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Phrases related to: if only

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"a grain of sand is only noticed inside the shoe."ShoeRate it:

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"only those who dream in color can change a black and white world."DreamRate it:

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a chain is only as strong as its weakest linkAn 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.Rate it:

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a doctrina mediocriter instructum esseto have received only a moderate education.Rate it:

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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:

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ace intoTo be barely admitted into something, or to be admitted only at the last minute.Rate it:

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acquired tasteSomething that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.Rate it:

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ad gubernacula (metaph. only in plur.) rei publicae sedereto hold the reins of government.Rate it:

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Adam and Eve not Adam and SteveImplying that only heterosexual relations are normal.Rate it:

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adamasse aliquem (only in Perf. and Plup.) (Nep. Dion 2. 3)to become devoted to some one.Rate it:

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all over but the shoutingThe substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.Rate it:

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and your little dog tooA statement that not only will the person being addressed be punished but their conspirators will also.Rate it:

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

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at a pinchBy the skin of one’s teeth; only just; Deo volente; perhaps; if you’re lucky..Rate it:

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banker's dozenBy analogy, a method of lending where the interest is deducted beforehand, archetypally borrowing twelve dollars (owing twelve dollars back, a dozen) but actually receiving only eleven.Rate it:

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beauty is only skin deepWhat matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.Rate it:

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big fish in a small pondOne who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.Rate it:

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BOHICAAcronym of bend over, here it comes again. Used colloquially to indicate that an adverse situation is about to repeat itself, and that acquiescence is the wisest or only course of action.Rate it:

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bones to the late comersIf you are invited to a party (marriage /dinner /lunch) and you happen to reach there late, only the bones that are left by the people who arrived earlier than you, will be waiting for you.Rate it:

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boo booa cut, scrape, "owie" or injury you get when you get hurt; usually a minor injury that only requires a BandAid; See also other definitions of "boo boo" and "Boo Boo"Rate it:

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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.Rate it:

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c'est une famille où l'esprit est tombé en quenouilleIn that family only the women are clever; In that family the brains are on the distaff side.Rate it:

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ça, c'est de bonne guerreHe has only used fair means to defend himself (or, attack you); He has acted within his rights, you cannot complain.Rate it:

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can't see the forest for the treesTo miss the major things while only seeing the minor details; to overlook the entire situation due to focusing on small aspectsRate it:

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catch-as-catch-canIntermittent; only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself.Rate it:

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ce n'est qu'un feu de pailleIt is only a flash in the pan; It will not last.Rate it:

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cervices (in Cic. only in plur.) frangere alicui or alicuiusto break a person's neck.Rate it:

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cette affaire a passé à fleur de cordeThat business only just succeeded.Rate it:

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cherry pickTo select only the best from a range of options.Rate it:

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cherry pickingSelecting only the best from a group or other range of choices.Rate it:

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childhood friendUsed other than as an idiom: see childhood, friend. (This entry is here for translation purposes only.)Rate it:

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chip shotAn approach shot made from a location a short distance from the golf green in which the ball is launched into the air with only low or moderate force, so that it will land on the green and roll toward the hole.Rate it:

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Clear the DecksTo manage way for a major project and it can be only possible if the minor details are addressed properlyRate it:

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close the stable door after the horse has boltedTo attempt to prevent a problem only to find it has already happened.Rate it:

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consist inTo have the thing mentioned as the only or most important part.Rate it:

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could go all dayOne has much to say about something, but chooses to say only a fraction of it.Rate it:

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cupboard loveAn affection shown only to get somethingRate it:

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curiosity is your own limitYou can only think to your minds curiosity limit.Rate it:

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daughter outTo expire due to having only females surviving the death of the last male in a line.Rate it:

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dead men's shoesA position or property that is only attainable by someone else upon the current holder's death.Rate it:

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deliver the message to garciaWhat 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.Rate it:

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deliver the message to garciaProgrammers are consistently dehumanized because so many do indeed deliver the message to Garcia only to be at best ignored.Rate it:

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dormitive virtueA type of tautology in which an item is being explained in terms of the item itself, only put in different (usually more abstract) words.Rate it:

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dragon's denA place to do battle, but the enemy is formidable. Only enter if prepared.Rate it:

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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.Rate it:

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duck duck gooseA children's game where kids sit in a circle facing each other with their eyes closed. One child is designated "it" and walks around the outside of the circle saying "duck" as he/she touches each child's head. Finally, instead of saying "duck" the person who is it says "goose!" then runs forward around the circle and tries to sit down in the spot where the "goose" was sitting. The goal of the game is for the person who is "it" to sit down before the "goose" catches him/her. If he/she does sit down before being touched/tagged, then the "goose" becomes "it" and the process begins again. If the "goose" catches the person who was "it" then the person who was "it' is out of the game and the circle moves in closer/smaller until only one sitting winner remains.Rate it:

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echo chamberan environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their ownRate it:

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eeny meeny miney moe(short version) a way of choosing someone or something by counting off items one by one until the last word falls on a person or item to the full rhyme which is: eeny meany miney moe catch a tiger by the toe if he hollers let him go eeny meeny miney moe Whichever item falls on the last word "moe" that's the one that is chosen, for example to be "it" to start a game or to choose sides for teams. There are only four words per line that count. The last line "eeny meeny money moe" was later replaced by My mother said to pick the very best one and you are not it" (all words count for one as each person (item) is tapped.Rate it:

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eine Kette ist nur so stark wie ihr schwächstes Glieda chain is only as strong as its weakest linkRate it:

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ejusdem generisA canon of construction holding that when a general term follows a list of particular terms, the general term only applies to things similar to the particular terms. For example, in the list "sun, moon, and other large objects", the phrase "other large objects" only includes celestial bodies, not houses and elephants.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)

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