scratch »    Sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality.

up to snuff »    Adequate; of acceptable or quality; satisfying an appropriate standard.

up to snuff »    Mentally alert, shrewd, savvy.

up to speed »    Fully informed; current.

up with the larks »    To wake up early, to be an early bird.

up-and-comer »    Someone who is up-and-coming, who has begun to be successful in some field and is likely to become even more successful in the future.

uphill battle »    A challenge with the odds of success stacked strongly against.

upper crust »    The topmost layer of a bread, pastry dish, or other item with a hardened coating.

upset the applecart »    To spoil carefully laid plans or arrangements; to spoil something.

urban fabric »    The physical aspect of urbanism, emphasizing building types, thoroughfares, open space, frontages, and streetscapes; while excluding without prejudice to this useful term, environmental, functional, economic and sociocultural aspects.

valley of death »    Death; or a place or period where death is impending.

valley of death »    Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade.

valley of death »    The phase of a startup business beginning with the entrepreneur's fulltime commitment to it and ending when the business has achieved sustainable cash flow.

valley of the shadow of death »    Valleys on earth one must walk through, that is, part of the human experience.

variable tandem repeat locus »    Any DNA sequence that exists in multiple copies strung together in various tandem lengths.

variety is the spice of life »    Variety is what makes life interesting

venus flytrap »    insect-eating plant

vertically challenged »    Of a person, short.

victory at sea »    Ocean conditions very windblown and messy, possibly to the point of being inimical to surfing and other water sports.

virgin territory »    By extension, ideas or concepts or activities that have not yet been tried, explored or developed.

virgin territory »    Land that has never been explored or developed.

vote down »    By a majority vote.

vote in »    To collectively approve a nominee into an office or position as a result of voting.

vote with one's feet »    To show a lack of support for something by departing or otherwise absenting oneself.

vote with one's feet »    To show support for something by going to or otherwise being present somewhere.

vouch for »    To affirm the truth or reliability of.

wade in »    To interrupt someone, or a situation, by doing or saying something abruptly, or forcefully, and usually without thinking about the consequences.

wage war »    A figurative allusion to pay discrepancies.

wail on »    To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.

wail on »    To beat heavily on anything.

wait for the other shoe to drop »    To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.

wait up »    To stay awake waiting for somebody to return.

wake up and smell the coffee »    To face reality and stop deluding oneself.

wake up on the wrong side of bed »    To feel grumpy, irritable; to be easily annoyed.

walk and chew gum at the same time »    To do something very easy.

walk away from »    To abandon or leave; to shun.

walk in on »    To enter suddenly or unexpectedly while something is happening; to intrude or interrupt by entering.

walk in the park »    Something easy or pleasant, especially by comparison to something.

walk in the snow »    An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.

walk into »    meet with unwittingly

walk on eggshells »    To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.

walk on eggshells »    To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

walk out »    To leave suddenly, especially as a form of protest.

walk out on »    To abandon or desert someone, especially a spouse.

walk the line »    To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.

walk the line »    To mark or secure a boundary by walking along it.

walk the line »    To participate in the procession at a graduation ceremony; to graduate.

walk the talk »    To do what one said one could do, or would do, not just making empty promises. To walk one's talk is to be innocent of hypocrisy.

walk the walk »    Act competently, like an expert.

walking on air »    very happy

wall in »    To enclose by surrounding with walls.

walls have ears »    There is a risk of being heard, so pay attention to what you say.

wank off »    To sexually stimulate another's penis.

war bride »    A company or individual whose business is increased by warfare.

war bride »    A woman who marries a man who is on active duty military in wartime.

ward off »    To parry, or turn aside.

warm fuzzy »    A good impression; a feeling of comfort or trust.

warm the cockles of someone's heart »    To provide happiness, to bring a deeply-felt contentment.

warm up »    To prepare for executing an already-learned activity by a limited amount of additional practice.

wash away »    To eliminate, or destroy by fast moving water, such as in a flood, or a high sea.

wash away »    To eliminate, in a figurative sense.

wash down »    To help to swallow by drinking a liquid, after eating something, or taking a pill.

wash down »    To wash something completely from top to bottom.

wash one's hands of »    To absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for.

