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Phrases related to: an old fuddy, duddy Page #3

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you can't teach an old dog new tricksIt is impossible, or almost impossible, to change people's habits or traits or mindset.Rate it:

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you're never too old to learnIt is possible to learn new things, at any age; (implying) follow your desires and dreamsRate it:

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blood is thicker than waterFamily 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!Rate it:

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bring backTo reenact an old rule or law.Rate it:

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bucket of boltsA piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often of old cars.Rate it:

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horse operaA theatrical production, film, or program on radio or television depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.Rate it:

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over the hillOld, past the prime of life.Rate it:

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take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselvesIf 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, Rate it:

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unless the wheels available to you aren't made for the vehicle you're trying to drive.Follow-up to the phrase, "No need to reinvent the wheel." Meant for when one does, in fact, need to reinvent a process to account for accumulated changes that make the old status-quo obsolete.Rate it:

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vale of tearsA symbolic "valley of tears"; meaning the world and the sorrows felt through life. Similar to the Old Testament Psalm 23's reference to the "valley of the shadow of death", the phrase implies that sadness is part of the physical world (i.e. part of human experience).Rate it:

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behind the timesOut of date; old-fashioned; obsolete; outmoded; outdated.Rate it:

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il nous a dit des contes à dormir deboutHe told us tedious, nonsensical tales, old wives’ tales.Rate it:

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winter ratAn 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.Rate it:

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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.Rate it:

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c'est un homme de la vieille rocheHe belongs to the good old stock; He is a man of the old school.Rate it:

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Over the HillOld and past age, beyond one’s prime, past the bestRate it:

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throw dirt enough, and some will stickIf 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 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 Rate it:

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vieil ami et vieux vin sont vraiment deux bons vieux, mais vieux écus sont encore mieuxOld friends and old wine are good, but old gold is better than both.Rate it:

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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"Rate it:

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before someone's timeFrom before one was born or old enough to be aware of the world.Rate it:

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ear trumpetold hearing aidRate it:

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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, hasnRate it:

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heave to and splice the main brace'Heave to and splice the main brace!' An old salt's invitation to shipmates in a shore side pub to drink-up and be merry!Rate it:

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c'est un rusé compèreHe is a sly dog, a cunning old fox. Rate it:

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c'est vieux comme le pont neufQueen Anne is dead; It is as old as the hills.Rate it:

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il fait l'empressé auprès de sa vieille tanteHe pays marked attention to his old aunt.Rate it:

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oat operaA, film, or novel depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.Rate it:

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petit bonhomme vit encoreThere’s life in the old dog yet.Rate it:

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a pristina consuetudine deflectereto give up old customs.Rate it:

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a rey muerto, rey puestoout with the old, in with the newRate it:

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a vetere consuetudine discedereto give up old customs.Rate it:

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à vieille mule frein doréOld women have the finest clothes.Rate it:

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admodum adulescens, senexstill quote a young (old) man.Rate it:

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aetate affecta esseto be infirm through old age.Rate it:

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age outTo become too old for an activity, program or institution; to become too mature for a behavior.Rate it:

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antiquis temporibusin old days, in the olden time.Rate it:

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ape leaderAn old maid.Rate it:

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apprenti n'est pas maîtreOne must not expect from a beginner the talent of an old hand; You must spoil before you spin.Rate it:

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big ol'Alternative spelling of big old.Rate it:

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big oleAlternative spelling of big old.Rate it:

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book dumpingThe practice of donating old used books that burden rather than assist communities.Rate it:

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bring it on around jimmya phrase off of an old show on TV maybe a country western show? about bringing the wagon aroundRate it:

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buey viejo surco derechoan old ox, a straight furrow (it makes)Rate it:

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c'est la fée carabosseShe is an old hag.Rate it:

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c'est le refrain de la balladeIt is the old story over again.Rate it:

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c'est toujours la même rengaine (fam.)It is always the same old story.Rate it:

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c'est un trop vieux poisson pour mordre à l'appâtHe is too old a bird to be caught with chaff.Rate it:

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c'est un vieux loup de merHe is an old sea dog.Rate it:

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c'est vieux comme le mondeIt is as old as the hills.Rate it:

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c'est vieux jeuThat is quite old-fashioned.Rate it:

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