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Phrases related to: the more things change, the more they stay the same Page #32

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when the going gets weird, the weird turn proIn times of change or upheaval, anyone can make a legitimate business from their own personal vision, however different it may be.Rate it:

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when you're up to your ass in alligators, it's easy to forget your goal was to drain the swampYou can't complete the a task if more urgent/immediate necessities take priorityRate it:

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where i'm at is not where i'm going to beYour current situation can always change as long as you work hardRate it:

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where the puck is headingWhere things are headed; to a predicted future state of things.Rate it:

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where there's smoke, there's firewhen two things are usually together and you find one, you will find the otherRate it:

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which is whichUsed to indicate multiple things are difficult to tell apartRate it:

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whip into shapeTo exert considerable effort to change something or someone into a desired state.Rate it:

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whipper snappera young person who is being unruly or who causes trouble. Usually said by an older person when they are frustrated with an unruly child or younger person; typically preceded by the word "young" or "little"Rate it:

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whistle past the graveyardTo attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome.Rate it:

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whistle walkThe 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.Rate it:

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whistling dixieIf you say someone ain't just whistling Dixie, it means they're not kidding around.Rate it:

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who am I kiddingSaid by someone who, upon the realization that they were kidding themselves, wishes to start thinking in a more sensible, reasonable way.Rate it:

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who are youShort for: Who are you and what have you done with {the person I know--ie. my friend, my wife, etc, whatever relationship you have with the listener) Besides the normal meaning to ask who someone is, this phrase is something usually said in jest ( jokingly) to someone when they are acting very differently than normal; to insinuate or assert that they aren't acting like themselves or that they have become a different personRate it:

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who are you and what have you done with someoneSaid to express surprise due to a perceived drastic change of behaviour of a person.Rate it:

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who died and left you in chargeSarcastic response to somebody assuming a position of authority that they have not earned.Rate it:

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who died and made you bossSarcastic response to somebody assuming a position of authority that they have not earned.Rate it:

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whole enchiladaAll of something or a group of related things taken in totality.Rate it:

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will onTo wish intensely that someone succeeds in what they are doing. Often implies a silent, or almost inaudible wish.Rate it:

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window dressingThese latest modifications are mere window dressing, the same problems remain.Rate it:

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window on the worldSomething which provides information about or interaction with a variety of people, places, events, or things outside of one's immediate sphere of experience.Rate it:

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wing itTo improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; or to perform with little or no preparation.Rate it:

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with friends like these who needs enemiesAn expression indicating that one's close associates prove more adversarial than one's opponents.Rate it:

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wits' endLimit of one's sanity or mental capacity; point of desperation; often said when you can't find an answer and you don't want to try any more.Rate it:

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woe betidebad things will happen toRate it:

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woman among womenA woman who is accepted on the same terms, and as having the same worth, as other others in society.Rate it:

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word for wordusing exactly the same words, verbatimRate it:

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word-for-wordUsing exactly the same words (as were originally used).Rate it:

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worm foodOne or more corpses, especially in a state of decay; remains.Rate it:

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worm turnsCircumstances change so that a previously disadvantaged party gains the advantage, or vice-versa.Rate it:

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worth the riskThe benefit of the success is more valuable than the problems caused by the potential loss.Rate it:

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would it hurtUsed to point out that the interlocutor is failing to do something relatively easy that they should be doing.Rate it:

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would it kill someoneIndicates the speaker is annoyed that someone is not doing something they should do.Rate it:

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wouldn't pay a quarter to see jesus ride a bicycle.Somone so tight with their money they wouldn't pay even a little bit to see something miraculous !Rate it:

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wrap upTo wear more clothes as protection from the weather; to bundle up.Rate it:

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you attract more flies with honey than vinegarAlternative form of you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.Rate it:

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you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegarIt's easier to persuade others with polite requests and a positive attitude than with rude demands and negativity.Rate it:

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you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pigYou can try to change something or one's outward appearance, but it will not change the inward appearance. Even if you put lipstick on a pig, it will always roll in mud and grunt.Rate it:

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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.Rate it:

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you can't get a quart into a pint potWhat 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!Rate it:

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you can't judge a book by its coverIt is not possible to make reliable judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.Rate it:

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you can't step in the same river twiceIt is not possible to repeat past experiences, as time changes all things.Rate it:

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You Can't Teach an Old Dog New TricksMaking people change their habits or adjusting to new skills is impossible, It is very hard to make people change their waysRate it:

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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 can't unring a bellSome things can't be undone.Rate it:

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you don't know shit from shinola1. Like calling someone ignorant 2. Often said in reference to something specific, the person saying this phrase is expressing that they don't think the subject of their complaint knows what they are talking about, or doesn't know what they are doing or that they don't know anything at all 3. Same as the phrase: "You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground"Rate it:

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you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word aloneIt is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice.Rate it:

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you get what you pay forIn 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 soRate it:

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you got a bus to catch?What's your hurry? Why are you rushing me out of here?Usually said when someone feels they are being rushed out of a placeRate it:

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you know what they sayUsed to introduce, or alluding to, an apt adageRate it:

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you made your bed, now sleep in itA moralizing rejection said to someone looking for an easy out, especially of a situation they put themselves into.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)

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