wash out »    To remove something by washing.

wash out »    To wear away by the flow of water; to erode.

wash out »    To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.

wash over »    To pass unnoticed so that one is unaffected by it.

wash over »    Said of the way an emotion affects one suddenly.

wash up »    To be carried on to land by water.

washed out »    Of clothes. When they lose some of their original colour from being washed so often.

washed out »    To be very tired and lacking energy.

waste away »    To lose energy and become weak and feeble.

waste not, want not »    If one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.

watch one's mouth »    In the imperative form, used as a warning to avoid or stop using inappropriate language, especially profanity, or disrespectful utterances.

watch one's mouth »    To be careful about what one says, especially with regard to disrespectful or profane language.

watch one's step »    To move cautiously.

watch out »    To be aware or conscious; to look closely or carefully; to use caution. Often used in the imperative.

water down »    To simplify or oversimplify; to make easier; to make less difficult.

water over the dam »    An event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.

water to my mill »    What energizes you; what stimulates you.

wax lyrical »    To become, or tend to become lyrical.

wax lyrical »    To talk about something with much interest or excitement.

way back when »    A time in the distant past.

way out »    excellent, amazing

way out »    exit

way out of a paper bag »    A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform such.

way to go »    An expression of congratulations, encouragement, or approval.

weak sister »    A person who is cowardly or indecisive.

weaker vessel »    A woman; women collectively.

wear down »    To cause physical or mental fatigue.

wear down »    To have one's long hair styled in a free, low-hanging, unencumbered style; i.e., not in an up-do or ponytail.

wear one's heart on one's sleeve »    To be extremely transparent, open, or forthright about one's emotions.

wear out »    To cause to become damaged, useless, or ineffective through continued use, especially hard, heavy, or careless use.

wear out »    To exhaust; to cause or contribute to another's exhaustion, fatigue, or weariness, as by continued strain or exertion.

wear out »    To become exhausted, tired, fatigued, or weary, as by continued strain or exertion.

wear out »    Of apparel, displayed in public.

wear out »    To punish by spanking.

weather the storm »    To reach the end of a very difficult situation without too much harm or damage.

wedding ring »    jewellery item

wee small hours »    He worked into the wee small hours to get everything perfect for the opening day.

wee small hours »    The very early morning, just after midnight, when most people are asleep.

weekend warrior »    A person who indulges in a sport or pastime on an infrequent basis, usually on weekends when work commitments are not present.

weigh in »    To bring in one's weight, metaphorically speaking, to bear on an issue.

well ain't that the catfish in the trap »    A sentence commonly spoken in the Southern United States. It can often be used in place of "well, I'll be damned". Used to express surprise.

well to do »    quite wealthy

wet blanket »    A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.

wet boy »    A contractor assassin or hit man.

whack-a-mole »    The practice of trying to stop something that persistently occurs in an apparently random manner at the point where the occurrence is noticed, such as terminating spammers' e-mail accounts or closing pop-up advertisement windows.

whale on »    To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.

whale on »    To beat heavily on anything.

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger »    Used to express the sentiment that hardship or difficult experiences build moral character.

what for »    For what reason; why.

what goes around comes around »    The status eventually returns to its original value after completing some sort of cycle.A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.

what it says on the tin »    Exactly what is described or what one would expect from the name.

what you see is what you get »    The image corresponds to the reality.

what you see is what you get »    The screen image resembles the printed output.

what's cooking »    What's happening?; what's going on?; how are you?.

what's eating somebody »    ? Inquired of somebody who is upset, worried, angry, etc.

what's eating you »    What is annoying or bothering you?.

what's in it for me »    To me, personally?.

what's up »    A casual greeting with usage similar to "How are you?" or "Nice to meet you".

what's up »    How are you?.

what's up »    What are you doing?.

what's up with »    Used to express disbelief or curiosity.

whatever creams your twinkie »    Do what you will, whatever makes you happy.

whatever floats your boat »    What makes you happy; what stimulates you.

whatever it takes »    Anything that may be required to achieve an objective.

wheel around »    To transport someone or something to various locations by pushing a wheeled transporter such as a wheelchair or a wheelbarrow or trolley.

when all is said and done »    In the end; ultimately.

