Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: leave to one's own devices Page #30

Yee yee! We've found 4,115 phrases and idioms matching leave to one's own devices.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
a smoke screenEarly sea battles demonstrated the value of gun smoke and smoke from burning ships to hide one battleship from one belonging to the enemy. Later, smoke was generated prior to commencing battle so as to make it more difficult for gun crews to spot the targeted vessel. This tactic became known as a smoke screen.Rate it:

(4.17 / 6 votes)
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bushIt is preferable to have a small but certain advantage than a mere potential of a greater one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 8 votes)
à chacun son goûtto each his ownRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
a hit dog will hollaif one is guilty, then that guilt will ultimately be revealed.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(4.00 / 5 votes)
agere cum aliquo de paceto treat with some one about peace.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
all roads lead to romedifferent paths can take one to the same goalRate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
apple does not fall far from the treeA child grows up to be very similar to its parents, both in behavior and in physical characteristics.1842, E. A. Freidlaender (translator), Frederika Bremer (author), The Neighbours, ch. 10:It is impossible to look at Madam Rhen, without at once making the conclusion that she is pleasantness, hospitality, and loquacity itself; nor can one look upon her daughter Renetta without thinking, "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"1978, Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, "Doctor Asks Patient Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
apple of somebody's eyeA favourite, a particular preference, or a loved one; the object of somebody's affections.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
ask inTo invite someone to enter one's house.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
back offTo become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
back outTo withdraw from something one has promised to do.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
balance outTo counteract one another so as to be balanced.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
bear downTo intensify one's efforts.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
beginner's luckrefers to the supposed phenomenon of novices experiencing disproportionate frequency of success or succeeding against an expert in a given activity. One would expect experts to outperform novices - when the opposite happens it is counter-intuitive, hence the need for a term to describe this phenomenon.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
Between a Rock and a Hard PlaceTo face a difficult situation and remain in a tight spot one after another, Or face some difficulty in making the right decision that would deliver no harmRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
beyond wordsIn recalling an incident, in observing an accident, any or all of which can be disastrous and shocking. A destructive fire and explosion may leave one awestruck and beyond words to describe.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
blanc bonnet, bonnet blanctomayto, tomahto; same difference; six of one, half a dozen of the otherRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
bone upTo study or cram, especially in order to refresh one's knowledge of a topic.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
boss aboutTo act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
boss aroundTo act in a bossy manner with another person, ordering them to do things, whether or not one is actually their superior.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
bug offUsed to tell somebody to leave them alone.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
charity begins at homeyou should primarily pay attention to your own family needs, then care to the others.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
check outTo have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
check outTo pay the bill, and record one's departure, as from a hotel.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
come aboutTo tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
confugere ad aliquem, ad fidem alicuiusto flee for refuge to some one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
cross the floorTo vote against one's own political party in parliament.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
deliver the goodsTo keep one's promises.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
don't let the door hit you on the way outUsed to indicate that one is glad to see someone leaving.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
drive awayTo force someone or something to leave.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
drive offTo force to leave or go away.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
element of surpriseThe strategic advantage one has over one's opposition due to the supposed ignorance of the other party.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
face offEither an actual or a figurative face to face confrontation, especially a bitter one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
fish killAn underwater anoxic event, especially one that causes a crash in fish populationsRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
full of oneselfEgotistical, believing oneself to be superior to others; preoccupied with one's own work, interests, point of view, etc.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
get ahead of oneselfTo focus excessively on one's plans or on prospective future events without paying adequate attention to the present.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
get changedTo change one's clothing (usually for a specific purpose).Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
go awayCommand asking someone to leave them alone.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
go downTo descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
go offTo depart; to leave.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
go outTo leave, especially a building.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
gutless wonderOne who lacks guts or courage; a coward.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
hackles risingAn emotional or mental reaction to an irritable situation or person which causes a physical response to ones patience and/or the hair on the back of the one's neck.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
home field advantageUsually in sports, the heightened performance enjoyed by the team playing on its own familiar field in front of its home crowd.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
if it ain't broke, don't fix itLeave something alone; avoid correcting, fixing, or improving what is already sufficient, as it could end up being detrimentalRate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
jack of all trades, master of noneA person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
jump upTo move from one position to a higher position by one jump.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
keep up withTo manage to remain beside or just behind that is moving away from one.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
kiss and make upTo settle one's differences and forgive.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

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

Alternative searches for leave to one's own devices:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Into the ____ den.
A lion's
B badger's
C toddler's
D giraffe's

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