no strings attached

/nəʊ ˌstɹɪŋz‿əˈtæt͡ʃt/

/noʊ ˌstɹɪŋz‿əˈtæt͡ʃt/

From strings (“(figurative) conditions, limitations, restrictions”), possibly from an old prank where a money purse with a hidden string would be placed on the ground, and pulled away when someone tried to pick it up.

For a friend I’ll help out for free, no strings attached.

In the present century marriage is preceded by a betrothment, gifts are usually interchanged (but with no strings attached), and a causeless withdrawal therefrom by either party is considered infamous.

1883 March 24, “Current Topics. Marriage.”, in W. T. Baggett, editor, Pacific Coast Law Journal, […], volume XI, number 5, San Francisco, Calif.: Pacific Coast Law Printing and Publishing Co., […], →OCLC, pages 90–91:

Mr. [James Gillespie] Blaine's declination—it is always understood that we assume there is no string attached to his letter—is undoubtedly a wise move on his part.

1892 February 17, “Cartoons and Comments”, in H[enry] C[uyler] Bunner, editor, Puck, volume XXX, number 780, New York, N.Y.: Keppler & Schwarzmann, →OCLC, page 430, column 2:

Listen. We've kept it quiet, but she's in with the elect on French Hill. Her claim's prospected the richest of the outfit. Present indication half a million at least. In her own name, no strings attached. Couldn't she take that and go anywhere in the world and reinstate herself?

1902 October, Jack London, chapter XXI, in A Daughter of the Snows, Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC, page 224:

"No," I assured him, after receiving his cordial welcome, "my offer had no string attached. I'm more than ready to help in any way I can, to find a niche for you in this old town and fit you into it. It doesn't matter where you hail from, or how you got here; New York is an all-comers' race, and the devil take the hindmost."

1919, Carolyn Wells, “Case Rivers”, in The Man Who Fell through the Earth, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC, page 170:

Would he ask her out (if he ever did) just for herself, no strings attached?

1953 (date written), Sylvia Plath, “Initiation”, in Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: And Other Prose Writings, London: Faber and Faber, published 1977, →ISBN, page 151:

As to the $12 billion State share, there is not even the pretense of an attempt at congressional oversight, Federal control, or standards of performance. The State share is totally no-string attached.

1972 July 27, Andrew J[ohn] Biemiller, witness, “Statement of Andrew J. Biemiller, Director, Department of Legislation, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Accompanied by Nathaniel Goldfinger, Director, Research Department, and Arnold Cantor, Economist, Research Department”, in Revenue Sharing: Hearings before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninety-second Congress, Second Session on H.R. 14370 to Provide Payments to Localities for High-priority Expenditures, to Encourage the States to Supplement Their Revenue Sources, and to Authorize Federal Collection of State Individual Income Taxes […], Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 452:

'I asked him to think again. I asked him to put Drago's interests first. I repeated that there were no strings attached to my offer.' / 'No visible strings, you mean.'

2005, J[ohn] M[axwell] Coetzee, chapter 20, in Slow Man, London: Vintage, →ISBN, page 151:

You say that you want / All of my love / But let's be honest, we don't need all that / I like it better with no strings attached

2013, Tim Myers, Melissa Sheppard (lyrics and music), “Bad Things”, in Dear You, performed by Meiko, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Calif.: Fantasy Records, published 2014, →OCLC:

He also criticised what he called the Government's "bailout" of the privatised rail companies with no strings attached, stating: "There is simply no reason why the same easy solution could not have been applied to London,[…]."

2020 November 18, Richard Clinnick, “Network News: Emergency Funding Package of up to £1.8bn Agreed for TfL”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15:

When government delivers handouts with no string attached, more people naturally want to use and abuse them, which eventually ruins economy and drains a country's wealth. Essentially the welfare state destroys the ethic which sustains this very state.

2021, Andrei Znamenski, “Regime of Goodness: Social Democracy and the Swedish Model, 1920s–1990s”, in Socialism as a Secular Creed: A Modern Global History, Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 205:

(idiomatic, originally US, informal) Without conditions or obligations; without a catch.

без за́дней мы́сли (bez zádnej mýsli, literally “without an ulterior motive”)


TMTOWTDI

So, pollute your namespace with almost two dozen subroutines that you may not even use that often, or risk a silly bug by mistyping an attribute. Your choice, TMTOWTDI after all.

1997, Larry Wall, Perl Resource Kit, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 586:

Acronym of there's more than one way to do it: a motto associated with the Perl programming language.


all the way to Egery and back

(British, idiomatic) The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.


ちゅう

chū (romanization)
tifu (romanization)
ちふ (hiragana historical)

⟨to₂ ipu⟩ → */tipu/ → /t͡sifu/ → /t͡ɕɨu/ → /t͡ɕuː/
Shift from Old Japanese と言ふ (to ipu → to iu). Compare てふ (tepu) → ちょう (chō).

佐左浪乃連庫山尓雲居者雨會零智否反来吾背

Sasanami no Namikura-yama ni kumo ireba ame zo furu chū kaeri ko waga se


beats me

Do you have any idea what "tergiversate" means? Beats me!

Beats me how he finds out when we're goofing off.

"Flowering shrubs don't thrive in the subterranean caverns from which geysers spring," suggested Bradley. Olson shook his head. "It beats me," he said.

1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IV, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:

(idiomatic, as response or with indirect question) I don't know; I have no idea.


any way one slices it

Perhaps a reference to a food item such as a cake or a sausage looking the same on the inside no matter how it is sliced.

Any way you slice it, we have to get out of here and we have to take him with us.

Back inside I thought it all over carefully, weighing my options. Not good, any way you sliced it.

1998, Bill Pronzini, Boobytrap, Speaking Volumes, →ISBN:

Any way one slices it, his dissection of human disease is not a pretty sight.

2013, William F. Zak, A Mirror for Lovers: Shake-speare's Sonnets as Curious Perspective, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 74:

Any way I slice it, that's going to take some time. Just flying there and back is going to eat up days.

2018, Derek Haas, The Way I Die: A Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

(chiefly US, informal) From any perspective; in every case.

как ни крути́ (kak ni krutí, literally “however you turn it”)

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney


a little bird told me

The etymology is unknown; in English sources, references to birds passing along information to people date back to at least the 16th century (see the 1546 quotation), and in other languages even earlier. For example, Ecclesiastes 10:20 in the Bible, the original Hebrew version of which is dated to 450–180 B.C.E., states according to the King James Version (spelling modernized): “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.”

Let’s just say I know because a little bird told me.

[…] I did lately heere, / How fleck and his make use their secret haunting, / By one byrd, that in myne eare was late chaunting.

[1546, John Heywood, chapter V, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 121:

I vvil lay ods, that ere this yeere expire, / VVe beare our ciuil ſvvords and natiue fier, / As farre as France, I heard a bird ſo ſing,[…]

[c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v], signature L, recto:

VVell, vvell; I had a little bird told me all this—

1780, [Sophia] Lee, The Chapter of Accidents: A Comedy, […], London: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene [ii], page 45:

'Yes,' replies she, 'and what do you care about them?' / 'It's very much I care,' replied I, 'for a little bird has whispered a secret to me.'

[1833, [Frederick Marryat], chapter I, in Peter Simple. […], volume III, London: Saunders and Otley, […], published 1834, →OCLC, page 6:

‘Is Harry Fortescue in love with Florry Carlton?’ asked Lady Charity. ‘A little bird told me he was as good as engaged to her.’

1872 July, [George Webbe Dasent], “Three to One: Or Some Passages out of the Life of Amicia Lady Sweetapple. Chapter XLVIII. Lady Sweetapple Sees Lady Charity, and Hears Something of Edith Price.”, in M[ary] E[lizabeth] Braddon, editor, Belgravia: A London Magazine, volume VIII (Second Series; volume XVIII overall), London: Robson and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 104:

"Sorry to disturb you," said the Major, "but you're to be transferred to another prison—why, you aren't undressed!" / "No," said Manfred, lazily kicking off the cover, "but I thought the transfer would be earlier." / "How did you know?" / "About the transfer—oh, a little bird told me," said the prisoner, stretching himself.

1908, Edgar Wallace, “Chelmsford”, in The Four Just Men, Boston, Mass.: Small, Maynard & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, part II (The Council of Justice), page 287:

A little bird told me you were likely to be soon engaged—and to an earl's nephew […]

2012, Anna Elliott, “Saturday 21 May 1814”, in Georgiana Darcy’s Diary: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Continued, [U.S.A.]: Wilton Press, →ISBN, page 136:

(idiomatic, chiefly humorous) I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.

عُصْفُور صَغِير أَخْبَرَنِي

ჩიტმა ამბავი მომიტანა (čiṭma ambavi momiṭana, literally “a little bird brought me the story”)

слу́хом земля́ по́лнится (slúxom zemljá pólnitsja, literally “the rumour fills the earth”)

соро́ка на хвосте́ принесла́ (soróka na xvosté prineslá, literally “a magpie brought it on its tail”)


all foam, no beer

It looks good and sounds good, but it's not a true quality control program. It is all foam, no beer.

2004, Marc A. Bringman, Swapping Lies!: Deception in the Workplace, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN:

But rhetoric was all we got-turn on Clinton's spigot, and he's all foam, no beer. His boldest “action” was to appoint a study commission.

2010 November 2, Jim Hightower, If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates: More Political Subversion from Jim Hightower (Revised Edition), Harper Collins, →ISBN:

Wilfred shrugged. “I think we came to an understanding.” “I doubt it,” she shook her head. “He'll be calling the mayor next.” “I wouldn't worry about Barrand. He's all foam, no beer. He'll call, make a fuss, then fix the window and forget about it.

2016 October 4, Steve Vernon, Resurrection: Book Two of the Tatterdemon Trilogy, Stark Raven Press, page 73:

all hat and no cattle
all hat and no cattle#English

Remember, I'm a mentally challenged college drop-out, a few beers short of a six-pack. All foam - no beer. I dropped out of GA Tech in my sophomore year.

2007, William S. Gilmer, Investing in Stocks, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 336:

not the sharpest tool in the shed#English

Synonym of not the sharpest tool in the shed


suum cuique

[ˈs̠uʊŋˈkʊi̯kʷɛ]

suum cuique tribuere

Suum cuique pulchrum est.

c. 45 BCE, Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 5.63

To each [individual], his own is beautiful.

(idiomatic) to each according to its own merits; to each his own


yours truly

Recorded in the late 1700s as a closing in a letter. Since the mid-1800s for "I", "me", or "myself".

Please write back soon! Yours truly, Alice.

(idiomatic) Used to close a note or letter.


hold one's fire

Do not discharge a weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder; now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.

Hold your fire and let me explain.

(colloquial, idiomatic) Wait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet.


γειά στα χέρια σου

head

γειά στα χέρια σου • (geiá sta chéria sou)

literally, "bless your hands"; a toast or congratulation on good work, especially good cooking


AYBABTU

all your base are belong to us
all your base are belong to us#English

(Internet slang) Initialism of all your base are belong to us.


GIGO

garbage in, garbage out
garbage in, garbage out#English

(computing, acronym) Acronym of garbage in, garbage out (“the integrity of the output is dependent on the integrity of the input”).


tá grá agam ort

/t̪ˠɑː ˈɡɾˠɑː ɡʊmˠ ɔɾˠt̪ˠ/

/t̪ˠɑː ˈɡɾˠɑː a(ɡə)mˠ ɔɾˠt̪ˠ/

/t̪ˠæː ˈɡɾˠæː aɡəm ɔɾˠt̪ˠ/

/t̪ˠæː ˈɡɾˠæː ɛjəmˠ ɔɾˠt̪ˠ/

I love you (used with loved ones of all types - family, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, etc.)

is tú mo shearc

you are my lover; used only with a romantic partner

is tú mo rún

you are my secret; used only with a romantic partner

is tú mo chuid

you are part of me; used with romantic partners as well as from parents to children


out on a limb

In reference to the risks of climbing out on the branch or limb of a tree.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:out on a limb.