when he's at home »    In reality; in fact; when it comes down to it.

when it's at home »    Plainly; in plain English; when it comes down to it; at it's most basic level.

when pigs fly »    Never.

when the cat's away »    People are likely to take advantage of the absence of authority or enforcement of compliance.

when the cat's away the mice will play »    In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.

when the shit hits the fan »    A reference to the messy consequences of a secret or private situation becoming public.

when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's easy to forget that the initial objective was to drain the swamp »    Only because it seems so urgent.

when, as, and if »    Used to indicate the timing and contingency of some obligation in contracts, especially financial.

where there's muck there's brass »    (UK, Irish) There is money to be made in unpleasant dirty jobs.

where there's smoke, there's fire »    If there is telltale evidence of some event, the event is probably occurring.

wherever you go, there you are »    (colloquial, clich

whip up »    To produce something quickly, especially of a meal.

whisper campaign »    A method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are deliberately spread concerning a person or other target, while the source of the rumors tries to avoid detection.

whistle Dixie »    To engage in a pointless or unproductive activity; to do something without resolve, seriousness or commitment.

whistle past the graveyard »    To attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome.

whistle past the graveyard »    To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.

whistle walk »    The path slaves took to deliver food from the kitchen building of a plantation to the main dining room. Slaves were expected to whistle during this walk in order to assure their masters that they were not eating the food.

whistle-blower »    One who reports a problem or violation to the authorities; especially, an employee or former employee who reports a violation by an employer.

whistle-stop train tour »    A tour in a political campaign that makes many brief stops in small communities.

whistle-stop train tour »    Any travel that's quick and with only brief pauses.

white coat hypertension »    Elevated blood pressure measured by a medical practitioner and deemed to result from the patient's emotional response to the medical environment.

white hole »    A theoretically possible but physically highly unlikely singularity which would emit matter and energy; the antithesis of a black hole.

white on rice »    A descriptive analogy of closeness. See like white on rice.

white trash »    A poorly educated white person with low moral and social standards and low social status.

whitewash »    A victory without reply.

who pays the piper calls the tune »    One who pays for something controls it.

who's 'she', the cat's mother%3F »    A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to their mother, or any other woman in the third person, instead of using a properly respectful title or their name when appropriate.

whole enchilada »    All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.

whole shebang »    A building or house and everything in it.

whole shebang »    Everything; the entire thing.

whomp on »    To assail with overwhelming force; to defeat decisively.

whomp up »    To produce quickly, particularly a meal.

whoop it up »    To have a great time; to party or revel excessively or noisily.

why in God's name »    Used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning question.

why on Earth »    Used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning a question.

why the dickens »    Euphemism for why the Devil, used to add emphasis to "why" when beginning a question.

wide awake »    Awake and very alert.

wild horses »    A force not subject to human control and normally stronger than a man.

wild-goose chase »    A futile search, a fruitless errand; a useless and often lengthy pursuit.

wild-goose chase »    A task whose execution is inordinately complex relative to the value of the outcome.

will on »    To wish intensely that someone succeeds in what they are doing. Often implies a silent, or almost inaudible wish.

willful ignorance »    A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision.

willies »    Plural form of willy.

willy nilly »    Seemingly at random, haphazardly.

willy nilly »    Whether desired or not.

willy nilly »    Without regard for consequences or the will of those affected.

win over »    To persuade someone, gain someone's support, or make someone understand the truth or validity of something.

wind back the clock »    Figuratively to return in time to an earlier period of history.

wind down »    Lower by winding something.

wind down »    To slow; to become calmer or less busy.

window dressing »    A means of creating a deceptively favourable impression of something or someone; something for appearance only.

window dressing »    The decorative display of retail merchandise in store windows.

window dressing »    The goods and trimmings used in such display.

window-shopping »    The browsing of shop windows without any intention of buying.

wine tosser »    A person who buys wine, but does not drink it.

wine tosser »    A person who talks a great deal about wine but actually knows very little.

winkle out »    To acquire something or someone with difficulty.

winkle out »    Tom managed to winkle the truth out of John eventually.

winter rat »    An old, unattractive automobile, purchased for little money, to be driven during brutal Great Lakes winters while the owner's "good" car remains garaged and protected from corrosive road salt for the season.

wipe away »    To remove or erase with a wiping motion.

wipe out »    To physically erase something written.

wipe somebody's eye »    To defeat; to humiliate.

wishful thinking »    The illusion that what one would like is actually true.

with a vengeance »    Intensely motivated; resolute; forceful.

with bated breath »    Eagerly; with great anticipation.

with flying colors »    Extremely well; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner.

with no further ado »    Without any other formalities; with no further delay.

within an ace of »    Very near; on the point of.

without fail »    Certainly; by all means; as a matter of importance.

wits' end »    A. 1911, John Muir, in John Muir and Michael P. Branch, John Muir's Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa, 2002, page 138.

wits' end »    Limit of one's sanity or mental capacity; point of desperation.

wolf down »    Quickly and without regard for table manners.

woo back »    To gain somebody back by wooing him or her.

work against the clock »    To work very quickly because you know you only have a very limited period of time to do something.

work around the clock »    To work all day and all night without a break, because it is imperative to finish something.

work at »    To make a physical or mental effort to progress some specified task.

work like a charm »    works great - exactly as expected

work one's arse off »    Work excessively or to the point of exhaustion.

work one's butt off »    To work very hard or to excess.

work one's fingers to the bone »    Work especially hard, usually for an extended period.

work one's tail off »    Work excessively or to the point of exhaustion.

work out »    To extract gradually.

work out »    To habitually exercise rigorously, especially by lifting weights, in order to increase strength or muscle mass or maintain fitness.

work out »    To do exercises, especially physical.

work over »    To improve a prototype, or first draft.

work over »    To physically attack someone to cause them injury.

work spouse »    A man or woman in the workplace with whom one shares a special relationship having bonds similar to those of a marriage: special confidences, loyalties, shared jokes and experiences, and unusual degree of honesty or openness.

work the room »    To interact enthusiastically with the attendees at an event, by moving among them, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation.

worked up »    Excessively emotional, excited or aroused.

working girl »    A young woman who works.

world »    A planet,especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.

worlds apart »    Vastly different.

worm's-eye view »    A view of an object from below, from the ground.

worry wart »    One who worries excessively or unnecessarily.

worse for wear »    In poor physical condition due to long or heavy use.

worth every penny »    Completely worthwhile.

worth its weight in gold »    Highly valuable.

worth one's while »    Good and important enough for one to spend time, effort, or money on.

worth the risk »    The benefit of the success is more valuable than the problems caused by the potential loss.

wouldn't say boo to a goose »    Describing a quiet, exceptionally shy person.

wouldn't shout if a shark bit him »    Frugal, miserly.

wouldn't you know it »    Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at bad luck or misfortune.

wrap it before you tap it »    wear a condom before sexual intercourse.

wrap up »    To finish off a task completely.

wrap up »    To form a cylinder by rolling a sheet of something.

wring out »    To squeeze a wet material, either by twisting with one's hands, or by passing it through a wringer, to remove the water.

wring out »    To force someone to give something, usually truth, or money.

write down »    In a simple or condescending style.

write off »    Figuratively, to assign a low value to something.

write up »    To write about positively.

write up »    To produce by writing.

written all over someone's face »    Very obvious, from someone's facial expression.

wrong side of the tracks »    . May refer to area where the working class, poor or extremely poor live.

yak shaving »    Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem.

yank off »    To remove something, like a piece of cloth or bread, by tearing it with one quick strong pull.

yank off »    To masturbate.

yank out »    To remove something like a nail, or a tooth with one quick strong pull.

year dot »    A very long time ago, from the beginning or as far back as one can remember.

year in, year out »    During every year; always.

yell at »    To scold, to rebuke - often by yelling.

yell silently »    To think very strong thoughts, that one wishes to yell out loud but does not.

yellow card »    booking

yellow journalism »    Material published in a broadcast or periodical, such as a tabloid newspaper or magazine, which is sensationalistic and of questionable accuracy and taste.

yellow press »    Newspapers which publish sensationalist articles rather than well researched and sober journalism.

yellow-bellied »    Pertaining to an animal or reptile that has a yellow belly.

yellow-bellied »    Uncourageous.

yellowbelly »    A coward.

yellowbelly »    Someone from Lincolnshire.

yes man »    A person who always agrees with his employer or superior.

yes to death »    To agree with someone, often sarcastically.

yes-man »    A person of unquestioning obedience.

yield up »    To give something against one's will.

yield up »    To disclose something hidden.

yoke together »    To unite, or join, or combine.

you and whose army%3F »    You can't do all that on your own.

you are what you eat »    If you eat well, you will be well; but if you eat badly you will feel bad

you bet »    Certainly; you're welcome; a reply to thank you or to a request.

you bet »    Expresses support, agreement, certainty or emphasis.

you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar »    It's easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude than with rude demands and negativity.

you can hang your hat on that »    It's something to put faith in, to rely upon or trust (when used in a positive connotation).

you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink »    You can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it.

you can say that again »    That is very true.

you can't always get what you want »    It is not always possible to get what is wanted.

you can't fight city hall »    (chiefly US) Nothing can be done to change the situation, because it is a governmental decision.I see they're going to build the airport after all. I suppose you can't fight city hall.

you can't get a quart into a pint pot »    What is being discussed is not possible.They've asked me to get to New York by five o'clock, but you can't get a quart into a pint pot!

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.

you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear »    It is not possible to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs »    In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.

you can't polish a turd »    (vulgar) Something inherently bad cannot be improved.

you can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds »    You can't have it both ways.

you can't say fairer than that »    That is good, reasonable, or fair; one cannot hope for a better decision or outcome.

you can't take it with you »    It is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause which

you can't teach an old dog new tricks »    It is impossible, or almost impossible, to change people's habits or traits or mindset.

you can't tell a book by its cover »    Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover.

you can't unring a bell »    Some things can't be undone.

you don't dip your pen in company ink »    One should avoid romantic relationships in the workplace.

you don't dip your pen in the company's ink »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

you don't dip your pen in the inkwell »    Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.

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.

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.

you get what you pay for »    In commercial transactions, the quality of goods and services increases as the prices increase, i.e., the more one pays, the better the merchandise.2003, Michael Blumenthal, "For Whom the School Bell Tolls," Time, 7 Dec.:Though it may sound unapologetically capitalistic to say so

you know it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you know what »    A phrase used to get someone's attention before announcing something.

you knows it »    Indicates agreement, approval, encouragement.

you knows it »    You're right; I wholeheartedly agree with your statement.

you made your bed, now sleep in it »    A moralizing rejection said to someone looking for an easy out, especially of a situation they put themselves into.

you make the bed you lie in »    A person's circumstances are normally the result of his or her own actions.

you name it »    Used after a short list to show that further examples are unnecessary; all kinds of things.

you never know what you've got till it's gone »    Good friends and acquaintances shouldn't be taken for granted.

you only get what you give »    There is a positive correlation between the effort one puts in and the benefits one receives.

you pays your money and you takes your choice »    Each person should make their own decisions.

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours »    If you do me a favor then I will do you a favor; quid pro quo.

you shouldn't have »    Used to express gratitude at unnecessary generosity, especially when receiving a gift.

you snooze you lose »    If you are not alert and attentive, you will not be successful.

you what%3F »    An intensified version of what or huh.

you're never too old to learn »    It is possible to learn new things, at any age; (implying) follow your desires and dreams

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette »    In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something should be destroyed.

your mileage may vary »    It may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience.

your mileage may vary »    To express a possible difference in taste, "this is just my opinion, your opinion may be different".

yours sincerely »    A polite formula to end a letter, especially when the recipient’s name is known to the sender.

yours truly »    A closing in a note or letter.

yours truly »    myself

zero in on »    To aim precisely at a target.

zero in on »    To successfully narrow down a search.

zone out »    To stop paying attention and think about something else, or to think about nothing.

zonk out »    To fall suddenly into a very deep sleep.

zoom along »    To proceed quickly a long distance.

zoom down »    To move quickly along a particular route, list, etc.

zoom in »    So as to make it larger and possibly more detailed.

zoom out »    So as to make it smaller and possibly less detailed.

zoom past »    To pass very quickly.

New:  We also know Zip Codes FYI!