hit the books

hit the books (third-person singular simple present hits the books, present participle hitting the books, simple past and past participle hit the books)

hits the books (present singular third-person)
hitting the books (participle present)
hit the books (participle past)
hit the books (past)

They go to the beach when they should be hitting the books and then they wonder why they get bad grades.

(chiefly US and Australia, informal, figuratively) To study, especially with particular intensity.


have it made

en-verb

have it made (third-person singular simple present has it made, present participle having it made, simple past and past participle had it made)

has it made (present singular third-person)
having it made (participle present)
had it made (participle past)
had it made (past)

To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty.

It's a great idea, and if it catches on and sells well, we'll have it made.

To have achieved a lifestyle characterized by good fortune and comfort.


keep it real

keep it real (third-person singular simple present keeps it real, present participle keeping it real, simple past and past participle kept it real)

keeps it real (present singular third-person)
keeping it real (participle present)
kept it real (participle past)
kept it real (past)

(originally African-American Vernacular) To perform an individual’s experience of being black in the United States.


jump through hoops

jump through hoops (third-person singular simple present jumps through hoops, present participle jumping through hoops, simple past and past participle jumped through hoops)

jumps through hoops (present singular third-person)
jumping through hoops (participle present)
jumped through hoops (participle past)
jumped through hoops (past)

Reminiscent of a circus animal performing tricks by jumping through hoops.

They really made the salesman jump through hoops before buying anything.

If learning is deemed valuable and important to the student, then the educator doesn't need a scripted curriculum or a fad initiative that has students and the educator jumping through hoops.

2010, Brad Johnson, Tammy Maxson McElroy, The Edutainer: Connecting the Art and Science of Teaching, page 141:

If a government says to citizens, “We will punish you for abstaining, unless you jump through the following legal hoops,” it is still coercing citizens.

2014, Jason Brennan, Lisa Hill, Compulsory Voting: For and Against, page 19:

Caregivers also described having to “jump through hoops” to accomplish what they needed.

2020, Kevin J. Mahoney, Ellen K. Mahoney, Michelle Putnam, Self-Direction in Long Term Services and Supports:

(idiomatic) To put forth great effort to meet requirements, usually arbitrary, set by someone.


wet the bed

wet the bed (third-person singular simple present wets the bed, present participle wetting the bed, simple past and past participle wet the bed or wetted the bed)

wets the bed (present singular third-person)
wetting the bed (participle present)
wet the bed (participle past)
wet the bed (past)
wetted the bed (participle past)
wetted the bed (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-wet the bed.wav

to wet oneself

nearly synonymous, whereas the distinction is wetting one's clothing while awake versus wetting the bedclothes, usually while asleep

(euphemistic) To go bad, to fail. Often said of machines; a euphemism for shit the bed.


pull a face

pull a face (third-person singular simple present pulls a face, present participle pulling a face, simple past and past participle pulled a face)

pulls a face (present singular third-person)
pulling a face (participle present)
pulled a face (participle past)
pulled a face (past)

(idiomatic) To make an abnormal facial expression, either intentionally or because of an emotion.


make haste

make haste (third-person singular simple present makes haste, present participle making haste, simple past and past participle made haste)

makes haste (present singular third-person)
making haste (participle present)
made haste (participle past)
made haste (past)

Since I have your good leave to go away,
I will make haste: but, till I come again,
No bed shall e'er be guilty of my stay,
Nor rest be interposer 'twixt us twain.

c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

Bid the players make haste.
Will you two help to hasten them?

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

(intransitive, dated) To hurry or hasten.


feel free

feel free (third-person singular simple present feels free, present participle feeling free, simple past and past participle felt free)

feels free (present singular third-person)
feeling free (participle present)
felt free (participle past)
felt free (past)

ご遠慮なく...してください

ごえんりょなく...してください

The co-pilot didn't feel free to speak up to the pilot in the cockpit.

(idiomatic, with to-infinitive) To feel able without giving offense.

While you're babysitting, feel free to open anything in the spirit cupboard.

(as imperative, with to-infinitive) You have my permission.

"Can I take a look at the draft you've prepared?" / "Feel free."

(as imperative, in response) You have my permission.


beat one's meat

beat one's meat (third-person singular simple present beats one's meat, present participle beating one's meat, simple past beat one's meat, past participle beaten one's meat or beat one's meat)

beats one's meat (present singular third-person)
beating one's meat (participle present)
beat one's meat (past)
beaten one's meat (participle past)
beat one's meat (participle past)

He had had the theory that all this space stuff was just the Soviet Union beating its meat, shooting off into space. Other than that he couldn't imagine the slightest use for it all. Space was, after all, space — with nothing in it.

1991, William Barton, Michael Capobianco, Fellow Traveler, Spectra, →ISBN:

(slang, by extension) To waste time; to engage in an unproductive activity.


tie up loose ends

tie up loose ends (third-person singular simple present ties up loose ends, present participle tying up loose ends, simple past and past participle tied up loose ends)

ties up loose ends (present singular third-person)
tying up loose ends (participle present)
tied up loose ends (participle past)
tied up loose ends (past)

Removing her name from the mailing list was her way of tying up loose ends.

it is rich in detail and ideas, and it comes from a unique, uncompromising talent who likes to leave some loose ends for the viewer to tie up.

2020 September 1, Nicholas Barber, “Five stars for I'm Thinking of Ending Things”, in BBC:

The measures for rail that were genuinely new were welcomed, although some had hoped for more. Many of these tied up loose ends around the network - unfinished business left hanging by the last government.

2024 November 13, Dickon Ross, “Opinion”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 3:

(idiomatic) To deal with the minor consequences of a previous action; to tidy up, finish, or complete.


throw a sickie

throw a sickie (third-person singular simple present throws a sickie, present participle throwing a sickie, simple past threw a sickie, past participle thrown a sickie)

throws a sickie (present singular third-person)
throwing a sickie (participle present)
threw a sickie (past)
thrown a sickie (participle past)

Hogie said, “Listen, I′m throwing a sickie. I don′t need to be there until opening day tomorrow. The staff don′t arrive till then anyway so as long as I'm in early I can′t see a problem.”

1997, Nicholas Blincoe, Jello Salad, page 49:

2005, Callum G. Brown, The Unconverted and the Conversion, Jan N. Bremmer, Wout J. van Bekkum, Arie L. Molendijk (editors), Paradigms, Poetics, and Politics of Conversion: Gender Relations in the Salvation Narrative in Britain: 1800-1960, page 190,
It is like throwing a ‘sickie’ in Britain today — you can sign-off work on your own say-so for sick benefit for up to five days.

Do not ‘throw a sickie’ just because things get tough. Experience shows that running away from your problems will not solve anything.

2011, Gererd Dixie, The Ultimate Teaching Manual: A Route to Success for Beginning Teachers, page 187:

(slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To take a day off from work for ill health (either real or feigned).

whakangehengehe

to feign illness so to take time off work


take a hike

take a hike (third-person singular simple present takes a hike, present participle taking a hike, simple past took a hike, past participle taken a hike)

takes a hike (present singular third-person)
taking a hike (participle present)
took a hike (past)
taken a hike (participle past)

I wish that pest would just take a hike.

(idiomatic, often imperative) To go away; to leave or depart.


get off the ground

get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> off the ground

get off the ground (third-person singular simple present gets off the ground, present participle getting off the ground, simple past got off the ground, past participle (UK) got off the ground or (US) gotten off the ground)

gets off the ground (present singular third-person)
getting off the ground (participle present)
got off the ground (past)
got off the ground (UK participle past)
gotten off the ground (US participle past)

His big plans to get rich never quite seemed to get off the ground.

(intransitive, idiomatic) To succeed or begin to succeed.

He couldn't get George's career off the ground.

(transitive, idiomatic) To make (something) succeed.


make hay

make hay (third-person singular simple present makes hay, present participle making hay, simple past and past participle made hay)

makes hay (present singular third-person)
making hay (participle present)
made hay (participle past)
made hay (past)

I suggested that this was a mistake, particularly at a time of national crisis on the railways, because it opened the way for critics of the railway to make hay - which Institute of Economic Affairs Director Richard Wellings duly did in an anti-rail article in the Daily Telegraph.

2021 January 27, Christian Wolmar, “Little-used stations”, in RAIL, issue 923, page 46:

(idiomatic) To take advantage of an opportunity.


scrape the bottom of the barrel

scrape the bottom of the barrel (third-person singular simple present scrapes the bottom of the barrel, present participle scraping the bottom of the barrel, simple past and past participle scraped the bottom of the barrel)

scrapes the bottom of the barrel (present singular third-person)
scraping the bottom of the barrel (participle present)
scraped the bottom of the barrel (participle past)
scraped the bottom of the barrel (past)

en-au-scrape the bottom of the barrel.ogg

Derived from the historical practice in the early European history of storing food in barrels; when food supplies ran low, only what was on the very bottom of the barrel remained, and had to be removed by scraping. Oil in a barrel has different fractions with a different weight. The heavier fractions like asphaltum sink to the bottom of the barrel and can be difficult to scrape from the bottom.

They must really have been scraping the bottom of the barrel if they couldn't find a better design than that.

The bottom of the barrel was scraped on August 22 when Shrewsbury had to produce Taunton
2-6-0 No. 6312 to work the 8.10 p.m. from Paddington between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury; the stranger was in trouble in the early hours of the next morning at Hollinswood, but managed to reach Shrewsbury.

1961 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 635:

We have so few ships that are mission—ready, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. We are to the point where three damaged ships are being stripped to make one flyable ship.

2004, Ronald Carey, The War Above the Trees, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 259:

(idiomatic, informal) To settle for a poor option due to a lack or unavailability of anything more favorable.


blow hot and cold

blow hot and cold (third-person singular simple present blows hot and cold, present participle blowing hot and cold, simple past blew hot and cold, past participle blown hot and cold)

blows hot and cold (present singular third-person)
blowing hot and cold (participle present)
blew hot and cold (past)
blown hot and cold (participle past)

From Aesop's fable The Satyr and the Traveller, in which a satyr declares he cannot trust a man who blows hot (to warm his hands) and cold (to cool his food) with the same breath.

