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Phrases related to: not enough room to swing a cat Page #14

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stop an eight-day clock and throw it into reverseBefore batteries and household electricity were used to power clocks, most clocks had to be wound by hand to keep operating. Eight-day clocks were designed so they only had to be wound every eighth day and the movement only turned in a clockwise direction. Therefore, someone with an appearance objectionable enough to stop the clock and send the movement spinning in the wrong and opposite direction would be ugly indeed.Rate it:

(3.50 / 4 votes)
Take With a Grain of SaltTo be in a doubt about something; not to believe entirelyRate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
seeding on the rockEffort not worth doingRate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
soft as a baby's bottomextremely soft (not rough)Rate it:

(3.33 / 6 votes)
yellow-belliedcowardly; not courageousRate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
800-pound gorillaSomething dangerous, menacing, or spooky that is obvious but not addressed.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
a house divided against itself cannot standA group or organisation weakened by internal dissent will not remain united.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
ancient historyThat which happened a long time ago and not worth discussing any more.Rate it:

(3.00 / 3 votes)
are you taking any medications?Asked mostly by doctors and nurses to ascertain whether certain drugs should not be given to patients, as they may interact adversely with other medications.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
autant en emporte le ventThat is but so much breath spent in vain; It is not of the slightest consequence.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stickBetter than nothing; not unsatisfactory but also not a reason for enthusiastic excitement.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
brighten upBrighten up a room.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
come inOf a broadcast, such as radio or television, to have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
do upTo redecorate a room etc.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
do you accept credit cardsUsed to ask whether or not products or services may be paid for by credit card.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
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)
exit stage leftAn orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
ghost of a chanceusually negative meaning is will not happen.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
gray areaA part that is not clear or certain; something that is open to interpretation.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
handy as "pockets in your underwire"Means "not at all handy"Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
hell mend someoneExpressing exasperation at someone whose behavior is likely to result in trouble but who will not heed warnings.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
Hot ShotSharp Person, Really With-It, "In the Swing of It, Svelte, Mayhaps Be Swell? Sophisticated. Sharp Kat et alRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
it doesn't matterit is not important; do not fretRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
just another pretty faceSomeone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
keep downNot to vomit.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
keep downTo lie low. To stay concealed by not standing up.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
let me seeUsed as a filled pause to indicating thinking or pondering, not inviting hearer to participate.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
no biggieNot a big deal, not something to worry about.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
nobody's perfectUsed when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my bestRate it:

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

(3.00 / 2 votes)
one swallow doesn't make a springAlternative form of one swallow does not a summer make.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
out of orderNot functioning properly.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
padded cellA room in insane asylum with padding on the walls to prevent delusional occupants from injuring themselves.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
under no circumstancesnever ever, not for any reasonRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
vous ne savez pas où le bât le blesseYou do not know where the shoe pinches him.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)

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