Sitting on the dockside at Oban, watching the to-ing and fro-ing in the harbour on a perfect summer's eve, I reflect on a trip which has taken me through our busiest cities to traverse the country's main lines, as well as explore some of the furthest extremities that were literally out on a limb.

2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 79:

(figurative, idiomatic, often with the verb go) In a risky, precarious, daring, or uncompromising position, especially one outside of the mainstream; vulnerable.

use ottaa riski (literally “take a risk”)


the penny drops

The penny dropped as Fred realised he had been conned.

Suddenly various pennies began to drop; now I understood obscure remarks that had been made in my presence by the Ryans, or by the nuns at school, or by Old Brigid or Tommy's foster-mother.

1979, Dervla Murphy, Wheels Within Wheels, page 56:

AMY: In the time I've known you, when have you shown the slightest interest in a girl?
MELS: Penny in the air!
AMY: I've known you for, what, 10 years? I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to? (RORY is flustered, runs from the room.)
AMY: Oh my God! Rory! (AMY runs after RORY.)
MELS: And the penny drops!

2011 August 27 (broadcast date), Doctor Who, series 6, episode 8, Let's Kill Hitler

(UK, informal) Understanding is reached; one comprehends.

der faldt tiøren

understanding is reached, one comprehends

נפל לו האסימון (nafál lo ha'asimón, literally “the token has dropped for him”)

ירד לו האסימון (yarád lo ha'asimón, literally “the token has descended for him”)

دو هزازش جا افتاد meaning "his(/her) two thousand dropped"

дошло́ (došló, literally “[It] reached [him/her]”)


it's all Greek to me

/ɪts ˌɔːl ˈɡɹiːk tə ˌmiː/

First quoted as “it was Greek to me” in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, maybe translated from a Medieval Latin sentence.

I tried reading the instructions, but it’s all Greek to me.

But thoſe that vnderſtood him, ſmil'd at one another, and ſhooke their heads: but for mine owne part, it was Greeke to me.

1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 112, column 1:

During the processions they trilled and quavered most melodiously betwixt their teeth I do not know what antiphones, or chantings, by turns. For my part, ’twas all Hebrew-Greek to me, the devil a word I could pick out on’t;

[1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart] and [Peter Anthony Motteux], The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC; republished in volume II, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC, book the fifth:

"Well," said Alfred, "it may be a letter, but I confess it is all Greek to me. I certainly do not see why you wish to keep it a secret. Tell me."

1844, [Frederick] Marryat, chapter XI, in The Settlers in Canada. […], volume II, London: Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, […], →OCLC, pages 181–182:

I ran after him, and received an order to go aloft and “slush down the main-top mast.” This was all Greek to me, and after receiving the order, I stood staring about me, wondering what it was that was to be done.

1849, Herman Melville, “He is Initiated in the Business of Cleaning Out the Pig-pen, and Slushing Down the Top-mast”, in Redburn: His First Voyage. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 45:

“Look here, Mr. Count,” he said; “I am only a rough Englishman, and a lot of what you have been saying about mission and that sort of thing is just so much Greek to me.”

1904, George M. Fenn, The Ocean Cat's Paw:

“It's more like some firm's paper. All this printed stuff at the top. Drachenflieger. Drachenballons. Ballonstoffe. Kugelballons. Greek to me.”

1907, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The War in the Air: […], London: George Bell and Sons, published 1908, →OCLC:

A Parsi lawyer was examining a witness and asking him question regarding credit and debit entries in account books. It was all Greek to me.

1929, M[ohandas] K[aramchand] Gandhi, chapter VIII, in Mahadev Haribhai Desai and Pyarelal Nair, transl., The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Translated from the Original in Gujarati, volume II, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Navajivan Press, →OCLC:

Cavanaugh explained the network-affiliate relationship, which of course was all Greek to me and remained so even after his explanation.

1965, Harry Ray Bannister, The Education of a Broadcaster, page 16:

[…]it was expected of me, or it was considered an honor, to lecture on seventeenth-century philosophy: Descartes (which was all Greek to me), Descartes to Spinoza.

2004, Jacob Taubes, The Political Theology of Paul, page 99:

(idiomatic) I don't understand any of it; it makes no sense.

Julius Caesar (play)
Shakespeare
it's all Greek to me

يَتَحَدَّثْ بِٱللُّغَة ٱلصِّينِيَّة (yataḥaddaṯ bi-l-luḡa(t) ṣ-ṣīniyya, literally “speaking in Chinese”)

դա ինձ համար չինարեն է (da inj hamar čʻinaren ē, literally “it's Chinese to me”)

դրանից բան չեմ հասկանում (dranicʻ ban čʻem haskanum, literally “I don't understand any of this”)

完全不懂 (wánquán bùdǒng, literally “not understand at all”)

火星文 (Huǒxīng wén, literally “Martian language”)

ჩინურია ჩემთვის (činuria čemtvis, literally “Chinese to me”)

είναι κινέζικα για μένα (eínai kinézika gia ména, literally “it's Chinese to me”)

δεν καταλαβαίνω γρι (den katalavaíno gri, literally “I don't even understand a bit”)

αυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα (aftá mou faínontai kinézika, literally “it seems Chinese to me”)

શું હું ફારસી બોલું છું (śũ hũ phārsī bolũ chũ, literally “am I speaking Persian?”)

זֶה סִינִית בִּשְׁבִילִי (ze sínit bishvilí, literally “it's Chinese to me”)

क्या मैं फ़ारसी बोल रहा हूँ (kyā ma͠i fārsī bol rahā hū̃, literally “am I speaking Persian?”)

陳奮翰だ (ちんぷんかんだ, chinpunkan da, literally “it's gibberish”)

珍紛漢紛だ (ちんぷんかんぷんだ, chinpunkanpun da, literally “it's gibberish”)

ខ្ញុំមិនយល់សោះ (khnhommĭnyôlsaŏh, literally “I don't understand”)

횡설수설이다 (hoengseolsuseorida, literally “it's gibberish”)

шпанско село (špansko selo, literally “Spanish village”)

ਕੀ ਮੈਂ ਫਾਰਸੀ ਬੋਲਦਾ ਪਿਆਂ (kī maĩ phārsī boldā piā̃, literally “am I speaking Persian?”)

китайская грамота (kitajskaja gramota, literally “Chinese writing”)

по-евре́йски (po-jevréjski, literally “in Jewish, in a Jewish way”)

เป็นสิ่งที่ฉันไม่เข้าใจ (bpen sìng têe chăn mâi kâo jai, literally “it's something I don't understand”)

ฉันไม่เข้าใจอะไรเลย (chǎn mâi kâo jai à rai ləəi, literally “I don't understand anything”)

Це для мене китайська грамота (Ce dlja mene kytajsʹka hramota, literally “That's Chinese writing to me”)


quoi

From Latin quid; ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis. Cognate to English what, which differs due to changing under Grimm’s law.


alg

(text messaging) Abbreviation of all good.


DILLIGAFF

give a flying fuck
give a flying fuck#English

(US, military slang) Acronym of does it look like I give a flying fuck?.


pmpm

(medicine) Initialism of per member per month.


ne plus ultra

[neː pɫ̪uːs̠ ˈʊɫ̪t̪räː]

Ellipsis of a subjunctive verb like prōgrediāris (“may you advance”); or reinterpreted as a negative result clause with ellipsis of fierī possit (“so that ... is impossible”).

Alternative form of nōn plūs ultrā (“A warning to not go beyond a certain point.”)


fuck you

desc

→ Mandarin: 法克魷／法克鱿 (fǎkèyóu, “fuck you”)

So you're not gonna help me?! Well, fuck you!

What made you decide to mistreat him? Fuck you, that's what...

And this was the time he heard Goldman say to Bennett, "Fuck you, you little bastard, we will get you later."

1936, Violations of free speech and assembly and interference with rights of labor: hearings before a subcommittee, Seventy-fourth Congress, page 21061:

If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world. It's impossible.

1951, J. D. Salinger, chapter 25, in The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC:

"Fuck you," said Czernobog. "Fuck you" and fuck your mother and fuck the fucking horse you fucking rode in on.

2001, Neil Gaiman, American Gods (American Gods #1):

(idiomatic, offensive, vulgar) Expression to show discontent with the other party, or to show contempt.

Fuck you—I’m not giving you any!

You’ve done enough to ruin our outing, so fuck you!

(idiomatic, offensive, dismissal, vulgar) Go away, go to hell!

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fuck, you.

くたばれ (kutabare, literally “waste away, starve to death”)

くそ食らえ (くそくらえ, kuso kurae, literally “eat shit”)

糞垂れ (くそったれ, kusottare, literally “dingleberry”)

کیرم دهنت (kiram dahanet, literally “my dick in your mouth”)

du-te-n morții mă-tii (go into your mom's dead relatives) du-te-n morții mă-tii (go into your mom's dead relatives) du-te-n morții și răniții mă-tii (go into your mom's dead and wounded relatives)


hoe laat is het

Hoe laat is het?


don't hold your breath

Suggesting that if one were to hold one's breath while waiting for the expected event, one would die before it happened

- The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren.
- Huh, don't hold your breath.

Don't hold your breath and don't jump to conclusions, but there is likely to be an announcement about the future of the railways in the next few weeks - [...].

2021 February 24, Christian Wolmar, “Franchising still exists - under tight Departmental control”, in RAIL, number 925, page 48:

(idiomatic, imperative) Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

держи́ карма́н ши́ре /lit: hold your pocket wider/

раскати́л губу́ /lit: you've unrolled your lip/


sub specie aeterni

(philosophy, literary) From the viewpoint of eternity.


pappa betalar

Mikael Mölstad, "Vaskning och traskning – och nu blir det maskning", in Svenska Dagbladet, July 25, 2011.

Because the pubs ended the champagne spraying, the pampered rich boys (lit. "dad-pays boys") determined that they should show off their wealth by letting the staff pour out an extra bottle of champagne into the sink.

Eftersom krogarna stoppade champagnesprutandet bestämde pappa-betalar-gossarna att de skulle visa sin rikedom genom att låta personalen slå ut en extra flaska champagne i vasken.


been there, done that

Ellipsis for "I have been there and have done that".

No, I don't wanna go paragliding. Been there, done that. I found it awful.

Huntsman feints at being the Snow White retelling no one has ever seen before, but ultimately becomes the “been there, done that” of fairy-tale filmmaking.

2012 May 31, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Review: Snow White And The Huntsman”, in The A.V. Club:

He looked down at my résumé. “Wow, you interned at The New Yorker. Did you apply there?” ¶ “Nope.” ¶ He looked up. ¶ I gave the line a tug. ¶ “I just felt like, ‘been there, done that,’ you know? Also, I dated a few guys in the office so it would've been awkward.”

2013, Iris Smyles, Iris Has Free Time, Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, →ISBN, page 7:

(idiomatic, ironic) An assertion that the speaker has personal experience or knowledge of a particular place or topic and is not too keen on revisiting or redoing it again.

曾經滄海難為水

been there, done that, bought the T-shirt


YGM

(Internet) Initialism of you've got mail: used to inform someone that an e-mail message has been sent to them.


NIMBY

Was used in a 1980 article by British writer Emilie Travel Livezey; popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment.
Prior to that, Joseph A. Lieberman, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, gave a keynote address in early 1979 at the Fort Magruder Conference Center in which he reportedly asserted that "the 'nimby' (not in my backyard) syndrome must be eliminated." As reported in the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Tuesday, February 13th, 1979, "Radioactive Waste: National Regulations Needed." Source: WorldHistories.net.

(chiefly US, UK) Alternative letter-case form of nimby


no faltaba más

(idiomatic) don't mention it; you're welcome


how-d'ye-do

“How-d’ye-do, Jewel, how-d’ye-do?” asked the visitor, with that graceful freedom which distinguishes the truly well-bred.

