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Phrases related to: not bad Page #14

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speak softly and carry a big stickDo not boast or utter verbal threats, but do make others aware that you are prepared to use physical force if necessary.Rate it:

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to thine own self be trueThe easiest person to deceive is oneself."This above all:to thine own self be true,and it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man." -William ShakespeareRate it:

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touch woodTo make contact with wood to avert bad luck, in accordance with a folk practice.Rate it:

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somewhat of a surpriseNot a complete surpriseRate it:

(1.75 / 4 votes)
keep one's eye on the ballMy ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
ace up one's sleeveA surprise advantage of which others are not aware.Rate it:

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back-burnerHaving low urgency; not currently important.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Behind the Eight BallGetting into trouble or difficult situation due to bad luck, a situation through which, one might not get out easilyRate it:

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better to light a single candle than to curse the darknessIn the face of bad times or hopelessness, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response than to complain about the situation.Rate it:

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bit in the biten of lakeIt means that a person is in a serious mood where he is not thinking for the serious matter. Its proper meaning is "serious"Rate it:

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blackBad; evil.Rate it:

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Blood is Thicker than WaterThere is no other replacement for blood relations. What a person from your family or relatives can do for you, will not be done by strangers in a good senseRate it:

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bona, mala existimatio est de aliquoto have a good or bad reputation, be spoken well, ill of.Rate it:

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bring owls to athensPerhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. — Herbert Burkert.Rate it:

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calm as a millpondVery calm, not choppyRate 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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close enough for government workIt is not worth investing additional time on perfecting this thing.Rate it:

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

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Cost an Arm and a LegSomething very expensive and not worth the cost in few casesRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
deadNot in play.Rate it:

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dog in the huntThis is often used erroneously to indicate that one has no stake in the outcome. As such this is a bastardization of two Southern idioms: "no dog in the fight," and "that dog won't hunt." (The latter indicates something is a bad idea or prone to fail.) Use of the phrase "no dog in the hunt" when one wishes to indicate they have no "dog in the fight" will generate funny glances from any Southerners who overhear it.Rate it:

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don't shoot the messengerThe bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.Rate it:

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duck outTo depart quickly or exit abruptly, especially in a manner which does not attract notice and before a meeting, event, etc. has concluded.Rate it:

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fudge the issueAdopt a solution to a specific problem which does not address the larger, more general problem of which the specific problem is an instance.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
get into troubledo something wrong; get into a bad situation; get reprimanded; have consequencesRate it:

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hold one's waternot have to pee; try not to urinateRate 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 know you are but what am IAssertion that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.Rate it:

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if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it downIn order to save water, only flush the toilet after defecation, not after urination.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
il n'est pas si diable qu'il est noirThe devil is not as black as he is painted.Rate it:

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il ne vaut pas le pain qu'il mangeHe is not worth his salt.Rate it:

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Indian signA curse causing loss of will power or persistent bad luck.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
ISHYGDDTInitialism of I seriously hope you guys don't do this.; used to indicate that the speaker does not approve of something previously mentionedRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
je ne sais plus où j'en suis1. I have lost the place where I left off (in reading, etc.). 2. I do not know what I am about.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
le roi n'est pas son cousinHe is very haughty (so that he would not acknowledge the king as his cousin).Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
lead astrayTo influence to have bad habits or to behave improperly or illegallyRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
les grosses mouches passent à travers la toile de la justice, mais les petites y sont prisesOne man may steal a horse, while another dare not look over the hedge; Justice will whip a beggar, but bow to a lord; One does the scath, another has the harm; The crow gets pardoned, and the dove has the blame.Rate it:

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like a bear with a sore headVery irritable; bad-tempered.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
nearly never bulled a cow(Irish) Near enough is not good enough.Rate it:

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no fearcertainly notRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
no slouchPretty good; not bad.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
no way in sam hellAbsolutely notRate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
off the markInaccurate; not correct or appropriate.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
on the pretext ofa false reason that you give for doing something, usually something bad, in order to hide the real reason; an excuseRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
one of those daysA bad day.Rate it:

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out of characterNot acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.Rate it:

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out on one's feetStanding erect but not consciously aware of one's surroundings, or only minimally aware, and having little or no ability to control one's bodily actions, as a result of physical injury or exhaustion.Rate it:

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qui n'a pas argent en bourse, ait miel en boucheHe who has not silver in his purse should have honey on his tongue.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
quick-and-dirtyDone or constructed in a hasty, approximate, temporarily adequate manner, but not exact, fully formed, or reliable for a long period of time.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
sacrificial poetIn poetry slams, a poet who goes first and gets scored by the judges, but is not actually in the competition.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)

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