He blows hot and cold. He will speak for or against.

1852 July 1, “New-York University: Commencement Ceremonies-Anniversaries of the Literary Societies”, in New York Times:

Geminis, like air, blow hot and cold. They go this way today and another way tomorrow.

1968 October 25, “A Goat, Twins and a Virgin”, in Time:

The Xinhua commentary said that Chen "blows hot and cold, behaves capriciously and is a hard man to trust."

2002 May 12, “China says DPP is only welcome if it changes platform”, in Taipei Times, retrieved 2008-07-09:

(intransitive, idiomatic) To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

siedzieć jednym tyłkiem na dwóch stołkach


play the field

play the field (third-person singular simple present plays the field, present participle playing the field, simple past and past participle played the field)

plays the field (present singular third-person)
playing the field (participle present)
played the field (participle past)
played the field (past)

(UK, horseracing) To cut one's losses by betting on every racehorse other than the crowd favorite.


bring home the bacon

bring home the bacon (third-person singular simple present brings home the bacon, present participle bringing home the bacon, simple past and past participle brought home the bacon)

brings home the bacon (present singular third-person)
bringing home the bacon (participle present)
brought home the bacon (participle past)
brought home the bacon (past)

I am going to do my bit, Corky, and it may be that my bit will turn out to be just the trifle that brings home the bacon.

1924, P.G. Wodehouse, The World of Ukbridge:

Brown had pushed the champion very hard for first place the previous year, and to many of his supporters, this year he could "bring home the bacon".

2002, Joseph Andre Ryan, The Tely 10: A History of Newfoundland's Premier Road Race, 1922-2000:

It's just that I think I'm going to lose my job at the studio and am damned scared of not being able to bring home the bacon.

2005, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul:

No one brought home the bacon better than Stevens.

2008 November 22, “In Alaska, Stevens' long reign is over”, in Los Angeles Times:

I have to say I like being the man, bringing home the bacon.

2009 October 21, Stuart Jeffries, “Why don't more dads work part-time?”, in The Guardian:

(idiomatic) To have employment which provides remuneration to satisfy the basic needs of oneself and one's family.

掙錢養家

earn enough money to support one's family

sich seinen Lebensunterhalt verdienen (sich in dative case)


make a living

make a living (third-person singular simple present makes a living, present participle making a living, simple past and past participle made a living)

makes a living (present singular third-person)
making a living (participle present)
made a living (participle past)
made a living (past)

You found paradise in America. You had a good trade, made a good living.

1972 March 14, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, spoken by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), Paramount Pictures:

To earn enough income to support oneself and, if applicable, one's family.


apply oneself

apply oneself (third-person singular simple present applies oneself, present participle applying oneself, simple past and past participle applied oneself)

applies oneself (present singular third-person)
applying oneself (participle present)
applied oneself (participle past)
applied oneself (past)

His parents wish he had applied himself better while he was in school, but he couldn't give a toss.

(idiomatic) Synonym of strive: to work hard, to complete an activity with good effort and focus.


have one's cake and eat it too

have<has,,had> one's cake and eat<,,ate,eaten> it too

have one's cake and eat it too (third-person singular simple present has one's cake and eats it too, present participle having one's cake and eating it too, simple past had one's cake and ate it too, past participle had one's cake and eaten it too)

has one's cake and eats it too (present singular third-person)
having one's cake and eating it too (participle present)
had one's cake and ate it too (past)
had one's cake and eaten it too (participle past)

en-au-have one's cake and eat it too.ogg

It's not possible to get your savings and keep the piggy bank intact. You can't have your cake and eat it too!

(idiomatic) To benefit by having two things which are mutually incompatible (such as eating a piece of cake and yet still possessing that piece for future use).

de Füfer u's Weggli ha

to have two things which are mutually incompatible

又要马儿不吃草 (yòu yào mǎr hǎo, yòu yào mǎr bù chīcǎo, literally “to want to own a good horse while not feeding it grass”)

魚與熊掌不可兼得 /鱼与熊掌不可兼得 (yú yǔ xióngzhǎng bùkě jiān dé, literally “one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s palm”)

man kan ikke både blæse og have mel i munden

syödä ja säästää kakku (kakkua ei voi syödä ja säästää)

sekä syödä että säästää kakku (kakkua ei voi sekä syödä että säästää)

θέλω και την πίτα ολόκληρη και τον σκύλο χορτάτο (thélo kai tin píta olókliri kai ton skýlo chortáto, literally “to want both the whole pie and the dog fed”)

azt akarja, hogy a kecske is jóllakjon, és a káposzta is megmaradjon

é a bheith i do phota agus i do mhála agat

avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca

и рыбку съесть, и косточкой не подавиться (i rybku sʺjestʹ, i kostočkoj ne podavitʹsja, literally “eat a fish and not choke on its bone”)

и рыбку съесть, и на хуй сесть (i rybku sʺjestʹ, i na xuj sestʹ, literally “eat a fish and sit on a cock”)

chan fhaodar a' bhò a reic 's a bainne òl

estar a la vez en la procesión y repicando las campanas

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds


take the fall

take the fall (third-person singular simple present takes the fall, present participle taking the fall, simple past took the fall, past participle taken the fall)

takes the fall (present singular third-person)
taking the fall (participle present)
took the fall (past)
taken the fall (participle past)

It was good of him to take the fall for you like that, I just wonder if he will come out of this one unscathed.

You can take the president at his word after last week's sacking of MMS director Liz Birnbaum, the first in the government to take the fall for the BP oil spill disaster

2010 June 8, “Economy Watch: BP CEO Tony Hayward to testify on Capitol Hill next week”, in Washington Post:

(idiomatic, informal) To bear the blame or punishment for another person's failure or misdeed, either intentionally or not.


breakfast in bed

en-noun

breakfast in bed (countable and uncountable, plural breakfasts in bed)

The children made their mother breakfast in bed on her birthday.

You may choose to provide the option of breakfast in bed to guests celebrating special occasions. (Consider that accidents will occur and permanent food stains may result to comforters, blankets, or carpets.)

1990, Thomas D. Potts, Carole Jones Amos, Beginning a Bed and Breakfast in South Carolina: Guidelines for Development:

Today is Father's Day! Alice Bee totally surprised me by making breakfast in bed! Pancakes, maple syrup, even a fresh pot of coffee […]

2014, Dave Engledow, Confessions of the World's Best Father, Penguin, →ISBN, page 698:

The next morning, Patrick surprised Debbie and made her breakfast in bed with her favorite breakfast of pancakes and orange juice. “Aren't you going to have breakfast?” she asked him. “I ate while I was cooking[…]”

2018, Michelle Palomo, Promises of Wanting You, Archway Publishing, →ISBN:

Breakfast served to one in bed upon waking, commonly to show appreciation for the receiver.

I ate breakfast in bed this morning.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see breakfast, in, bed.


breakfast in bed

en-verb

breakfast in bed (third-person singular simple present breakfasts in bed, present participle breakfasting in bed, simple past and past participle breakfasted in bed)

breakfasts in bed (present singular third-person)
breakfasting in bed (participle present)
breakfasted in bed (participle past)
breakfasted in bed (past)

Not that I "go in" for breakfasting in bed. It is a lazy, ignoble habit. A man ought to divide his life fairly between bed and board.

1876, Charles James Dunphie, The Splendid Advantages of Being a Woman, page 67:

(intransitive) To eat one's breakfast while in bed.


carry a tune

carry a tune (third-person singular simple present carries a tune, present participle carrying a tune, simple past and past participle carried a tune)

carries a tune (present singular third-person)
carrying a tune (participle present)
carried a tune (participle past)
carried a tune (past)

Jenny is named for a singer and Fanny for a beautiful dancer, but mother says they're both misfits, for Jenny can't carry a tune and Fanny's kind of stiff-legged.

1903, Kate Douglas Wiggin, chapter 1, in Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm:

Emmett burst forth in song, but his comrade punched him in the side and said, “Lord Sakes, shut up, you can't carry a tune in a bucket.

1922, Jim Tully, Emmett Lawler, page 209:

(chiefly in the negative) To produce music, especially to sing, with accurate relative pitch.


have a go

have a go (third-person singular simple present has a go, present participle having a go, simple past and past participle had a go)

has a go (present singular third-person)
having a go (participle present)
had a go (participle past)
had a go (past)

My teacher had a go at me earlier, just for missing one sodding homework. I was fuming.

Except her dad had a go last time, the last time she'd brought home a detention slip for him to sign.

2008, Stella Duffy, Mouths of Babes, page 10:

He had a go because I'm on the dole and I had a go back because he deals pills and robs kids.

2016, Luke Barnes, Richard Milward, Ten Storey Love Song:

(intransitive, informal, idiomatic, UK, Australia) To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.

придираться

(idiomatic, intransitive) to shout at or tell off unnecessarily or excessively


wind up one's bottoms

wind up one's bottoms (third-person singular simple present winds up one's bottoms, present participle winding up one's bottoms, simple past and past participle wound up one's bottoms)

winds up one's bottoms (present singular third-person)
winding up one's bottoms (participle present)
wound up one's bottoms (participle past)
wound up one's bottoms (past)

1770, Joseph Banks, The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks, entry for 1770 February 5 http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html#banks
Myself and the Dr went ashore today to wind up our bottoms


talk the talk

talk the talk (third-person singular simple present talks the talk, present participle talking the talk, simple past and past participle talked the talk)

talks the talk (present singular third-person)
talking the talk (participle present)
talked the talk (participle past)
talked the talk (past)

When it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he talks the talk, but it remains to be seen if he walks the walk.

Some leaders only talk the talk but aren't prepared to take any risks.

Byford talks the talk, and he does it well.

