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Phrases related to: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link Page #4

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YOLOyou only live once, i.e. expressing the view that one should make the most of the present moment.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
turn to stoneTo become completely still, not moving. The phrase "turn to stone" typically means to become motionless, rigid, or unresponsive. It can also refer to becoming emotionally numb or unfeeling. The phrase has its origins in Greek mythology, where the Gorgon Medusa was said to have the power to turn anyone who looked at her into stone. In this context, "turning to stone" meant to become petrified, frozen, and unable to move. In a more metaphorical sense, "turning to stone" can refer to becoming emotionally or mentally rigid, closed off, or unresponsive. For example, a person might be said to have "turned to stone" if they have experienced trauma or emotional distress that has left them numb or unfeeling. The phrase can also be used to describe a situation where a person or group of people becomes unresponsive or unwilling to change their views or actions. For example, a team that is stuck in their ways and resistant to change might be said to have "turned to stone" in terms of their ability to adapt and evolve. Overall, the phrase "turn to stone" implies a sense of rigidity, immobility, and unresponsiveness. It can refer to becoming physically or emotionally petrified, and it can also describe a situation where a person or group is unwilling or unable to change or adapt.Rate it:

(3.86 / 7 votes)
ma vaillante filleMy brave girl "Ma vaillante fille" is a French phrase that translates to "my brave daughter" in English. It is a term of endearment often used to describe a daughter who is courageous, strong, and determined. The phrase "ma vaillante fille" can be used to express pride and admiration for a daughter who has faced challenges or overcome obstacles with bravery and resilience. It can also be used to encourage a daughter to be strong and courageous in the face of adversity or to express confidence in her ability to handle difficult situations. The phrase is often used in a familial or intimate context, such as between a parent and child or between spouses. It can convey a sense of closeness and affection, suggesting a strong emotional bond between the two individuals. Overall, "ma vaillante fille" is a term of endearment that celebrates a daughter's bravery and resilience. It is a sentimental expression that conveys pride, admiration, and love, and it is often used in intimate or familial contexts.Rate it:

(3.70 / 16 votes)
i'm livin' the dreamI am living, experiencing in my reality my dream of excellence, beauty, success, and all uplifting emotional, actual pleasantries one might only expect in a dream stage: The opposite; I'm living the 'nightmare'!Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
set the wheels in motionto initiate a chain of events necessary to help one achieve a goal (more quickly)Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
stop an eight-day clock and throw it into reverseBefore batteries and household electricity were used to power clocks, most clocks had to be wound by hand to keep operating. Eight-day clocks were designed so they only had to be wound every eighth day and the movement only turned in a clockwise direction. Therefore, someone with an appearance objectionable enough to stop the clock and send the movement spinning in the wrong and opposite direction would be ugly indeed.Rate it:

(3.50 / 4 votes)
yank offTo remove something, like a piece of cloth or bread, by tearing it with one quick strong pull.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
get under someone's skinTo make a memorable impression or have a strong effect on someone; to impact someone's feelings.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
pick your battlesonly involve yourself in disputes where you are likely to win.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
tune upTo make adjustments to an engine in order to improve its performance.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
bridgeA valence bond, atom or chain of atoms that connects two different parts of a molecule; the atoms so connected being bridgeheads.Rate it:

(3.25 / 4 votes)
gagging for itUp for it, having a strong desire for sex.Rate it:

(3.20 / 5 votes)
a doctrina mediocriter instructum esseto have received only a moderate education.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
bones to the late comersIf you are invited to a party (marriage /dinner /lunch) and you happen to reach there late, only the bones that are left by the people who arrived earlier than you, will be waiting for you.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
come inOf a broadcast, such as radio or television, to have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
common nameThe name by which a species is known to the general public, rather than its taxonomic or scientific name.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the MouthDon’t complain if you get gift that is not as good as you expect; accept what you've been given without analyzing its valueRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators(idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
ejusdem generisA canon of construction holding that when a general term follows a list of particular terms, the general term only applies to things similar to the particular terms. For example, in the list "sun, moon, and other large objects", the phrase "other large objects" only includes celestial bodies, not houses and elephants.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
fail overTo automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
flower of the flockSomething exceedingly good or the best of its type.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
in the right place at the right timeAt a location where something good is about to happen at just the time of its occurrence; lucky; fortunate; able to obtain a benefit due to circumstances, rather than due to merit.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
kick offTo force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders. Used figuratively or literally.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
kiss my gritsA nice way of saying "eff you." Its a spin on the phrase "kiss my a**", written into a TV show from the 80s called "Alice". The saying was usually preceded by the name "Mel" who was the owner of the diner where Flo, the waitress who made the saying famous, worked.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
leaf outTo open its buds.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
made of sterner stuffstrong and determined (especially more so than someone else, to whom one is being compared).Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
mark upTo increase the price of something between its wholesale and retail phase.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
one-night standA single sexual encounter between two individuals, where at least one of the partners has no immediate intention or expectation of establishing a longer-term sexual or romantic relationship. As the phrase implies, the relationship lasts for only one night.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
paper flowerA plant, Psilostrophe cooperi, and its flower.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
poisoned chaliceA scheme or instrument for causing death or harm, especially one which eventually brings about the downfall of its creator; something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
potato chaserAn Asian person with a strong inclination and attraction toward White men.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
throw dirt enough, and some will stickIf enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
sous (or, par) bénéfice d'inventaire1. (lit. in a legal sense) Without prejudice. 2. (fig.) Only to a certain point, conditionally, for what it is worth, with a pinch of salt.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
yank outTo remove something like a nail, or a tooth with one quick strong pull.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
Adam and Eve not Adam and SteveImplying that only heterosexual relations are normal.Rate it:

(2.25 / 4 votes)
a force to reckon withA competition or entity which is strong with experiences, trained personnel, good reputation, hundreds of successful projects.Rate it:

(2.00 / 4 votes)
all over but the shoutingThe substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
green lightA traffic light in its green state .Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
in for a penny, in for a poundExpressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof; accepting that one must 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)
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)
mother of allUsed before a plural noun to form a compound noun having the sense of: the greatest or largest of its kind.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
rear upTo rise up, especially an animal like a horse rising up on its rear legs.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
rice chaserA white person with a strong inclination and attraction toward Asian men or women.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
tell it like it isTo speak frankly, to convey all and only the truth of a situation.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
populum liberum esse, libertate uti, sui iuris esse patito grant a people its independence.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
bit in the biten of lakeIt means that a person is in a serious mood where he is not thinking for the serious matter. Its proper meaning is "serious"Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
bring owls to athensPerhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. — Herbert Burkert.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
ce n'est qu'un feu de pailleIt is only a flash in the pan; It will not last.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
deliver the message to garciaWhat we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)

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