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Phrases related to: the map is not the territory Page #11

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Don't Look a Gift Horse in the MouthDon’t complain if you get gift that is not as good as you expect; accept what you've been given without analyzing its valueRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
don't try this at homeA caution that the activity being described or demonstrated is not safe.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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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:

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exit stage leftAn orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.Rate it:

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ghost of a chanceusually negative meaning is will not happen.Rate it:

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gray areaA part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.Rate it:

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handy as "pockets in your underwire"Means "not at all handy"Rate it:

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hell mend someoneExpressing exasperation at someone whose behavior is likely to result in trouble but who will not heed warnings.Rate it:

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I'm all right, JackIndicates a selfish attitude, not worried about any problems one's friends and neighbours might have. Often associated with strikes and other trade union industrial actions.Rate it:

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if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchenIf you cannot handle the pressure, you should not be in a position where you have to deal with it.Rate it:

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it doesn't matterit is not important; do not fretRate it:

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just another pretty faceSomeone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.Rate it:

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keep downNot to vomit.Rate it:

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keep downTo lie low. To stay concealed by not standing up.Rate it:

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Labour of LoveTo do something free of money, work done for love and pleasure, not for the sake of moneyRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
les loups ne se mangent pas entre euxDog does not eat dog; There is honour among thieves. Rate it:

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let me seeUsed as a filled pause to indicating thinking or pondering, not inviting hearer to participate.Rate it:

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nice guys finish lastPeople who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed by others who are not so decent, friendly, or agreeable.Rate it:

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no biggieNot a big deal, not something to worry about.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
Once in a Blue MoonVery seldom, scarcely, not very often, hardly everRate it:

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one swallow doesn't make a springAlternative form of one swallow does not a summer make.Rate it:

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out of orderNot functioning properly.Rate it:

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red face testA hypothetical test of a person's embarrassment, that is either passed or failed. Saying one passes the red face test means one would not blush and thus would not be embarrassed by disclosing something to others or doing something, and saying one fails the red face test means a situation would cause them discernible embarrassment.Rate it:

(3.00 / 4 votes)
round downTo the greatest integer that is not greater than it, or to some other lower value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
there but for the grace of god go iA recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.Rate it:

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under no circumstancesnever ever, not for any reasonRate it:

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vous ne savez pas où le bât le blesseYou do not know where the shoe pinches him.Rate it:

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wait for the other shoe to dropTo await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.Rate it:

(3.00 / 4 votes)
wouldn't give two hoots n a holler / ... two hoots and a hollerdefinition: it isn't worth much, or I wouldn't put much stock in it - it is not believable, or wouldn't pay attention to it.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
you can't take it with youIt is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause whichRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
笑貧不笑娼lit. despising poverty but not prostitutionRate it:

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under one's breathSoftly, so as not to be heard.Rate it:

(2.80 / 5 votes)
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:

(2.80 / 5 votes)
dust bunnyA small clump of dust, fluff, hair, particles of skin, etc. that tends to accumulate indoors in areas that are not regularly dusted, such as under heavy furniture.Rate it:

(2.75 / 4 votes)
come againCould you repeat that? Repeat that please. a polite formula used when one has not heard or understood what has been saidRate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
grace periodA length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
suck intoTo cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
veg outTo relax by not moving much.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."Rate it:

(2.34 / 15 votes)
a hundred and ten percentThe exertion of more than seems possible, hence 110%, not 100%, the usual maximum amount possible.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
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:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
no great shakesUnexceptional; not special or noteworthy; not very effective.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
at peace withNot disturbed or upset by.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
be that as it mayEven if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
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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in funas a joke; not seriousRate it:

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iron eagleAn American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.Rate it:

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keep one's options openTo not commit to a decision, to keep various options available.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
last thing one needsSomething not wanted by someone, who is already burdened.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)

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