1836 June, Douglas William Jerrold, “Job Pippins, the Man Who ‘Couldn’t Help It’: Chap. IX”, in Blackwood’s Magazine, volume 39, number 248, page 746:

Taking him by the hand in his usual familiar manner, Mr. H. said, ‘How-d’ye-do? How-d’ye-do?[…]’

1854, John Neal, One Word More: Intended for the Reasoning and Thoughtful Among Unbelievers, page 178:

[…] but still, you know, you could recall yourself to my memory, and we could shake hands, say ‘How-d’ye-do?’ and think of—to-night.

1874, Christian Reid, A Daughter of Bohemia: A Novel, page 159:

Alternative form of how do you do (greeting).


hur står det till

Literally, "How is it?" See stå till.
Compare Norwegian Nynorsk korleis stend det til, dialectal Norwegian koss står det te and Norwegian Bokmål hvordan står det til.


howdy-do

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(US) Pronunciation spelling of how do you do.


explicit

Abbreviated from Latin explicitus est līber (“the book is set in order, ended”).

lbor

(obsolete) Used at the conclusion of a book to indicate the end.


ASL

Alternative form of asl (“age, sex, location”)

(programming) Initialism of arithmetic shift left, a type of bitwise operation.


close, but no cigar

/ˈkləʊs bʌt nəʊ sɪˈɡɑː/

From the practice of giving cigars as prizes at carnivals in the United States in the 20th century; those who did not win would fail to receive a cigar, even if they came close.

Betty ran all out in the sprint race; yet, it was close, but no cigar.

The long distance trophy [for alumni who had traveled the furthest to attend the reunion], an appropriately inscribed silver cigarette case, was awarded to Em Gooch who had made the trip from Lincoln, Neb. for the occasion. Several other members came close, but no cigar, and we trust that all those in New York and Philadelphia who failed to show up, without reason, will read these lines with a quiver.

1929 July 2, J. C. R., “’28’s First”, in Asa S[mith] Bushnell [III], editor, Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume XXIX, number 36, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1166, column 2:

(idiomatic, originally US, colloquial) Used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.

功虧一簣

used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite

失之毫厘，差之千里 (shīzhīháolí, chàzhīqiānlǐ, literally “a failure of micrometres and centimetres, a discrepancy of a thousand li (five hundred kilometres)”)

lige ved og næsten slår ingen mand af hesten

чуть-чу́ть не счита́ется (čutʹ-čútʹ ne sčitájetsja, literally “‘a little’ doesn't count”)

про́мах есть про́мах (prómax jestʹ prómax, literally “a miss is a miss”)


asl

JanEdoeSN87: asl
SumLAguy19: 18/m/California

(Internet, slang) Initialism of age, sex, location. Used mainly in chat rooms to request this information from the person with whom one is communicating.

age

Bro, that ride was fun asl.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of as hell.


ff.

Abbreviation of Latin foliō (“on the (next) page”), ablative of folium (“leaf, page”).

and the following (pages, paragraphs etc.)

s. (p. 3 s., p. 3s. - pàgina 3 i següents)

ss. (p. 3 y ss., p. 3 ss. - página 3 y siguientes)


so long as

I don't mind if he stays there, so long as he cleans up after himself when he's done.

Hugh helped himself to bacon. "My dear fellow, she can think what she likes so long as she continues to grill bacon like this. Your wife is a treasure, James—a pearl amongst women; and you can tell her so with my love."

1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, chapter 1, in Bulldog Drummond:

(idiomatic) Depending upon some condition or requirement; provided that; if, assuming; as long as.


CTR

(Mormonism) Initialism of Choose the Right.


head

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Nl-Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar.ogg

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


CMIIAW

(Internet slang) Initialism of correct me if I am wrong.


kk

(Internet slang) Reduplication of k (“okay”) (indicates that no further explanation is necessary for a subject, or that the message was understood and will be acted upon without further confirmation).

(Internet slang) okay cool (a shortened response usually used at the end of a conversation).

(aviation, travel) confirm (originally a GDS status code, now often used as shorthand).


ka

Na gut
Mir war halt so nach schnellspannnabe, wegen Reifenwechseln undsoweiter.
Ich hab ka nun den zweiten Totenkopf abgerissen und die 14er Schlüssel
ziehen Winters immer in den Süden :-(

2004 September 21, Tilman Wetter, “Schaltauge nachrüsten?”, in de.rec.fahrrad (Usenet):

Kann mir da einer helfen? ich hab absolut ka woran es liegt. AUs der config von xine bin ich zum nicht schlauer geworden.

2005 December 10, Alexander Jede, “einfrierende Maus bei xine”, in linux.debian.user.german (Usenet):

irgendwo hab ich aufgeschnappt das mitte Februar neue Dual Core CPU´s auf den Markt kommen.Bitte nicht fragen wo ich das her hab,ka vieleicht bilde ich mir das ja auch nur ein ;-)

2006 January 12, Alexander Jede, “einfrierende Maus bei xine”, in linux.debian.user.german (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Alternative spelling of k. A.


rb

(informal, Internet slang, text messaging, chiefly Snapchat) Abbreviation of reply back.


np

(text messaging, Internet) Abbreviation of no problem.


je t'aime

Je t’aime à la folie


nd

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of ne dankinde (“you're welcome”).


gg

/d͡ʒiːd͡ʒiː/

(online gaming slang) Initialism of good game.

Nature's Prophet going to get the last hit in as well. It's the entire team down for EHOME. This is GG.

2014 March 19, Free to Play (Film), spoken by Announcer:

(online gaming slang, by extension) loss, defeat, game over


TC

(advertising) Initialism of till cancelled/countermanded.

(Internet) Initialism of topic closed: indicating that no further replies are allowed in a discussion thread.


jew

Pronunciation spelling of d' you, representing colloquial English.

How jew do that? ("How'd you do that?")

Pronunciation spelling of 'd you, representing colloquial English.


AMA

(Internet) Initialism of ask me anything: usually attached to the end of a prompt in an “ask me anything” interview session.


HTH

(Internet slang) Initialism of hope this helps.


de rien

Literally, “of nothing”. Compare Spanish de nada.


graag gedaan

you're welcome; my pleasure (after being thanked); literally: gladly done


i går

From Old Norse í gær, í gjár (“yesterday”) (whence Icelandic í gær and Faroese í gjár).


nothing to it

See? Nothing to it. You just put tab A in slot B and give it a flip.

(idiomatic) Easy; simple or straightforward.


yes and amen

I take God at His word and say yes and amen to His plans.

(Christianity) An enthusiastic agreement.

My boss expected us to say yes and amen to his cockamamie plans.

(colloquial) A submissive, uncritical and unquestioning agreement.


ask my arse

(idiomatic, slang, vulgar, obsolete) A common reply to any question; once common at court and among sailors, under the name of "selling bargains".


one's back is up

From the way a cat, when angry, raises or arches its back.

My back is up, and I cannot hear the thought of wooing him any farther, nor would do it, though he were as pig a gentleman (look you) as Lucifer himself.

1835, William Hayley, The Life and Letters of William Cowper:

And I want you to be nice to Patty. For some reason her back is up.

2011, Jeannie Watt, The Baby Truce, →ISBN, page 84:

Now my back is up. “Yes, the witch,” I hiss.

2014, Kristin Butcher, Cabin Girl, →ISBN:


a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat

– Idle: Is your wife a… a goer… eh? Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge. Nudge nudge. Know what I mean? Say no more. Know what I mean?
– Jones: I beg your pardon?
– Idle: Your wife… does she, er, does she ‘go’… eh? eh? eh? Know what I mean, know what I mean? Nudge nudge. Say no more.
– Jones: Well, she sometimes ‘goes’, yes.
– Idle: I bet she does. I bet she does. I bet she does. Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge.
– Jones: I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow you.
– Idle: Follow me. Follow me. And I like that. That’s good. A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh?

1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus, "Nudge Nudge", a sketch from the third episode of the British comedy series, first broadcast on the BBC on 19th October 1969, featuring Eric Idle and Terry Jones as two strangers in a pub. Conversation

I shook my head. He couldn't see that, though. A wink is the same as a nod to a blind man.

1983, Raymond Carver, Cathedral (short story where a blind man visits a couple at their home)

(simile, colloquial) The idea/proposed action is inconsequential to the current situation.


DBA

(business) Alternative form of dba (“doing business as”)


WBAGNFARB

"Disingenuous Bystanders" WBAGNFARB

2002, CICADFL, “Happy October 8!”, in alt.fan.dave_barry (Usenet):

Flaming Tacos WBAGNFARB!

2006, Blinky the Wonder Wombat, “Re: Ink Pen this week”, in rec.arts.comics.strips (Usenet):

Wave Federation Protocol WBAGNFARB.

2012, »Q«, “[OT] Google Wave reaches Deadpool stage of development”, in alt.comp.freeware (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Initialism of would be a good name for a rock band.


AFAIR

In the same thread (and others as well) it was stated and AFAIR never withspoken, that light 'climbing out a gravity well' redshifts, thus looses energy, but not speed (and vice versa falling in).

1996 July 24, LBsys, “John Baez' gravitational rainbow”, in sci.physics (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I recall/remember.


NED

(medicine) Initialism of no evidence of disease.


POA

(commerce) Initialism of price on application.


quo vadis

[kʷoː ˈu̯äːd̪ɪs̠]


CU

(philately) in stamp descriptions, commercially used.

(Internet slang) phonetic abbreviation of see you.


PD

Coordinate term: ED

(cartography) Initialism of position doubtful.


TOS

taken on strength
take on strength#English

(Commonwealth, military, historical) Initialism of taken on strength.


AAL

(aviation) Initialism of above aerodrome level.


OUIL

(US) Initialism of operating (a vehicle) under the influence of liquor.


LTP

Initialism of learn to play. Used in online gaming.


CIO

Initialism of cry it out. (in reference to the Ferber method)


DNR

The hospital ignored the DNR order because it wasn't entered on the charts.

After reviewing the patient’s case, the ethics consultants advised us to honor the patient’s do not resuscitate (DNR) tattoo.

2017 November 30, Gregory E. Holt, Bianca Sarmento, Daniel Kett, Kenneth W. Goodman, “An Unconscious Patient with a DNR Tattoo”, in New England Journal of Medicine, volume 377, number 22, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 2192–2193:

Caplan noted that while there are no legal penalties for ignoring such a tattoo, there may be legal problems if the doctors let a patient die without having their official DNR paperwork.

2020, Brian Christian, “Uncertainty”, in The Alignment Problem, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, →ISBN:

(medicine) Initialism of do not resuscitate, a legal document by which a patient may direct which medical procedures they do and do not wish to undergo in the case that they are incapacitated.


NTA

(Internet slang, Reddit slang) Initialism of not the asshole; used as a response to AITA (“am I the asshole?”).

not the asshole

(Internet slang) Initialism of (I have) nothing to add.

(Internet slang) Initialism of not that anon.


you and whose army

–I’m going to stop you from going out with that girl! —Yeah? You and whose army?

Come on, come on / You think you'll drive me crazy? / Well, come on, come on / You and whose army? / You and your cronies

2001, “You and whose army?”, in Amnesiac, performed by Radiohead:

(rhetorical question, sarcastic) Used in response to someone’s threat suggesting that the person in question cannot do what they say alone.

やれるものならやってみろ (yareru mono nara yatte miro, literally “If you can do that, try to do it!”)


CYA

cover your ass/arse
cover one's ass#English


IAWTC

(Internet slang) Initialism of I agree with this comment.


BYO

After I check into my single room—a rustic BYO-bed-sheets situation—I return to the common area and settle in for the afternoon’s presentations.

2023 August 31, Frankie de la Cretaz, “Postcard from Camp Gaylore”, in Cosmopolitan:


FTA

(Internet) Initialism of from the article. (used in Internet message boards when quoting articles)


where's the beef

From a catchphrase in a 1980s television commercial for the fast food chain Wendy's.

(US, idiomatic) Where is the content? So what?


TANSTAAFL

Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

"Gospodin," he said presently, "you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean..."
"Oh, 'tanstaafl.' Means 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' And isn't," I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, "or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless."

1966, Robert Heinlein, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress:

'Tanstaafl. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. We both know that I was brought here for a reason. If we could get down to business.'

