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Phrases related to: what's the big idea Page #3

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on boardin agreement especially with an idea or project; to approve of an idea or projectRate it:

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ox is in the ditchThis is a big problem; there is unavoidable or demanding work ahead.Rate 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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test of timeThe correlation of longevity with validity of an idea or trend.Rate it:

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thirsty thursdayA Thursday description when adding an adult drink to the mix is a good idea.Rate it:

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where's the fireWhat's the big rush?Rate it:

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kick in the ballsa big setback or disappointmentRate it:

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tall orderA big job; a difficult challenge.Rate it:

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a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downAn otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.Rate it:

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il est de taille à se défendreHe is big enough to defend himself.Rate it:

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never fight a land war in AsiaDon't bite off more than you can chew; don't start a fight that is too big to win.Rate it:

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put something into perspectiveTo compare with something similar to give a clearer, more accurate idea.Rate it:

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flight of fancyAn idea, narrative, suggestion, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.Rate it:

(3.67 / 3 votes)
all hat and no cattleFull of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
bee in one's bonnetan idea, which is thought to be crazy or exciting; someone’s particular interest, concern or obsession with somethingRate it:

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bird of one's own brainOne's own idea or conception.Rate it:

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existimatio hominum, omniumthe common opinion, the general idea.Rate it:

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Highway RobberyA big robbery, to charge heavily for somethingRate it:

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no biggieNot a big deal, not something to worry about.Rate it:

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no good deed goes unpunishedUsed to express the idea that beneficial actions often go unappreciated or are met with outright hostility.Rate it:

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run byTo inform someone briefly of the main points of an idea.Rate it:

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run something up the flagpoleTo float an idea that one suspects might be controversial.Rate it:

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second-guessto vet or evaluate; to criticize or correct, often by hindsight, by presuming to have a better idea, method, etc.Rate it:

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tart upTo modify or repackage a product, service, or idea to make it more attractive or easier to sell.Rate it:

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what mattersIt takes all the little things that makes the big things matterRate it:

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Make a Mountain Out of a MolehillTo make something or some issues big then they actually areRate it:

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not in kansas anymoreNo longer in quiet and comfortable surroundings; in the big city.Rate it:

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angel's advocateSomeone who sees what's good about an idea and supports it.Rate it:

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dog in the huntThis is often used erroneously to indicate that one has no stake in the outcome. As such this is a bastardization of two Southern idioms: "no dog in the fight," and "that dog won't hunt." (The latter indicates something is a bad idea or prone to fail.) Use of the phrase "no dog in the hunt" when one wishes to indicate they have no "dog in the fight" will generate funny glances from any Southerners who overhear it.Rate it:

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genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspirationThis is a famous quote attributed to Thomas Edison, a famous and prolific American inventor. The idea that hard work is the most important aspect of new inventions existed before Edison gave his quote, however.Rate it:

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grosse légumebig cheese, bigwigRate it:

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

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storm in a tea-kettleA big fuss made in a small context.Rate it:

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ain't no hill for a stepping horseNo big deal; no problem.Rate it:

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all bark and no biteFull of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.Rate it:

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animo concipere aliquidto form an idea of a thing, imagine, conceive.Rate it:

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animo, cogitatione aliquid fingere (or simply fingere, but without sibi), informareto form an idea of a thing, imagine, conceive.Rate it:

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autor intelectualDícese de quien es autor de una idea, pero que no es él quien la lleva a la práctica, sino otros.Rate it:

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avoir du monde au balconto be stacked, to have big breastsRate it:

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avoir la berlue (fam.)To see things which do not exist; To have a wrong idea of anything.Rate it:

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backpedalTo distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea.Rate it:

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Bark Up the Wrong TreeTo have a wrong guess or idea about someone or some situation, efforts and attentions being diverted in a wrong directionRate it:

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barking dogs seldom bitePeople who make big threats never usually carry them out.Rate it:

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beat upTo get something done, derived from the idea of beating for game.Rate it:

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beats meI don't know; I have no idea.Rate it:

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boys and their toysUsed to evoke the idea that adult men sometimes dote excessively on machines, automobiles, and gadgets in a childish manner.Rate it:

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bright lightsThe glamour and glitz of a place, especially a big cityRate it:

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build a better mousetrapTo invent the next great thing; to have a better idea.Rate it:

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bunny hopA dance from the big band era, a variation of the conga.Rate it:

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by a landslidewith big marginals, with a lotRate it:

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