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Phrases related to: win the battle, but lose the war Page #6

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ice queenA beautiful but cold and heartless woman.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
fall offA hip hop term; to completely lose the plot in terms of artistic direction.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)
ugly ducklingA young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful as they mature.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
800-pound gorillaSomething dangerous, menacing, or spooky that is obvious but not addressed.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
any port in a stormAn unfavourable option which might well be avoided in good times but which nevertheless looks better than the alternatives at the current time.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
autant en emporte le ventThat is but so much breath spent in vain; It is not of the slightest consequence.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stickBetter than nothing; not unsatisfactory but also not a reason for enthusiastic excitement.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
dein Wort in Gottes Ohrfrom your lips to God's ears; I wish; expresses that the speaker wants a preceding statement to be true, but considers it unlikely or at least doubtfulRate it:

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Diamond in the RoughSomeone or something that has lost charm now, but has immense value and the prospective to be stunningRate 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:

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edge outTo win in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.Rate it:

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even moneyBy extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.Rate it:

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fall from graceTo fall from one's current social position to something lower, to lose one's prestige, status or power.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
fall from graceTo lose God's favour through sins or wrongdoings.Rate it:

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fuck someone's brains outTo sexually penetrate (or be penetrated) in a voracious but pleasurable manner.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
hell mend someoneExpressing exasperation at someone whose behavior is likely to result in trouble but who will not heed warnings.Rate it:

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just another pretty faceSomeone who is attractive, but not too distinguished.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
nobody's perfectUsed when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my bestRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
paper tigerA seemingly fierce or powerful person, country or organisation without the ability to back up their words; apparently powerful but actually ineffective.Rate it:

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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:

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red rideranother name for "War", one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.Rate it:

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switch offTo lose interest, and start thinking about something else.Rate it:

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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:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
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:

(3.00 / 4 votes)
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:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
yass sisterMeaning of a person encouraging with someone that helps them winRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
笑貧不笑娼lit. despising poverty but not prostitutionRate 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)
mint conditionUsed, but still like new, as if freshly minted.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
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:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
bawdy basketThe twenty-third rank of canters, who carry pins, tape, ballads, and obscene books to sell, but live mostly by stealing.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
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:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
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:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
choke upTo lose one's power of speech, because of embarrassment, fear etc.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
don't ask, don't tellApplied to various other policies that prohibit a behavior but also discourage investigation of it.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
enough to make the angels weepSomething so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
hiding to nothingA situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
iron eagleAn American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
make a killingTo win or earn a large amount of money.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
money can't buy happinessMoney can buy external things, but true happiness comes from inside.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
neighbour's envy, owner's prideA possession envied by neighbours but bringing you pride.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
qui va à la chasse perd sa placeIf you leave your place, you lose it.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
snatch defeat from the jaws of victoryTo suddenly lose a contest one seemed very likely to win, especially through mistakes or bad judgment.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
speak softly and carry a big stickDo not boast or utter verbal threats, but do make others aware that you are prepared to use physical force if necessary.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
sticks and stonesEvocative of the saying "sticks and stones may (or will) break my bones, but words (or names) will never hurt (or harm) me".1957, Brendan Gill, The Day the Money StoppedRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
keep one's eye on the ballMy ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
All that Glitters is Not GoldA thing or a person that seems attractive at very first glance but actually worth nothingRate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
bank nightAn event where patrons are enticed to buy entry tickets into some venue, for example a movie theater, with the anticipation that they will be entered into a drawing to win an amount of money if their ticket is drawn and they are on-site at the time of the winning.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
elle a une petite mine chiffonnéeShe has irregular features, but her expression is pleasing.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)

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