1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 229:

The TANSTAAFL principle applies to all techniques of statecraft, not just the economic ones.

1985, David Allen Baldwin, “National Power and Economic Statecraft”, in Economic Statecraft, →ISBN, page 140:

The TANSTAAFL principle will come into play with each implementation of a calibration setting. There are no effects without side-effects. An improvement at one location will change others.

2015, Bob McCarthy, “Calibration”, in Sound System Design and Optimization, →ISBN, page 433:

there ain't no such thing as a free lunch#English

Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch; something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs.

Robert A. Heinlein
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress


TGIF

thank God it's Friday
thank God it's Friday#English

(marketing) Initialism of Twitter, Google, iPhone/iPad or Instagram, Facebook.


AFAIC

(chiefly Internet slang) As far as I can

(chiefly Internet slang) As far as I'm concerned

(chiefly Internet slang) As fast as I can


WWJD

what would Jesus do
what would Jesus do#English


belay my last

Ignore what I just said; My previous order or request is retracted.


MSW

(Hong Kong Cantonese, text messaging) Initialism of 冇所謂／冇所谓 (mou⁵ so² wai⁶).


BYOB

Whether you choose a modest family restaurant, the little café around the corner, the new BYOB everybody's talking about, or even the local pizza palace, […]

2005, Jax Peters Lowell, The Gluten-Free Bible: The Thoroughly Indispensable Guide to Negotiating Life without Wheat, Holt Paperbacks, →ISBN:

It is a BYOB affair tonight, but ice, paper cups, and mixers are for sale. As the room fills, the lines lengthen.

2011, Charles Farley, Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland, Univ. Press of Mississippi, →ISBN, page 117:

(also attributive) Initialism of bring your own bottle, booze, beer, and beverage.

(US, Utah) Initialism of bring your own Bible.

This release now supports proper BYOB readers on Fetch and WebTransport, which allows developers to prepare their ArrayBuffer so that it can be reused for read requests and thus saves memory allocation.

2023 August 1, Firefox 116.0 release notes:

(computing) Initialism of bring your own buffer.


BP

bawah perintah
bawah perintah#Indonesian

(military) Initialism of bawah perintah.


INDY

Acronym of I'm not dead yet: a fruit-fly gene, mutant versions of which are said to have increased the organism's lifespan


LL

(US, military) Short for lesson learned.


MBR

(Internet slang) Initialism of mi baldaŭ revenos (“i will return soon, BRB”).


一石二鳥

ㄧ ㄕˊ ㄦˋ ㄋㄧㄠˇ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ sɛːk̚² jiː²² niːu̯¹³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚⁴⁻³² zi³³⁻²¹ niãu⁴¹/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ ni̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ sɛːk̚² jiː²² niːu̯¹³/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ siɪk̚⁴⁻³² zi³³⁻²¹ niãu⁴¹/

Wasei kango (和製漢語), orthographically borrowed from Japanese 一(いっ)石(せき)二(に)鳥(ちょう) (isseki nichō); itself a calque of English kill two birds with one stone.

wasei kango

kill two birds with one stone
kill two birds with one stone

to kill two birds with one stone; to do one task and finish two or more goals


五十歩百歩

ja-pos

五(ご)十(じっ)歩(ぽ)百(ひゃっ)歩(ぽ) or 五(ご)十(じゅっ)歩(ぽ)百(ひゃっ)歩(ぽ) • (gojippo hyappo or gojuppo hyappo)

五十歩百歩 (canonical)
五十歩百歩 (canonical)
gojippo hyappo (romanization)
gojuppo hyappo (romanization)

[ɡo̞ʑɨp̚po̞ ça̠p̚po̞]

Shortening of 五十歩をもって百歩を笑う (gojippo o motte hyappo o warau, “to laugh at a hundred steps after having [gone] fifty steps”), in turn ultimately a learned borrowing from Chinese 五十步笑百步 (wǔshí bù xiào bǎi bù, literally “fifty steps laughs at one hundred steps”), from a story by Mencius wherein two characters are running away from a battle and the one going fifty steps laughs at the one having gone one hundred steps for being a coward. The point of the expression is that both have run away, and the difference is purely a matter of degree.
The longer form is first cited to 1714, and the shortened form is first cited to around 1716. The shortened form now appears to have replaced the longer form.

lbor

pot calling the kettle black
pot calling the kettle black

six of one, half a dozen of the other
six of one, half a dozen of the other

pot calling the kettle black; six of one, half a dozen of the other

目糞鼻糞を笑う

目糞鼻糞 めくそはなくそ

the eye booger laughs at the nose booger

目糞鼻糞

目糞鼻糞 めくそはなくそ


no entry

Used on signs to indicate that entry into the area where the sign is displayed is forbidden.


neck and neck

The polls suggest that the candidates were neck and neck in the election.

It lay between me and Dick Riot madam; we were neck and neck for three miles, as hard as we could lay leg to ground, and running every inch, but at the first, I felt for him, found I had the foot […]

1779, Charles Macklin, Love à-la-mode, etc., page 20:

Mr. Prendergast's Rainbow filly, watched closely by Paul Jones, took the lead, and they ran almost neck and neck until near the cords, when Paul Jones made a rush, and came home by a length.

1825 November, “Sporting Intelligence”, in Sporting Magazine, volume 17, number 98, page 45:

[...] Mr. M. N. Rollason points out that on four-track lines on which the fast lines, in the centre, are flanked by the slow lines, and running at speed is permissible on all four, the traveller can enjoy some quite exciting experiences when trains are doing a "neck-and-neck" on adjacent lines.

1944 May and June, “Notes and News: Express Travel on Slow Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 184:

Passing Iver, W.R. 4-6-0 No. 1012 County of Denbigh on the up "Capitals United Express" runs neck-and-neck with a parcels train headed by 4-6-0 No. 6821 Leaton Grange.

1960 July, Trains Illustrated, page 410, photo caption:

(idiomatic) Very close in progress, as in a race or a contest.


way out of a paper bag

Most likely originating as, He couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag.

My boss is so clueless, he couldn't schedule his own way out of a paper bag.

Junior varsity couldn't play their way out of a paper bag in comparison.

The old chap did not look as though he could push his way out of a paper bag.

1923, Asia, volume 23, American Asiatic Association, page 281:

Personally I don’t think this egg could punch his way out of a paper bag. He’s only been workin’ in this trap two days

1924, Harry Charles Witwer, Love and Learn, G. P. Putnam's sons, page 260:

To be fair, many people who couldn’t punctuate their way out of a paper bag are still interested in the way punctuation can alter the sense of a string of words. It is the basis of all “I’m sorry, I’ll read that again” jokes.

2003 November 6, Lynne Truss, “Introduction – The Seventh Sense”, in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, London: Profile Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 8:

“You'd hate his cooking[,” he said.]
 “Most guys can't cook their way out of a paper bag[,” Charlotte said.]

2014, Allie Peter, Saved by the Fireman, page 105:

(slang, idiomatic, formulaic) A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform.

couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery

enough sense to pound sand into a rathole


SON

socked on the nose
socked on the nose#English

(philately) Initialism of socked on the nose.


FY

(Internet slang, text messaging, vulgar) Initialism of fuck you.

(Internet slang, text messaging, vulgar) Initialism of fuck yeah.


FIFO

(informal) Acronym of fit in or fuck off: a warning to obey societal or institutional norms, or be expelled.


ICU

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of I see you.


CBA

And I've seen many examples of abysmal wordwrapping... Me, I CBA changing it, and you really need initials to be used all the time to work properly, else stuff gets mis-attributed.

1996 April 21, Kieron, “Re: olrs and message form”, in alt.fan.douglas-adams (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <Dq8E6q.JwB@spuddy.mew.co.uk>:

Each to their own eh Paul? Personally I like WS-FTP TEST version with just the two windows, and more importantly I CBA transferring over all the sites to anything new :o)

1996 April 23, Derek James, “Re: Internet Software”, in demon.ip.support.win95 (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <317d2ceb.4692859@news.demon.co.uk>:

(UK, vulgar, slang) Initialism of can't be arsed.


MYOB

Why don't you MYOB? My marital status is no concern of yours.

mind your own business
mind one's own business#English


sq.

Alternative form of seq.: "and those which follow"


hx

>> >> >Du meinst das zerrt zuviel^([sic]) an den Nerven ?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >Es hat gezerrt! ;-)
>> q.e.d. ;o)
>??? ;-)
w.z.b.w. bzw. hx (häsch gseh) ;o)

1999 October 27, Urs Gfeller, “Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten”, in at.freizeit.nonsens (Usenet):


y/o

Abbreviation of year(s) old; also yo, y.o.


DOM

Deo optimo maximo
Deo optimo maximo#Latin

Abbreviation of Deo optimo maximo (“to God, the best and greatest”).


an der Ecke

der Laden an der Ecke hat bestimmt noch auf


HUD

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of how you doing.


you name it

Her vokser timian, rosmarin, you name it ...

2016, Peter H. Fogtdal, Skabsoptimisten, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:

'Vi kan simpelthen ikke finde den mindste indikation i mandens bevægelsesmønster, hans evalueringsskemaer fra Miljø- & Energiministeriets, hans militærpapirer, hans bankopgørelser, hans telefonsamtaler – you name it.

2010, Anders Oehlenschlæger, Kakamega, BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, page 403:

Men i dag er det eksploderet. Du kan spille alle vegne. På computeren, mobiltelefonen, iPad. You name it.

2013, Per Nielsen, Søren Sorgenfri, Per Nielsen: 4 - Brøndby for evigt, Art People, →ISBN:

Portrætter, bøger, noveller, burgermenuer, you name it.

2011, Jan Gintberg, Gintbergs verden, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:


you name it

2017, Robert Karjel (unknown translator), Der Vermittler: Thriller, Blanvalet Taschenbuch Verlag →ISBN
Jemand lachte: »Wir waren alles: Fahrer, Soldaten, Fahrzeugtechniker, you name it.«

Someone laughed: "We were everything: drivers, soldiers, technicians of means of transport, you name it.

Wahrscheinlich eine ganze Menge. Irritation, Unruhe. Befürchtungen, Frustration, you name it.

2009, Håkan Nesser, translated by Christel Hildebrandt, Mensch ohne Hund: Roman, btb Verlag, →ISBN:

Probably quite a lot. Irritation, unrest. Misgivings, frustration, you name it.

Schwer zu sagen, was es ist – der Humor, die Herkunft, Interessen, you name it.

2015, Christian Vogt, Lizenz zu Leben: Geschichten - Gedanken - Geheimnisse, neobooks, →ISBN:

It is difficult to say what it is - the humour, the origins, interests, you name it.

Aber denk noch mal nach: Die Wennerstroem Group ist ein Investmentunternehmen, das mit allem Möglichen handelt, womit man schnell gute Geschäfte machen kann – Wertpapiere, Optionen, Valuta ... you name it.

2009, Stieg Larsson, Verblendung: Roman, Heyne Verlag, →ISBN:

But just think it over: The Wennerstroem group is an investment company, which deals in anything with which one may quickly make good deals - security papers, options, currency ... you name it.

Trans Europa Express war alles: retro, futuristisch, melancholisch, technisch, zeitlos, modern, traditionell, zukunftsweisend - you name it.

2014, Rüdiger Esch, Electri_City: Elektronische Musik aus Düsseldorf, Suhrkamp Verlag, →ISBN:

Trans Europa Express was everything: retro, futuristic, melancholic, technical, timeless, modern, traditional, to-the-future-pointing - you name it.

Doch, ein paar Gastauftritte in Oslo, natürlich, Stavanger, Haugesund, you name it.»

2015, Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Kerstin Hartmann, Wie in einem Spiegel: Krimi, S. Fischer Verlag, →ISBN:

A few guest performances in Oslo, of course, Stavanger, Haugesund, you name it.


dd

Abbreviation of du da?, directly translated as "you then?".

jeg bare chiller, dd?

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of du da? (“and you? what about you?”).


dd

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of du då? (“and you? what about you?”).


