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Phrases related to: down but not out Page #54

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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:

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throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stickTry the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isnRate it:

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under no circumstancesnever ever, not for any reasonRate it:

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vieil ami et vieux vin sont vraiment deux bons vieux, mais vieux écus sont encore mieuxOld friends and old wine are good, but old gold is better than both.Rate it:

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vous ne savez pas où le bât le blesseYou do not know where the shoe pinches him.Rate it:

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wait for the other shoe to dropTo await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable.Rate it:

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wouldn't give two hoots n a holler / ... two hoots and a hollerdefinition: it isn't worth much, or I wouldn't put much stock in it - it is not believable, or wouldn't pay attention to it.Rate it:

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you can't take it with youIt is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause whichRate it:

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zero in onTo successfully narrow down a search.Rate it:

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笑貧不笑娼lit. despising poverty but not prostitutionRate it:

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under one's breathSoftly, so as not to be heard.Rate it:

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you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word aloneIt is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice.Rate it:

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dust bunnyA small clump of dust, fluff, hair, particles of skin, etc. that tends to accumulate indoors in areas that are not regularly dusted, such as under heavy furniture.Rate it:

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one who hesitates is lostA person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.Rate it:

(2.67 / 3 votes)
come againCould you repeat that? Repeat that please. a polite formula used when one has not heard or understood what has been saidRate it:

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grace periodA length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.Rate it:

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mint conditionUsed, but still like new, as if freshly minted.Rate it:

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needle in a haystackA person saying something is like finding a needle in a haystack is pointing out the difficulty of a situationRate it:

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suck intoTo cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.Rate it:

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the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."Rate it:

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a hundred and ten percentThe exertion of more than seems possible, hence 110%, not 100%, the usual maximum amount possible.Rate it:

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a lie has no legsYou can't get away with a lie, the truth will always come out.Rate it:

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little pitchers have big earsSmall children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).Rate it:

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no great shakesUnexceptional; not special or noteworthy; not very effective.Rate it:

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against the clockRunning out of time.Rate it:

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all intired outRate it:

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at peace withNot disturbed or upset by.Rate it:

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bawdy basketThe twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.Rate it:

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be on toTo figure out; to realize the truth.Rate it:

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be that as it mayEven if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.Rate it:

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Black Sheep of the FamilyA disrespected member of a family, community or any other group or society due to certain actions. It happens when all other are performing or doing well but one person lacks it allRate it:

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buy to letTo purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it.Rate it:

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chance'd be a fine thingGiven to indicate that an aforementioned thing would be desirable but unlikely. Comparable to if I should be so lucky.Rate it:

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depuis sa faillite il file un mauvais coton (fam.)Since his failure, his health (or, reputation) has entirely broken down.Rate it:

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don't ask, don't tellApplied to various other policies that prohibit a behavior but also discourage investigation of it.Rate it:

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hiding to nothingA situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.Rate it:

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hindsight is 20/20(idiomatic) In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.Rate it:

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in funas a joke; not seriousRate it:

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iron eagleAn American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.Rate it:

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keep one's nose cleanTo stay out of trouble, especially by avoiding unlawful behavior.Rate it:

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keep one's options openTo not commit to a decision, to keep various options available.Rate it:

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last thing one needsSomething not wanted by someone, who is already burdened.Rate it:

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let alonenot to mentionRate it:

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middle of the roadHaving a centrist attitude or philosophy; not extreme, especially politically.Rate it:

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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:

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money can't buy happinessMoney can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.Rate it:

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muck aboutTo do somethings with a piece of equipment when you do not understand how it works.Rate it:

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neighbour's envy, owner's prideA possession envied by neighbours but bringing you pride.Rate it:

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never fearDo not worry; do not be afraid.Rate it:

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over the hills and far awayfar away, not near.Rate it:

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