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Phrases related to: if it's not one thing it's another Page #46

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deux avis valent mieux qu'untwo heads are better than oneRate it:

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do something with mirrorsTo jokingly pretend that one did something using magic mirrors, that one is a magician; a joking explanation of the fantastic or the unexplained.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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don't shoot the messengerThe bearer of bad news should not be held accountable for the bad news.Rate it:

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drop like fliesDie en masse, one after the other.Rate it:

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duck outTo depart quickly or exit abruptly, especially in a manner which does not attract notice and before a meeting, event, etc. has concluded.Rate it:

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eternal triangleA relationship involving three persons (usually two women and one man or two men and one woman) among whom there are conflicting and competing attachments of a romantic or emotional nature.Rate it:

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être né coifféTo be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth (literally, with a caul).Rate it:

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faire avaler des couleuvres à quelqu'unTo say very humiliating things to a man who, on account of his inferior position, is obliged to put up with them; To make any one swallow a bitter pill.Rate it:

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fan the fireOne can fan the fire in challenging situations by criticizing, rebuking or strongly disagreeing.Rate it:

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fudge the issueAdopt a solution to a specific problem which does not address the larger, more general problem of which the specific problem is an instance.Rate it:

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grow a pairTo be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.Rate it:

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half-nakedWith very few clothes on; revealing lots of one's body.Rate it:

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he is always going off at a tangentHe always changes from a topic to another irrelevant oneRate it:

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home is where you hang your hatRather than feeling nostalgic or sentimental, one should simply accept any place where one happens to reside as one's home.1948, Ruth L. Yorck, "D.P.Rate it:

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hot buttonA central issue, concern or characteristic, especially one that motivates people to make a choice.Rate it:

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hunger is a good sauce(dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.Rate it:

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I know you are but what am IAssertion that an insult made by the party to whom the phrase is directed is actually true of that party, and not of the person using the phrase. Usually considered to be a playground taunt.Rate it:

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if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it downIn order to save water, only flush the toilet after defecation, not after urination.Rate it:

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il n'est pas si diable qu'il est noirThe devil is not as black as he is painted.Rate it:

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il ne vaut pas le pain qu'il mangeHe is not worth his salt.Rate it:

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in a bindIn a difficult situation, usually of one's own making; having a dilemma; faced with a problem or a set of problems for which there is no easy solution.Rate it:

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In the LimelightAll eyes on someone, all focus and attention on particular person or thingRate it:

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ISHYGDDTInitialism of I seriously hope you guys don't do this.; used to indicate that the speaker does not approve of something previously mentionedRate it:

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j'ai mis ce livre de côté à voire intentionI put that book on one side especially for you (to read, to see).Rate it:

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jack offAn annoying person or one who has committed a transgression with no or insufficient apology; a jerk, an asshole.Rate it:

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je ne sais plus où j'en suis1. I have lost the place where I left off (in reading, etc.). 2. I do not know what I am about.Rate it:

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jill of all tradesA woman competent in many endeavors, especially one who excels in none of them.Rate it:

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laugh a minuteA funny thing or person.Rate it:

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le roi n'est pas son cousinHe is very haughty (so that he would not acknowledge the king as his cousin).Rate it:

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les grosses mouches passent à travers la toile de la justice, mais les petites y sont prisesOne man may steal a horse, while another dare not look over the hedge; Justice will whip a beggar, but bow to a lord; One does the scath, another has the harm; The crow gets pardoned, and the dove has the blame.Rate it:

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lever les yeux au cielto roll one's eyesRate it:

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mark down asTo come to a conclusion about someone or something; to make a note of one's conclusion about someone or something.Rate it:

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more than you can shake a stick atAlternative form of more than one can shake a stick at.Rate it:

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native soilThe country or geographical region where one was born or which one considers to be one's true homeland.Rate it:

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nearly never bulled a cow(Irish) Near enough is not good enough.Rate it:

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no fearcertainly notRate it:

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no slouchPretty good; not bad.Rate it:

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no way in sam hellAbsolutely notRate it:

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off the markInaccurate; not correct or appropriate.Rate it:

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offendere apud aliquem (Cluent. 23. 63)to hurt some one's feelings.Rate it:

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often wrong, never in doubtHaving overconfidence in one's opinions that is impervious to failure.Rate it:

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out of characterNot acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character in a performance piece.Rate it:

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pack heatTo carry one or more handguns on one's person, especially in a concealed manner.Rate it:

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pay for itTo suffer the consequences of one's actions.Rate it:

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poison-pen letterA missive which is malicious, insulting, and/or defamatory toward a person, organization, or point of view, especially one which is unsigned.Rate it:

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queen beeA reproductive female (especially the only one) in a colony of bees.Rate it:

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qui n'a pas argent en bourse, ait miel en boucheHe who has not silver in his purse should have honey on his tongue.Rate it:

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quick-and-dirtyDone or constructed in a hasty, approximate, temporarily adequate manner, but not exact, fully formed, or reliable for a long period of time.Rate it:

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sacrificial poetIn poetry slams, a poet who goes first and gets scored by the judges, but is not actually in the competition.Rate it:

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