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Phrases related to: old wives' tale Page #6

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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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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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garbage in, garbage out(computing, information technology) If input data is not complete, accurate, and timely, then the resulting output is unreliable and of no useful value.1963, Raymond Crowley, "Robot Tax Collector Seeks Indications of 'Fudging'," Times Daily (Alabama, USA), 1 April (retrieved 26 July 2010):Officials explained that the quality of the computer's work depends on the quality of the data fed into it. Neil Hoke, administrative assistant to Stewart, quoted an adage of computer men: "Garbage in, garbage out."2008, Roger K. Lewis, "'In Architectural Design, Brains and Talent Trump the Best Software," Washington Post, 19 July (retrieved 26 July 2010):The old caveat "GIGO"Rate it:

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before someone's timeFrom before one was born or old enough to be aware of the world.Rate it:

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ear trumpetold hearing aidRate it:

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measure twice and cut once(literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasnRate it:

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pie in the skyA belief that one's wildest dreams shall come true. A devotee, of pie in the sky is prone to believe the most impossible possibility. The taller the tale you can spin, the greater chance he'll buy into it!Rate it:

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heave to and splice the main brace'Heave to and splice the main brace!' An old salt's invitation to shipmates in a shore side pub to drink-up and be merry!Rate it:

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butt outdon't be involved in (stop interfering in) what someone else is doingRate it:

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c'est un rusé compèreHe is a sly dog, a cunning old fox. Rate it:

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c'est vieux comme le pont neufQueen Anne is dead; It is as old as the hills.Rate it:

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il fait l'empressé auprès de sa vieille tanteHe pays marked attention to his old aunt.Rate it:

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oat operaA, film, or novel depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.Rate it:

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petit bonhomme vit encoreThere’s life in the old dog yet.Rate it:

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#pitstoptoyourpurposeHashtag, phrase, ministry, movement by Activist Greshun De Bouse to describe how the storms of life are just a temporary stop en route to one's divine destiny; As creator of the phrase and hashtag, De Bouse is the first to use #pitstoptoyourpurpose on social media and online anywhere.Rate it:

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"you are going to be late, bup! (better hurry up!)BUP or B'up = is an abbreviation for the phrase, "Better Hurry Up".Rate it:

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a bird may love a fish, but where will they build their home?It's too hard to make a relationship work when two people are so vastly different. Similar variations end by saying "...where will they build their nest?" and "...where will they build their home together?"Rate it:

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a pristina consuetudine deflectereto give up old customs.Rate it:

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a rey muerto, rey puestoout with the old, in with the newRate it:

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a vetere consuetudine discedereto give up old customs.Rate it:

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à vieille mule frein doréOld women have the finest clothes.Rate it:

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admodum adulescens, senexstill quote a young (old) man.Rate it:

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aetate affecta esseto be infirm through old age.Rate it:

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age outTo become too old for an activity, program or institution; to become too mature for a behavior.Rate it:

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all goodAnother way of saying it's all good; don't worry; everything is okayRate it:

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antiquis temporibusin old days, in the olden time.Rate it:

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ape leaderAn old maid.Rate it:

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apprenti n'est pas maîtreOne must not expect from a beginner the talent of an old hand; You must spoil before you spin.Rate it:

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better late than neverIt's better to arrive late then to never come or do something.Rate it:

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big ol'Alternative spelling of big old.Rate it:

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big oleAlternative spelling of big old.Rate it:

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boo booshort for Boo Boo Bear, cartoon character Yogi Bear's sidekick from the show Huckleberry Hound, 1958; this phrase is capitalized. It means something different when not capitalized; See also: boo booRate it:

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book dumpingThe practice of donating old used books that burden rather than assist communities.Rate it:

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bring it on around jimmya phrase off of an old show on TV maybe a country western show? about bringing the wagon aroundRate it:

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buey viejo surco derechoan old ox, a straight furrow (it makes)Rate it:

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c'est la fée carabosseShe is an old hag.Rate it:

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c'est le refrain de la balladeIt is the old story over again.Rate it:

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c'est toujours la même rengaine (fam.)It is always the same old story.Rate it:

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c'est un trop vieux poisson pour mordre à l'appâtHe is too old a bird to be caught with chaff.Rate it:

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c'est un vieux loup de merHe is an old sea dog.Rate it:

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c'est vieux comme le mondeIt is as old as the hills.Rate it:

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c'est vieux jeuThat is quite old-fashioned.Rate it:

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ce n'est pas tous les jours fête1. Christmas comes but once a year. 2. One cannot always have “a high old time,” but must work as well. 3. Life is not all beer and skittles.Rate it:

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ce sera mon bâton de vieillesseHe will be my support (consolation) in my old age.Rate it:

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chestnut(Often "old chestnut") A worn-out meme; a phrase, etc. so often repeated as to have grown tiresome.Rate it:

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cock-and-bull storyA far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.Rate it:

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coiffer sainte catherineTo remain an old maid.Rate it:

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come rain or come shineIt doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or whatever happens; whatsoever the conditions or the weather is; it's most commonly used to say that an event still happen (will not be canceled) even if it rains; See also, "rain or shine"Rate it:

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connu! (fam.)That is an old tale.Rate it:

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cuántos años tieneshow old are youRate it:

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