2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 55:

(idiomatic) To make statements that profess commitment, knowledgeability, or intended action (especially when the speaker's actual commitment, knowledge, or further action are in doubt).


save the day

save the day (third-person singular simple present saves the day, present participle saving the day, simple past and past participle saved the day)

saves the day (present singular third-person)
saving the day (participle present)
saved the day (participle past)
saved the day (past)

[H]e acted as chief of staff to General Rosecranz, aiding his superior officer at a most critical point in the battle by advice which had an important influence in saving the day.

1881, Horatio Alger, chapter 25, in From Canal Boy to President or The Boyhood and Manhood of James A. Garfield:

“It's Paddy,” cried Craig. “If he can bring them all out safely without the loss of a life he'll save the day yet.”

1912, Arthur B. Reeve, chapter 6, in The Poisoned Pen:

An effective vaccine would save the day and last year researchers at Yale were reporting some progress.

1991 June 24, John Skow with et al., “Life In The Age Of Lyme”, in Time, archived from the original on 2011-06-30:

Maybe a strapping woodsman will come along and save the day.

2008 May 28, Eugene Robinson, “The ravages of the Clinton campaign”, in San Francisco Chronicle, archived from the original on 2013-06-30:

(idiomatic, sometimes humorous) To rescue a person or situation from imminent danger or major failure.


do the math

do the math (third-person singular simple present does the math, present participle doing the math, simple past did the math, past participle done the math)

does the math (present singular third-person)
doing the math (participle present)
did the math (past)
done the math (participle past)

Gore has looked into buying cable channel News World International. Despite initial reports, Gore's camp says he and his backers intend to make the channel not a liberal mouthpiece but a "hip" news channel. […] Maybe; maybe not. (Gore has long complained about the undue influence of conservatives on talk radio and Fox News, so you do the math.)

2003 November 16, James Poniewozik, “All The News That Fits Your Reality”, in Time, retrieved 2018-12-18:

“The child has marks all over. I saw them when I took her to the bathroom. Ian, she is hurting this child. Now I don't know for sure what's going on here, and maybe it's none of my business. Nevertheless, even I can do the math. […] You can't let her keep this child for one more day.”

2012, Racine Lavelle, Embracing the Wolf, →ISBN, page 117:

“I can’t tell you what we’re going back to consider,” said Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, who cited Texas law regarding grand jury secrecy. “But you can do the math and figure out what it is.”

2015 December 22, Mitch Smith, “Sandra Bland’s Family Calls for Criminal Charges Against Texas Trooper”, in New York Times, retrieved 2018-12-18:

(chiefly US, idiomatic) To determine the explanation for or precise nature of a situation, such as the motive underlying someone's behavior, based on available facts.


quack like a duck

quack like a duck (third-person singular simple present quacks like a duck, present participle quacking like a duck, simple past and past participle quacked like a duck)

quacks like a duck (present singular third-person)
quacking like a duck (participle present)
quacked like a duck (participle past)
quacked like a duck (past)

If it quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

(simile) To appear to be exactly what one is.


eat like a horse

eat like a horse (third-person singular simple present eats like a horse, present participle eating like a horse, simple past ate like a horse, past participle eaten like a horse)

eats like a horse (present singular third-person)
eating like a horse (participle present)
ate like a horse (past)
eaten like a horse (participle past)

(colloquial, simile) To eat large amounts of food. (connoting a large quantity of food, but not one of gluttony or sloppiness)


watch like a hawk

watch like a hawk (third-person singular simple present watches like a hawk, present participle watching like a hawk, simple past and past participle watched like a hawk)

watches like a hawk (present singular third-person)
watching like a hawk (participle present)
watched like a hawk (participle past)
watched like a hawk (past)

(transitive, simile) To observe (someone or something) closely and keenly.


undress with one's eyes

undress with one's eyes (third-person singular simple present undresses with one's eyes, present participle undressing with one's eyes, simple past and past participle undressed with one's eyes)

undresses with one's eyes (present singular third-person)
undressing with one's eyes (participle present)
undressed with one's eyes (participle past)
undressed with one's eyes (past)

(idiomatic, informal) To gaze at someone lasciviously.


make merry

make merry (third-person singular simple present makes merry, present participle making merry, simple past and past participle made merry)

makes merry (present singular third-person)
making merry (participle present)
made merry (participle past)
made merry (past)

(intransitive) To enjoy oneself in a jolly and festive manner.


sell ice to Eskimos

sell ice to Eskimos (third-person singular simple present sells ice to Eskimos, present participle selling ice to Eskimos, simple past and past participle sold ice to Eskimos)

sells ice to Eskimos (present singular third-person)
selling ice to Eskimos (participle present)
sold ice to Eskimos (participle past)
sold ice to Eskimos (past)

He's such a smooth talker, he could sell ice to Eskimos.

(idiomatic) To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

vinde castraveți grădinarului

persuade people to accept something they don't need


carry coals to Newcastle

carry coals to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present carries coals to Newcastle, present participle carrying coals to Newcastle, simple past and past participle carried coals to Newcastle)

carries coals to Newcastle (present singular third-person)
carrying coals to Newcastle (participle present)
carried coals to Newcastle (participle past)
carried coals to Newcastle (past)

Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.

However curious it may seem for an oil-ship to be borrowing oil on the whale-ground, and however much it may invertedly contradict the old proverb about carrying coals to Newcastle, yet sometimes such a thing really happens; and in the present case Captain Derick De Deer did indubitably conduct a lamp-feeder as Flask did declare.

1851, Herman Melville, chapter 81, in Moby-Dick:

He's the fellow who likes to let off stink bombs in night clubs, which rather falls under the head of carrying coals to Newcastle […]

1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Jeeves in the Offing:

(idiomatic) To do something that is unneeded or redundant.

اِسْتَبْضَعَ التَّمْرَ إِلَى هَجَر (istabḍaʕa t-tamra ʔilā hajar, literally “carry dates to Hajar”)

夯枷 (zh-min-nan) (giâ-kê, literally “carry the shackle”)

無枷夯交椅 /无枷夯交椅 (bô kê giâ kau-í, literally “carry the armchair if there's no shackle”)

ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო (zɣvas kvišas umaṭebeno, literally “bring sand to the beach”)

ტყესი შეშის შეტანა (ṭq̇esi šešis šeṭana, literally “carry firewood into the forest”)

κομίζω γλαύκα εις Αθήνας (komízo gláfka eis Athínas, literally “carry owls to Athens”)

γλαῦκ’ Ἀθήναζε (glaûk’ Athḗnaze, literally “owls to Athens”)

उल्टे बाँस बरेली को लेना (ulṭe bā̃s barelī ko lenā, literally “take bamboo to Bareilly”)

ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe

زیره به کرمان بردن (zire be kermân bordan, literally “bring caraway to Kerman”)

е́здить в Ту́лу со свои́м самова́ром (jézditʹ v Túlu so svoím samovárom, literally “go to Tula with your own samovar”)

в лес дрова́ вози́ть (v les drová vozítʹ, literally “carry wood into the forest”)

เอามะพร้าวห้าวไปขายสวน (ao má-práao-hâao bpai kǎai sǔuan, literally “sell ripe coconuts to an orchard”)

เอาแป้งนวลไปขายชาววัง (ao bpɛ̂ɛng-nuual bpai kǎai chaao-wang, literally “sell face powders to palace ladies”)

פֿירן שטרוי קיין מצרים (firn shtroy keyn mitsraym, literally “carry straw to Egypt”)


bring owls to Athens

bring owls to Athens (third-person singular simple present brings owls to Athens, present participle bringing owls to Athens, simple past and past participle brought owls to Athens)

brings owls to Athens (present singular third-person)
bringing owls to Athens (participle present)
brought owls to Athens (participle past)
brought owls to Athens (past)

Calque from Ancient Greek proverb γλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνας (glaûk’ eis Athḗnas). The owl, which roosted in the rafters of the old Parthenon (the one burnt by Xerxes I), was the symbol of the city of Athens, and was sacred to its patron goddess, Athena. It was featured on Athens’ silver coins, and as Athens both mined its own silver and minted its own coins, bringing owls (either the real birds, or the coins) to Athens would be pointless.

Euelpides: Who brings owls to Athens?

414 BCE, Aristophanes, Ian C. Johnston (translator into English), The Birds:

Forgive me, then, for bringing owls to Athens as a thanks-offering.

1832 March 17, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Louis H. Gray (translator into English), Letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt:

Perhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens.

1996 June 27, Herbert Burkert, “Access To Public Information: A Key To Commercial Growth And Electronic Democracy”, in parliamentary debates, Stockholm:

(idiomatic) To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.


think one's shit doesn't stink

think<,,thought> one's shit doesn't<doesn't,doesn't,didn't> stink

think one's shit doesn't stink (third-person singular simple present thinks one's shit doesn't stink, present participle thinking one's shit doesn't stink, simple past and past participle thought one's shit didn't stink)

thinks one's shit doesn't stink (present singular third-person)
thinking one's shit doesn't stink (participle present)
thought one's shit didn't stink (participle past)
thought one's shit didn't stink (past)

En-au-think one's shit doesn't stink.ogg

(vulgar) To be arrogant or overconfident.


screw the pooch

screw the pooch (third-person singular simple present screws the pooch, present participle screwing the pooch, simple past and past participle screwed the pooch)

screws the pooch (present singular third-person)
screwing the pooch (participle present)
screwed the pooch (participle past)
screwed the pooch (past)

1950s, from earlier fuck the dog (“fritter, waste time”) (1935) (compare fuck around), later sense of “make an embarrassing mistake” (compare screw up, fuck up). Popularized by use by Tom Wolfe in The Right Stuff (1979), and film adaptation The Right Stuff (1983).
more
The term was first documented in the early "Mercury" days of the US space program. It came there from a Yale graduate named John Rawlings who helped design the astronauts' space suits. The phrase is actually derived from an earlier, more vulgar and direct term which was slang for doing something very much the wrong way, as in "you are fucking the dog!" At Yale a friend of Rawlings', the radio DJ Jack May (a.k.a. "Candied Yam Jackson") amended this term to "screwing the pooch" which was simultaneously less vulgar and more pleasing to the ear.
The term, however, did not enter the popular lexicon until Tom Wolfe used it in his book about the space program, The Right Stuff, where it was used to describe a supposed mistake by astronaut Gus Grissom.
The phrase's origins come from an old joke. There are various versions, but a drunk man ends up shooting the wife and screwing the pooch (instead of the other way around).

