Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: cloak-and-dagger Page #15

Yee yee! We've found 3,412 phrases and idioms matching cloak-and-dagger.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
בין הפטיש והסדןcaught between the devil and the deep blue sea, between a rock and a hard placeRate it:

(2.50 / 2 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)
at one's beck and callIn servitude to; at one’s command.Rate it:

(2.33 / 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)
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)
in black and whiteExplicitly, in writing, clearly and without doubt or misunderstanding, without any grey areas.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
stop upTo increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 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:

(2.26 / 16 votes)
Adam and Eve not Adam and SteveImplying that only heterosexual relations are normal.Rate it:

(2.25 / 4 votes)
a day late and a dollar shortCome into the picture minus some necessary fundamental factors or entities.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
aemulatio dupliciter dicitur, ut et in laude et in vitio hoc nomen sitthe word aemulatio is employed with two meanings, in a good and a bad sense.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
an apple a day keeps the doctor awayApples are healthy and stave off illness.Eat healthy and you won't get sick.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
bawdy basketThe twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
be a hundred years too earlyTo be so immature and unprepared as to be hopelessly unable to achieve something.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
beat one's swords into ploughsharesTo refrain from doing aggressive activities and to do peaceful ones.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
born in a barnEngaging in the annoying behavior of inappropriately, and usually neglectfully, leaving open a door or window.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
Born With a Silver Spoon in Your MouthBorn in a family or environment that is rich, comfortable and luxuriantRate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
bread and butterthe main way you make your living; where the bulk of your money comes fromRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
break new groundTo begin excavating and levelling earth for a new building, or, originally, for cultivation.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
burn the candle at both endsTo work hard night and day.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
buy to letTo purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
catch of the dayA type of fish or other seafood which has been caught and brought to market within more-or-less the last 24 hours.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
coffee soup and crackersA Depression Daze midnight treat of crumbled salted soda crackers immersed in a mug of hot coffee, well accented with cream and white sugar.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
correlation does not imply causation(statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
Dime a DozenTo be common and cheap; easy to access and obtainable everywhereRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
divide and conquerA combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.(computing) Applied to various algorithms, such as quicksort, that solve a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial.(as imperative, proverb) In order to rule securely, don't allow alliances of your enemies.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
do something with mirrorsTo insinuate one has performed a magic or optical trick with the use of hidden mirrors, insinuating trickery and sham.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
don't bite the newbieBe patient and friendly toward people who are learning a new technology.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
eat shitTo fall and land on one's face.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
elle dit qu'elle a vingt ans.—et les mois de nourrice! (fam.)She says she is twenty.—And the rest!Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
enough to make the angels weepSomething so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
eternal sleep(mythology, fiction, fantasy) A magical state of suspended animation, where-in the recipient is placed in a state of ageless, deathless, everlasting sleep. Well-known examples are Endymion, (the lover of the Greek moon goddess, Selene), and the princess from Sleeping Beauty.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
exit stage leftLeave the scene, and don't make a fuss.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
falling glassThe wall-hung mercury barometer utilized in the days of sail presented approximately thirty inches of height level of the mercury in it's glass tube in fair weather. When a vessel sailed into a barometric Low Pressure region, the mercury level became lower and tended to indicate the presence of oncoming thunderstorms, gales, or a possible hurricane.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
Get This Show on the RoadGet something moving, step ahead and keep goingRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
Happy HolidaysA greeting used during the Christmas and winter holiday season to recognize the celebration of many holidays, including Christmas, New Year's Day, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and sometimes Thanksgiving.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
hard-nosedGuided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
heart and soulWith the utmost earnestness.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
honesty is the best policyHonesty is the most honorable and fulfilling way to live one's life.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
Keep a Stiff Upper LipTo be strong and resilient in difficulty or in troubleRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
kit and kaboodleEverything; the lot.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
knocked into a cocked hatAn expression of such nature and composition so as to capture rapt attention, create an air of suspense, curiosity or mystery.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
lay on the lineTo state strongly, clearly, and accurately.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
long drinkAny drink containing more than 5 ounces of liquid and less than 9 ounces. Typically, a long drink will have lots of ice and mixer.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
measure twice and cut once(literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasnRate it:

(2.00 / 4 votes)
Mexican breakfastA breakfast consisting of a cigarette and a glass of water, supposedly because that is all Mexicans can afford.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
mind one's own businessTo concern oneself only with what is of interest to oneself and not interfere in the affairs of others.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
move heaven and earthTo do whatever is necessary, including extreme or unusual actions; to go to extremes.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
not in kansas anymoreNo longer in quiet and comfortable surroundings; in the big city.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
on the uptakeIn understanding or in the ability to absorb new information; especially in the phrases "quick on the uptake" and "slow on the uptake".Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for cloak-and-dagger:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
A watched _____ never boils.
A kettle
B pan
C turkey
D pot