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Phrases related to: military action Page #2

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let's not and say we didIndicates that the speaker does not agree with a proposed action and does not wish to participate; often said as a joke--sometimes as an expression that the speaker doesn't want to do the proposed action or to indicate that they are happy doing what they are doing and don't want to change that by doing the proposed actionRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
like a bull at a gatecharging into some task without much thought, taking action hastilyRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
one fell swoopOne stroke; one action or event with many results.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
pull outTo withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
think throughTo fully consider an action, and understand all its consequences.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
all hat and no cattleFull of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
sally forth!An archaic military term. To exit a fortified position in order to assault a besieging force. The meaning has become more metaphorical over time.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
come onA statement or sometimes action reflecting sexual or relational interest.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
a drop in the bucketAn effort or action having very little overall influence, especially as compared to a huge problem.Rate it:

(3.00 / 3 votes)
about turnAn about face; a military command to a formation of soldiers to reverse the direction in which they are facing.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
and be done with itUsed to terminate discussion or delay with a call to actionRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
ask forTo increase the likelihood of something by persisting in some action; to invite.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
baptism of fireThe first experience of a severe ordeal, especially a first experience of military combatRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
beat upRepeatedly bomb a military target or targets.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
bottle outTo fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage.Rate it:

(3.00 / 3 votes)
hem and hawTo discuss, deliberate, or contemplate rather than taking action.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
in for an inch, in for a mileGiven that one is partly involved in or committed to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
Kill Two Birds with One StoneTo achieve or carry out two things with one effort, to do two things in one actionRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
let's get the party startedLet's go; let's get this done; let's start more intense action.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
object lessonAnything used an example or lesson which serves to warn others as to the outcomes that result from a particular action or behavior, as exemplified by the fates of those who followed that course.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
pump upTo inflate with a pumping action.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
run awayTo leave home, or other place of residence, usually unannounced, or to make good on a threat, with such action usually performed by a child or juvenile.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
sabre-rattlingA flamboyant display of military power as an implied threat that it might be used.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
scrape offTo remove something by a scraping action.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
two wrongs make a rightA logical fallacy whereby a wrongful action is justified by the commission of anotherRate it:

(3.00 / 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)
iron eagleAn American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.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)
pronunciamientoA military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. They received this designation because coups were usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
so crazy it just might workPossibly feasible though unconventional; plausible and previously unconsidered as a course of action.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
walk a tightropeTo undertake a precarious course of action.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
can of wormsA complex, troublesome situation arising when a decision or action produces considerable subsequent problems.Rate it:

(1.83 / 6 votes)
wait for the other shoe to dropTo defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
to not let any grass grow under one's feetto be always active and never delay in taking an actionRate it:

(1.33 / 3 votes)
black tieEvening dress; a standard of dress which is less formal than white tie, consisting of black dinner jacket or tuxedo jacket, and matching trousers, white shirt and black bow tie or, possibly, military dress or national costume.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
hitch one's wagon to a starTo commit to an aspirational goal or course of action that will lead to fulfillment.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
hold with the hare and run with the houndsTo oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
nod's as good as a wink to a blind batThe idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
shit or get off the potTo choose between taking action now, or foregoing the opportunity until a later date.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
sorry, not sorryUsed to sarcastically express a lack of guilt over an action or statement.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
ten points to GryffindorUsed to praise someone for a statement or action viewed as commendable.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
there is reason in the roasting of eggsThere is a reason behind even the most odd and seemingly unnecessary action.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
two birds with one stoneAny two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
use a sledgehammer to crack a nutTo use significantly excessive force to carry out an action; to do something overzealouslyRate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
war brideA woman who marries a man who is on active duty military in wartime.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
a force for goodsomething or someone, or an action that inspires or stands for morals, principles, laws and makes the world a a more fair and just placeRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a whopperReference a statement, action, prevarication, story, hooked fish, enlarged or magnified presentation.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
abstract verbA verb of motion whose motion is multidirectional (as opposed to unidirectional) or indirect, or whose action is repeated or in a series (iterative), instead of being a single, completed action. Abstract verbs are always imperfective in aspect, even with prefixes that are normally associated with the perfective aspect.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
act up toTo equal in action; to fulfill in practice.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
act uponTo take action on the basis of information received or deduced.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

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