(idiomatic) to make a large mistake, to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion.


blow one's own horn

blow one's own horn (third-person singular simple present blows one's own horn, present participle blowing one's own horn, simple past blew one's own horn, past participle blown one's own horn)

blows one's own horn (present singular third-person)
blowing one's own horn (participle present)
blew one's own horn (past)
blown one's own horn (participle past)

toot one's own horn
toot one's own horn#English


wake up and smell the coffee

wake<,,woke,woken> up and smell<,,:smelt> the coffee

wake up and smell the coffee (third-person singular simple present wakes up and smells the coffee, present participle waking up and smelling the coffee, simple past woke up and smelled the coffee or woke up and smelt the coffee, past participle woken up and smelled the coffee or woken up and smelt the coffee)

wakes up and smells the coffee (present singular third-person)
waking up and smelling the coffee (participle present)
woke up and smelled the coffee (past)
woke up and smelt the coffee (past)
woken up and smelled the coffee (participle past)
woken up and smelt the coffee (participle past)

Probably a humorous elaboration of wake up (“to become more aware of a real-life situation; to concentrate on the matter in hand”), alluding to the fact that coffee is often consumed at breakfast time after waking up in the morning. The term was popularized by the American writer Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer (1918–2002), who used the pen name Ann Landers, in the syndicated newspaper advice column Ask Ann Landers.

Your paper gains "notice" as an example of the use of English as it should not be written nor spoken. Wake up and smell the coffee.

1927 June 4, Purist [pseudonym], “Smelling the coffee [letter]”, in John S[hivley] Knight, editor, Akron Beacon Journal, number 157, Akron, Oh.: Beacon Journal Co., →OCLC, page 4, column 5:

A few years back, when a wife told her husband to "wake up and smell the coffee," it usually was said in utter derision. Now, when there is coffee to smell, she shouts it to him in supreme delight.

1943 January 18, Guy Finamore, “Rationing dept.”, in Chicago Daily Tribune, volume CII, number 15, Chicago, Ill.: Wheeler, Stewart & Scripps, →OCLC, page 17, column 2:

Wake up and smell the coffee, Dummy. You're a comfort station on a back-street detour. Send him on his way.

1970 November 29, Ann Landers [pseudonym; Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer], “Wake up, smell the coffee”, in The News & Observer, volume CC, number 152, Raleigh, N.C.: News & Observer Pub. Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, section III (Today’s Woman), page 20, column 4:

Dear God, was she going to look at everybody who owned a truck with this sort of suspicion? “Come on, Heskell. Wake up and smell the coffee. They've become the singles bars of the nineties.[…]”

1997 October, Joanna Elm, chapter 6, in Delusion, 1st mass market edition, New York, N.Y.: Tor Books, published January 1999, →ISBN, page 51:

He had opened his eyes, which was what his first wife was always telling him to do—open your eyes, Al, wake up and smell the coffee—and seen that Rosalind was at least as unhappy as he was, […]

2000, Jane Smiley, “Breeders’ Cup”, in Horse Heaven, 1st trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published 2001, →ISBN, book 2 (1998), page 319:

(idiomatic, US, Philippines, informal) Often in the infinitive or imperative: to face reality and stop deluding oneself.

面對現實 /面对现实

снять ро́зовые очки́ pf (snjatʹ rózovyje očkí, literally “take off pink glasses”)


get on someone's nerves

get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> on someone's nerves

get on someone's nerves (third-person singular simple present gets on someone's nerves, present participle getting on someone's nerves, simple past got on someone's nerves, past participle (UK) got on someone's nerves or (US) gotten on someone's nerves)

gets on someone's nerves (present singular third-person)
getting on someone's nerves (participle present)
got on someone's nerves (past)
got on someone's nerves (UK participle past)
gotten on someone's nerves (US participle past)

There’s an insect buzzing around in my bedroom tonight, and it’s really getting on my nerves.

Gerty wished to goodness they would take their squalling baby home out of that and not get on her nerves...

1922 February, James Joyce, “[13]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

(idiomatic) To annoy or irritate someone; to bother someone.


walk the walk

walk the walk (third-person singular simple present walks the walk, present participle walking the walk, simple past and past participle walked the walk)

walks the walk (present singular third-person)
walking the walk (participle present)
walked the walk (participle past)
walked the walk (past)

When it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he talks the talk, but it remains to be seen if he can walk the walk.

"The SNP like to talk the talk about net zero targets, but they can't walk the walk. We need a fares freeze for everyone if we want to get serious about greening the economy and a public railway run in the public interest."

2023 June 28, Conrad Landin, “Network News: Scottish 4.8% rail fares rise labelled 'bad news'”, in RAIL, number 986, page 18:

To act consistently in line with one's claims; to follow through.

faut que les bottines suivent les babines


tread water

tread water (third-person singular simple present treads water, present participle treading water, simple past (common in US) treaded water or (more common in UK) trod water, past participle treaded water or (more common in UK) trodden water or (more common in UK) trod water)

treads water (present singular third-person)
treading water (participle present)
treaded water (US past regional)
trod water (UK common past)
treaded water (participle past)
trodden water (UK common participle past)
trod water (UK common participle past)

We gained the interior of the submarine cave without difficulty, and on emerging from the waves, supported ourselves for some time by treading water, while we held the two bundles above our heads.

1857, R. M. Ballantyne, “chapter 13”, in The Coral Island:

To remain afloat in the water without use of any buoyancy aid, by using kicking motions and hand motions.

pysytellä pinnalla

to remain afloat in water without use of any buoyancy aid


choke the luff

choke the luff (third-person singular simple present chokes the luff, present participle choking the luff, simple past and past participle choked the luff)

chokes the luff (present singular third-person)
choking the luff (participle present)
choked the luff (participle past)
choked the luff (past)

(nautical) To temporarily stop the movement of a rope through a block by jamming the sheave with the hauling rope; a pull on the rope releases it.


wait for the other shoe to drop

wait for the other shoe to drop (third-person singular simple present waits for the other shoe to drop, present participle waiting for the other shoe to drop, simple past and past participle waited for the other shoe to drop)

waits for the other shoe to drop (present singular third-person)
waiting for the other shoe to drop (participle present)
waited for the other shoe to drop (participle past)
waited for the other shoe to drop (past)

En-au-wait for the other shoe to drop.ogg

A common experience of tenement living in apartment-style housing in New York City and other large cities during the manufacturing boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Apartments were built with very similar designs, with the bedrooms located directly above and underneath one another. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing their shoes in the apartment above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar disturbance was created.

(idiomatic) To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.

After the tournament, Player admitted that all through the final round he had been nervously waiting for more trouble. "It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop."

1969 August 29, “Golf: The Confidence Man”, in Time:

(idiomatic) To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable.


serve time

serve time (third-person singular simple present serves time, present participle serving time, simple past and past participle served time)

serves time (present singular third-person)
serving time (participle present)
served time (participle past)
served time (past)

(idiomatic) To be confined in prison or a similar institution, typically for wrongdoing that violates the law.


drop the ball

drop the ball (third-person singular simple present drops the ball, present participle dropping the ball, simple past and past participle dropped the ball)

drops the ball (present singular third-person)
dropping the ball (participle present)
dropped the ball (participle past)
dropped the ball (past)

An allusion to the rules of such games as baseball, American football or cricket wherein literally dropping the ball would be a mistake.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see drop, ball.


breathe down someone's neck

breathe down someone's neck (third-person singular simple present breathes down someone's neck, present participle breathing down someone's neck, simple past and past participle breathed down someone's neck)

breathes down someone's neck (present singular third-person)
breathing down someone's neck (participle present)
breathed down someone's neck (participle past)
breathed down someone's neck (past)

My boss never lets me get on with my work. He's always breathing down my neck and checking up on me.

(idiomatic) To follow or supervise someone too closely, causing discomfort for that person.


call the shots

call the shots (third-person singular simple present calls the shots, present participle calling the shots, simple past and past participle called the shots)

calls the shots (present singular third-person)
calling the shots (participle present)
called the shots (participle past)
called the shots (past)

In today's health care system, insurance companies call the shots. They pick whom they cover and how they cover them. They can cut off your benefits when you need your coverage the most. They are in charge.

1994 January 25, Bill Clinton, William Jefferson Clinton's Second State of the Union Address:

Myanmar's Shan state, which borders both China and Thailand, is the wild wild east. And in many parts of the state, it's well-armed ethnic militias, not Myanmar's military, who call the shots.

2019 July 4, Michael Sullivan, “In Myanmar, Methamphetamine, Synthetic Drug Production Soars”, in NPR.org:

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Iran’s elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, it’s the supreme leader who calls the shots.

2021 June 22, Ali Vaez, Dina Esfandiary, “The Hard-Liners Won in Iran. That’s Not All Bad News.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(chiefly US) To make the decisions; to be in charge; to give orders.


make right

make right (third-person singular simple present makes right, present participle making right, simple past and past participle made right)

makes right (present singular third-person)
making right (participle present)
made right (participle past)
made right (past)

We had some bad blood initially, but in the end it was all made right by talking things over.

She wondered how she could ever make it right.

To make up for being a bad father to you, and to make things right by me, he accepted the offer I made on the company all those months ago.

(transitive) To right, rectify, or ameliorate a relationship or situation.


go fly a kite

A guy came to my door selling some weird coupon subscription. I told him to go fly a kite.

(informal, idiomatic, chiefly imperative) To go away; get lost; leave.


hit the roof

hit the roof (third-person singular simple present hits the roof, present participle hitting the roof, simple past and past participle hit the roof)

hits the roof (present singular third-person)
hitting the roof (participle present)
hit the roof (participle past)
hit the roof (past)

When he found out I wrecked his brand-new car, he hit the roof.

Half a year of profits gone and now there's hell to pay / The cops say they know who, but there's no proof / The banker hit the roof / and damn near took the car.

1981, Stan Rogers (lyrics and music), “Night Guard”, in Northwest Passage:

(idiomatic) To be explosively angry; to lose one's temper.


bide one's time

bide one's time (third-person singular simple present bides one's time, present participle biding one's time, simple past bode one's time or bided one's time, past participle bidden one's time or bided one's time)

bides one's time (present singular third-person)
biding one's time (participle present)
bode one's time (past)
bided one's time (past)
bidden one's time (participle past)
bided one's time (participle past)

Ravenswood, who had assumed the disguise of a sewer upon the occasion, answered, in a stern voice, “I bide my time”; and at the same moment a bull’s head, the ancient symbol of death, was placed upon the table.

1819, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter III, in Tales of My Landlord, Third Series. […], volume I (The Bride of Lammermoor), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 66–67:

I sat on the rug, biding my time / Drinking her wine / We talked until two / And then she said, "it's time for bed"

1965, Lennon–McCartney (lyrics and music), “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, in Rubber Soul, performed by The Beatles:

“Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it.

1999, J. K. Rowling, “The Keeper of the Keys”, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scholastic, Inc., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 57:

There are times, Machiavelli concedes, where it might be more advantageous to be cautious and bide one's time in order to ascertain the dispensation of the goddess more clearly.

2019, Andrew Herman, The “Better Angels” of Capitalism, Routledge, →ISBN:

Above the concourse, the underneath of the platforms has been clad with attractive wood panelling, while the columns holding them up are surrounded with seating - for use by passengers biding their time waiting for their trains, or who have used one of the 70-or-so eateries or shops that form part of the retail developments at the station.

2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: London Bridge”, in RAIL, number 948, page 31:

(intransitive, idiomatic) To wait, especially for a suitable opportunity.

等待時機 /等待时机

to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity

kivárja a megfelelő időt/pillanatot/alkalmat


haul ass

haul ass (third-person singular simple present hauls ass, present participle hauling ass, simple past and past participle hauled ass)

hauls ass (present singular third-person)
hauling ass (participle present)
hauled ass (participle past)
hauled ass (past)

It's the cops! Haul ass!

trucks hauling ass on the interstate, trying to make up time

(US, vulgar, slang) To hurry; to move quickly, especially to leave.

either one's own ass or someone else's ass as pronominal direct object


throw caution to the wind

throw<,,threw,thrown> caution to the wind

throw caution to the wind (third-person singular simple present throws caution to the wind, present participle throwing caution to the wind, simple past threw caution to the wind, past participle thrown caution to the wind)

throws caution to the wind (present singular third-person)
throwing caution to the wind (participle present)
threw caution to the wind (past)
thrown caution to the wind (participle past)

I couldn't bear to let you go yet
So I threw caution to the wind
And started listening to my longing heart
And then you softly pressed your lips to mine
And feelings surfaced I'd suppressed
For such a long time.

(idiomatic) To do something despite the risks.


turn a blind eye

turn a blind eye (third-person singular simple present turns a blind eye, present participle turning a blind eye, simple past and past participle turned a blind eye)

turns a blind eye (present singular third-person)
turning a blind eye (participle present)
turned a blind eye (participle past)
turned a blind eye (past)

Probably from the idea of a person turning to look at something but not seeing it, as if their eyes are blind.
The term is frequently claimed to originate from an incident during the First Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801, when Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) was ordered by Admiral Hyde Parker (1739–1807) through signal flags to discontinue naval action against a force of the Dano-Norwegian Navy. Nelson, who had been blinded in one eye early in his career, said to his flag captain Thomas Foley (1757–1833), “You know, Foley, I have only one eye—I have a right to be blind sometimes.” He then put his telescope to his blind eye and, remarking “I really do not see the signal,” continued the assault which ended in a British victory. However, this is not the source of the term as the Oxford English Dictionary records uses dating to the 17th and 18th centuries.

The mother turned a blind eye to her son’s mischief as she expected him not to repeat it.

The great Advantage of thus vvalking by Faith is, that it vvill help us […] to turn the deaf Ear, and the blind Eye to all thoſe Pomps and Vanities of the VVorld vvhich vve renounc'd at our Baptiſm, and to have it no longer in our Hearts, but under our Feet.

1698, John Norris, “A Discourse of Walking by Faith. In Two Parts.”, in Practical Discourses upon Several Divine Subjects, […], volume IV, London: […] S[amuel] Manship […], and J. Jones […], →OCLC, part I, pages 222–223:

[…] I must say that for some reasons we wanted such a person very much, and find her very useful, so I turn a blind eye and a deaf ear every now and then, and we get on marvellously well.

1823 October 1 (date written), Martha Wilmot, More Letters from Martha Wilmot: Impressions of Vienna, 1819–1829, […], London: Macmillan and Co., published 1935, →OCLC, page 197:

I do not speak of portraiture in marble. In this my countrymen, without having produced any really very great work, by the old standards, make a respectable show, as compared with the average portrait sculpture of the day of other nations. In saying this, however, we must turn a blind eye to a considerable number of statues of our distinguished citizens which even more lamentably exhibit the defects arising from ignorance of modeling and design, impatience of study and self-conceit, than the ideal compositions by the same hands, because the contrasts between the ill-constructed effigy and the familiar living man, to the spectator, is too palpably unpleasant to be long overlooked.

1880 October 11, James Jackson Jarves, “Future American art: The growth of truer feeling and sounder methods”, in The New York Times, volume XXX, number 9076, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 4:

A blacker thing than blood's own dye / Weighed down great Hawkins on the sea; / And Nelson turned his blindest eye / On Naples and on liberty.

[1915, Gilbert K[eith] Chesterton, “[War Poems.] Blessed are the Peacemakers.”, in Poems, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, published 1916, →OCLC, stanza 3, page 32:

The party's top official in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, tweeted at the time that the police force was "turning a blind eye" to loyalist paramilitaries—those engaging in violence as part of a decades-long fight to maintain the region’s status as part of the United Kingdom—"while targeting those laying flowers on the anniversary of loved ones."

2023 September 5, Megan Specia, “Northern Ireland police chief resigns amid mounting scandals”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-16:

She [Emmeline Taylor] said, facing a cost of living crisis, many consumers were more willing to "turn a blind eye" to stolen food.

2023 December 22, Robyn Vinter, “Britons increasingly turning to food black market, experts say”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-01-08:

(intransitive, idiomatic) To deliberately or knowingly ignore, overlook, or refuse to acknowledge something, especially when improper or unpleasant; to look the other way. [with to]

Oxford English Dictionary
Thames & Hudson
Tom Pocock

fer els ulls grossos

to deliberately or knowingly ignore, overlook, or refuse to acknowledge something

смотре́ть сквозь па́льцы (smotrétʹ skvozʹ pálʹcy, literally “watch through fingers”)

there are none so blind as those who will not see


wear rose-colored glasses

wear rose-colored glasses (third-person singular simple present wears rose-colored glasses, present participle wearing rose-colored glasses, simple past wore rose-colored glasses, past participle worn rose-colored glasses)

wears rose-colored glasses (present singular third-person)
wearing rose-colored glasses (participle present)
wore rose-colored glasses (past)
worn rose-colored glasses (participle past)

(idiomatic) To see the positive in things while being oblivious to the negative.

katsoa asioita ruusunpunaisten silmälasien läpi

色眼鏡で見る (iromegane de miru) (also “to be excessively pessimistic”)

faic an saoghal tro speuclairean bàn-dhearg


chew the scenery

chew the scenery (third-person singular simple present chews the scenery, present participle chewing the scenery, simple past and past participle chewed the scenery)

chews the scenery (present singular third-person)
chewing the scenery (participle present)
chewed the scenery (participle past)
chewed the scenery (past)

Its earliest reference is listed in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang as being used by Mary Hallock Foote in Coeur D'Alene in 1894.http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001024

The way the six stars chew the scenery is nothing compared to their abuse of one another.

1989 November 27, David Denby, “A Farewell to Arms [review of Steel Magnolias]”, in New York Magazine:

Starring as a Great White Hope police commissioner sent to clean up Washington, D.C., Nelson displays a set of pipes barely hinted at in his years on "Coach," spending the long pilot hour barking, bloviating, singing(!) and generally chewing the scenery.

2006 October 11, James Poniewozik, “Fall TV Preview”, in Time:

(idiomatic, performing arts) To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.

cabotiner

To perform in an excessively emotional or exaggerated manner


burn one's bridges

burn one's bridges (third-person singular simple present burns one's bridges, present participle burning one's bridges, simple past and past participle burned one's bridges or burnt one's bridges)

burns one's bridges (present singular third-person)
burning one's bridges (participle present)
burned one's bridges (participle past)
burned one's bridges (past)
burnt one's bridges (participle past)
burnt one's bridges (past)

Originally in military sense of intentionally cutting off one's own retreat (burning a bridge one has crossed) to commit oneself to a course of action, later used primarily to mean “alienate former friends”.

Even if you are dismissed from a job in the worst way, take care not to burn your bridges with unseemly comments on the way out, since you never know who you will meet again.

(idiomatic) To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.

破釜沉舟

smash the (cooking) pots and sink the boats


blow out of proportion

blow out of proportion (third-person singular simple present blows out of proportion, present participle blowing out of proportion, simple past blew out of proportion, past participle blown out of proportion)

blows out of proportion (present singular third-person)
blowing out of proportion (participle present)
blew out of proportion (past)
blown out of proportion (participle past)

I don’t think we need to blow it out of proportion. There’s a problem, and we should fix it.

(transitive, idiomatic) To overreact to or overstate; to treat too seriously or be overly concerned with.


take heed

take heed (third-person singular simple present takes heed, present participle taking heed, simple past took heed, past participle taken heed)

takes heed (present singular third-person)
taking heed (participle present)
took heed (past)
taken heed (participle past)

The king spoke and the lords took heed.

Pro. Then, as my gueſt, and thine owne acquiſition / Worthily purchas’d, take my daughter: But / If thou do’ſt breake her Virgin-knot, before / All ſanctimonious ceremonies may / With full and holy right, be miniſtred, / No ſweet aſperſion ſhall the heauens let fall / To make this contract grow; but barraine hate, / Sower-ey’d diſdaine, and diſcord ſhall beſtrew / The vnion of your bed, with weedes ſo loathly / That you ſhall hate it both: Therefore take heede, / As Hymens Lamps ſhall light you.

1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 14, column 1:

[I] sayd, I will take heede to my waies, that I ſinne not with my tongue: I will keepe my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 39:1:

Take heed vnto thy ſelfe, and vnto the doctrine: continue in them: for in doing this, thou ſhalt both ſaue thy ſelfe, and them that heare thee.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 4:16:

So there men dream awake, some taking heed, / And others not, how much untruth they tell; / Yet have the first more shame and more misdeed.

1854, Dante [Alighieri], “Canto XXIX”, in C[harles] B[agot] Cayley, transl., Dante’s Divine Comedy. The Paradise: Translated in the Original Ternary Rhyme, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 217, lines 82–84:

None, however, took heed to his brothers; wherefore jealousy and envy entered their hearts, for all he entreated them tenderly as one tenders an ophthalmic eye; but the more he cherished them, the more they redoubled in hatred and envy of him: […]

1885, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Abdullah bin Fazil and his Brothers. [Night 987.]”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume IX, [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC, page 342:

(intransitive, idiomatic) To pay attention.


give heed

give heed (third-person singular simple present gives heed, present participle giving heed, simple past gave heed, past participle given heed)

gives heed (present singular third-person)
giving heed (participle present)
gave heed (past)
given heed (participle past)

Neither giue heed to fables, and endleſſe genealogies, which miniſter queſtions, rather then edifying which is in faith: ſo doe.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 1:4:

I will be bold with time and your attention: / Then marke th’inducement. Thus it came; giue heede too’t: / […]

1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 217, column 1:

(intransitive, idiomatic) To pay attention; to heed.


show a leg

show a leg (third-person singular simple present shows a leg, present participle showing a leg, simple past showed a leg, past participle shown a leg)

shows a leg (present singular third-person)
showing a leg (participle present)
showed a leg (past)
shown a leg (participle past)

Supposedly originated in the 19th-century Royal Navy as a waking call.

Show a leg or you’re going to be late.

(idiomatic, nautical, chiefly imperative) To wake up and get out of bed.


make a leg

make a leg (third-person singular simple present makes a leg, present participle making a leg, simple past and past participle made a leg)

makes a leg (present singular third-person)
making a leg (participle present)
made a leg (participle past)
made a leg (past)

King Richard II: What must the king do now? must he submit? […]
What says King Bolingbroke? will his majesty
Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says ay.

1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 3, scene 3]:

"I beg pardon," said Mr. Datchery, making a leg with his hat under his arm, as he addressed himself equally to both gentlemen.

1870 April–September, Charles Dickens, chapter 18, in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1870, →OCLC:

"Father, return thanks; make a leg—no man can do it better. Master Mordacks, you shall have our utmost duty."

1880, R. D. Blackmore, chapter 26, in Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale:

(idiomatic, UK) To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back.


act a fool

act a fool (third-person singular simple present acts a fool, present participle acting a fool, simple past and past participle acted a fool)

acts a fool (present singular third-person)
acting a fool (participle present)
acted a fool (participle past)
acted a fool (past)


play the fool

play the fool (third-person singular simple present plays the fool, present participle playing the fool, simple past and past participle played the fool)

plays the fool (present singular third-person)
playing the fool (participle present)
played the fool (participle past)
played the fool (past)

Back in school again Maxwell plays the fool again.
Teacher gets annoyed

1969, Paul McCartney (lyrics and music), “Maxwell's Silver Hammer”, in Abbey Road, performed by The Beatles:

(idiomatic) To behave in a foolish or comical manner.

(idiomatic) To pretend or feign ignorance.


tan someone's hide

tan someone's hide (third-person singular simple present tans someone's hide, present participle tanning someone's hide, simple past and past participle tanned someone's hide)

tans someone's hide (present singular third-person)
tanning someone's hide (participle present)
tanned someone's hide (participle past)
tanned someone's hide (past)

By metaphor from tannery: beating hides (to condition them), tanning them (with dyes and chemicals), and so on.

"You lying little snipe," he roared. ". . . I've a mind to tan your hide good."

1908, Stewart Edward White, chapter 12, in The Adventures of Bobby Orde:

(idiomatic, figurative) To beat or spank someone.


break bread

break bread (third-person singular simple present breaks bread, present participle breaking bread, simple past broke bread, past participle broken bread)

breaks bread (present singular third-person)
breaking bread (participle present)
broke bread (past)
broken bread (participle past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-break bread.wav

Under medieval conditions, guests brought their own knives worn with them, which were their daggers they hunted and gathered with, then only fit to cut meat. From the expression “break bread with friends” the ellipsis “break bread” implying community developed.

In baptism we make covenant; in communion we renew covenant week by week. . . . After offering prayers of thanksgiving, together we break bread and drink from the cup.

1979, Ronald E. Osborn, The Faith We Affirm, →ISBN, page 61:

(Christianity) To take part in Holy Communion.


bear fruit

bear fruit (third-person singular simple present bears fruit, present participle bearing fruit, simple past bore fruit, past participle borne fruit)

bears fruit (present singular third-person)
bearing fruit (participle present)
bore fruit (past)
borne fruit (participle past)

Many people had looked but it was unusual to see these searches bearing fruit.

Although the trains are still far from becoming overcrowded, it is understood that the efforts to make the services more widely known have borne fruit.

1946 November and December, “Notes and News: Additional London-Dartford Services”, in Railway Magazine, page 386:

Maguire, outstanding once more, broke the deadlock on the half-hour when another England set-piece bore fruit - Leicester City's powerful defender flashing a header past Sweden keeper Robin Olsen from Ashley Young's corner.

2018 July 7, Phil McNulty, “Sweden 0-2 England”, in BBC Sport:

(idiomatic, of an effort, endeavour, etc.) To produce good results; to yield benefits; to succeed.


add fuel to fire

add fuel to fire (third-person singular simple present adds fuel to fire, present participle adding fuel to fire, simple past and past participle added fuel to fire)

adds fuel to fire (present singular third-person)
adding fuel to fire (participle present)
added fuel to fire (participle past)
added fuel to fire (past)

Depend upon it, there is always a cause for want of appetite; […] inflammation may be in the system, food would then be improper, as it would only add fuel to fire: therefore, let the cause be an over-worked stomach, overloaded bowels, fever, or inflammation, food will be injurious.

1859, Pye Henry Chavasse, Advice to a Mother on the Management of Her Offspring, 6th edition, London: John Churchill, New Burlington Street, page 97:

We have no wish to add fuel to fire, and perhaps the whole circumstance of Pastorelle cutting such a very different figure to what she did on the first day was purely accidental.

1867 October, “‘Our Van.’ The Invoice.—September Scrapings.”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume XIV, number 92, London: A. H. Baily & Co., Cornhill, page 50:

add fuel to the fire
add fuel to the fire#English

Alternative form of add fuel to the fire.


turn heads

turn heads (third-person singular simple present turns heads, present participle turning heads, simple past and past participle turned heads)

turns heads (present singular third-person)
turning heads (participle present)
turned heads (participle past)
turned heads (past)

(idiomatic) To garner a considerable amount of attention.


cheese it

Unknown, but lexicographer Eric Partridge speculated that it may be a corruption of cease. Originally thieves' cant.
In his Vocabulary of the Flash Language, author and former convict James Hardy Vaux (1782-?) defined cheese it as synonymous with stash it and stow it, all meaning to desist or leave off.

Cheese it, the coves are fly; be silent, the people understand our discourse.

1811, Francis Grose, Hewson Clarke, Lexicon Balatronicum:

[…] he holds earnest parley with some members of the upper gallery who are beguiling the time by pelting us with nut-shells, and broken pipes. Two or three 'hallos!' and 'now thens!' accompanied by a strong recommendation to 'cheese it' (i. e., act of cessation), cause these trifling annoyances to cease.

1859, George Augustus Henry Sala, “Strollers at Dumbledowndeary”, in Gaslight and Daylight, page 328:

The defence of Mr. Conover was so prompt and admirable that the conflict was protracted until the onlookers unselfishly gave the warning cry of "Cheese it—the cop!" The principals escaped easily by running through the nearest open doors into the communicating backyards at the rear of the houses.

1908, O. Henry, The Voice of the City, page 154:

Knowing that Bobbie would be on sentry-go made all the difference. Any gangster will tell you that the strain and anxiety of busting a safe are greatly diminished if you've a look-out man ready at any moment to say “Cheese it, the cops!”

1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:

(slang, dated, British) An imperative used as a warning to stop, hide, or flee


lose the number of one's mess

lose the number of one's mess (third-person singular simple present loses the number of one's mess, present participle losing the number of one's mess, simple past and past participle lost the number of one's mess)

loses the number of one's mess (present singular third-person)
losing the number of one's mess (participle present)
lost the number of one's mess (participle past)
lost the number of one's mess (past)

"What do you think we come to sea for? If we can take a man-of-war of our own size she's worth half a dozen merchant craft, though, to be sure, some of us may lose the number of our mess; but we all know that, and make no count of it."

1870, W.H.G. Kingston, From Powder Monkey to Admiral:

Shore folk think sailors are heartless, and that when a poor chap is lost overboard, they only say that "So-and-so has lost the number of his mess!" and, after having an auction over his kit in the fo'c's'le, then dismiss him from their memory!

"And then before the mast, there was poor John Proby, who lost the number of his mess two days out of Callao."

