Found 1,093 phrases starting with A: Page #4

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a sideways approachThis agenda is to avoid a head to head confrontation, rather slide in with a 'sideways' move which may provide a smoother, elusive manner in approaching the challenge.Rate it:
a silver lining is not made of silverWhat appears on the surface is not necessarily true.Rate it:
a smoke screenEarly sea battles demonstrated the value of gun smoke and smoke from burning ships to hide one battleship from one belonging to the enemy. Later, smoke was generated prior to commencing battle so as to make it more difficult for gun crews to spot the targeted vessel. This tactic became known as a smoke screen.Rate it:
a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downAn 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.Rate it:
a stich in time saves nineWhat ever work you have you should perform the and there, thereby your work being helped others work.Rate it:
a stitch in time saves nineA little effort expended sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later; A little preparation can eliminate the need for repairs later; consistency (achieving a set rhythm) is better than trying to rush ahead.Rate it:
a stopped clock is right twice a dayA normally unreliable person or instrument can occasionally provide correct information, even if only by accident.Rate it:
a stormy petrelA person who is restless or turbulent, and who is likely to stir up trouble.Rate it:
a story written is shorter than a novel and longer than a fableable.A story written is shorter than a novel and longer than a fable.Rate it:
a tear jerkerA movie, book or story that is sad and causes one to cry.Rate it:
a thing of beauty is a joy foreverBeauty always brings enjoyment to those looking at itRate it:
a Tinkers DamnDemeaning Words in Deprecating Ejaculation, to wit; "He'll Never Amount To A 'Tinker's Damn!"Rate it:
a vicious circlea sequence of reciprocal cause and effect in which two or more elements intensify and aggravate each other, leading inexorably to a worsening of the situation.Rate it:
a watched kettle never boilsAlternative form of a watched pot never boils.Rate it:
a watched pot never boilsA process appears to go more slowly if one waits for it rather than engaging in other activities.Rate it:
a week from next TuesdaySome unspecified time in the future.Rate it:
a week from next TuesdayForever.Rate it:
a week is a long time in politicsIn politics, a lot of change can happen in a short space of time.Rate it:
a whopperReference a statement, action, prevarication, story, hooked fish, enlarged or magnified presentation.Rate it:
a whopper-dooperPrize Winning, Top Banana, First Rate, First Class, Winner, Great, Glorious, Grand, Super Duper. Superlative.Rate it:
a wild goose never laid a tame eggmost things are inherited and predeterminedRate it:
a wrench in the worksTo mess something up; ruin everything; mess something upRate it:
a.o.b.Initialism of any other business or any other competent business, the last item on the agenda for a meeting, when any matter not already dealt with may be raised.Rate it:
a/the picture of healthAppearing vibrant, energetic, and free from any signs of illness or ailment; exhibiting physical well-being and robustness.Rate it:
aabyAbbreviation of as amended by.Rate it:
Aaron's beardA common name for several plants, which have tufts of stamens.[First attested in the late 19 century.]Cymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax, Kenilworth ivy)Hypericum calycinum (great St. John's-wort, Jerusalem star)Saxifraga stolonifera (creeping saxifrage, strawberry geranium)Opuntia leucotricha (arborescent prickly pear, Aaron's beard cactus)Rate it:
Aaron's beardUsed other than as an idiom: see Aaron, 's, beard.Rate it:
Aaron's beardOpuntia leucotricha (arborescent prickly pear, Aaron's beard cactus)Rate it:
Aaron's beardHypericum calycinum (great St. John's-wort, Jerusalem star)Rate it:
Aaron's beardCymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax, Kenilworth ivy)Rate it:
Aaron's beardSaxifraga stolonifera (creeping saxifrage, strawberry geranium)Rate it:
Abbot's PriorySynonym of King's Bench PrisonRate it:
ABCThe alphabet.Rate it:
ABCA type of poem in which the lines start with the letters of the alphabet in order.Rate it:
ABCA primer for teaching the Latin alphabet and first elements of reading.Rate it:
ABCThe fundamentals of any subject.Rate it:
ABCA straightforward, uniform playing style, often focusing on betting for value, folding weak hands, and avoiding bluffing.Rate it:
ABCA British alphabetized guidebook for trains and their stations.Rate it:
abide byTo accept a decision or law and act in accordance with it; to conform to; to acquiesce; as, to abide by an award.Rate it:
abide byTo remain faithful to something or someone; to stand to; to adhere.Rate it:
abide withTo remain or live with someone.Rate it:
able forFit to cope with.Rate it:
able seamanordinary sailorRate it:
able to get a word in edgewiseAble to participate in the conversation; able to interrupt another person's monologue.Rate it:
abominable snowmanyetiRate it:
abound inTo have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.Rate it:
abound withTo have something in great numbers or quantities; to possess in such abundance as to be characterized by.Rate it:
about homeA shortened version of "about to be home" , meaning you are very close to your homeRate it:
about timeFar past the desired time.Rate it:
about timeClose to the right time.Rate it:

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