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Phrases related to: on- and off-hook Page #22

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smoke and mirrorsA deceptive, fraudulent, or unconvincing explanation or description.Rate it:

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snitches get stitches and wind up in ditchesSynonym of snitches get stitchesRate it:

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snug as a bug in a rugVery cosy and comfortable.Rate it:

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solid as a rockExtremely thick and heavy, so as to make it impossible to move.Rate it:

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song and danceAn excessively complex set of instructions.Rate it:

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spark spreadThe difference between the cost of the fuel required to produce a unit of electricity, and the price of that same unit of electricity.Rate it:

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special deliveryA kind of postal service in which, for an extra fee, letters and packages are delivered in a highly expedited manner by a special courier.Rate it:

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Spick and SpanExtremely neat and clean, very tidyRate it:

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Split HairsTo argue or being grumpy about trivial and unimportant differencesRate it:

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square peg into a round holeThe phrase is typically said, "You cant fit a square peg into a round hole." Often it is shortened to simply "square peg, round hole." Something or someone that does not fit well or at all; something that will not succeed as attempted, except possibly with much force and effort, or alteration of either the peg or the hole or both beyond recognition.Rate it:

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stay wokeFirst used by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter in a 1938 interview afterword of his song Scottsboro Boys-named for nine Black teenagers and young men falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. Lead Belly knew the Scottsboro boys, and urged Black listeners and Black persons traveling through that area in Alabama to "Stay Woke" (be vigilant, cautious, and alert) in the spoken afterword to the song. Lead Belly's direct relative, Global Activist and Equality Advocate Greshun De Bouse began the #STAYWOKELEADBELLY movement to acknowledge the phrase's origin, and redefine its present-day meaning as a more generalized, all-inclusive phrase admonishing all to be cognizant of past, present, and future world occurrences.Rate it:

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Stick to Your GunsTo be firm and determined in your statement in front of opposition, to take stand for your right regardless of troublesRate it:

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sticking pointThe point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking-place.Rate it:

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storm outTo leave or depart angrily; see also: storm offRate it:

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straighten up and fly rightTo get serious and stop acting absurd, to get focusedRate it:

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strike it richTo suddenly and unexpectedly become richRate it:

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take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselvesIf you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ?used to say?Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.1999, Rate it:

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ten-dollar wordA long and uncommon word used in place of a shorter and simpler one with the intent to appear sophisticated.Rate it:

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the long and short of itThe gist; the essence or substance; the most important or salient features; said of a summary or digest.Rate it:

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the manThe oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations; the system, as coordinated outside of one’s control..Rate it:

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there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnaceEven if a person is in his or her senior years, with gray hair, he or she can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual energy.Rate it:

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three score and tenA life span. The number 70 (= 60 + 10).Rate it:

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throw enough mud at the wall and some of it will stickTry the same thing often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.Rate it:

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TIASInitialism of try it and see.Rate it:

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tick overTo run smoothly and without problems.Rate it:

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tight shipA well-organized and highly disciplined organization.Rate it:

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tip outAn amount or percentage of a server's tips that the server shares, either voluntarily or as mandated in a tip sharing or tip pooling agreement, with other employees such as bussers, bartenders, back waiters and host/hostesses whose job duties indirectly assist the server.Rate it:

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toxic individualismAn insistence that one's individual "rights" supersede the commonweal, taken to such an extreme that it destroys relationships and communities.Rate it:

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trial and errorTo find a solution by experimenting; to achieve success through repeated failuresRate it:

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tump overcombination of 'tip' and 'dump'; to knock something over, esp. if it is large and contains liquidRate it:

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under the influenceDrunk; intoxicated; affected by alcohol. The phrase "under the influence" typically refers to the state of being affected by some substance or external factor that alters one's behavior, judgment, or perception. It is commonly associated with the consumption of drugs or alcohol, but it can also refer to the impact of other factors such as emotions, peer pressure, or environmental influences. Being "under the influence" implies a diminished capacity to make rational decisions or to act responsibly, and it may also carry legal consequences if the substance in question is illegal or if the person's impaired state leads to unsafe or illegal behavior. Overall, the phrase "under the influence" is often used to describe a state of temporary impairment or altered mental state that can be caused by various factors, and it is typically associated with a loss of control or impaired judgment.Rate it:

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underpromise and overdeliverExceed the customer's expectations.Rate it:

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up and at 'emVigorously launched or launching into an activity; Also used to mean promptly awake and ready to start the day or given as a command to wake up, get out of bed, and get busy with activitiesRate it:

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vale of tearsA symbolic "valley of tears"; meaning the world and the sorrows felt through life. Similar to the Old Testament Psalm 23's reference to the "valley of the shadow of death", the phrase implies that sadness is part of the physical world (i.e. part of human experience).Rate it:

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vive la différenceUsed to express appreciation of diversity, especially between the sexes; sometimes referring to cultural diversity, and more rarely to diversity of opinion, as in "let's agree to disagree".Rate it:

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wait on someone hand, foot and fingerAlternative form of wait on hand and foot.Rate it:

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walk and chew gum at the same timeTo do something very easy.Rate it:

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walk softly and carry a big stickAlternative form of speak softly and carry a big stick.Rate it:

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wallow in self pityPity for oneself. Especially exaggerated or self-indulgent pity where you believe that you are the victim who has done no wrong and is deserving of condolence from everyone.Rate it:

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water is exceeding up the headwhen every thing goes wrong and nothing is controlableRate it:

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water over the damAn event or set of events which has already happened and cannot be changed.Rate it:

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We only admire Sun Rise and Sun Set, like humansWe only admire humans when they are born and about to leave the world.Rate it:

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what's done is doneEvents that have already taken place cannot be changed and actions that have already been committed cannot be undone, so it is best not to dwell on them.Rate it:

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when in rome, do as the romans dobehave as those around you do, especially when you are in a new and/or unfamiliar placeRate it:

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when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.When life gives you lemons, make lemonade is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune.Rate it:

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white trashA poorly educated white person with low moral and social standards and low social status.Rate it:

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who died and made you bossSarcastic response to somebody assuming a position of authority that they have not earned.Rate it:

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widow's walkA roof-top walkway or balcony associated with the homes of early sea captains from which the wife could see far out to sea and hope to catch a glimpse of her returning husband's ship...or not. Sailing in wooden ships and/or whaling was a hazardous business.Rate it:

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X's and O'sThe basic delineation of roles in a project.Rate it:

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X's and O'skisses and hugs.Rate it:

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He's a real penny __________
A pusher
B fiddler
C hussler
D pincher