1993, Patrick O'Brian, The wine-dark sea:

(nautical, idiomatic) To die, to perish.


cross the Rubicon

cross the Rubicon (third-person singular simple present crosses the Rubicon, present participle crossing the Rubicon, simple past and past participle crossed the Rubicon)

crosses the Rubicon (present singular third-person)
crossing the Rubicon (participle present)
crossed the Rubicon (participle past)
crossed the Rubicon (past)

Refers to Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon to wage civil war with Rome, on January 10, 49 BCE, in violation of law. Suetonius' use of the phrase the die is cast in describing this act popularised the use of that phrase, which was first attributed to the Greek dramatist Menander.

He knew that by coming out to his family he would be crossing the Rubicon, but he could not live a lie anymore.

Britain will cross a “legal and ethical Rubicon” if parliament votes to permit terminally ill patients to end their lives, said the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as leaders of all the UK’s major faith groups call on MPs to reject plans to allow assisted suicide.

2015 September 5, Toby Helm, quoting Justin Welby, “Welby urges MPs: reject right-to-die bill that ‘crosses the Rubicon’”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

Having crossed the Rubicon, we can't go back. The impact of this transition is underlined by the fact that, despite our long evolutionary history as foragers, we generally can't survive by hunting and gathering when we have been stripped of that relevant culturally acquired know-how.

2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 17, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN:

Will China cross the Rubicon by sending its military to Hong Kong?[…]
As the world contemplates whether Beijing will cross the Rubicon and use military force to quell protests in Hong Kong, one question naturally comes to mind: Would the existing garrison be used, or would tanks and soldiers, recently seen moving toward the border in nearby Shenzhen, come across from the mainland? Would they conceivably act as a combined force?

2019 August 16, Bonnie Girard, “Battle-Ready: The PLA’s Hong Kong Garrison”, in The Diplomat, archived from the original on 2019-08-16:

With the invasion of Ukraine the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has thrown himself into the unthinkable. He has crossed the Rubicon into a time of war. He has no way back.

2022 March 9, Luuk van Middelaar, “History is brutally back, and Ukraine will test Europe’s appetite for the consequences”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

When the inevitable moment arrives to cross the romantic Rubicon in “Ticket to Paradise,” the machinery of the screenplay and the far-fetched nature of the moment don’t matter — they can just look at each other and sell it.

2022 October 21, Jason Bailey, “How George Clooney and Julia Roberts Quietly Became the Tracy-Hepburn of Our Time”, in The New York Times:

(idiomatic) To make an irreversible decision or to take an action with consequences.


beat someone's brains out

beat<,,beat,beaten> someone's brains out

beat someone's brains out (third-person singular simple present beats someone's brains out, present participle beating someone's brains out, simple past beat someone's brains out, past participle beaten someone's brains out or beat someone's brains out)

beats someone's brains out (present singular third-person)
beating someone's brains out (participle present)
beat someone's brains out (past)
beaten someone's brains out (participle past)
beat someone's brains out (participle past)

(idiomatic) To beat someone very severely.


turn the tables

turn (the) tables (third-person singular simple present turns the tables, present participle turning the tables, simple past and past participle turned the tables)

turn tables (canonical)
turns the tables (present singular third-person)
turning the tables (participle present)
turned the tables (participle past)
turned the tables (past)

Well, the tables are turned—the times are changed. A peaceful and unoffending man might have expected from a neighbour, now powerful in his turn, such protection when walking in the paths of the law, as all men, subjects of the realm, have a right to expect even from perfect strangers.

1822, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 21:

"The tables are turned, my red friend!" said the hunter, coolly. "It's your life, not mine, this time!"

1884, Horatio Alger, chapter 30, in Do and Dare:

Since its conception, the European Union has been a haven for those seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty in other parts of the world. But as the EU faces what Angela Merkel has called its toughest hour since the second world war, the tables appear to be turning.

2011 December 21, Helen Pidd, “Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis”, in the Guardian:

The execution of Littlefinger is formal, although his trial admittedly gives us ample opportunity to appreciate the tables finally turning on the man who got the ball rolling on all this bloodshed.

2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:

(idiomatic) To reverse a situation, so that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.


tell the difference

tell the difference (third-person singular simple present tells the difference, present participle telling the difference, simple past and past participle told the difference)

tells the difference (present singular third-person)
telling the difference (participle present)
told the difference (participle past)
told the difference (past)

Can you tell the difference between margarine and butter?


drop trou

drop trou (third-person singular simple present drops trou, present participle dropping trou, simple past and past participle dropped trou)

drops trou (present singular third-person)
dropping trou (participle present)
dropped trou (participle past)
dropped trou (past)

(US, intransitive) To drop one's trousers and/or undershorts; to moon.


add fuel to the fire

add fuel to the fire (third-person singular simple present adds fuel to the fire, present participle adding fuel to the fire, simple past and past participle added fuel to the fire)

adds fuel to the fire (present singular third-person)
adding fuel to the fire (participle present)
added fuel to the fire (participle past)
added fuel to the fire (past)

Instead of apologizing to his girlfriend, he decided to add fuel to the fire.

But this had no effect, only to add fuel to the fire; so that, at last, both parties were so exasperated, that, had not the magistrates of Frankfort (who were now head of the English reformed church) interposed, they were on the point of coming to blows.

1839, Charles Dodd, edited by Mark Aloysius Tierney, Dodd's Church History of England, volume 2:

[…] and to admit women into active participation in politics will certainly be to increase disorder and add fuel to the fire of strife.

1891, The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art, volume 54:

(idiomatic) To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.

óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni

όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη

火に油を注ぐ (hi ni abura o sosogu) (direct translation of the English)

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see add, fuel, fire.


sell wolf tickets

sell wolf tickets (third-person singular simple present sells wolf tickets, present participle selling wolf tickets, simple past and past participle sold wolf tickets)

sells wolf tickets (present singular third-person)
selling wolf tickets (participle present)
sold wolf tickets (participle past)
sold wolf tickets (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sell wolf tickets.wav

From wolf ticket/woof ticket, from woofing (“idly boasting”), from woofing (“(emptily/harmlessly) barking like a dog”). Woof ticket/wolf ticket is attested since the 1960s.

It's plenty people selling wolf tickets, you know.

1974, Vernon E. Smith, The Jones Men, page 165, quoted in The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang (2008)

I stood there in silence listening to Ollie build himself up by selling wolf tickets about what he planned to do to me.

2007, Stanley Tookie Williams, Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir, page 59:

The two of them played about four hands of spades, each of which was close but as usual, Yvonne won. Of course, she had to sell wolf tickets after the win. "The next time you come over Mchael, I'll let you win." "Let me win?" he asked incredulously.

2009, Crystal Y. Dixon, Destiny's Time, →ISBN, page 43:

A lot of selling of wolf tickets but never any blood. I wish they would kill one of themselves so there would be some peace around here.

2010, Theodore Dallas Ashford, A Lone Pine Traveler, →ISBN, page 145:

Dock has never fired a gun at anyone. He may possibly have sold a reporter a handful of wolf tickets.

2010, Donald Hall, Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball, →ISBN, page 164:

2013, NICK DIAZ, UFC"You (St. Pierre) told the fans that I deserve to get beat down, that I chased you around. I got the fight, right? I'm working towards something, everybody knows that. Sorry I had to [say you were scared] to get the fight. They're selling you (fans and media) all wolf tickets people, you're eating them right up. Georges here is selling wolf tickets. Dana here is selling wolf tickets. The UFC is selling wolf tickets. You guys are eating them right up."

(African-American Vernacular) To make threats or boasts, especially if empty and/or if made to intimidate someone.


yuk it up

yuk it up (third-person singular simple present yuks it up, present participle yukking it up, simple past and past participle yukked it up)

yuks it up (present singular third-person)
yukking it up (participle present)
yukked it up (participle past)
yukked it up (past)

(US) To clown around: to behave clownishly; to joke idly.


eat like a pig

eat like a pig (third-person singular simple present eats like a pig, present participle eating like a pig, simple past ate like a pig, past participle eaten like a pig)

eats like a pig (present singular third-person)
eating like a pig (participle present)
ate like a pig (past)
eaten like a pig (participle past)

Coordinate term: eat like a horse

(colloquial, simile) To chew noisily, with one's mouth open, especially while consuming large quantities greedily.


work to rule

work to rule (third-person singular simple present works to rule, present participle working to rule, simple past and past participle worked to rule)

works to rule (present singular third-person)
working to rule (participle present)
worked to rule (participle past)
worked to rule (past)

(idiomatic) To work slowly by strictly following all work rules, usually in a work-to-rule job action, as part of unionized labor protest.


assume the position

assume the position (third-person singular simple present assumes the position, present participle assuming the position, simple past and past participle assumed the position)

assumes the position (present singular third-person)
assuming the position (participle present)
assumed the position (participle past)
assumed the position (past)

Now in this case, if the suspended bar were acted upon solely by the north pole of the magnet, it would assume the position AB

1842, Daniel Davis et al., Davis's Manual of Magnetism:

President Clinton's nominee to assume the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior […]

1998, Nomination of Kevin Gover: Hearing Before the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate:

Often used other than figuratively or idiomatically: to assume a given position.

A day or two later we took down another seller and this time the rookie performs the search. Assume the position! he tells the guy. So the guy leans against the side of the car.

2002, James Harper Walker, Inside Your Local Police:

(idiomatic, US, law enforcement) To turn away, with one's hands in a visible and unmovable position, so that one can be searched.

(idiomatic, UK, punishment) Often used as an order to bend over, for example, to receive the traditional corporal punishment in a case of misbehaviour.


bury the hatchet

bury the hatchet (third-person singular simple present buries the hatchet, present participle burying the hatchet, simple past and past participle buried the hatchet)

buries the hatchet (present singular third-person)
burying the hatchet (participle present)
buried the hatchet (participle past)
buried the hatchet (past)

The phrase is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by Native Americans in the Eastern United States, specifically during the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy, and in Iroquois custom in general. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.

They need to calm down and bury the hatchet before someone gets hurt.

(US, idiomatic) To cease fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.

tengamos la fiesta en paz (set phrase; usu. admonitory)


feel the burn

feel the burn (third-person singular simple present feels the burn, present participle feeling the burn, simple past and past participle felt the burn)

feels the burn (present singular third-person)
feeling the burn (participle present)
felt the burn (participle past)
felt the burn (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-feel the burn.wav

The phrase was popularized by actress Jane Fonda in her highly successful 1980s aerobic exercise videotapes.

“Feel the burn!” Norm says, as Peoria lies over on a reverse lateral pulley system, ass up high, knees jerking back with the weight of fifty-five pounds.

2014, Michael Hastings, The Last Magazine, Penguin, →ISBN:

(sports) To feel the burning sensation arising in a muscle being intensely exercised; often used as an exhortation to extend oneself in physical exercise.

(sex) To feel the vaginal or anal pleasure or burn felt during sexual intercourse.


face the music

face the music (third-person singular simple present faces the music, present participle facing the music, simple past and past participle faced the music)

faces the music (present singular third-person)
facing the music (participle present)
faced the music (participle past)
faced the music (past)

Origin uncertain; possible sources which have been suggested include the following:
* A performer on a stage facing the music from the orchestra pit when confronting a possibly hostile audience.
* The historical act of a soldier who was dishonourably discharged from military service being paraded in front of other soldiers to the sound of a drum or music.
* A soldier facing the noise of battle (music being military slang for the sound of gunfire or other ordnance).

Hudson personally would not face the music at that meeting and the business could hardly proceed for groans and hisses and cries of "Hudson! Hudson! Why is Hudson not here?" and so the ungrateful shareholders to whom Hudson had generously paid dividends out of their own capital cast out Hudson bag and baggage, including therein the agreement with the Newmarket Railway.

1941 December, Kenneth Brown, “The Newmarket & Chesterford Railway—II”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 533:

Trevor Philips (Steven Ogg): Time to face the music!

2013, Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V, scene: Exiting a robbed bank surrounded by police with minigun and ballistic suit, level/area: The Paleto Score:

(idiomatic) To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.

eneby an sewyansow

to accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions

受け止める (うけとめる, uketomeru, literally “to catch and stop”)

nawarzyłeś piwa, to musisz je teraz wypić


send to Coventry

send to Coventry (third-person singular simple present sends to Coventry, present participle sending to Coventry, simple past and past participle sent to Coventry)

sends to Coventry (present singular third-person)
sending to Coventry (participle present)
sent to Coventry (participle past)
sent to Coventry (past)

Some believe that the phrase dates from the English Civil War, when a military prison was located in that city. Others say it dates from the 18th century, when Coventry was the nearest town to London that lay outside the jurisdiction of the Bow Street Runners and so London criminals would flee to Coventry to escape arrest.

The group decided to send the unpopular members to Coventry.

"For the statement, in the form in which I offered it, Mr. President, I have no retraction or apology to offer, and only such explanation as I have lately given." "Coventry! Coventry!" came the insistent call. "Well, then, you can send me to Coventry, you friends of Darrin, if you feel yourselves justified in doing it!" quivered Midshipman Jetson, tossing his head and glaring defiantly around the room.

2006, H. Irving Hancock, Dave Darrin's Third Year at Annapolis, →ISBN, page 159:

(transitive, idiomatic) To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone.

Bow Street Runners
Coventry
English Civil War
London
send to Coventry


throw shapes

throw shapes (third-person singular simple present throws shapes, present participle throwing shapes, simple past threw shapes, past participle thrown shapes)

throws shapes (present singular third-person)
throwing shapes (participle present)
threw shapes (past)
thrown shapes (participle past)

(Ireland, idiomatic, slang) To act tough or put up a front. For example, to threaten a person by making "karate chops" at them, without actually doing harm or knowing karate.


count angels on pinheads

count angels on pinheads (third-person singular simple present counts angels on pinheads, present participle counting angels on pinheads, simple past and past participle counted angels on pinheads)

counts angels on pinheads (present singular third-person)
counting angels on pinheads (participle present)
counted angels on pinheads (participle past)
counted angels on pinheads (past)

…secondly, because it is thought to be wholly destructive, and “something has to be taught” — which is the equivalent of teaching people to count angels on pinheads when you no longer believe in the heavenly host and, thirdly, because it has seemed to be socialist in tone, direction and intention.

1962, Flinders University of South Australia & the University of Adelaide Deptartment of Economics, Australian Economic Papers, page 12:

It adds to the trend that law schools and law journals are no longer content to count angels on pinheads.

Date unknown: United States Congress House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Hearings, p1315

It is not concerned with theological disputation; he does not count angels on pinheads.

1995, Henry David Thoreau, Walter Roy Harding, Walden: an annotated edition, page 1:

In requesting that a closer look be given to hypothetical thinking and its role in the solving of problems, I do not suggest that counting angels on pinheads is a fruitful educational exercise. Thinking about the actual is one aspect of analytical thinking.

1951, The John Dewey Society, the Philosophy of Education Society (U.S.), and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign College of Education, Educational Theory, p185

Connectedness is a requirement for higher education if our academic work is not to be merely the technological equivalent of counting angels on pinheads.

1999, Carol J. Dempsey, Russell A. Butkus, All Creation is Groaning: An Interdisciplinary Vision for Life in a Sacred Universe, page VIII:

Such assertions are motivated by the desire to leave the independent-particle model in place as the central paradigm in nuclear theory, but they inadvertently push theoretical nuclear physics in the direction of counting angels on pinheads: “Sure they’re there! It’s just that there aren’t any observable implications of their celestial presence!”

2006, Norman D. Cook, Models of the Atomic Nucleus: With Interactive Software, page 118:

To focus on getting correct details which are largely irrelevant.

discutir sobre el sexe dels àngels

to spend time on fruitless intellectual matters

laskea neulan kärjellä tanssivia enkeleitä


take a seat

take a seat (third-person singular simple present takes a seat, present participle taking a seat, simple past took a seat, past participle taken a seat)

takes a seat (present singular third-person)
taking a seat (participle present)
took a seat (past)
taken a seat (participle past)

My fellow Americans, please, if you have a seat, take it.

2022 September 1, Joe Biden, “REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BIDEN ON THE CONTINUED BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF THE NATION”, in White House, archived from the original on 2022-09-02:


bump uglies

bump uglies (third-person singular simple present bumps uglies, present participle bumping uglies, simple past and past participle bumped uglies)

bumps uglies (present singular third-person)
bumping uglies (participle present)
bumped uglies (participle past)
bumped uglies (past)

I have a right to live off of you because I married you, and because I used to let you get on top of me and bump your uglies

1961, Edward Albee, The American Dream: a play, New York: Coward, McGann and Geoghegan, page 23:

[T]he lead singer found his girlfriend bumping uglies in the dark with the roadie. But then said singer was with a blonde floozie himself—see what being on an L.A. trash-band bill can do to ya?

1984 September 27, Serena, “L.A. Dee Da: On The Streets”, in L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles, page 46:

Mongo never asked anybody their sexual identity unless he was hooking for a quick fuck. He'd say, "Hey Baby, do you like men? Let's oil up and bump uglies."

1997, Peter J. Crisanto-Croox, Trukness: Based on the Real Life Adventures and Times of One of the Many Gregory John Nolascos, page 113:

Some teenagers probably just broke in here to drink beer and bump uglies.

2013, Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues, 9:52, in Evil Dead:

The gonzo slang may grate after a while, but it has the compelling benefit of ringing true. This Tinder date, for instance: ‘Although we never bumped uglies, we bonded over our love of doggo memes and cocaine.’ It’s not pretty, but it works.

2019 September 5, Oliver Balch, quoting Niko Vorobyov, “It takes a former drug dealer to explain the global narcotics scene”, in The Spectator:

(vulgar, slang) To perform sexual intercourse.


take time

take time (third-person singular simple present takes time, present participle taking time, simple past took time, past participle taken time)

takes time (present singular third-person)
taking time (participle present)
took time (past)
taken time (participle past)

Learning a foreign language takes time.

It takes time to get used to having a step-parent.

After World War II it took time to clear up the arrears of track maintenance on both lines and it was not until 1953 that the L.M.R. restored any two-hour schedules, the W.R. following suit a year later.

1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98:

To require a comparatively long period of time.

take a long time

He took time to help us with his son with his homework.

He took time for his son.

To volunteer to spend one's time (for a purpose or beneficiary).

prendre le temps (de faire quelque chose)

prendre de son temps (pour faire quelque chose)


set the cat among the pigeons

set the cat among the pigeons (third-person singular simple present sets the cat among the pigeons, present participle setting the cat among the pigeons, simple past and past participle set the cat among the pigeons)

sets the cat among the pigeons (present singular third-person)
setting the cat among the pigeons (participle present)
set the cat among the pigeons (participle past)
set the cat among the pigeons (past)

put the cat among the pigeons
put the cat among the pigeons#English

Alternative form of put the cat among the pigeons


waste time

waste time (third-person singular simple present wastes time, present participle wasting time, simple past and past participle wasted time)

wastes time (present singular third-person)
wasting time (participle present)
wasted time (participle past)
wasted time (past)

I'm gonna stop wastin' my time / Somebody else would have broken both of her arms

1973, “Sad Song”, in Berlin, performed by Lou Reed:

Don't waste your time or time will waste you.

2006, Matt Bellamy (lyrics and music), “Knights of Cydonia”, in Black Holes and Revelations, performed by Muse:

To allow time to elapse in an unproductive manner.


go to the mat

go to the mat (third-person singular simple present goes to the mat, present participle going to the mat, simple past went to the mat, past participle gone to the mat)

goes to the mat (present singular third-person)
going to the mat (participle present)
went to the mat (past)
gone to the mat (participle past)

He was ready to go to the mat to keep the old color scheme.

(chiefly US, idiomatic) To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated.