Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: more by accident than by design Page #8

Yee yee! We've found 1,519 phrases and idioms matching more by accident than by design.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
plump upTo shake or arrange so as to be fatter or more evenly distributed.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
plus fait douceur que violenceKindness does more than harshness; More flies are caught with honey than with vinegar.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
real timeUsed other than as an idiom: see real, time.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
round downTo the greatest integer that is not greater than it, or to some other lower value, especially a whole number of hundreds, thousands, etc.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
shave and a haircutUsed other than as an idiom: see shave, haircut.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
slot inUsed other than as an idiom: slot in.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
soap plantUsed other than as an idiom: see soap, plant.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
split secondTo happen very quickly (typically in less than a second)Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
tart upTo modify or repackage a product, service, or idea to make it more attractive or easier to sell.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
there but for the grace of god go iA recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.Man's fate is in God's hands.More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
under the carpetUsed other than as an idiom: see under, carpet.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 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)
pep upTo make stronger or more interesting.Rate it:

(2.75 / 4 votes)
back downTo take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to.Rate it:

(2.67 / 3 votes)
baby-killerUsed other than as an idiom: see baby, killer.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
eat an elephant one bite at a timeTo do something one step at a time; to do something in steps rather than all at once.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
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:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
the die is castThe future is determined; there are no more options; events will proceed in an irreversible manner.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
yellow cakeUsed other than as an idiom: Any yellow-colored cake (dessert).Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
private languageUsed other than as an idiom: see private, language.Rate it:

(2.40 / 5 votes)
a hundred and ten percentThe exertion of more than seems possible, hence 110%, not 100%, the usual maximum amount possible.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
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:

(2.33 / 3 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)
stop upTo increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
sweet fuck allSomewhat more intense form of fuck all.Rate it:

(2.20 / 10 votes)
a cut belowInferior to; of a lower quality than.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
alarm bellUsed other than as an idiom: see alarm, bell.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
at the coal faceTo be directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands-off, managerial position.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
bling outto make more shiny, attractive or elegant.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
bucket listUsed other than as an idiom: see bucket, list.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
catch of the dayA type of fish or other seafood which has been caught and brought to market within more-or-less the last 24 hours.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
come uponto discover or find, especially by chance or accident.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
divide and conquerA combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.(computing) Applied to various algorithms, such as quicksort, that solve a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial.(as imperative, proverb) In order to rule securely, don't allow alliances of your enemies.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
fresh country eggsUsed other than as an idiom: see fresh, country, eggs.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
gear toTo design or adapt so as to suit.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
get one's money's worthIn a transaction, to receive a good or service which is considered to be of a value equal to or greater than the amount of money expended.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
gold coinUsed other than as an idiom: see gold, coin.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
hard-nosedGuided by practical experience and observation rather than by theory.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
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:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
in for a penny, in for a poundExpressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof; accepting that one must Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
in the biblical senseUsed other than as an idiom: see biblical, sense.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
kangaroo pissUsed other than as an idiom: see kangaroo, piss.Rate it:

(2.00 / 4 votes)
ladies' loungeUsed other than as an idiom: see lady, lounge.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
long drinkAny drink containing more than 5 ounces of liquid and less than 9 ounces. Typically, a long drink will have lots of ice and mixer.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
not a patch onNot an improvement over something; not nearly as good as something; much worse than.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
one anotherUsed of a reciprocal relationship among a group of more than two people or things; compare each other.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
play by earTo play guided by one's memory of the sound, rather than from a written score.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
quarter-pounderUsed other than as an idiom: see quarter, pounder: Anything weighing a quarter of a pound.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
sack upTo force oneself to become more manly; to toughen up or man up.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
small fryOne or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for more by accident than by design:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Wise _____ owl.
A night
B old
C bearded
D feathered

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