PP

‘Well, I’ll bet you half a dozen of claret on it; come!’ said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, resuming the conversation to which Mr. Pell’s entrance had caused a momentary interruption.
[…] ‘I never bet half a dozen!’ said the other gentleman. ‘I’ll take a dozen.’
‘Done, Simmery, done!’ said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
‘P. P., mind,’ observed the other.

1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter name)”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:


WTFO

Could be credited to George Carlin "WTF". However, he may have picked it up when he was a radar operator in the United States Air Force.

(military, slang, 1970s) what the fuck, over!


a/c

aos cuidados de
aos cuidados de#Portuguese


jak se máš

Compare Latin quōmodo tē habēs, Polish jak się masz.


ICBW

(Internet slang) Initialism of I could be wrong.


SRO

I know I'm the best there is
 But all they want is a show
 Well, that's all right, I'll be glad to oblige
 S.R.O., S.R.O.

1984, “Merano”, Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus (lyrics), Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (music), performed by Murray Head, Ambrosian Singers, and the London Symphony Orchestra:

What a pro!
 Herc could stop a show
 Point him at a monster and you're talking S.R.O.

1997, “Zero to Hero”, David Zippel (lyrics), Alan Menken (music), performed by Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Vaneese Thomas, and Tawatha Agee:

standing room only
standing room only#English


итд.

и тако даље
и тако даље#Serbo-Croatian


pun kao oko

sh-idiom

pun kao oko (Cyrillic spelling пун као око)

Gradski trg je pun kao oko.

filled up, completely full, overpopulated


From c (abbreviation for see) + u (Internet slang for you) + l8r (Internet slang for later).

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of see you later.


ravno do Kosova

Rešio sam onaj problem i sada je sve ravno do Kosova.

(literally, “I solved that problem and now everything's flat to Kosovo.”)

I solved that problem and now it's smooth sailing.

(regional, Serbia, Montenegro) smooth sailing (not being afflicted or concerned with difficulties)


mirna Bosna

mirna Bosna (Cyrillic spelling мирна Босна)

мирна Босна (Cyrillic)

Podijelićemo pare jednako i mirna Bosna.

We will split the money equally and everybody will be happy.

an outcome of an event in which all parties involved are satisfied


vise

dream on! in your dreams! (used to express skepticism about the possibility of an interlocutor's statement)


b/w

(music) Initialism of backed with. Commonly used with old 45 and 78 RPM records, referring to the flip side (commonly called "B-side") of the record.


en passant

Unadapted borrowing from French en passant.


AGL

(aviation) Initialism of above ground level: designating a measured distance from the ground to a higher level, i.e. altitude.


pk

Abbreviation of pieni ja keskisuuri (“small and mid-sized”).; used in compounds


per curiam

Latin per (“by means of”) curiam (“the court”)

(law) An opinion delivered by an entire court rather than a single judge.


sua sponte

A borrowing of Latin sua sponte (“at its own prompting; by its own impulse; of its own free will”)

uder

Decretals... ought, properly speaking, to be distinguished, on the one hand from constitutions... enacted by the Pope sua sponte without reference to any particular case, and on the other hand from rescripts... which apply only to special circumstances or individuals, and constitute no general precedent. But this nomenclature is not strictly observed.

1878, "Decretals" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. VII, p. 22

(law) Without prompting or suggestion; on its own initiative.


sua sponte

Unadapted borrowing from Latin sua sponte.

ubor

Affären gick briljant, och den unge läkaren fick genom dessa mystifikationer både praktik och goda inkomster, någonting, som han säkerligen icke skulle ha fått om han sua sponte slagit sig ner och börjat praktisera. Mundus vult decipi!

1900, Ninian Wærnér, Mina hundår i Amerika, page 171:

The business prospered exceedingly, and the young doctor, by means of these mystifications, acquired both practice and a handsome income — something which he most assuredly would not have obtained had he sua sponte settled down and begun to practise. Mundus vult decipi!

[…] en dieselmotor som endast stannade sua sponte (spontant, reds anm.) framåt morgonkvisten […]

2015 October 2, Dagens nyheter, page 25:

[…] a diesel engine that only stopped sua sponte (spontaneously, editor's note) towards the early morning […]

(archaic) sua sponte; of one's own accord; spontaneously


no contest

Calque of Latin nolō contendere (“I don't want to contest”).

cal

To all the things DVD does better than the videocassette, add the boxed set. In looks alone there is no contest.

2000 November 5, Peter M. Nichols, “HOLIDAY FILMS; Studios Move Slowly With DVD Boxed Sets”, in The New York Times:

Indicates the perceived lack of any real competition because the “winner” or superior choice is obvious.


bona fide

Unadapted borrowing from Latin bonā fidē (“in good faith”).


MSF

Near-synonym: M4F

(in personal ads or Internet slang) Initialism of male seeking female and masc seeking femme.


dobro veče

sh-phrase

dȍbro vȅčē (Cyrillic spelling до̏бро ве̏че̄)

dȍbro vȅčē (canonical)
до̏бро ве̏че̄ (Cyrillic)


laku noć

laku noć (canonical)
laka noć (canonical)
лаку ноћ (Cyrillic)
лакa ноћ (Cyrillic)


dobro jutro

head

до̀бро ју̏тро

dòbro jȕtro (Cyrillic spelling до̀бро ју̏тро)

dòbro jȕtro (canonical)
до̀бро ју̏тро (Cyrillic)


jen

Borrowed from German jener and Yiddish יענער (yener). Compare English yon.

La kato kuŝadis jen sur la lito, jen sur la planko.

The cat was lying around sometimes on the bed, sometimes on the floor.

(describing alternating states) now ..., now ...; sometimes ..., other times ...


dobar dan

sh-phrase

dȍbar dȃn (Cyrillic spelling до̏бар да̑н)

dȍbar dȃn (canonical)
до̏бар да̑н (Cyrillic)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dòbrъ dь̏nь.


POS

Hang on, POS ... can you tell me about it later?

(Internet, text messaging) Initialism of parent over shoulder (i.e. observing the young user's conversation).


a mal tiempo buena cara

al mal tiempo buena cara
al mal tiempo buena cara#Spanish

(idiomatic) Alternative spelling of al mal tiempo buena cara


allt í einu

Maður getur ekki gert allt í einu.

everything at once (i.e. simultaneously)

Allt í einu slokknuðu ljósin.


X marks the spot

From a traditional crosslike mark to indicate buried treasure.

(idiomatic) One will find what one is looking for under an obvious sign for it.


NCR

Initialism of no carbon required (of duplicating paper).


close but no cigar

close, but no cigar
close, but no cigar#English


mum's the word

From mum (“silence”). Recorded since 1704.

She doesn't know anything about it yet, so mum's the word, OK?

… and that mum is the word till I give you liberty to speak

1879, Anna Katharine Green, The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer's Story, G. P. Putnam's Sons, page 256:

(idiomatic) Indicates that something is a secret and not to be divulged.


hvað segir þú

Alternative form of hvað segirðu? (“how are you?”)


hvað er að

Hvað er að? -- Mér líður illa í maganum.

What's wrong? -- My stomach hurts. (lit. What's wrong? I'm feeling bad in the stomach.)


nicht die Bohne

Literally, “not the bean”, or more loosely translated as “not even as much as a little seed”.

lit

Das interessiert mich nicht die Bohne.

I don't care at all. / I don't give a fig.


ég heiti

From ég (“I, the personal pronoun”) and heiti (“I'm called”), first person form of heita (“to be called, to be named”). Literally meaning "I am called" or "I am named".

Ég heiti Ríkharður.

Ég heiti Braga, hvað heitir þú?


ég er frá...

Hvaðan ert þú? Ég er frá Austurríki.


hvað heitir þú

Hvað heitir þú? Ég heiti Páll.


verða að fara núna

From verða (“to need”) + að fara (“to go”) + núna (“now”). Literally meaning "to need to leave now".

Fyrirgefðu, ég verð að fara núna.

to have to go, to need to leave now, to need to go now


takk fyrir síðast

From takk fyrir (“thanks”) + síðast (“last, last time”). Compare Faroese takk fyri seinast, Danish tak for sidst, Norwegian takk for sist and Swedish tack för senast.


gaman að sjá þig

From gaman (“fun”) + sjá (“to see”) and þig (“you”) the accusative of þú. Literally meaning “fun to see you”.

Ég verð að fara núna. Það var gaman að sjá þig.

I have to go now. It was nice to see you.

Nei, Elín? En gaman að sjá þig!
Elín? How good to see you!


side out

(slang, baseball, dated, 19th c.) three outs.


hand out

(baseball, slang, 1800s) a player is out


hve mikið

From hve (“how, like, as”) and mikið (“much”).

how much does it cost
how much does it cost

how much, how much is it, how much does it cost


eller

From Old Swedish ælla, ællar, from Old Norse ella, ellar, from Proto-Germanic *aljaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos.

Skämtade hon eller?

Ska du med eller?

Är du go eller?
Are you a swell guy or what? (regional, stereotypical phrase, Göteborg)


fáðu mér

(rare, with accusative) hand me; give me..


það var ekkert

Don't mention it. (in response to "thank you" etc.)


átt þú

From second person of [að] eiga "[to] own" (= [þú] átt "[you] own") + þú "you". Literally meaning "you own...?" or "do you own...?".

Afsakið, en átt þú mjólk?


talar þú þýsku

See also etymology at talar þú....
From 3. person form of [að] tala "[to] talk" (= [þú] talar, "[you] speak") + þú "you" + singular accusative of þýska meaning "German" (=þýsku). Literally meaning "[you] speak you German?" or "you speak German"?


það var lítið

Literally, “that was little” (also, "no big deal"). Similar to Swedish and Norwegian det var så lite, Faroese tað var so lítið and Danish det var så lidt.


talar þú

From talar (“you speak”) the second person singular form of tala (“to speak”) + þú (“you”) + the singular indefinite article accusative form of the language in question.


Аллаху екбер

sh-phrase

Аллаху екбер (Latin spelling Allahu ekber)


Alahu ekber

Alahu ekber (Cyrillic spelling Алаху екбер)

Алаху екбер (Cyrillic)


Алаху екбер

Алаху екбер (Latin spelling Alahu ekber)


verði þér að góðu

head

verði þér að góðu (plural verði ykkur að góðu)

you're welcome (a response to a "thank you")


Allahu ekber

sh-phrase

Allahu ekber (Cyrillic spelling Аллаху екбер)

Аллаху екбер (Cyrillic)


Allahu ekber

Ya Allah, Bismillah, Allahu ekber

(Islam) Allahu akbar (God is the most great)


as the actress said to the bishop

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the occupation of actress was commonly associated with prostitute. The phrase plays on the contrasting natures of an actress or prostitute on one hand and a presumably (although possibly not actually) chaste bishop on the other.

Heavens, that's a big one – as the actress said to the bishop.

The important thing was where you do it, not what you do (as the actress said to the bishop)

1976, David Widgery, The Left in Britain:

"Oh, well," offered Andrews wryly, as she peeled a piece of fruit, "nothing like a hot banana — as the actress said to the bishop." She then apologized for the tacky sexual quip, explaining, "It just slipped out — as the actress said to the bishop."

1998, Timothy White, The Entertainers: portraits of stardom in the twentieth century:

He has, as the actress said to the bishop, been an unconscionably long time coming,[…]

1999, Michael Sprinker, Ghostly demarcations: a symposium on Jacques Derrida's Spectres of Marx:

(UK, humorous) Used to highlight a sexual ambiguity in an innocent remark.


SPD

(initialism) salutem plurimam dicit, an opening salutation in letters


jak se máte

how are you? (plural or formal singular)


dobrý den

Inherited from Old Czech dobrý den, from Proto-Slavic *dòbrъ dь̏nь.


dobrý den

Czech: dobrý den


ITA

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I totally agree.


all your base are belong to us

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-all your base are belong to us.wav

Mistranslation of Japanese 君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた (literally “we (CATS) have taken all of your bases”). This grammatically incorrect "Engrish" phrase originated in the English subtitles of the 1991 European Sega Mega Drive version of the 1989 Japanese arcade game Zero Wing and became a catchphrase/meme on the Internet in the early 2000s.

der

君達の基地は、全てCATSがいただいた

(Internet slang, humorous) Used to tout victory over an opponent, or simply as a humorous catchphrase.


senso stricto

The direct effect of a treaty provision is usually defined senso stricto, as the creation of rights in favour of individuals which they can invoke before their national courts, without need for domestic measures of implementation.

