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Phrases related to: were

Yee yee! We've found 105 phrases and idioms matching were.

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a carpet-baggerA candidate for election who has no roots or interest in the constituency he wishes to represent. The original meaning was a Unionist financier or adventurer who exploited the cheap labour in the American South after the Civil War. The carpet bags carried by these adventurers were made of carpet material.Rate it:

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à l'en croireif he or she were to be believed, according to him or herRate it:

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American DreamA widespread determination by Americans to provide their children with a better upbringing than their parents were able to provide for them.Rate it:

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and then there were nonean eliminationRate it:

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as if there is no tomorrowAlternative form of as if there were no tomorrowRate it:

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as if there was no tomorrowAlternative form of as if there were no tomorrowRate it:

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as if there were no tomorrowto an excessive degree, desperately, very quickly or very muchRate it:

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au temps!As you were! (military command).Rate it:

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avec un si on mettrait paris dans une bouteilleSuch suppositions are idle; If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.Rate it:

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bad old daysthe past, seen as a time when things were worse.Rate it:

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basket caseIn World War 1, a victim who had one or more severed limbs. They were brought off the field in a “basket”.Rate it:

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born with a silver spoon in one's mouthNote. The original nautical expression is just born with a silver spoon and describes those young gentlemen who were able to enter the Royal Navy without examination and whose promotion was assured. the converse was born with a wooden ladle.Rate it:

(4.33 / 3 votes)
boys will be boysIt is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
brass ringOne and one half inch diameter iron rings were offered riders on a Carousel by a dispensing device alongside: A Brass Ring was inserted into the dispenser at random. The Carousel Rider who succeeded in snatching the Brass Ring was rewarded A Free Ride upon return to the Operator of the Brass Ring:Rate it:

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bridgeAn elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.Rate it:

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but for the grace of GodWere it not for God's help, someone could have suffered that outcome.Rate it:

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c'est un homme comme il en faudrait beaucoupI wish more men were like him (because of his straightforward or courageous nature).Rate it:

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Come AgainTo ask someone to repeat something, as words or tone delivered earlier were not clear enoughRate it:

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comme si de rien n'étaitAs if nothing were the matter.Rate it:

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don't cross your bridge until you arrive at the river!Your reminder George, was very wise: You advised that I not count my money regarding sale of wheelbarrows until we were down to ten count out of the one hundred previously in the stockroomLRate it:

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dussé-je en mourirWere I to die for it.Rate it:

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give the man a box of 'milky ways'!Correct Answers To Questions from the host of a radio program; 'Ask the Professor' were rewarded with delicious candy bars;!Rate it:

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good old daysA period of time in the distant past when things were better or fondly remembered.Rate it:

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gunner's daughterThe gun to which sailors were tied to be flogged.Rate it:

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hindsight is 20/20(idiomatic) In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.Rate it:

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hold that thought!Remember what we were discussing.Rate it:

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how did he dieWhat were the circumstances of his death?Rate it:

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hunger is a good sauce(dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.Rate it:

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I told you soA phrase used to remind someone that they were already warned that a certain event would happen.Rate it:

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I wishUsed to express the speaker's wish that the preceding statement were trueRate it:

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ICYWWInitialism of In case you were wondering.Rate it:

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if brains were dynamite you wouldn't have enough to blow your nose.You're really stupid.Rate it:

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if I were youA phrase said to introduce advice, i.e. to express what one would do in the interlocutor's situation.Rate it:

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if not forif were not there; in the absence of; withoutRate it:

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il est du bois dont on fait les flûtesHe is of an easy, pliable disposition (i.e. like the flexible reeds of which flutes were originally made).Rate it:

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il ne tint à rien qu'ils ne se battissentThey were within an ace of fighting.Rate it:

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il y avait force badaudsA quantity of loafers were there.Rate it:

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il y avait quatre pelés et un tonduThere were only a few people and those of no importance; Only the tag, rag, and bobtail were there.Rate it:

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ils étaient aux prisesThey had closed; They were at close quarters.Rate it:

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ils étaient battus à plate coutureThey were beaten hollow.Rate it:

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instinctIchigo, what's the difference between a king and his horse? I don't mean kiddy shit like "One's a person and one's an animal" or "One has two legs and one has four." If their form, ability and power were exactly the same, why is it that one becomes the king and controls the battle, while the other becomes the horse and carries the king?! There's only one answer. Instinct! In order for identical beings to get stronger and gain the power they need to become king, they must search for more battles and power! They thirst for battle, and live to mercilessly, crush, shred, and slice their enemies! Deep, deep within our body lies the honed instinct to kill, and slaughter our enemies! But you don't have that! You don't have those pure, base instincts! You fight with your brain. You try to defeat your enemies with logic! And it doesn't work! You're trying to cut them with a sheathed sword! That's why you're weaker than me, Ichigo!Rate it:

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it takes all kinds to make a worldDiversity 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.Rate it:

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it's curtains for him!Black curtains, and clothing were often part of decor at funeral services in olden days.Rate it:

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justice delayed is justice deniedIf a wrong is not corrected within a reasonable amount of time, it is as though the wrong were not corrected at all.Rate it:

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laugh offTo respond to a negative situation lightheartedly, as though it were a joke.Rate it:

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le voleur fuyait, mais nous étions à ses troussesThe thief made off, but we were at his heels.Rate it:

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les officiers étaient en bourgeois (or, en civil)The officers were in plain clothes, in mufti.Rate it:

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les soldats de la garde étaient tous triés sur le voletThe soldiers of the Guard were all picked men.Rate it:

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like there was no tomorrowAlternative form of as if there were no tomorrowRate it:

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long shotSomething unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working. The term arose from the accuracy of early ship guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.Rate it:

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