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Phrases related to: play both sides against the middle Page #5

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play well with othersTo habitually demonstrate social skills by engaging agreeably in social or work activities.Rate it:

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play withUsed other than as an idiom: play with.Rate it:

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play withTo sexually stimulate the genitals.Rate it:

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play withTo trick.Rate it:

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play withTo fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.Rate it:

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play with a full deckTo play a game with the availability of a team's full roster of players.Rate it:

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play with a full deckTo behave in a manner suggesting that one is of normal intelligence, alert, and mentally stable.Rate it:

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play with fireTo put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.Rate it:

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play with oneselfTo masturbate.Rate it:

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rain stopped playThe cessation of an activity or operation due to rain.Rate it:

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run of playA passage of play; a series of consecutive moments, considered as a whole.Rate it:

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turnabout is fair playIt is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.Rate it:

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two can play at that gameAlternative form of two can play that gameRate it:

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two can play this gameAlternative form of two can play that gameRate it:

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when the cat's away the mice will playIn the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.Rate it:

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word playUsed other than as an idiom: see word, play.Rate it:

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word playA technique in which the nature of the words used become part of the subject of the work, such as puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, and telling character names.Rate it:

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a boon and a baneSomething that is both a benefit and an affliction.Rate it:

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break a leg!This is a common English phrase that is used to wish someone good luck before they perform in a play or other event.Rate it:

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bursting at the seamsFull to capacity. Both literally and figuratively.Rate it:

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escape fireA fuel-free safe spot, consisting of burning grass as a method of defense against a forest fire.Rate it:

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game outTo run through scenarios to determine what will happen given certain decisions; to play out possibilities; to examine several ideas to come up with their likeliest end results.Rate it:

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i'm a lone wolfA meek and humble warrior who hunts down the enemy, and at his own peril by not drawing the sword from it's sheath. This allows opportunity for the enemy to relent "both hands up." But once the sword is drawn from it's sheath, probation is over and swift judgement is at hand.Rate it:

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it takes two to tangoSome things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.Rate it:

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mi-mai, queue d'hiverThe middle of May has usually three cold days (called Les saints de glace, May 11, 12, and 13).Rate it:

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odd and curiousA way to designate special coins, namely coins that are both odd and imperfect or seriously damaged.Rate it:

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queer bashingprejudice or violence against homosexuals.Rate it:

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shuffleA rhythm commonly used in blues music. Consists of a series of triplet notes with the middle note missing, so that it sounds like a long note followed by a short note. Sounds like a walker dragging one foot.Rate 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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Tinker to Evers to ChanceA famous baseball infield double-play combination.Rate it:

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two for twoSuccessful at both of two efforts.Rate it:

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audi alteram partem"Hear both sides." A legal principle of fairness given to ensure that the accused has the chance to refute an accusation.Rate it:

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fend offAway; to turn away; to defend against; to repel with force or effort.Rate it:

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act as tourch bearerWhen someone play significant role in others lifeRate it:

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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:

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bear offTo remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything.Rate it:

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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:

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cross the floorTo vote against one's own political party in parliament.Rate it:

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curveballA forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".Rate it:

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even the scoreTo get revenge against someone.Rate it:

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horse aroundTo play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.Rate it:

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manger à tous les râteliersto run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, to support both sides of an argumentRate it:

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rock the boatTo disturb the status quo or go against rules or conventions, as in an effort to get attention.Rate it:

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run away withTo leave secretly with another person. Usually with the intention of getting married or of living together against the wishes of the family.Rate it:

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short-sheetTo play a prank by folding someone's bed sheets to make the space for lying in the bed unusably short.Rate it:

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the enemy of your enemy is your friendTwo parties who have an enemy in common should join forces against it.Rate it:

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toy withPlay, esp. with or as with a toy.Rate it:

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a blessing and a curseSomething that is both a benefit and a burden, or that may seem initially beneficial but also brings unforeseen negative consequencesRate it:

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dead of nightMiddle of the night.Rate it:

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proverbs run in pairsEvery proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposed message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, vol. 1, Tinsley (London), p. 309:Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.Rate it:

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