1998, Anne-Marie Slaughter, The European Court and National Courts: Doctrine & Jurisprudence: Legal Change in its Social Context:


Lord willing and the creek don't rise

En-au-Lord willing and the creek don't rise.ogg

Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.

(idiomatic, US, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances.

based on confusion with the Creek Indian tribe


DW

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of don't worry.


not the end of the world

Don't worry; it's not the end of the world if he doesn't attend.

(idiomatic) (It's of) minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.


there oughtta be a law

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

there ought to be a law
there ought to be a law#English

Pronunciation spelling of there ought to be a law.


TINC

(Internet slang) Initialism of There Is No Cabal.


how do you like them apples

Our governor has just vetoed a bill that would offer more money to our schools. How do you like them apples?

(colloquial, rhetorical question) Question directed jestingly or mockingly at someone who has received surprising information, ridiculing or making light of the situation.

"I can't give you a raise now; if I did, this whole company would go bankrupt, and you wouldn't have a job at all. Now how do you like them apples?"

(colloquial, rhetorical question, Ireland, US) Used after an actual or proposed action with which the listener might be displeased, and also used after refuting an argument.


nil desperandum

Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro (there is nothing to despair about with Teucer as our leader and Teucer as our protector).

Horace, Odes, I.vii.27 (translation Benham's Book of Quotations).

I am not going to give up. Not for giving up, as in: this is not for giving up on.


kapu krojiti

Neće meni stranac kapu krojiti!


капу кројити

head

капу кројити

Неће мени странац капу кројити!


servabo fidem

I shall keep faith (motto of various groups).


merci mille fois

Literally, “thank you a thousand times”. Comparable to the English idiom thanks a million.


when all is said and done

When all is said and done, you will find it is a smaller project than it appears.


join the club

You're getting poor response times? Join the club!

(idiomatic) An expression of sympathy for a shared experience.


allt gott

As a response to hvað segirðu (“how are you?”, literally “what do you say?”), signifying [ég segi] allt gott (literally “[I say] everything good”).

Hvað segirðu? – Allt gott.
How are you? – Good!

good!, I'm fine! (positive response to “how are you?”)


til hamingju með afmælið

Literally, "to happiness with the birthday" or "congratulations relating to the birthday".


JFYI

for your information
for your information#English

Initialism of just for your information.


if it's all the same

If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stay at a hotel instead of at your house.

“Well, am I goin' your way, or are you comin' mine?” he asked. “I'll come with you, if it's all the same,” said Miss Moss. And she sailed after the little yacht out of the café.

1919, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Pictures”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 171:

(idiomatic) If it makes no difference; if nobody minds; if it doesn't bother anyone.


eid mubarak

From Arabic عِيد مُبَارَك (ʕīd mubārak).

bor

عِيد مُبَارَك

Arabic عِيد مُبَارَك (ʕīd mubārak)

(Islam) A customary Muslim greeting on the days of Eid ul-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr at the end of Ramadan.


TVB

Abbreviation of ti voglio bene (“I love you (affirmation of affection or deep caring, to a friend or a family member)”).


tell me about it

"I guess it's a lot of work for a cop to juggle personal relationships." / "Tell me about it."

1996, J. D. Robb, Immortal in Death, page 183:

"Go sit with him. I think he's a little depressed. It's not easy to grow old." / "Tell me about it."

2007, Daniel Silva, The Secret Servant, page 364:

"We're on the Air Force family planning routine. Mitch's been out of town so much we haven't even had a chance to try and get pregnant." / "Tell me about it."

2008, Sara Rosett, Staying Home Is a Killer, page 90:

Used to express agreement and sympathy with the previous speaker’s statement.

分かる (わかる, wakaru, literally “(I/we) understand”)


IANAL

(Internet) Initialism of I am not a lawyer.


ek het jou lief

LL-Q14196 (afr)-Oesjaar-ek het jou lief.wav


after the jump

The World Wide Web version of after the break.

This story continues after the jump.

Used to introduce an inline advertisement in a webpage etc.


aere perennius

[ˈäe̯rɛ pɛˈrɛnːiʊs̠]


afsakið

Plural imperative mood of afsaka (you (plural) excuse).

Afsakið, en gætirðu fært þig?

Excuse me, but could you move (yourself)?


gjörðu svo vel

Literally "do so well". Gjörðu is the imperative form of the archaic verb gjöra (“to do”). Gjöra is not used in modern Icelandic, instead it uses gera (“to do”).
The phrase gerðu svo vel can also be used but it is not as common, there it is derived from the modern verb gera (“to do”).

Gætirðu rétt mér saltið? - Já, gjörðu svo vel.

Could you pass me the salt? - Sure, here you go.

a polite expression when handing something to someone; here you go; there you go; my pleasure

Næsti, gjörðu svo vel.

Viltu gjöra svo vel að hætta þessu?


BB

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of bye bye.


ex libris

used with a genitive to indicate ownership of a book, as in from the books of… or from the library of …


LDO

(Internet slang) Initialism of like duh obviously.


SMD

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of suck my dick.


hakuna matata

From Swahili hakuna matata (“there are no problems”). Popularized in English by the 1994 Disney film The Lion King.


hakuna matata

From hakuna + matata (“troubles”), literally “there are no problems”.

compound

No worries, take it easy, hakuna matata.


head

en-au-pinch and a punch for the first of the month.ogg

‘Pinch and a punch for the first of the month.’ I nurse my wounded arm and look down at my giggling son.
'You just hit me.'
'No I didn't. That's what you do on the first of the month.'
'Who says so?'
He looks at me exasperated.

2009, Ellie Nielsen, Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir, page 208:

(British, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) Said on the first day of a new month, while pinching and punching someone as a prank (especially by children). The victim may respond with "a flick and a kick for being so quick" and the original attacker may reply with "a punch in the eye for being so sly".

It does not seem to be the Minister for the Environment's day, he has really had a pinch and a punch for the first of the month. He received a punch a few minute ago, and now he is being pinched. It is significant that the Bill is intended to come into force on 1 April next year. The Bill was promised in the Speech from the Throne. It has gone back and forth between departments, and ended up in caucus several times, ...

1981, Parliamentary Debates, New Zealand. Parliament. House of Representatives, page 3112:

Bugger, this wasn't the goods at all – this was a pinch and a punch for the first of the month. A letter in fact from Fire Commander Bruce stating that although he was in receipt of my application, neither he nor the Fire Commander of IB were certain of the Fire Service Commission's final policy for employment of women as operational firemen.

2007, Anne Barry, Playing with Fire, page 59:

(British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) More generally, a pair of attacks or setbacks at the start of something.


fire at will

All cruisers, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Rtas 'Vadum (Robert Davi), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: The Ark:

(military) Fire when ready. A command that allows troops to use weapons at their discretion and choose their own targets, allowing the individual soldier a greater freedom of timing the shot with target movement and similar.


fingers crossed

The college application is in the mail. Fingers crossed!

- used to express that one is expectant and hoping.


MOS

Disputed, with many speculative suggestions; see Wikipedia.

(film) Without a synchronous audio track.


reposez en paix

rest in peace (said about someone deceased)


以上

ja-r

以上(いじょう) (ijō)

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (以上):
* → Japanese: 以上(いじょう) (ijō)
* → Korean: 이상(以上) (isang)

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/jiː¹³ sœːŋ²²/

/i²⁴⁻¹¹ soŋ⁵⁵/

/(j)i²⁴⁻¹¹ soŋ⁵⁵/

/i²¹ t͡siɔŋ⁵⁵/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ²²/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/

/i⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɔŋ⁴¹/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ²²/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³/

/ĩ⁵²⁻³⁵ siaŋ³⁵/

/i⁴¹ ʂan²¹⁻¹¹/

/i⁴¹ san²¹⁻¹¹/

/i²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

/jiː¹³ sœːŋ²²/

/i²⁴⁻¹¹ soŋ⁵⁵/

/(j)i²⁴⁻¹¹ soŋ⁵⁵/

/i²¹ t͡siɔŋ⁵⁵/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ²²/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³/

/i⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɔŋ⁴¹/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ²²/

/i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³/

/i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³/

/ĩ⁵²⁻³⁵ siaŋ³⁵/

/i⁴¹ ʂan²¹⁻¹¹/

/i⁴¹ san²¹⁻¹¹/

2021 April 15, 立法院未來國會願景規劃諮詢委員會, quoting 丘如華, “立法院未來國會願景規劃諮詢委員會第一次會議”, in 立法院遷(改)建計畫網站, Taipei, page 13:

I am still at work even at 2~3 at midnight, [so] you can ask me any time. I may not 24-7, but I am 7-eleven. That's all.

Wǎnshàng 2-3 diǎn wǒ dōu hái zài shàngbān, suíshí dōu kěyǐ wèn wǒ, bùshì 24 xiǎoshí, kěshì shì 7-eleven, yǐshàng.

晚上2-3點我都還在上班，隨時都可以問我，不是24小時，可是是7-eleven，以上。

晚上2-3点我都还在上班，随时都可以问我，不是24小时，可是是7-eleven，以上。

(usually Internet slang, influenced by Japanese) that's it; that's all (used at the end of a text to indicate that there is nothing further)


以上

以上 (canonical)
ijō (romanization)
izyau (romanization)
いじやう (hiragana historical)

that's it. (used at the end of a text to indicate that there is nothing further)


FOAD

So which are you looking for? An apology for my opinion, or an apology for making the fatal mistake of poor political humor? ¶ FOAD if you think I'm gonna give you the former, but to be fair, I should know better than to approach OT politics in what is nominally (and normally) an anime forum.

2006 January 16, Abraham Evangelista, “Re: My anime hero is George W.Bush !!!”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck off and die.


FGI

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fucking Google it.


NFI

No fucking (freaking) idea
no idea#English

(Internet) Initialism of No fucking (freaking) idea; Expresses lack of knowledge on the subject matter

No fucking

Initialism of no further information. Expresses lack of knowledge on the subject matter

no further information

Speaking of the guest list, though, it is most disappointing to find some of the third tier European princelings unable to hide their bitterness at being NFI.

2011 April 23, Marina Hyde, The Guardian:

(slang) Initialism of not fucking invited.


amabo te

[äˈmäːboː t̪eː]

[äˈmäːbo t̪ɛː]

From amābō (“I shall love”) the future active indicative first person singular of amō (“I love”) + tē the accusative of tu (“you”). Literally "I shall love you" or "I'll love you".

Amabo te, cura filium meum.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see amābō, tē.


RTFA

Derived from the initialism RTFM, which was originally used in the context of Usenet.

(Internet slang) Initialism of read the fucking article.

(military) Initialism of ready team fire assist.


ff

Abbreviation of Latin folio (“on the (next) page”), ablative of folium (“leaf, page”).


I tell a lie

I visited Canada in 1996—no, I tell a lie, in 1997.

(chiefly British, idiomatic) I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.


ex aequo et bono

(law) according to what is right and good - rather than according to the law


STHU

(slang, Internet slang) Initialism of shut the hell up: emphatic form of shut up


NN

No name, an unreleased song without an official title

(Internet) Netscape Navigator, a former web browser


FU

Rodney’s English was pretty basic that first year, but, according to Elesin, their face said FU, no translation needed.

2021, Isabel Waidner, Sterling Karat Gold, Peninsula Press, page 133:


DK

Alternative form: dk

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of don't know.


OK yah

(British, upper class) an affirmative response


therein lies the rub

Misquotation or paraphrasing from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "ay, there's the rub".

I tried to back up my database to a USB flash drive, but it isn't big enough. Therein lies the rub.


