a leopard cannot change its spots »
One cannot change one's own nature.1597, William Shakespeare, Richard II Act i, Scene 1 (First Folio):King. Lyons make Leopards tame.Mowbray. Yea but not change his ?pots.1611, King James Version of the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23:Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe Chapter 32:End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment:The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
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above and beyond »
More than is expected or required.
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above the law »
Exempt from the laws that apply to everyone else.
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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.
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all and sundry »
All, everyone.
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back of beyond »
A very remote place.
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beat a dead horse »
To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
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beyond one's pay grade »
Beyond one's capability.
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beyond one's pay grade »
Beyond one's level of authority.
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beyond the black stump »
Extremely remote, outside the populated area.
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beyond the pale »
Describing behaviour that is considered to be outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgement in civilised company.
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break ground »
To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements.
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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.
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draw on »
To sketch or mark with pencil, crayon, etc., on a given surface.
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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.
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every dog has its day »
Everyone has a time of success and satisfaction.
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every man has a price »
Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.
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everyone and their brother »
A large number of people; most people.
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halcyon days »
A period of calm, often nostalgic: “halcyon days of yore”, “halcyon days of youth”..
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halcyon days »
Period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.
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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.
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if it's all the same »
If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.
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in spades »
Beyond doubt.
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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.
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keep shtum »
Don't tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.
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knacker's yard »
A place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.
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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.
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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).
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loaded word »
Any word, set phrase or idiom that has strong positive or negative connotations beyond their ordinary definition.
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make an exhibition of oneself »
She had far too much to drink and made an exhibition of herself by flirting with everyone.
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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
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off the table »
Beyond consideration.
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one and all »
All, everyone.
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out of bounds »
Beyond the bounds of civility or morality; extremely unreasonable.
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outside the box »
Beyond the bounds of convention.
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over one's head »
More complex or confusing than one can understand; beyond one’s comprehension..
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over the top »
Bold; beyond normal, expected, or reasonable limits; excessive; outrageous.
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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.
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push the envelope »
To go beyond established limits; to pioneer.
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rivet counter »
A person who has an obsession with the minutae of their particular interest. Anyone preoccupied with small distinguishing features between different items.
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stick out »
To protrude; to extend beyond.
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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.
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take the piss »
Everyone takes the piss out of the bankers these days.
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tell all »
To tell everyone.
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throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick »
Try the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at [1] on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at [2] on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at [3] on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at [4] on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at [5] on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at [6] on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isn
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time out of mind »
The distant past beyond anyone's memory.
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to err is human »
Everyone makes mistakes.
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to the victor go the spoils »
The winner of a conflict wins additional benefits, beyond just the subject of the conflict.
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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
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up for grabs »
Available for anyone to obtain, claim or win.
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up to eleven »
Beyond the maximum possible threshold.
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