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Phrases related to: the lights are on, but nobody's home Page #14

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petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nidEn avançant par petites étapes, avec de la patience et de la persévérance, on atteint son but.Rate it:

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peu s'en fallut qu'il ne fût reçuHe was all but received; He failed for a few marks.Rate it:

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pick offTo throw out a runner by tagging them whilst they are not in contact with any of the three bases or home plate.Rate it:

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pick up the slackto do the work which someone else has stopped doing, but which still needs to be doneRate it:

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pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over againdon't quit. keep tryingRate it:

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PICNICAcronym of problem in chair, not in computer; states that the problem was not in the computer but was instead caused by the user operating it.Rate it:

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pigeon-toedTo stand, walk, or carry the feet in such a way that the toes of each foot face toward each other and the knees also turn inward toward each other--like a pigeon's toes.Rate it:

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play awayTo be sexually unfaithful out of one's homeRate it:

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pobody's nerfectAlternative form of nobody's perfectRate it:

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polite fictionA social scenario in which all participants are aware of a truth, but pretend to believe in some alternative version of events to avoid conflict or embarrassment.Rate it:

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political footballA contentious political issue or problem that is often debated or discussed, but that remains unresolved; an issue or problem which is avoided by authorities and handed off to others.Rate it:

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portal to portalWhen quoting a remote project that involves travel, we calculate travel time as being "Portal to Portal", meaning cost is based on what I charge for travel time from home (or where ever the start point is) to the project location.Rate it:

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pot, meet kettleUsed to draw attention to hypocrisy; a reference to the saying, "pot calling the kettle black" (see under another entry: "pot calling the kettle black"; it's the same as saying, "that's true of YOU" (and mayor may not be true of me, or not as much)Rate it:

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potter's clayWe are but potter’s clay.Rate it:

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power behind the throneSomeone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.Rate it:

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private languageA language which expresses one's inner thoughts, feelings, or experiences but which cannot be used for communication, since it is known to and understandable by only one person-the existence of which was famously argued by Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) to be impossible.Rate it:

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pro aris et focis pugnare, certare, dimicareto fight for hearth and home.Rate it:

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public intellectualA well-known, intelligent, learned person whose written works and other social and cultural contributions are recognized not only by academic audiences and readers, but also by many members of society in general.Rate it:

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Pull up StakesLeaving one’s job, home or country to another place that offers better thingsRate it:

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punched paperA thing looking good to one person, but bad to another.Rate it:

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put outWhen someone is feels "put out". It means they did something they didn't want to do and now they feel "put out" about it...like being taken advantage of after they did it (begrudgingly).Rate it:

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quand ça ne veut pas, ça ne veut pasSe dit dans une situation où, souvent par coïncidence, tout semble s'opposer au but poursuivi.Rate it:

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qui est bien qu'il s'y tienneRest content where thou art; Better dry bread at home than roast meat abroad.Rate it:

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qui veut la fin veut les moyensPour atteindre son but, il faut s’en donner les moyens, et cela même s’ils sont dégradants ou immoraux.Rate it:

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rain or shineIt doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or whatever happens; whatsoever the conditions or the weather is; it's most commonly used to say that an event still happen (will not be canceled) even if it rains; See also, come rain or come shineRate it:

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raise cainTo cause trouble; to behave in a disruptive manner; to make a problem; the phrase is actually "raise Cain" since Cain is a person's nameRate it:

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re concinere, verbis discrepareto agree in fact but not in word.Rate it:

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revenons à nos moutonsBut to return to our subject.Rate it:

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robber baronEspecially in the 19th-century and early 20th-century, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable.Rate it:

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roll overTo reinvest funds from a lottery into a subsequent one, because nobody won itRate it:

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rough and readyCrude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.Rate it:

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RSNReal soon now; describing something that will be available in the near future, but often skeptically. Frequently used to mean "Whenever", "Soon, possibly never" or "don't hold your breath".Rate it:

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scaredy cata children's word for a person who is easily frightenedRate it:

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se comethe hell?; the heck?; when it's at home?Rate it:

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sed ad id, unde digressi sumus, revertamurbut to return from the digression we have been making.Rate it:

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sed hoc nihil (sane) ad rembut this is not to the point.Rate it:

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sed lābor longiusbut that takes us too far.Rate it:

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sed manum de tabula!but enough!Rate it:

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sed redeat, unde aberravit oratiobut to return from the digression we have been making.Rate it:

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shady pinesSomething said to an older person (usually your mother) to correct their bad behavior by threatening to take them to live in a retirement home.Rate it:

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she's a real fucktressShe acts elegant, but intentionally brings ruin to those unsuspecting minions that worship her.Rate it:

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shine out or shines outsomething shines out if is or has a quality that seems impressive or is very noticeable (but not excessive or negative as in glaring)Rate it:

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ship of foolsA ship full of dysfunctional fools all vying for the title of captain but none of them are suitable for the job and none can admit they are equally as bad/ill-suited for the job.Rate it:

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shipping them greenWhen a ship is heading into waves, its bow will sometimes plunge into the onrushing wave. At first, spray will break over the bow, but as the height of the waves increases, the bow will plunge deeper into the wave, and instead of spray, unbroken green water will pour onto the Fo'c'sle and decks. Hence the seafarer's expression "Shipping them green", implying worsening weather, or, by extension, a worsening and/or dangerous or unsatisfactory situation.Rate it:

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ships that pass in the nightTwo or more people who encounter one another in a transitory, incidental manner and whose relationship is without lasting significance; two or more people who almost encounter one another, but do not do so.Rate it:

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shoot from the lipTo speak confidently and unhesitantly but without careful forethought or a reliable knowledge of important facts pertaining to the subject matter.Rate it:

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show one's cardsTo reveal something known to oneself but previously concealed from others.Rate it:

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shut the front door!An exclamation of shock and/or disbelief; like saying, "No! Really?!" or "No way!" or "I don't believe it"Rate it:

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si no quieres caldo, taza y mediait never rains but it poursRate it:

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sidepiecesexDescribes extra-marital or extra-relational physically intimate interaction with one other than one's spouse or longterm partner, with whom one also has some form of established relationship; term, song, and hastag by American Activist Greshun De Bouse to describe one of the acts in which her abusive ex-fiance may have been engaged, while absent from the home daily for 15 hours.Rate it:

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