希ガス

From 希 (ki, “rare”) + ガス (gasu, “gas”). Compare Chinese 稀有氣體／稀有气体 (xīyǒu qìtǐ), Vietnamese khí hiếm (literally “rare gas”).
希 is a daiyōji replacing 稀.

cog

(Internet slang) Clipping of 気がする (ki ga suru).


話せばわかる

話せばわかる (canonical)
hanaseba wakaru (romanization)

A phrase forming a complete sentence, consisting of 話せば (hanaseba, “if sb. talks”, conditional form of verb 話す hanasu, “to talk”) + わかる (wakaru, “to understand”). Literally, "If I talk, you (will) understand".

話せばわかる。じっくり話し合おうよ。

You'll understand if you let me explain. How about we talk this over?

You'll understand if you let me explain. You'll be convinced if you listen to me.

問答無用

問答無用 もんどうむよう


bit by a barn mouse

(UK, obsolete, dialect, idiomatic) tipsy; slightly drunk


問答無用

問答無用 (canonical)
mondō muyō (romanization)

From 問(もん)答(どう) (mondō, “dialogue”) + 無(む)用(よう) (muyō, “uselessness, futility”).

ja-compound

1932, Inukai Tsuyoshi, Assassins of Inukai Tsuyoshi, May 15 incident:

犬養毅：話せばわかる。
暗殺者：問答無用、撃て！

Inukai tsuyoshi: Hanaseba wakaru.
Ansatsu sha: Mondō muyō, ute!

Inukai Tsuyoshi: You'll be convinced if you just listen to me.
Assassins: No argument, shoot him!

(there is) no use in arguing; dialogue is useless


証明終わり

証明終わり (canonical)
shōmei owari (romanization)

quod erat demonstrandum
quod erat demonstrandum

(mathematics) quod erat demonstrandum (that which was to be proved)


chin up

Chin up: it’s your birthday.


all systems go

Originally used in the aerospace industry to indicate preparedness to launch.

startam gatavs

everything is ready in the aerospace industry


GSTQ

God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen#English


gratulerer med dagen

Literally, “congratulations with the day”.

lit

Norwegian national day
w:Norwegian Constitution Day

often said on other occasions, like the Norwegian national day or New Year's Eve


gratulerer med dagen

also said on other occasions, such as Norwegian national day or New Year's Eve


every man for himself

Men, you have done your full duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin. Now it's every man for himself.

1955, Walter Lord, quoting RMS Titanic Captain Edward Smith, A Night to Remember, page 86:

(nautical) A command, issued in case of shipwreck, that crew members are relieved of all duties and should try to save themselves.

كُلّ رَجُل لِنَفْسِهِ

forget about comradeship; save yourselves!

(figurative) An expression of indifference, describing or advocating selfishness, lack of comradeship etc.


SOKOP

Acronym of sounds OK on paper; Something that sounds like a good idea when read about, but is actually not of any practical use when trying to implement it.


don't knock yourself out

I'll get round to it soonish. — Well, don't knock yourself out!

(idiomatic, ironic) Don't overexert yourself (in doing something that does not require much effort).


you wish

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a superhero!" / "Huh, you wish!"

"They can't bench me. I'm the best shooter on the team." / "You wish!"

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to express the speaker's skepticism about a preceding statement concerning some desired or assumed state of affairs.

你想呀！

(idiomatic, colloquial) used to express the speaker's skepticism about a preceding statement concerning some desired or assumed state of affairs


I wish

- I don't know how I'm going to afford all these Christmas presents.
- Maybe you'll win the lottery and become a millionaire overnight.
- I wish!

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to express the speaker's wish that the preceding statement were true

Had ik maar veel geld. – If only I had lots of money!

or use auxiliary hebben with inversion and maar

(conditional sentence + ii noni (nā)) -ばいいのになあ (-ba ii noni nā)


and all that

She listens to punk rock, screamo, death metal and all that.

Harry Maguire's angry protests at not being awarded a corner gave those Welsh fans behind the goal immense pleasure. Small victories, and all that.

2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”, in WalesOnline:

(informal) Used at the end of a statement to insinuate that there is more information that can be inferred from the preceding.


semper fi

(US military) Abbreviation of semper fidelis.


IYKWIM

if you know what I mean
if you know what I mean#English

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of if you know what I mean.


DBEYR

2000, Netrunner, in alt.fan.blade-runner http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.blade-runner/msg/3bf6f64035d142cd?dmode=source&hl=en
Then there is the WP. And of course rumours and hearsay about various other versions that may or may not have actually been shown in cinemas, (but DBEYR).

O BTW!! Greg MacLean made a believer out of most of the so called pros by winning the B.A.S.S. Eastern Division Invitational in Jan. 11-13 on Lake Okeechobee,FL. using crankbaits on 8# test line. 44 lbs 4 oz. One was a 9lb 4oz beauty!! DBEYR!

2001, Abe Watson, rec.outdoors.fishing.bass (Usenet):

2002, Jay Random, in rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.tolkien/msg/eef8b6a23f87c23a?dmode=source
DBEYR. There is zero evidence of how people actually learnt to make cloth, as it was invented long before the invention of written records -- so long ago that not even oral traditions on that subject have survived.

(Internet slang) Initialism of don't believe everything you read.

if you believe everything you read, better not to read


WLTM

Outgoing, loving, sincere lady, early 50s, brunette, 5’4”, H/W proportionate, enjoys dancing, movies, much more. WLTM loving, employed, nice man, 45-62, with similar interests to share something special.

2007 February 23, “The New Phoenix Dating Page”, in The Boston Phoenix, volume 36, number 8, Boston, Mass.: The Phoenix Media/Communications Group, page 33:

(in personal ads) Initialism of would like to meet.


SLAGIATT

Initialism of seemed like a good idea at the time.


水を得た魚

水を得た魚 (canonical)
mizu o eta uo (romanization)

a duck to water
like a duck takes to water

(idiomatic) "a fish who's found water" → In one's element, a duck to water.


who ate all the pies

Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat bastard, you fat bastard, you ate all the pies. Loser!

(British, soccer, colloquial, derogatory, rhetorical question) Used pejoratively against a fat person.


hvað er klukkan

Hvað er klukkan? — Klukkan er eitt.

Afsakið ónæðið, en hvað er klukkan?

Excuse me for bothering you, but what time is it?


le do thoil

/lʲɛd̪ˠ(ə)ˈhɔlʲ/


have it your way

OK, have it your way: format the hard disk and see what happens.

(idiomatic) Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.


MTR

Initialism of mám tě rád (“I love you”).


MTR

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of mi tuj revenos (“be right back, BRB”).


さかずき

From Old Japanese.
Compound of 酒 (saka, combining form of sake, “Japanese rice wine”) + 坏 (tsuki, “shallow bowl”). The tsuki changes to zuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

com

杯(さかずき)をする 杯をする#Japanese


head

numquam pōnenda est plūrālitās sine necessitāte

numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate

Multiples should never be used if not necessary.


RAFO

(fandom slang) Acronym of read and find out.


if pigs had wings

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of if pigs had wings they would fly


適者生存

ㄕˋ ㄓㄜˇ ㄕㄥ ㄘㄨㄣˊ

шичжэ шэнцунь

šičžɛ šɛncunʹ

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

/sɪk̚⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən³⁵/

/sɪk̚⁵ t͡sɛː³⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest


D.C. al fine

(music) Repeat from the beginning to the end, or to the word "fine".


воспрещается курить

воспреща́ется кури́ть

воспреща́ется кури́ть • (vospreščájetsja kurítʹ)

воспреща́ется кури́ть (canonical)
vospreščájetsja kurítʹ (romanization)

en-воспрещается_курить-ru-phrase-nW1pxu1y


price is right

Usage began in the second half of the 1900s.

The price is right for this used car.

The Government has thrown a lifeline to Alstom's Derby Works, with an offer of an order for ten Class 345 nine-car electric multiple units (EMUs) for the Elizabeth line - but only if the 'price is right'.

2024 May 1, Mel Holley, “Network News: Elizabeth line '345s' offer a lifeline for Derby Works”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 8:

(idiomatic) The cost of a thing is reasonable and represents good value.


head in the clouds

(figurative, usually with have or with) Used to indicate that a person is distracted or disconnected from the present situation or reality in general.

"Wife, I've a grave suspicion!" said Mahony, and took her by the chin. "While I've sat here with my head in the clouds, you've been worrying over ways and means, and over having such an unpractical old dreamer for a husband. Now, child, that won't do. I didn't marry to have my girl puzzling her little brains where her next day's dinner was to come from. Away with you, to your stitching! Things will be all right, trust to me."

1917, Henry Handel Richardson, chapter III, in Australia Felix, part III:

She was also one of the few girls without her head in the clouds.

1994, Roy F. Baumeister, Sara R. Wotman, Breaking Hearts: The Two Sides of Unrequited Love, page 72:

No one ever expected him to work; he would see his little sister stooping under the weight of the great milk-pails, and never think of helping her; he lived with his head in the clouds, but his father said, "Let him alone, he'll be a great man some day."

1860, “Poor Law Doctors”, in Charles Dickens, editor, All the Year Round, volumes 3-4, page 211:

(figurative, usually with have or with) Used to indicate that a person has fantastic or impractical dreams.


點解

呢隻字點解？

呢只字点解？

請問「JJ」係點解？

请问「JJ」系点解？

(Cantonese) how should … be understood? what does … mean?

呢個結點解？

呢个结点解？

(Cantonese) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 點／点 (diǎn), 解.


船頭多くして船山に登る

ja-pos

せんどう おおく して ふね やま に のぼる

船(せん)頭(どう)多(おお)くして船(ふね)山(やま)に登(のぼ)る • (sendō ōku shite fune yama ni noboru)

船頭多くして船山に登る (canonical)
sendō ōku shite fune yama ni noboru (romanization)

[sẽ̞ndo̞ː o̞ːkɯ̟ ɕite̞ ɸɯ̟ne̞ ja̠ma̠ ɲ̟i no̞bo̞ɾɯ̟]

Literally, the boat with many captains will be driven up a mountain.
Compare Korean 사공(沙工)이 많으면 배가 산(山)으로 간다 (sagong'i maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda).

cog

사공(沙工)이 많으면 배가 산(山)으로 간다

too many cooks spoil the broth
too many cooks spoil the broth


TLDR

(Internet slang) Alternative form of tl;dr


PCMCIA

(computing, humorous, from the above) Initialism of people can't memorize computer industry acronyms.


dear Sir

(dated) Used as the salutation at the beginning of a formal letter when addressing persons – assumed to be male – of unknown names.


Eddie would go

Named after Hawaiian waterman Eddie Aikau (1946–1978).

named-after

Just imagine what it must feel like to make it out of one of those Teahupoo tubes? ¶ *THAT'S* why we continue our quest and challenge. ¶ Eddie would go. ¶ (and we're right behind you Eddie)

2000 April 27, m@rk, “Re: Whats it worth?”, in alt.surfing (Usenet):

We'd bodysurf Pounders, north shore areas, Pupukea... I remember dolphins ( or would that be porpoises?) alongside us in most every wave, which would many times drop us onto the sand with a thud, knocking the wind outa us! Then, like the hardy keiki o ka aina buggahs we were, go right back in for more punishment! Eddie would go, and so, to an extent would us keiki!

2000 August 16, Alkahuna Kekaula Kamauoha, “Re: Screened Lanais/Porches?”, in soc.culture.hawaii (Usenet):

While they debated over the safety of the surfers, big-wave maverick Mark Foo looked out into the maelstrom of waves and whitewater and nonchalantly told one cameraman, “Eddie would go.” The saying stuck, and it eventually became popular in the Islands and in the international board-riding community.

[2002, Stuart Holmes Coleman, Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing, New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 255:

I guess we could've easily called it a day and left, but when you drive an hour to surf, you gotta go. Eddie would go, right? OK, maybe not in waist-high slop with fifty-degree air and water temps, but, I mean, like, if he were a NH surfer, he would go, wouldn't he?

2002 June 16, Atticus Fisher, “Surf Report: Finding Gems In Shit”, in alt.surfing (Usenet):

(Hawaii, surfing) Said of challenging surfing conditions, often as an encouragement.


Eddie would go

No shame! Eddie would go!

a phrase used to encourage others into doing something daring or difficult, especially when surfing


когда рак на горе свистнет

head

когда ра́к на горе́ сви́стнет

когда ра́к на горе́ сви́стнет • (kogda rák na goré svístnet)

когда ра́к на горе́ сви́стнет (canonical)
kogda rák na goré svístnet (romanization)

[kəɡdɐ‿ˈrak nə‿ɡɐˈrʲe ˈsvʲisʲnʲɪt]

Literally, “when the crawfish whistles on the mountain”. Compare Polish jak rak świśnie a ryba piśnie.

lit

en-когда_рак_на_горе_свистнет-ru-phrase-dG4oo6GF


fare thee well

/ˌfɛː(ɹ)ðiː ˈwɛl/

/ˌfɛə(ɹ)ðiː ˈwɛl/

[ˌfɛɚ ðiˑ ˈwɛl]

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

[ˌfɛɹ ðiˑ ˈwɛl]

I muſt not heare thee, fare thee wel kind maide,[…].

c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 236, column 1:


post hoc ergo propter hoc

See post (“after”), propter (“because of”), hoc – neuter accusative of hic (“this”), and ergō (“therefore”).

(logic) after this, therefore because of this


force majeure

Internationalism, unadapted borrowing from French force majeure.


farðu í rassgat

From farðu (“go!”) the imperative of the verb fara (“to go”) + í (“into”) + rassgat (“arsehole, asshole”). Literally meaning "go into an arsehole/asshole!".

Farðu í rassgat helvítis tíkin þín!

Farðu í rassgat andskotans auminginn þinn!


no wucking furries

Spoonerism of no + fucking (“used as an intensive”) + worries.

A black doctor using his skills to save a dying 'KKK member on the operating table' somehow is the same as some cheap whore lawyer doing a deal with an internationally convicted criminal organisation, saying "Yeah, no wucking furries, I'll have your money, spends good to me ! "

2000 November 29, Nick S, “My Web Site Crunched”, in aus.censorship (Usenet):

“Thank you so much,” said Johnson. / “No worries,” said the barman. / “No wucking furries,” said Tim.

2007, Philip Bryer, None of Your Business, page 28:

The formal bureaucratic style jarred my ears and reminded me that I was indeed home, no wucking furries!

2008, Peter Carey, 30 Days in Sydney, page 7:

(Australia, humour, slang, vulgar) No worries, no problems; used to express acknowledgment or agreement.


mycket snack och lite verkstad

Literally, "lots of talk and little workshop".

all talk and no action
all talk and no action

a situation where people talk a lot, but don't get much done; all talk and no action


demi

şıkka bak “sen demi” puahahwhajaahsjs

2023 January 9, Twitter.com, archived from the original on 2023-01-11:


and counting

This online dictionary has 100,000 articles — and counting.

Hurry up: the train leaves in three minutes. No, two minutes and counting!

(idiomatic) used to show that the number previously mentioned is continuously changing, i.e. increasing or decreasing


no dice

A term used in the game craps when the dice land off the table, invalidating the throw.

(idiomatic) An unacceptable alternative.

We looked all over the house for it. No dice.

The board considered the proposal at the meeting, but no dice for now.

No dice, son, you gotta work late, Eddie Cochran, Summertime Blues

(informal) Used to express a negative outcome or decision


yada yada yada

Lenny Bruce
Oscar Hammerstein II
Richard Rodgers
Seinfeld
The Yada Yada

Probably influenced by (or perhaps an alteration of) yatter or yatata; perhaps onomatopoeic of blather; or perhaps derived from the Norwegian expression jada, jada which has a similar pronunciation and interpretation. Sometimes popularly attributed to Yiddish, but this is dismissed by etymologists.
"Yatter, yatter" is British (specifically Scots) English for "continuous chatter, rambling and persistent talk". S. R. Crockett, The Men of the Moss-Hags (1895) xxix: "The woman's yatter, yatter easily vexed me." Yadder is a Cumberland word meaning "to talk incessantly; to chatter".
Various variant forms appear in the US 1940s–60s; for example, the 1947 American musical Allegro by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers contains a song called “Yatata, Yatata, Yatata,” about cocktail party chatter; see talk page for additional citations.
The phrase "yadda yadda" was first popularized by the comedian Lenny Bruce in his standup bit "Father Flotsky's Triumph," the closing track on his 1961 album "Lenny Bruce - American." It gained renewed popularity in the US in the late 1990s on the television show Seinfeld, where it appears as a catchphrase, initially in Season 8, Episode 19, entitled “The Yada Yada”, originally aired on April 24, 1997, which centers on the phrase (in the duplicative “yada yada” form).

I’m talking country codes, asbestos firewalls, yada yada yada.

1981 January 5, The Washington Post, page B1:


一人之下，萬人之上

ㄧ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

ㄨㄢˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄕㄤˋ

jat¹ jan⁴ zi¹ haa⁶, maan⁶ jan⁴ zi¹ soeng⁶

wànrén zhī shàng [Phonetic:yìrén zhī xià

ижэнь чжи ся

ваньжэнь чжи шан

vanʹžɛnʹ čži šan

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ wän⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹/

jat⁷ jan⁴ dzi¹ haa⁶, maan⁶ jan⁴ dzi¹ soeng⁶

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ haː²² maːn²² jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sœːŋ²²/

to occupy a lofty position, second only to the emperor


一手托兩家

ㄧ ㄕㄡˇ ㄊㄨㄛ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄚ

yīshǒu tuō liǎngjiā [Phonetic:yìshǒu tuō liǎngjiā]

ишоу то лянцзя

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ tʰɔːk̚³ lœːŋ¹³ kaː⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ tʰɔːk̚³ lœːŋ¹³ kaː⁵⁵/

to serve as an honest broker between two parties


一而二，二而一

/i⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiː²¹ jiː²² jiː²² jiː²¹ jɐt̚⁵/

/i⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ ˀɤɻ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ˀɤɻ⁵¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ i⁵⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiː²¹ jiː²² jiː²² jiː²¹ jɐt̚⁵/


一生受用不盡

ㄧ ㄕㄥ ㄕㄡˋ ㄩㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ

yīshēng shòuyòng bùjìn [Phonetic:yìshēng shòuyòng bújìn]

ишэн шоуюн буцзинь

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂoʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ jʊŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹/

The guidance and instruction that he gave me in those years is something from which I will reap the benefits for the rest of my life.

Tā dāngnián duì wǒ de yīfān jiàodǎo, ràng wǒ yīshēng shòuyòng bùjìn.

他當年對我的一番教導，讓我一生受用不盡。

他当年对我的一番教导，让我一生受用不尽。

reap the benefits of something for the rest of one's life


Христос васкрсе

sh-phrase

Христос васкрсе

Христос васкрсе (Latin spelling Hristos vaskrse)

Literally, “Christ was resurrected” or "Christ rose".


Hristos vaskrse

Hristos vaskrse (Cyrillic spelling Христос васкрсе)

Христос васкрсе (Cyrillic)


vaistinu vaskrse

vaistinu vaskrse (Cyrillic spelling ваистину васкрсе)

ваистину васкрсе (Cyrillic)


Ваистину васкрсе

ваистину васкрсе

ваистину васкрсе (Latin spelling vaistinu vaskrse)

ваистину васкрсе (canonical)
vaistinu vaskrse (romanization)


一言九鼎

one utterance, [worth the weight of] nineding (鼎) vessels

ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄧㄥˇ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹ kɐu̯³⁵ tɪŋ³⁵/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ kiu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tiɪŋ⁴¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tiɪŋ⁵³/

/jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹ kɐu̯³⁵ tɪŋ³⁵/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²³⁻³³ kiu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tiɪŋ⁴¹/

/it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tiɪŋ⁵³/

words of enormous weight; solemn promise or pledge


Срећна Нова година

Сре̏ћна Но̏ва го̏дина!

Сре̏ћна Но̏ва го̏дина! (Latin spelling Srȅćna Nȍva gȍdina!)

Сре̏ћна Но̏ва го̏дина ! (canonical)
Srȅćna Nȍva gȍdina! (romanization)


Srećna Nova godina

Srȅćna Nȍva gȍdina! (Cyrillic spelling Сре̏ћна Но̏ва го̏дина!)

Srȅćna Nȍva gȍdina! (canonical)
Сре̏ћна Но̏ва го̏дина! (Cyrillic)


一日不見，如隔三秋

ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

ㄖㄨˊ ㄍㄜˊ ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧㄡ

jat¹ jat⁶ bat¹ gin³, jyu⁴ gaak³ saam¹ cau¹

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ kɤ³⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯⁵⁵/

jat⁷ jat⁹ bat⁷ gin³, jy⁴ gaak⁸ saam¹ tsau¹

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² pɐt̚⁵ kiːn³³ jyː²¹ kaːk̚³ saːm⁵⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯⁵⁵/

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 72 (《詩經·王風·采葛》)

lang

(《詩經·王風·采葛》)

(《詩經·王風·采葛》)

There he is gathering the oxtail-southern-wood!
A day without seeing him, Is like three years!

The Classic of Poetry, c. 11ᵗʰ – 7ᵗʰ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Bǐ cǎi xiāo xī, yīrì bùjiàn, rú sān qiū xī.

彼采蕭兮，一日不見，如三秋兮。

彼采萧兮，一日不见，如三秋兮。

Not seeing (somebody) for a day is like being apart for three autumns.

a single day apart seems like three years


一手交錢，一手交貨

Hand over the money with one hand, get the goods with the other hand.

ㄧ ㄕㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄠ ㄑㄧㄢˊ

ㄧ ㄕㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄠ ㄏㄨㄛˋ

jat¹ sau² gaau¹ cin⁴⁻², jat¹ sau² gaau¹ fo³

yīshǒu jiāo huò [Phonetic:yìshǒu jiāo qián

ишоу цзяо цянь

ишоу цзяо хо

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹/

jat⁷ sau² gaau¹ tsin⁴⁻², jat⁷ sau² gaau¹ fo³

yed¹ seo² gao¹ qin⁴⁻², yed¹ seo² gao¹ fo³

/jɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰiːn²¹⁻³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ sɐu̯³⁵ kaːu̯⁵⁵ fɔː³³/


一物剋一物

yīwù kè yīwù

ㄧ ㄨˋ ㄎㄜˋ ㄧ ㄨˋ

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰɤ⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ u⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɐt̚² hɐk̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵ mɐt̚²/

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰɤ⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ u⁵¹/

/jɐt̚⁵ mɐt̚² hɐk̚⁵ jɐt̚⁵ mɐt̚²/

there is always one thing to conquer another


一家大小

ㄧ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄉㄚˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ kaː⁵⁵ taːi̯²² siːu̯³⁵/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ kaː⁵⁵ taːi̯²² siːu̯³⁵/

We had a holiday, so our whole family went to the countryside to visit grandmother.

Fàngjià le, wǒmen yījiādàxiǎo wǎng xiāngxià qù tànwàng zǔmǔ.

放假了，我們一家大小往鄉下去探望祖母。

放假了，我们一家大小往乡下去探望祖母。


一腳高一腳低

ㄧ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄠ ㄧ ㄐㄧㄠˇ ㄉㄧ

yījiǎo gāo yījiǎo dī [Phonetic:yìjiǎo gāo yìjiǎo dī]

ицзяо гао ицзяо ди

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ti⁵⁵/

Literally: one foot high and one foot low


Sretna Nova godina

sh-phrase

Srȅtna Nȍva gȍdina! (Cyrillic spelling Сре̏тна Но̏ва го̏дина!)

Srȅtna Nȍva gȍdina! (canonical)
Сре̏тна Но̏ва го̏дина! (Cyrillic)


人不知，鬼不覺

people don't know it, and ghosts don't feel it

ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩㄝˊ

/ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵/