there is no spoon

From The Matrix (1999), in which a boy appears to be able to bend a spoon with his mind. The boy says: "There is no spoon.", referring to the fact that he and others are actually in a large-scale computer simulation.

[the phrase "there is no spoon" appears in the page title]
There is no wall. It's all in your mind. Keep trying.

2003 December 28, Hannes Brunner, “There is no spoon ... ehrm wall :)”, in alt.games.diablo2 (Usenet), message-ID <bsmqba$e871i$1@ID-199901.news.uni-berlin.de>:

Let me apply neo therapy.
There is no spoon(migraine).
After 20 minutes I am almost normal.
Was it due to pill or neo therapy, I don't know.
Should I dare to take just neo therapy next time? Haa haa haa

2007 March 1, neo, “There is no spoon.”, in alt.support.headaches.migraine (Usenet), message-ID <1172765712.686536.308230@8g2000cwh.googlegroups.com>:

A certain problem or obstacle only exists if one believes in it; therefore, it is possible to overcome it by denying its existence.


keep telling yourself that

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(sarcastic) Said to someone who has ill-conceived, false beliefs.


hold onto your hat

Hold onto your hat—intersecting planes are planes that cross, or intersect.

2011, Mark Ryan, Geometry Essentials For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 14:

(idiomatic, usually humorous) One should prepare for a surprise or shock.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hold, onto, hat.


same, same, but different

A day before I'd stepped off a train in Vladivostok in snow and ice, still hung over from the vodka hug-fest with the silver-toothed gangsters, India and Afghanistan just over my shoulder, on my mind, and then, wham, a taxi through warm L.A. -- "Fuck, man, look at that traffic!" said the driver, who'd emigrated to the U.S. from Jordan when he was sixteen -- and I was plunging into a place I hadn't seen in months. As a T-shirt in India read, "Same, same, but different."

2010, Carl Hoffman, The Lunatic Express, →ISBN, page 270:

I have pets too, but not nearly as many as you! Same, same but different!

2011, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw., Same, Same But Different, →ISBN:

So we are same same but different as they say in some parts of the world.

2012, Abhijit Bhaduri, Mediocre But Arrogant, →ISBN:

Nothing MOVES from one level to the next without you ACTIVATING the market and the prospects. As the people say in Cambodia; Same, same but DIFFERENT.

2012, Stefan Larsson, Procedural Selling, →ISBN, page 121:

Almost the same thing, but with some differences.


vive la difference

vive la différence
vive la différence#English


you wish, jellyfish

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half the battle

Knowing is half the battle.

It is necessary to be informed in order to do the right thing in a given situation.

A large part of what it takes to accomplish something.


what the hay

Euphemistic form of what the hell (“why not, who cares”).


what are you smoking

(slang, derogatory, rhetorical question) An ironic or sarcastic response to an absurd or nonsensical statement, suggestion or other action.


all students take calculus

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-all students take calculus.wav

(mathematics, mnemonic) An acronym used to remember the sign values of all the trigonometric functions in the two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system: all, sine, tangent, cosine — signifying which of the functions are positive, in the order of the quadrants, starting at the top right and moving counterclockwise.


so on

...and that the inhabitants of the liberty of the borough of, &c. aforesaid, the liberty of the priory aforesaid, &c. respectively, from time whereof, &c. have repaired and amended, and have used and been accustomed to reapir and amend, and still of right ought respectively to repair and amend the said king's highway in the said indictment mentioned and alleged to be ruinous, in decay, and out of repair, in manner following, that is to say, the inhabitants of the borough of C. aforesaid, so much thereof as lies within the said borough, the inhabitants of the liberty of the priory aforesaid, so much thereof as lies within the said liberty, &c. (so on with the others,) to wit, at, &c. aforesaid, and this the said R. T. and T. S. for themselves, and the rest of the inhabitants of the said parish of C. (except the inhabitants of the liberty of the borough of C. &c.) are ready to verify ;

1819, Joseph Chitty, A Practical Treatise on the Criminal Law:

It's normal to be nervous in a job interview! You can control and reduce your anxiety by being well-prepared, practicing ahead of time, looking your best, showing up early, and so on.

2012, Pete Leibman, I Got My Dream Job and So Can You, →ISBN:

You should be alert online as you are when alone out in the public going to the store or so on.

2013, David R. Des Autels, Social Networking Safety: It All Starts with the User, →ISBN:

Other things of the same sort or nature.


that's saying something

Longbottom, if brains were gold you’d be poorer than Weasley, and that’s saying something.

1997 June 26, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter; 1), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

2015, ending theme song of Star vs. the Forces of Evil
I think Earth is a pretty great place. That's saying something, 'cause I've been through outer space.

(idiomatic) Said of something that has an even greater impact or effect than what is readily apparent, considering the context.


everything in the garden is rosy

everything is rosy in the garden (alternative)
everything in the garden is lovely (alternative)

en-au-everything in the garden is rosy.ogg

(idiomatic) Things are going well; everything is fine.


everything is rosy in the garden

everything in the garden is rosy#English

Alternative form of everything in the garden is rosy.


that old dog won't hunt

that dog won't hunt
that dog won't hunt#English


worm turns

"The poor old Worm turns as if she was treading on him instead of cuddling him like a pussy cat."

1875, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 12, in Eight Cousins:

"I've waited on you hand and foot, done dirty work for you, put up with your ill-humours and your tyranny, and never grumbled. But there is a limit! You've made a poor sort of creature of me, but even the worm turns, you know."

1914, E. Phillips Oppenheim, chapter 22, in The Vanished Messenger:

However, the evidence to date in the new session indicates the worm may have turned. The government has become more seasoned and confident of its political skills.

1982 December 11, Frances Russell, “Economic performance buoys Pawley’s position”, in The Vancouver Sun (The Weekend Sun), Vancouver, BC, page A6:

"New Jersey used to be the armpit of the universe," Mr. Rockland said. "Well, the worm turns. And I think anything that's down so long eventually is going come up."

2002 April 21, Vicki Vasilopoulos, “Word's Out. New Jersey's In.”, in New York Times, retrieved 2016-12-13:

(idiomatic, usually preceded by the) Circumstances change so that a previously disadvantaged party gains the advantage, or vice-versa.


where the puck is heading

An allusion to the sport of ice hockey, attributed to famed player Wayne Gretzky who reported he was taught: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

But he also has the uncanny ability to sense where the puck is heading. His opponents merely follow it. If team work and foresight are national characteristics of Canadians, they will be invaluable in our pursuit of victory at the global arena.

1991, David W. Conklin, Lucie Deschênes, Canada's Information Revolution, page 45:

New people are often hired because they bring ideas and skills needed to take a company where the puck is heading, not where it is today.

2014, Malachi O'Connor, Barry Dornfeld, The Moment You Can't Ignore: When Big Trouble Leads to a Great Future:

(Canada) Where things are headed; to a predicted future state of things.


TTTO

Initialism of to the tune of: indicating the piece whose melody is borrowed for a new song.


I'm not being funny

Clara: Well, I'm not being funny, but those clothes aren't really suitable for having meetings with clients.
John: Really?
Clara: I think so – a shirt and tie, or suit and shirt would be better.

2009, Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hockly, Learning English as a Foreign Language For Dummies, page 296:

I'm not being funny, but you make me nervous.

2011, Martin Stanley, The Gamblers, page 280:

You know, I'm not being funny, but, you know, when he's with all his cool new 'creative' mates. They ain't real, Tony. They ain't like us. They sit around, with ironic trousers on and three haircuts each, waiting to be discovered.

(UK, idiomatic) Used as a softening preface to a statement that might be taken as offensive or malicious.


IYO

(Internet slang) Initialism of in your opinion.


this is me

This is where I leave or finish my journey; this is my turning, bus stop, home, etc.


this is someone

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So I get home at two in the morning, right, and this is my mum: "where do you think you've been all night?"

(MLE) This is what (the named person) said or did; used in recounting events, etc.


where the puck is going

where the puck is heading
where the puck is heading#English

Alternative form of where the puck is heading.


vel non

The undocumented status of these children vel non does not establish a sufficient rational basis for denying them benefits that the State affords other residents.

June 1982, United States Supreme Court, Plyler v. Doe

(especially law) or not; used when discussing the existence or nonexistence of a condition, circumstance, etc


after you

[Beaufort commands him to go in] No, no, after you, Baron-I insist!

1840, William Dimond, Englishmen in India; a comic opera, in three acts, etc., page 73:

After you. I insist. And then that sharklike smile.

2005, Keith Dixon, Ghostfires: A Novel, page 4:

We greeted each other when we met in the hallway, from time to time we waited for the elevator together, hands folded behind our backs—no, no, after you, please! No, after you!

2007, Paul Verhaeghen, Omega Minor, page 145:

A gesture, usually polite, urging another person to take a turn at something ahead of the speaker.

na u

polite invitation for another to go first


after you, Alphonse

Paraphrase of a line in Alphonse and Gaston, an American comic strip by Frederick Burr Opper.

And two French sisters performed a delightful after-you-Alphonse routine when they came in first and second in the women's slalom, then took the same top places, in reversed order, in the giant slalom.

1964 February 14, “Snow show goes off in big style”, in LIFE, volume 56, number 7, page 30:

As this tortuous wording suggests, models and their reflections keep reversing in the mirror, in a sort of “after you, Alphonse—no, after you” exchange.

2010, Wendy Steiner, The Real Real Thing: The Model in the Mirror of Art, page 109:

An exchange indicating excessive formality or effort at politeness, particularly where two people each refuse to go forward because each insists on allowing the other to go forward first.


'tis the season

From the popular Christmas song, Deck the Halls, written in 1862.

Anyway, ‛tis the season, and apropos of that and this particular evening's events, here we are.

2001, David Kranes, The National Tree, page 278:

Training kids to perform a series of academic stunts in sixty-minute time slots makes me cringe. But ‛tis the season, so let the testing begin.

2008, Lori L. Conrad, Missy Matthews, Cheryl Zimmerman, Put Thinking to the Test, page 6:

Dear Marcia, According to television advertising, ‛tis the season, so Merry Christmas!

2012, Marcia Aldrich, Companion to an Untold Story, page 138:

Indicating that it is the time of year around Christmas, and that things associated with that time period are happening or likely to happen.


who watches the watchers

This "who watches the watchers" problem seems especially acute in the case of the "mutual funds plan" advocated by a number of observers of the Eastern European situation.

1996, George K. Yarrow, Piotr Jasinski, Privatization: Critical Perspectives on the World Economy, page 107:

Indicating concern as to whether those responsible for monitoring the behavior of others are themselves held accountable.

谁来把守守卫者

concern about accountability of those monitoring behavior


ec.

1791?, John Walker, “Principles of English Pronunciation” in Joseph Baretti’s English and Italian Dictionary, volume II (new ed., 1832), ‘Enclitical Accent’, § 518, page 684/2

Words in the following terminations have always the accent on that syllable where the two parts unite, that is on the antepenultimate syllable: in logy, as apology, ambilogy, genealogy, ec.; in graphy, as geography, orthography, historiography, ec.; in phagus, as sarcophagus, ichthyophagus, androphagus, ec.; in loquy, as obloquy, soliloquy, ventriloquy, ec.; in strophe, as catastrophe, apostrophe, anastrophe, ec.; in meter as geometer, barometer, thermometer, ec.; in gonal, as diagonal, octagonal, polygonal, ec.; in vorous, as carnivorous, granivorous, piscivorous, ec.; in ferous, as vacciferous, cocciferous, somniferous, ec.; in fluous, as superfluous, mellifluous, fellifluous, ec.; in fluent as mellifluent, circumfluent, interfluent, ec.; in vomos, as ignivomous, flammivomous, ec.; in parous, as viviparous, oviparous, deiparous, ec.; in cracy, as theocracy, aristocracy, democracy, ec.; in gony, as theogony, cosmogony, hexagony, ec.; in phony, as symphony, cacophony, colophony, ec.; in machy, as theomachy, logomachy, sciomachy, ec.; in nomy as economy, astronomy, Deuteronomy, ec.; in somy, as anatomy, lithotomy, ec.; in scopy as metoposcopy, deuteroscopy, ec.; in pathy, as apathy, antipathy, idiopathy, ec. in mathy, as opsimathy, polymahty, ec. ec.


you must be fun at parties

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'Pick a language. I'll conjugate any verb you want so fast it will make your head spin.' 'You must be fun at parties.'

2011, Charles Brokaw, The Temple Mount Code: A Thomas Lourds Thriller, Penguin UK, →ISBN, page 334:

"You must be fun at parties." Hunter's mouth was moving faster than his brain and he wasn't even sure what he was saying until he heard himself! 'You must be fun at parties', really?! That sounded so rude.

2017, Ryan Jensen, The Butterfly Effect, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 33:

A sarcastic retort to somebody who has said something perceived as boring or pedantic.


head

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

From Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971) by Hunter S. Thompson.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. That is my personal motto, and it has made me what I am today.

2010, Hunter S Thompson, Hey Rube, →ISBN:

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro, and I have certainly been both in my life. Ask anyone. They know. They remember. They'll tell you that I was both weird and a pro.

2012, Nick Mamatas, The Damned Highway, →ISBN:

Hunter Thompson famously coined the rallying cry, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!” saying anyone was qualified to make a difference if they had the heart, mind, and will to do so. Many did.

[2013, Chrisann Brennan, The Bite in the Apple: A Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs, →ISBN:

"The chair is not that weird," Van muttered. "It's the whole world that's weird now. When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” He picked up his wireless laptop.

2015, Douglas Lain, In the Shadow of the Towers: Speculative Fiction in a Post-9/11 World, →ISBN:

In times of change or upheaval, anyone can form a legitimate business from their own personal vision, however different it may be.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Hunter S. Thompson

when the going gets tough, the tough get going


as the case may be

The Inspector shall convene a special meeting of the district panchayat or panchayat union council or village panchayat, as the case may be, and place the resignation notice for information within fifteen days from the date of receipt of resignation notice before the district panchayat or panchayat union council or village panchayat as the case may be.

2007, Ganapathy Palanithurai, A Handbook for Panchayati Raj Administration (Tamil Nadu), page 100:

As is appropriate to the circumstances; particularly where a choice must be made between two options.


Nixon in China

A reference to U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 establishment of direct diplomatic relations with, and personal visit to, the People's Republic of China. Nixon's unyielding opposition to Communism had been well-known.

“People have tried to duplicate Nixon in China over and over again, including Iran,” Mann said. He cites the ill-fated 1986 journey by President Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser Robert “Bud” McFarlane, who traveled to Tehran carrying a Bible with a handwritten verse from Reagan and a key-shaped cake as a goodwill gesture for Iranian leaders.

2015 March 14, Steven Mufson, “Is Obama’s Iran overture like Nixon’s opening to China?”, in The Washington Post:

(idiomatic, politics) Suggesting the ability of a politician with an unassailable reputation among his or her supporters for representing and defending their values to take actions that would draw their criticism and even opposition if taken by someone without those credentials.

People's Republic of China
Richard Nixon


IAS

(aviation, travel) Initialism of insert after segment; GDS code, and used on older types of airline keyboards.


softly, softly, catchee monkey

Uncertain. Commentators refer to a variety of African languages or nations, but generally lack specific detail. Benham's Book of Quotations suggests the phrase originated from Black English, but is unclear. Compare the Wolof proverb, Ndànk-ndànk, mooy jàpp golo ci ñaay (“Slowly, slowly one catches a monkey in the forest”).
Although the phrase is attested with non-standard assonant catchee mainly from the twentieth century, Eric Partridge suggests it was probably coined in the late nineteenth. Quotations from the mid-nineteenth century use catch or caught the monkey.

softly, softly caught the monkey (alternative)
softly, softly catch a monkey (alternative)

"Prudens qui patiens," was the motto of our great Coke : a motto which the negro pithily paraphrases — "Softly, softly, catch monkey."

1840, Archer Polson, James Grant, Law and Lawyers; or, Sketches and Illustrations of Legal History and Biography, London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans, →OCLC:

It is a West Coast proverb, which says, “Softly, softly, catchee monkey."

1896 March, Robert Baden-Powell, “The Native Levy in the Ashanti Expedition, 1895-96”, in Journal of the Royal United Service Institution, volume 40, London: J. J. Keliher & Co., page 305:

the really important part of Scouting is to become good Scouts — "wise old birds," in fact. "Softly, softly, catchee monkey!" Not by making a row, but by cunning and kindness

1920, John Hargrave, The Wigwam Papers and Totem Talks, London: C. Arthur Pearson, →OCLC, page 33:

Having failed to secure a Press Council of the sort they wanted, they are now trying, in a small way, to get something established — on the old principle of ‘Softly, softly, catchee monkey.’

1950, “Conference Conundrums”, in The Journal – Institute of Journalists, volume 38, page 148:

Proceed cautiously or gently to achieve an objective.

Softly, softly, catchee monkey, I thought to myself....slow and sure was the way with a woman like this.

2013 March 31, Gina Hoisington, “The Logic of My Anger: A Sociopath's Tale of Vengeance”, in BDSM Library:

Capture a target without startling it and causing it to run away.


softly, softly caught the monkey

"La pointe de l'aiguille doit passer la première;" [...] I should rather explain this by our kindred expression, "introduce the sharp edge of the wedge first;" or, as the West Africans say, "Softly! Softly caught the monkey."

1865, Richard Francis Burton, Wit and Wisdom from West Africa, London: Tinsley Brothers, →OCLC, page xiii:

softly, softly, catchee monkey
softly, softly, catchee monkey#English

Alternative form of softly, softly, catchee monkey.


BIBA

(medicine, initialism) brought in by ambulance.


PERRLA

(medicine) Acronym of pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation.


black don't crack

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-black don't crack.wav

Coordinate term: Asian don't raisin

[…] Ms. [LaWanda] Page revealed to the [white] girl that she is 55 years old. Then, before the girl could stammer her disbelief, Ms. Page quipped, "Well, you know, Black don't crack!"

1975 December 11, Geoffrey Brown, “People Are Talking About”, in Jet, page 50:

She was going to be an example of black don't crack.

2013, E.N. Joy, I Ain't Me No More, →ISBN:

Okay, so usually black don't crack — unless we aren't living right.

2015, C. M. Fox, K. C. Dillon, Conversations of a Conscious Black Girl, →ISBN:

But there again, she looked amazing in the flesh too. Well, you know what they say. Black don't crack.

2016, Jonathan Harvey, The History of Us, →ISBN:

(colloquial, from African-American Vernacular) People of African descent tend to wrinkle less with age than people with lighter skin.


good black don't crack

“Good black don't crack,” the late Buck O'Neil liked to joke when people complimented Buck's appearance.

2010, Timothy M. Gay, Satch, Dizzy, and Rapid Robert, →ISBN:

Big Melba says those light ones age quickly and poorly, but good black don't crack.”

2011, J. Marie Darden, Finding Dignity, →ISBN, page 86:

“Chile, good black don't crack.” Grandma smiled.

2015, April Sinclair, Coffee Will Make You Black: A Novel, →ISBN:

“You're forty?” I looked him up and down. Damn, forty was looking like that these days? I thought. I guess the old adage good black don't crack was real.

2016, Noelle Vella, A Weekend Affair, →ISBN:

black don't crack
black don't crack#English


what would you like

Used to ask the interlocutor what they would like to order, to buy or have a look at.

какво бихте желали?

used to ask the interlocutor what they would like to order, to buy or have a look at


pros ton kairon

Transliteration of the Ancient Greek πρὸς τὸν καιρόν (pròs tòn kairón).

der

πρὸς τὸν καιρόν


it's the truth, Ruth

(Australia, New Zealand, informal) What I am telling you is true.


don't try this at home

Don't try this at home, but now I'm going to walk barefoot over the hot coals.

A caution that the activity being described or demonstrated is not safe for ordinary members of the public to attempt.


pretty please with a cherry on top

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pretty please with sugar on top!
pretty please with sugar on top#English

Synonym of pretty please with sugar on top!.


I told you

(informal, ironic) Used to inform the listener that a statement or affirmation made before was true, despite the listener's doubts.

我有共汝講 /我有共汝讲

góa ū kā lí kóng / góa ǔ kā lí kóng / góa ū kāng lí kóng / góa ǔ kāng lí kóng

én megmondtam (neked, önnek, nektek, or önöknek are optional afterwards, q.v.)


your chariot awaits

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Purportedly from a Welsh hymn, cited and translated in 1866 by English sermonizer Charles Spurgeon.

Roland, who was holding the dinghy painter, agreed with him. "It's right, Frank," he said. "You know he can never resist a boating trip. O.K., Dick, your chariot awaits."

1957, Frank Evans, The Voyage of the "Petula", page 89:

"Come, Mrs. Taylor," he said, "your chariot awaits. This time you are going to get up on the cart all by yourself."

1972, Marjorie Hayen Taylor, Broken Heart, Mended, page 49:

"Young knight, your chariot awaits," he announced, as a long silver limousine rolled to a stop in front of them.

1987, Betty Henrichs, Casanova's Downfall, page 61:

Travis gestured toward the motorcycle. "Your chariot awaits."

1992, Dallas Schulze, Angel and the Bad Man, page 16:

Hey baby, it's me, I am in the parking lot of your building, your chariot awaits baby.

2009, T. Louise, Right Here, Right Now, page 45:

(humorous, sarcastic) Used to inform someone that the vehicle in which they will be traveling is ready and waiting.


a boon and a bane

Something that is both a benefit and an affliction.


boon or bane

Something that can be either a benefit or an affliction.


how many siblings do you have

Used to ask how many brothers or sisters someone has.


do you have any brothers or sisters

Used to ask whether someone has any siblings.


goodness knows

We mustn't waste the battery: goodness knows how often we shall need it.

1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia:


twinkle in one's daddy's eye

a twinkle in one's daddy's eye (canonical)

From a song, "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips (and a Twinkle in Your Daddy's Eye)", written for the 1934 film, Dames; derived from the presumption that prior to the conception of a baby, the father was sexually aroused, and this arousal was reflected in a pleased look in the father's eyes.

Kid, I've been running fight outfits since long before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye.

2016, Mackenzie Crowne, To Win Her Heart, page 51:

Bean Toomey was upholding the law when you were still just a twinkle in your daddy's eye.

1994, Suzanne Elizabeth, Kiley's Storm, page 144:

The Great Wilkie and Little Win were the biggest draw on the halls when you were not so much as a twinkle in your daddy's eye.

1977, Paul Bailey, Peter Smart's Confessions, page 96:

Of a person, not yet conceived, particularly when referring to a time period preceding their conception.


TMAI

tell me about it
tell me about it#English

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of tell me about it.


there is no there there

From a remark by Gertrude Stein in Everybody's Autobiography (1937), concerning the fact that her childhood home in Oakland, California, no longer existed.

there's no there there (alternative)
there's no "there" there (alternative)
there is no "there" there (alternative)

She took us to see her granddaughter who was teaching in the Dominican convent in San Raphael, we went across the bay on a ferry, that had not changed but Goat Island might just as well not have been there, anyway what was the use of my having come from Oakland it was not natural to have come from there yes write about it if I like or anything if I like but not there, there is no there there.

1937, Gertrude Stein, Everybody's Autobiography, Vintage Books, published 1973, page 289:

There is a character issue for Mr. Bush in this campaign. The clothes have no emperor. There is no there there.

1992 May 6, Anna Quindlen, “Public & Private: No There There”, in New York Times, retrieved 2017-03-01:

This desire to express national difference comes at a time when the world is shrinking rapidly and travellers arrive halfway across the globe to find that there is no "there" there.

1996 October 12, Sir Terence Conran, “Travel in Style”, in Independent (UK), retrieved 2017-03-01:

Cog is an artificially intelligent computer that is trying to learn about the world. . . . Cog's "mind," similarly, is just a collection of loosely coordinated digital reflexes scattered among its eight processors, with no one place to point to as the seat of intelligence. "There's no there there," notes Brooks with a touch of pride.

2001 June 24, Julian Dibbell, “The Race to Build Intelligent Machines”, in Time, archived from the original on 2015-11-03:

Mill Creek . . . still lacks a geographic heart. . . . There's no "there" there, no center to the city—unless you count the private Mill Creek Country Club or the grocery-store shopping centers.

2003 September 26, M. L. Lyke, “Mill Creek works to stay 'nice'”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2017-03-01:

With Trump, there’s no there there. That is, no substance—not if substance is taken to mean a coherent set of policy proposals.

2016 January 9, Scot Lehigh, “Don’t presume Trump in New Hampshire”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 2017-03-01:

(idiomatic) The indicated thing, person, or other matter has no distinctive identity, or no significant characteristics, or no functional center point; nothing significant exists in that place; nothing significant is occurring in that situation.

Everybody's Autobiography
Gertrude Stein


there's no there there

there is no there there
there is no there there#English

Alternative form of there is no there there.


ekcetra

The tax gatherer cleared his throat. 'Well, sir, you see. I explained about the need to employ a standing army, ekcetra, and they said why, and I said because of bandits, ekcetra, and they said bandits never bothered them.”

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling


Near-synonym: MSF

Male here looking for female for hot romantic date ¶ M4F fun cool clean safe single white male call […]

2020 October 1, “Reader matches”, in Chicago Reader, volume 50, number 1, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Reader L3C, →ISSN, Classifieds, page 43:

(in personal ads or Internet slang) Initialism of male for female.

(ASMR) Of audio, a masculine or male voice using female pronouns.

(Internet slang) Initialism of masc for femme.


what color is the sun in your world

What color is the sun in your world (canonical)

By the way Bill, exactly what color is the sun in your world? You are so far out there I swear you're going to get a nosebleed from the altitude alone.

1997 December 2, SeventhStar (user name), “Flame Universe Who's Who: The Flame Giant”, in alt.flame (Usenet), message-ID <6621fj$ean@ecuador.earthlink.net>:

Tell me: what color is the sun in your world?/You've been sneaking off to the peyote patch again, haven't you?

1999 April 6, John Smith (user name), “a pagan a day keeps the ice cubes away”, in alt.religion.islam (Usenet), message-ID <7edjti$b8b$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>:

You aren't even a credible liar: you just want to make up stories and hope that SOMEONE will believe you. What color is the sun in your world anyway?

2004 November 25, Ed King (user name), “The nastiness, sickness and war.”, in alt.freemasonry (Usenet), message-ID <VA.00001351.0f61d8ab@earthlink.net>:

(derogatory) Rhetorical question used to imply that the party addressed is out of touch with reality.


not a bother on someone

He spent no more than a couple of hours in hospital, not a bother on him.

2005, Mary T. O'Connor, On the beat: a woman's life in the Gárda Síochána, page 112:

(UK, Ireland, regional) Someone is fine; all is well with someone.


AWALT

Coordinate term: NAMALT

I'm from Russia. It's not better there than it is anywhere else... . stop thinking different places are better about women or whatnot. You're forgetting the single most important rule. AWALT [All Women Are Like That].

2019, "CzarCronik", quoted in Amanda DiGioia, Duelling, the Russian Cultural Imagination, and Masculinity in Crisis, unnumbered page

In expressing any attitude beyond the “it’s over” narrative, or refusing to believe AWALT, the incel is denoted as “coping”, a negatively charged label indicating that you have yet to completely swallow the blackpill, and are therefore naïve and “low IQ”.

2020, Katrine Rummelhoff, "Incels and Misogyny; what’s so appealing about hatred?", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, pages 59-60

Personal stories about unhappy relationships, cheating partners and manipulative ex-wives were often described in detail, usually to illustrate AWALT and serve as the basis for the MGTOW lifestyle.

2020, Scott Wright, Verity Trott, Callum Jones, “‘The pussy ain’t worth it, bro’: assessing the discourse and structure of MGTOW”, in Information, Communication & Society, volume 23:

(manosphere slang) Initialism of all women are like that.


see also

A see also reference from a main heading is set as a subheading; a see also reference from a subheading is set as a sub-subheading.

1998, Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors, page 256:

A suggestion that other topics of study are related to a current topic.

اُنْظُرْ أَيْضًا

a suggestion that other topics of study are related to a current topic


long hair don't care

Chosen for the rhyme, and in reference to the habit of many male hippies of growing their hair long.

This time she left the ponytail down. She had really long pretty black hair that fell on her dark brown shoulders. She had been growing it since seventh grade when her sister told her “Long Hair Don't Care.”

2011, Sarai Juelz, The Triple B Girl's Club, page 28:

Or was she the type that may have been insecure about her dark complexion in the age of redbone skin tones, yellow models, 'long hair don't care'.

2012, Richard Warren Crosson, Souljastory@itrilla.com: Too Hot for Urban Lit, volume 1:

He used to joke that their team name should be long hair don't care, because not only do both of them have hair that hangs down to their buttocks, but they are both lazy as all get out when it came to half ass doing their job.

2015, Eric Franklin, From The Heart: From The Case Files of Andrew Mason, page 217:

A slogan of the hippy movement, dismissing perceived prudish and conservative attitudes of previous generations.


every man for hisself

every man for himself
every man for himself#English

(nonstandard) Synonym of every man for himself.


every woman for herself

Expression of indifference: every woman should forget about comradeship and save themselves.


toujours perdrix

A Pseudo-Gallicism, derived from toujours + perdrix, literally “always partridge”. The phrase is not used in French.

pseudo-loan

"Toujours perdrix," is a complaint which we particularly wish to avoid in our embellishments.

1842, “The New Sporting Magazine New Series. Vol. II. Published by R. Ackermann”, in Google, page 262:

"I am sorry we did not see him," cried Paula ; "he is a very nice young man : as to the General he is toujours perdrix."

1851, “The compulsory marriage; and its consequences. A novel. In three volumes. Vol. I.”, in Google, London, page 286:

"Toujours perdrix !" She turned, laughing at the surprise, and flushing with pleasure.

1872, “The Argosy. Edited by Mrs. Henry Wood. Volume XIV. July to December, 1872”, in Google, London, page 60:

"Perdrix, perdrix, toujours perdrix." "Roose, Roose, toujours Roose, Robson Roose."

1886, The Pall Mall Budget. No. 941.–Vol. XXXIV. Thursday, October 7, 1886, p. 3 (Google US)

Toujours Perdrix ! That's loving to satiety–
There is no fun in life without variety !

1848, The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist. Edited by Harrison Ainsworth. Vol. 84. Being the Third Part For 1848, London, p. 40 (Google, Google)

Too much of a good thing
too much of a good thing


NGL

Alternative form: ngl

NGL, I actually enjoyed the movie.

NGL...I felt pretty robbed when I found out that my high school experience was nothing like Disney's High School Musical.

2024 May 2, Nicole Pomarico, Kayleigh Roberts, Starr Bowenbank, “The Best Graduation Songs of All Time”, in Cosmopolitan:

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of (I'm) not gonna lie: to tell the truth.


does Dolly Parton sleep on her back

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-does Dolly Parton sleep on her back.wav

An allusion to the singer's large breasts, which might make sleeping on one's front difficult.

is the Pope Catholic
is the Pope Catholic#English

(US, colloquial, dated, vulgar, rhetorical question) Synonym of is the Pope Catholic.


so help me

Am I awake or am I dead. Spencer, my boy, you're a fool—I've got it. I've got the palpitation of the heart, so help me. Why didn't I stay away and not come back after fifteen years.

1904, William F. Cattell, A Receipt for $10,000, page 16:

I hereby swear to become the manager of either the football, basket ball, track, cross-country, baseball, soccer or tennis teams before my graduation. So help me, and keep me at it.

1919, The Junior Class of The Ohio State University, The Makio, page 483:

'You come one step closer to me with that gherkin,' she said, 'and I'll have the law on you, so help me I will.'

2004, Allan Frewin Jones, Lesley Pollinger, Teach Yourself Writing: for Children, page 84:


may the force be with you

may the Force be with you
may the Force be with you#English

Alternative letter-case form of may the Force be with you.


May the Fourth be with you

may the 4th be with you (alternative)
May the 4th be with you (alternative)
may the fourth be with you (alternative)
may the Fourth be with you (alternative)
May the Fourth Be With You (alternative)

Blend of May the Fourth + may the Force be with you.


may the 4th be with you

May the Fourth be with you
May the Fourth be with you#English

Alternative form of May the Fourth be with you.


may the Force not be with you

(idiomatic, humorous) Used to wish someone bad luck.


may the Force be without you

may the Force not be with you
may the Force not be with you#English

(idiomatic, humorous, rare) Synonym of may the Force not be with you.


to your health

Cheers; bottoms up (a phrase used when making a toast).

egészségedre

informal term addressed at a single person; for its variants, see Usage notes there


let's get the party started

let's get this party started (alternative)

"Has he got a pulse?"
"With that hole in his head? You kiddin', a pulse? Give me a break, will ya? He's about as dead as they come. Helluva place to do yourself. Hey, look at this, he's got part of his neck chain in his mouth."
“The dude was loco, man. He was tryin’ to eat gold. Call it in and let’s get the party started. Got to get the body out and the mess cleaned up before light. Wouldn’t want the turistas upset.”

1997, Leonard B. Scott, Solemn Duty, New York: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 64:

(informal, idiomatic) Let's go; let's get this done; let's start more intense action.


let's get this party started

let's get the party started
let's get the party started#English

Alternative form of let's get the party started.


why not Zoidberg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-why not Zoidberg.wav

From a phrase on a popular Internet meme that is attributed to the character Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama, who receives little attention from other characters.

For a good candidate for the 2016 Presidential election, why not Zoidberg?

Perhaps rewording the headline? Changing the button text? What about adding a picture near the form? What if we removed the last question on the form? Why not Zoidberg?

2013, Thomas Eisenmann, Managing Startups: Best Blog Posts:

(Internet slang, rhetorical, sarcastic, dated) A call of attention to something that is ridiculous.


what's up Doc

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-what's up Doc.wav

what's up doc (alternative)
what's up, doc (alternative)
what's up, Doc (alternative)


practice, practice, practice

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

emphatic guidance on the importance of practice to learning a skill or similar


rain stopped play

(idiomatic) The cessation of an activity or operation due to rain (by analogy with cricket).


like it or leave it

like it or lump it
like it or lump it#English


not my circus, not my monkeys

I repeated it like a mantra: Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Except it was my circus. Because, as I lay there, I noticed all my things out of place from the room search. This was my circus. I was stuck with these monkeys.

2015, J. J. Johnson, Believarexic, Open Road Media, →ISBN:

none of my business
none of someone's business

(colloquial) It is not my problem; it's none of my business; indicates that one is not responsible for controlling or changing a volatile or delicate situation.

different clowns, same circus

likewise a circus metaphor emphasizing human folly


there is a new sheriff in town

En-au-there is a new sheriff in town.ogg

Meant to evoke the image of a traditional Southern or Western U.S. town having a new sheriff come to power and shake things up for the town.

(idiomatic) A new individual has come to power and will be making changes.


parade passed someone by

Have you stopped going out in the evening altogether because you don't want to disrupt your child's "routine"? Has the parade passed you by?

2007, Christie Mellor, chapter 7, in Three-Martini Family Vacation: A Field Guide to Intrepid Parenting, Chronicle Books LLC, →ISBN, page 43:

Before the parade passes by / I've gotta get some life back into my life / I'm ready to move out in front / I've had enough of just passing by life / With the rest of them / With the best of them / I can hold my head up high / For I've got a goal again / I've got a drive again / I wanna feel my heart coming alive again / Before the parade passes by

1964, Jerry Herman, “Before the Parade Passes By”, in Jerry Herman (lyrics), Jerry Herman (music), Hello Dolly!, End of Act I. Hello Dolly! Produced for the Broadway stage by David Merrick and Champion-Five, Inc:

(idiomatic) Someone missed out on the joys of life, an opportunity, or popular movement

In The Five Pennies [1959 Film biography of Red Nichols, directed by Melville Shavelson] ...One young man says, "My father told me all about you.... He said you were smart to get out of the business before the parade passed you by." Outraged at this slight and intent on proving that he is still musically potent, Nichols is conveniently handed a cornet by his wife, who sees an opportunity to bring him back to the music after many years.

1996, Krin Gabbard, chapter 4, in Jammin' at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema, The University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 149:

(idiomatic) Someone no longer has what it takes to remain competetive and thus has no future in a particular role.

washed up

someone no longer has a future in a role


get this

She opened her eyes about an hour after Blue arrived, and—get this! She looks at him and she goes, 'I'm bald. They had to shave my head.'

2015, Suzanne Brockmann, Get Lucky, →ISBN:

Plus Kanté is something new. Get this: Chelsea have the most popular player in the league, a man nobody could seriously boo, albeit even the notably lovable Kanté is perhaps a little fetishised in his humility, his scooter-riding, the Premier League’s own friendly, scuttling Bilbo Baggins.

2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian:

Used to emphasize or call attention to the next thing that is said.


seeya

Seeya later, dude

Well, slong Harry—seeya again

1920, Life Magazine, volume 76, number 1972, page 307:

"Seeya later, alligator." "Okay." "No," Eddie said patiently. "When I say that you're supposed to say, 'After awhile, crocodile.'"

He threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a parting squeeze. “You get some rest, you hear?” “I will. Seeya.” With a final smile and a thumbs up sign, he was gone.


MAGA

The 17-year-old told a CBS affiliate the Maga hats - a staple of President Trump's campaign - are a "racist and hateful symbol." ¶ According to the sheriff's office, the student began verbally attacking her peer on Monday because of the Maga hat, before grabbing and hurling it to the ground.

2018 August 29, “California schoolgirl arrested in Trump hat classroom fracas”, in BBC News, BBC, archived from the original on 2018-08-30:

“Four more years!” the incumbent’s backers called out even louder, largely unencumbered by face coverings. ¶ “Black Lives Matter!” ¶ “Black Lives MAGA!”

2020 October 31, Matt Flegenheimer, “Campaign 2020: Let's Never Do This Again”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2020-11-01:

“Mitch knows he can’t take Trump off the table there,” Scott Reed, a longtime G.O.P. strategist, said of the calculations of Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. “He needs him to energize the MAGA crowd.”

2020 November 18, Richard Fausset, Jonathan Martin, “In Georgia, a Republican Feud With Trump at the Center”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 2020-11-18:

Make America Great Again
w:Make America Great Again

(US politics) Acronym of Make America Great Again.


head

if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down

Initially coined during one of the California droughts.

Never mind 'If it's yellow, let it mellow – if it's brown, flush it down.' My motto is: 'If it's brown, spread it on the ground – if it's yellow, recycle it like a good fellow.'

2008, Ethan Greenhart, Can I Recycle My Granny?: And Other Eco-dilemmas, →ISBN:

The first obvious difference you can make is simply to choose not to flush every time. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.

2009, Melissa Seligman, David Seligman, Simply Green, →ISBN, page 99:

Here is what I will say about the “If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down” rule: this is fine, providing you drink a lot of water.

2014, Vanessa Farquharson, Sleeping Naked Is Green, →ISBN:

In order to save water, only flush the toilet after defecation, not after urination.


if it's yellow let it mellow

A short version of "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down".

It's a tad gross that I haven't been able to flush, but if it's yellow, let it mellow ... and run like hell-o.

He went on to explain: I'm not gonna waste like a gallon and a half of water that we're stealing from the Colorado River just cuz I took a pee, you know like, 'if it's yellow let it mellow,' you know, don't flush it.

2013, Laura Portwood-Stacer, Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism, →ISBN, page 29:

Explanation: No! I did not have to follow the, “if it's yellow, let it mellow” rule—in fact, if I did follow that rule I would probably still be single.

2016, Bo Bennett, Logically Fallacious, →ISBN:

In order to save water, do not flush the toilet every time you urinate.


the word is go

(idiomatic) Indicates that given plans or actions can proceed.


Lord love you

Lord love you, can not, cannot you at last give comfort to two honest hearts ?

1770, Samuel Richardson, The History of Sir Charles Grandison in a Series of Letters:

The Reverend winced, but said mildly,— “Yes,—we are Americans.” “Lord love you, you can just bet that's what I am, every time! Put it there!”

Said to express good will toward the listener

And, Lord love you, Betsy ! who do you think would marry a soldier in these times ?

1840, Frederick Chamier, Ben Brace, the last of Nelson's Agamemnons, page 37:

“If, as how, miss, (you see,) it was only ourselves that you had to do with—(but, Lord love you, miss! we're only officers, and has our duty to do, and must do it!)—why, we'd go a little out of our way for to oblige a lady; but the people you must go to is the gemmen whose names is here," pointing to the warrant; "they're the people as the money's owing to -- Quirk, Gamm" --

1841, Samuel Warren, Ten Thousand A-year - Volume 5, page 138:

“There was a woman in our aft-scuppers when I went a-whalin in the little 'Grampus' – and Lord love you, Pumpo, you poor land-swab, she WAS as pretty a craft as ever dowsed a tarpauling – there was a woman on board the 'Grampus,' who before we'd struck our first fish, or biled our first blubber, set the whole crew in a mutiny.

1847, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Stars and Stripes:

Said to soften the negative impact of something that is said next.


ma non troppo

The opening section is clearly written in the French overture style, leading into a lively Allegro ma non troppo where imitative, fanfare-like entries abound.

1992, Albert R. Rice, The Baroque Clarinet, →ISBN, page 106:

There is some confusion over the metronome mark of the slow movement. The violin and piano reduction gives ♪=69, which is wholly inconsistent with the tempo indication 'Lento ma non troppo'.

2013, Norman Del Mar, Richard Strauss: A Critical Commentary on His Life and Works, →ISBN:


a magician never reveals his secrets

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-a magician never reveals his secrets.wav

A polite refusal by someone who has just done a magic trick to reveal how it works.

um mágico nunca revela seus segredos

"So how did you do it? Who were the bodies I saw? You didn't kill someone did you?” “No,” Nathan said, almost insulted by her questions, but a smile came over him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, Damarus. Now turn around and enjoy the silence.”

2003, Michelle Woody, Figment of the Heart, →ISBN, page 291:

Combs took a sip of his coffee and recoiled, forgetting how hot it was. He ignored the burning of his tongue, though, and asked Williams: "How did you know it was me?" “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

2015, Anthony Tyler, A Cold Dead Place, →ISBN:

"How did you get your hands on it?" The kidnapper shrugged, coyly. "I have my ways." "Which are what, exactly?" The kidnapper tsked, shaking a finger at him. “A magician never reveals his secrets, and a reporter never gives up his source.” Blare groaned, struggling to lift his head.

(by extension) A refusal to explain how one accomplished something impressive.


mama's baby, papa's maybe

“Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe” is how the black feminist critic Hortense Spillers describes the reproductive burdens of black women, and her words certainly seem to apply to Sally Hemings's experience.

2009, Deborah Gray White, Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower, →ISBN:

As David Buss states in his book The Dangerous Passion, there's an African phrase that captures this male fear: “Mama's baby, papa's maybe.”

2010, Eva Nagorski, The Down and Dirty Dish on Revenge, →ISBN:

His approach to unity is based on the theses of a Swiss lawyer-macrohistorian, Johan Bachofen, a US anthropologist, Lewis M. Morgan, a German macrohistorian, Friedrich Engels, and deep knowledge of Greek drama. Why the latter? Because it reflects the matriarchy-patriarchy contradiction after the first form recognized by Bachofen, promiscuity. They are all variations on the perennial theme "mama's baby, papa's maybe".

2010 November 2, Cameroun Douala, “The Cultural Unity of Black Africa?”, in Real News Network:

The enormous value that patriarchal cultures and religions place on female virginity has roots in biology. We’ve all heard the saying, “Mama’s baby, Papa’s maybe.”

2015 December 25, Valerie Tarico, “Is Jesus' birth worth celebrating? The dark subtext of the nativity scene”, in Salon:

Because men experience "paternity uncertainty" ("Mama's baby, Papa's maybe"), they're more distressed by sexual infidelity, which could chump them into raising a kid who'll pass on some other dude's genes.

2016 December 17, Amy Akon, “Little gifts to girlfriend show how thoughtful you are”, in Poughkeepsie Journal:

It is easy to know the biological mother of a child, but difficult to be sure who the biological father is.


hold my beer

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-hold my beer.wav

Suggesting that the speaker is interrupting their consumption of beer in order to engage in an act of alcohol-induced bravado.

(humorous, imperative, originally) I am about to start a fight.

98% of Americans say 'oh shit' before going into the ditch on a slippery road. The other 2% are from Minnesota and they say, ‘hold my beer and watch this.’

2008, Kiven Hopper, One Hundred and One Dirty Nasty Disgusting Jokes You'll Love Reading, page 227:

When he says “Hold my beer and watch this” What he means is “I'm a crazy Redneck and love to show off.”

2010, Virginia Alene, Catch And Release, page 18:

(humorous, imperative, US) I am about to attempt something dangerous and/or stupid.

[[https://twitter.com/bpedaci/status/796205042802065409] BRITAIN: Brexit is the stupidest, most self-destructive act a country could undertake.
USA: Hold my beer].

2016, Tom Phillips et al., “18 Tweets About How America Has Out-Brexited Brexit”, in BuzzFeed:

(humorous, imperative, US) I will outperform someone who did something foolish by doing something even more foolish.


not one's first rodeo

Look, honey, this ain't my first rodeo, OK? I was doing this when you were in short pants.

(informal, idiomatic) Not the first time one has been in a particular situation; used to indicate past experience.

輕車熟路 /轻车熟路

not the first time one has been in a situation

someone didn't just fall off the turnip truck


IDST

(UK, slang, used in graffiti) Initialism of if destroyed still true.


not for nothing

Not for nothing did he wait until a moment when Mommy wasn't home to ask for Daddy's permission to watch an R-rated movie.

Not for nothing is it called the World Wide Wait. Not for nothing has a Dilbert cartoon appeared noting that all the time saved through automation and computers in the last fifty years has been entirely outweighed by people sitting in front of pc's waiting for web pages to load.

1999, Suzanne Bakker, Libraries without Limits, →ISBN:

It is not for nothing that linguistics began with morphology and for a couple of centuries was practically nothing more than morphology.

2006, Igor Mel'cuk, David Beck, Aspects of the Theory of Morphology, →ISBN, page 563:

But not for nothing had Hopkins trailed Grant from Wigmore Street to the Orient offices, and from the Orient offices to the Temple, and from the Temple to the Yard. Not for nothing had he cooled his heels round the corner while his paid henchman kept watch on the Yard and gave him the sign when Grant left. Not for nothing had he followed him all the way to Westover.

2012, Josephine Tey, A Shilling for Candles, →ISBN, page 96:

"It is not for nothing that airlines recommend keeping seat belts loosely fastened throughout a flight be it long or short," he added.

2024 May 21, Joel Guinto, Simon Fraser, quoting John Strickland, “One dead as London-Singapore flight hit by turbulence”, in BBC News:

Not for no reason; not without reason; (often) for a good reason.

A: It's ridiculous how much they charge for insurance premiums around here. B: Not for nothing, when one out of four homeowners in an area has filed a claim within the past five years, premiums aren't gonna be cheap.

Listen, dawg, not for nothing, but I'm just horsing around with you when I say stuff like that.

2011, Stephen J. Cannell, Vigilante: A Shane Scully Novel, →ISBN:

And not for nothing, but I think you might want to talk to the doctor about a better diet. I suggest more fruits and salads.

2012, Dayton Ward, Vanguard: In Tempest's Wake, →ISBN:

And not for nothing, but have you thought about going the indy-pub route, as I have with this book?

2013, John Vorhaus, Comedy Writing 4 Life:

en:softener prefacing a worthwhile point

(as a disjunct) Used to soften the impact of what is said next, implying that it is worthwhile or important.

ei millään pahalla

used to soften the impact of what is said next

Why did he keep writing all those years for nothing? Not for nothing. For him.

2010, F. J. Bradley, A Natural Place To Hide, →ISBN:

Then, let us make sure that her death was not for nothing.

2013, Mike Bird, Iskandar: And the Immortal King of Iona, →ISBN, page 238:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see not, for, nothing.


DTM

(textiles) Initialism of dye(d) to match.


YIMBY

YIMBY encompasses home composting, "grass cycling" and landscape alteration.

1993, BioCycle - Volume 34, Issues 1-6, page 34:

Buildings that actually boost local land value are, therefore, called "YIMBY" or "Yes In My Back Yard." These beneficial neighbors include Police Stations, Schools, Parks, etc.

2000, Greg Kramer, Sim City Three Thousand Unlimited:

YIMBY does not promise to eliminate risk; it simply spreads it among all those involved. Yesterday, we reiterated several times that equity is critical to any solution, and in this regard YIMBY provides a practical and equitable standard

1990, Thaddeus C. Trzyna, Ilze M. Gotelli, The Power of convening, page 46:

The concept of YIMBY, or "Yes-In-Many-Backyards," was introduced in the early 1980s in Southern California as a guiding principle to distribute unwanted hazardous waste facilities among all the counties participating in the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Project (later transposed into a joint powers authority).

1991, Joseph F. DiMento, LeRoy Graymer, Confronting Regional Challenges: Approaches to LULUs, Growth, and Other Vexing Governance Problems:

In the early 1980s in southern California, the concept of YIMBY (yes in many backyards) was introduced as a guiding principle for distributing unwanted hazardous waste facilities among all the counties participating in the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Project, which later was restructured into a joint powers authority. The YIMBY philosophy asked each county to take responsibility for its fair share of the waste problem, though not necessarily to manage all of its own wastes.

2019, Daniel Mazmanian, Beyond Superfailure: America's Toxics Policy For The 1990s:


I see London, I see France

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-I see London, I see France.wav

From a children's rhyme: "I see London, I see France, I can see your underpants".

“I see London, I see France!” a voice from behind Imo teased. She straightened up quickly to tug her dress down and turned to see Glennis.

2010, Julie Cannon, Mater Biscuit, page 239:

(humorous, informal) Indicates that a person's underwear is showing.


NAWALT

Initialism of not all women are like that.


back in the game

(idiomatic) Having recovered from a disadvantageous position.

(idiomatic) In sports, when a losing team regains chances for winning

(idiomatic) To return to a particular industry or discipline


PEDMAS

order of operations
order of operations#English

please excuse my dear Aunt Sally#English

(mathematics, mnemonic) An acronym used to help people remember the order of operations, in the PEDMAS order (cf. "please excuse my dear Aunt Sally").


the streets are paved with gold

En-au-the streets are paved with gold.ogg

Do you think it will be a place where the streets are paved with gold, similar to the Heaven of the Bible?

1995, Janet McClure, Prelude to Ascension: Tools for Transformation, →ISBN, unnumbered page:

It is in many ways our oldest and most enduring national myth, one that has taken many forms: the streets are paved with gold.

2011, Stephen Pimpare, A People s History of Poverty in America, →ISBN, page 193:

In and around the government lobbyist areas the streets are paved with gold!

2014, Patrick J. Fornari, Commoner Sense: The Working Person’s Guide to America, →ISBN, page 69:

(idiomatic) Used to describe a place where it is easy to become wealthy or live well.


tyt

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative letter-case form of TYT.


bite my shiny metal ass

From a catchphrase of Bender, the rebellious robot character from Futurama, which originally came from bite my ass; compare bite me. Predating Bender's use of the phrase, the similar phrasing "kiss my shiny plastic butt" is used in the film Bride of Chucky.

(idiomatic, vulgar, humorous, offensive) An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.

Bender (Futurama)
Bride of Chucky
Futurama


From the initialism ACAB with the letters substituted with their position in the alphabet.

(See title)

2007 December 16, MI5-V...@mi5.gov.uk, “MI5-Persecution: How Could It Be True? (1312)”, in alt.fan.george-michael (Usenet):

....anonymous member of anti-police-brutality activist group the 1312 Project - shorthand for "All Cops Are....

2015 September 18, _ G O D _, “Police Brutality California Style : It Takes 9 Stockton Officers To Arrest 1 Teen For Jaywalking [VIDEO]”, in alt.revisionism (Usenet):

Having a tattoo or a bomberjack with the text '1312' or 'ACAB' (All Cops Are Bastards).

2015, Thomas Bustamante, Christian Dahlman, Argument Types and Fallacies in Legal Argumentation, →ISBN, page 70:

One group is simply called 'ACAB'; the other is called 'Visitors 1312'. The latter was formed from the amalgamation of two groups, '1312' and 'Visitors'. '1312' is significant because it refers to the numerical positions in the alphabet of the letters comprising 'ACAB'.

2015, Mark Doidge, Football Italia: Italian Football in an Age of Globalization, →ISBN, page 174:

Synonym of ACAB (“all cops are bastards”).


until we meet again

"Good-bye, friends!" said the couple.
"Until we meet again!" said the Greencloaks.

2002, William D. Burt, The Golden Wood, page 270:


STG

Alternative form: stg

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of swear to God.


YKINMK

(Internet slang) Initialism of your kink is not my kink: an acknowledgement that people have different sexual preferences.


so mote it be

May it be thus; may the intentions expressed come to pass; a formula used in Freemason and Rosicrucian rituals, and now used to conclude spells in Wicca and other Neopagan traditions.


time alone will tell

(idiomatic) Alternative form of time will tell.


welcome to my life

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-welcome to my life.wav

welcome to my world
welcome to my world#English


two steps ahead

During strategy discussions,I feel two steps ahead and often believe discussions are wasting time and slowing progress.

2009, Elaine Biech -, The 2010 Pfeiffer Annual: Training, →ISBN:

“You'll need more help than Dave and Frank can give, just to get it down from the truck, over the lawn and inside,” she said practically. “Two steps ahead of you, M'lady. I stopped by the grocery store, so Dave knows to come home and help."

2013, Hadley Hoover, Storm Path, →ISBN, page 9:

She dismisses Littlefinger’s advice to prepare for every possible outcome and see the world as a place of unimaginable horror. Littlefinger is telling her to be a little more like Cersei, always two steps ahead. The difference between Sansa and Cersei is that she has no desire to repeat what has been done to her as an act of vengeance.

2017 July 30, Ali Barthwell, “Ice and fire finally meet in a front-loaded episode of Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:

Two steps ahead, I am always two steps ahead. This has been the greatest social experiment I've come to know, certainly the greatest of my entire life. It's alluring, It's compelling. It's gripping to bear witness to observe all these unwell, unbalanced, disoriented beings roam the internet in search of stories. In search of...ideas. Of conflict, of rivalries. Where people develop a distinctive desire for direct engagement where people feel involved with the stories and therefore become product of influence. Thirsty for distraction, from time spent from lackluster lifestyles spoiling their minds while stimulating at the exact same time.

2024 September 6, Nicholas Perry, “Two Steps Ahead”, in Nikocado Avocado:

(idiomatic) Having cleverly anticipated what others will do or think.

He's supposed to have raped and kilt a woman when he was 'bout fourteen or fifteen and had to flee, two steps ahead of the law

2011, William W. Johnstone, Law of the Mountain Man, →ISBN:

From the dryout farm, Tunney had moved down to the border, mooched around in cantinas for a while, then left the country two steps ahead of the sheriff of some Rio Grande jerkwater.

2015, Kim Newman, The Night Mayor, →ISBN:

Desperately trying to keep two steps ahead of the bill collector, tenants frequently neglected to request permission for these sales, and they or those whom they duped into partin with their money usually suffered the consequences.

2017, James S. Donnelly, Jr, The Land and the People of Nineteenth-Century Cork, →ISBN:


now what

With his hand on the instrument, the bell shrilled loudly. “Now, what?” growled Sir Julius.

2009, Norman Berrow, Oil Under the Window, page 158:

Moe pressed the retrieval button, but, nothing happened. “Now what,” grumbled Moe.

2012, Gary T. Brideau, River of Fire, page 137:

There was a tremendous splash. And then everything was quiet. Until Billy heard a rustling in the forest behind him. Great. Now what?

2015, Chris Grabenstein, The Island of Dr. Libris, page 60:

A request, usually rhetorical, to know what, in a series of negative events, is the next negative event occurring.

Somehow I didn't think it worked that way—not when they needed thirty-five thousand men a month. Now what? Revington was right; I'd run out of options

2011, Keith Maillard, Lyndon Johnson and the Majorettes: Difficulty at the Beginning - Book 3, page 131:

“The cerclage didn't work,” I said. “So now what?” Bill said. “Now what!”

2012, Sara Connell, Bringing in Finn: An Extraordinary Surrogacy Story, page 118:

A request for advice or instruction on what should be done, when a situation has turned negative, particularly if a contingency has failed.


put the same shoe on every foot

From the proverb, you cannot put the same shoe on every foot.

The king of England, who is your holiness's son, is not so like the rest of the world. We cannot put the same shoe on every foot.

1883, Victor Lafayette Conrad, The Luther Memorial, page 772:

You would laugh at a cobbler who should attempt to put the same shoe on every foot.

2007, Robert Mayhew, Essays on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, →ISBN, page 122:

Watch anything in a cage, that is run on a regulatory system of control, sensory deprivation and or sensory abuse, really really poor nutrition, no regard for individual dignity, trying to put the same shoe on every foot,etc.

2014 November 3, Francis Greenburger, “Incarcerating the Mentally Ill Makes Us All Less Safe”, in VICE News:

(idiomatic) To attempt to apply a single solution to different problems.


come here to me

“Come here to me,” said yer man, leaning conspiratorially closer, the smell of turf smoke and poteen potent in the air. “Have ye been up to see the Magic Road?”

2014 February 24, Conor Hallahan, “Ireland's magic roads - what they are and how to find them”, in BreakingNews.ie:

“Come here to me,” said one local radio broadcaster, beckoning a nearby steward, “could ye gather up the names of all the Galway supporters and I’ll give them a shout out?”

2017 July 24, Neil Loughran, “Goals galore for Galway as Donegal are sent tumbling out of Championship”, in Irish News:

(Ireland, colloquial) Introduces a topic which is (actually or jocularly) grave or sensitive; listen up; I wanted to tell/ask you


no thanks to

It's no thanks to you that I did not miss the train.

with no gratitude due to (somebody or something that has been a hindrance); despite


spit into the wind

piss in the wind
piss in the wind#English

(idiomatic) Alternative form of piss in the wind.


water is wet

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-water is wet.wav

We constantly “see” heterosexuality in Trek; to say that heterosexuality is explicit in Trek is to say that water is wet.

2009, David Greven, Gender and Sexuality in Star Trek, →ISBN:

"You're a monster," Gil said, but his words were toothless, without the fire behind them that he'd previously stoked. Coburn shrugged. “And water is wet, old man.”

For example, the computer desktop is meant to suggest a physical desktop, and files that contain folders are meant to remind users of plain old filing systems. This may seem like we're telling you that water is wet, but the pre-GUI days involved a lot of command line typing.

2015, Katie Morris & Gad Chick, A Beginners Guide to Windows Surface, →ISBN:

阿媽係女人 /阿妈系女人 (aa³ maa¹ hai⁶ neoi⁵ jan⁴⁻², literally “one's mum is a woman”)


rest in power

Said to mourn, remember, or celebrate a deceased person, particularly activists and victims of oppression.


if the cap fits, wear it

if the shoe fits, wear it
if the shoe fits, wear it#English

(British) Alternative form of if the shoe fits, wear it.


swords to ploughshares

beat one's swords into ploughshares#English

(rare) Ellipsis of beat one's swords into ploughshares.


swords to plowshares

beat one's swords into plowshares#English

(rare) Ellipsis of beat one's swords into plowshares.


to tell you the truth

“I think Kellyanne is doing a phenomenal job. I don’t know Steve Bannon, to tell you the truth, very well.”

2016 August 28, Tom McCarthy, quoting Reince Priebus, “Reince Priebus on Trump campaign hires: ‘I go with the flow’”, in The Guardian:


words fail someone

words fail someone (present participle words failing someone, simple past words failed someone)

words failing someone (participle present)
words failed someone (past)
words fail (alternative)

Nature has given me the passion for poesy, but refused me the boon of words and the faculty of expressing my thoughts. I think deeply, but when I wish to speak words fail me. If I wish to write, it is still worse.

1857 September, “Seeing the World”, in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume XV, number LXXXVIII, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers, 327 to 335 Pearl Street, Franklin Square, page 544, column 1:

Here he paused, so bewildered by the dignified unconsciousness and serene superiority of the potentate in whose presence he stood that words failed him, and he stood and gazed at that immovable countenance with a sort of appalled wonder to think that anything should be so great yet so small, so capable of making himself ridiculous, and yet with power to spoil two lives at his pleasure.

1882, Mrs. Oliphant [i.e., Margaret Oliphant], “Lady Jane”, in Good Words, volume XXIII, →OCLC, chapter VIII (The Decisive Moment), page 202:

As she looked through more and more of these sheets, and found that they could be clustered, ordered, she realised with a start that the spaces were gaps in Hannah's memory of language, marking the beginning of her words failing her. Did she see that for herself? Did she write faster against the spreading of the gaps?

2012, Belinda Castles, “Flora: Sydney, 2005”, in Hannah & Emil, Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, →ISBN, page 9:

Many survivors tried to describe what they felt, but words failed them. Hard to imagine, too, the emotions of the first responders – the ambulance crews, the medics and the police – faced by ghastly mayhem. It must have felt overwhelming, but they did their jobs and doubtless saved many lives.

2017 August 20, “Observer editorial: The Observer view on the attacks in Spain: We must not give into fatalism on terror”, in The Observer, London, archived from the original on 2017-09-16:

(idiomatic) Someone is incapable of describing something with words, especially due to fear, shock, or surprise.

sanat eivät riitä (kertomaan)

to be incapable of describing something with words


up your nose with a rubber hose

Popularized in the 1970's from use by the writers of US TV series Welcome Back, Kotter to replace the censored phrase up yours, but apparently already in use decades earlier.


bollocks to it

(UK, informal, vulgar) An expression of disappointment, disapproval, or frustration; the hell with it; forget it


ding, ding, ding, we have a winner

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.wav

(humorous) Said when somebody answers a question correctly.


fuck y'all

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fuck, y'all.

"So fuck y'all. All y'all. If y'all don't like me, blow me".

“Fuck y'all niggaz! I'm getting out the business anyway. I don't need y'all!

2011, Dawn, Everything I Miss At Home, page 264:

“Nigga, fuck y'all,” Fatboy and Flick said. They already knew they would make it outta this alive.

(idiomatic, offensive, vulgar) Expression to show discontent with a group of others.


NBI

(medicine) Initialism of no bone/bony injury.


revenge is sweet

[…]wee can force no anſwere from him, but (Ô reuenge, how ſweet art thou! I will ſtrangle him in this towell)[…]

1609 December (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act IV, scene ii, page 579:

The ci-devant marquis was caught disguised in her apartment. She betrayed for him a good, easy friend of the people who had long loved her, and revenge is sweet.

1846, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], Lucretia: Or The Children of Night. […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC:

All revenge is sweet; but what revenge so sweet to any man as that which came to his arms of its own accord? I do notice that men can't read men, but any woman can read a woman.

1866, Charles Reade, Griffith Gaunt, or Jealousy, Boston: Ticknor and Fields:

With base deceit / You worked upon our feelings! / Revenge is sweet, / And flavours all our dealings!

1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, The Pirates of Penzance […], Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart & Co., published 1880, →OCLC:

Said when one is satisfied in taking revenge.

报仇雪恨，大快人心

said when one is satisfied in taking revenge


safety in numbers

there is safety in numbers
there is safety in numbers#English


nature vs nurture

nature versus nurture
nature versus nurture#English

Alternative form of nature versus nurture.


where are the snows of yesteryear

En-au-where are the snows of yesteryear.ogg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-where are the snows of yesteryear.wav

Quotation from Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Ballad of Dead Ladies," an 1869 translation of François Villon's poem "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" (1533) (in the original, où sont les neiges d'antan?).

Pathetic as its passing is, one cannot honestly regret the old school. I was looking last night at the programme of my very first hall, and received a terrible shock to my time-sense. Where are the snows of yesteryear? Where are the entertainers of 1895?

1915, Thomas Burke, “An Entertainment Night: Round the Halls”, in Nights in Town: A London Autobiography, London: George Allen & Unwin […], page 44:

(rhetorical question, informal) Used to emphasize that life passes quickly.

Ballade des dames du temps jadis
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
François Villon


what's the beef

(idiomatic, rhetorical question) Why are you complaining? What are you complaining about?


bona nochy

/ˈbəʊnə ˈnɒtʃiː/


ripe old age

[...] but two 1890 Hawthorn, Leslie engines, Clausentum and Ironside, lived to a ripe old age; the former was on Town Quay and Pier work until September, 1945, and the latter, ousted from the port, eked out an existence as shed pilot at Guildford until 1955.

1959 February, G. Freeman Allen, “Southampton—Gateway to the Ocean”, in Trains Illustrated, page 91:


IDGARA

give a rat's ass
give a rat's ass#English

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I don't give a rat's ass.


AFAIUI

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I understand it.


bene lightmans

(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Good day; a greeting said in the morning or daytime.


bene darkmans

been darkmans (alternative)
bein darkmans (alternative)

Bien Darkmans then, Bouse Mort and Ken,
 The bien Coves bings awast,
On Chates to trine by Rome-Coves dine,
 For his long lib at last.
Bing'd out bien Morts and toure, and toure,
 Bing out of the Rome vile bine,
And toure the Cove that cloyd your duds,
 Upon the Chates to trine.

1665, Richard Head, Francis Kirkman, The English Rogue, part 1, page 46:

"Bene darkmans, Drothe," said Jelem. "I hear you've been looking for me."

2011, Douglas Hulick, chapter 12, in Among Thieves:

“Think I'll look out from the foremast tonight, Mister Majoor,” Bram said. “Bene darkmans, O'Brian.”
“Bene darkmans,” O'Brian said, yawning. He handed Bram the spyglass before shuffling off.

2015, Eve Yohalem, chapter 15, in Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen:

But one darkmans, when the moon glimmed full and sharp over Drury, I spied him padding it home to his lodgings[…]'B-b-bene darkmans, Bess,' he called out[…]

(archaic, UK, thieves' cant) Good night; a farewell said in the evening or nighttime.


that train has left the station

that train has already left the station (alternative)

The expression "You've missed the boat" was replaced by "That train has left the station" and will one day be replaced by "That space shuttle has already started the countdown".

1981 March 22, William Safire, “On Language: Do you speak ASPIC?”, in New York Times, retrieved 2017-09-17:

Mr. Chairman, we can't prohibit borrowing by the federal government. That train has already left the station. We're too deep in debt not to borrow.

1994, Proposed Constitutional Amendments to Balance the Federal Budget: Floor action and committee hearings for the 101st Congress: A legislative history, Volume 4, page 533:

"This is like the Jewish United Way," Rabbi Latz said, " . . . You can't stop the Jews, or certainly the rest of humanity, from doing good. That train has left the station."

2006 August 1, Susan Paynter, “Shootings can't undo the good”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2017-09-17:

“The enormous momentum generated by the business and investment community to address climate change cannot be reversed and cannot be ignored by the Trump administration,” he said. “That train has left the station and to stand in its way is folly.”

2016 November 16, Adam Withnall, “Donald Trump must not make any 'irrevocable choices' over climate change, warns John Kerry”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 2017-09-17:

Kevin Sabet . . . said he doesn’t think Canada should legalize pot at all but if that train has left the station, Canada at the very least needs to slow it down.

2017 September 12, Mia Rabson, “Police ask feds to postpone date for legal pot”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 2017-09-17:

That opportunity has already passed; that cannot be undone.


that train has already left the station

that train has left the station
that train has left the station#English

Alternative form of that train has left the station.


that ship has already sailed

that ship has sailed
that ship has sailed#English

Alternative form of that ship has sailed.


accidents will happen

Accidents will happen, even when a project is carefully planned.


make yourselves at home

make yourself at home
make yourself at home#English


been darkmans

Been Darkmans then booz Mort and Ken, / The been Coves bing awast / On Chats to trine by Rum-Coves dine, / For his long lib at last.

1673, Richard Head, “Canting Song”, in The Canting Academy, page 23:


bein darkmans

Bein darkmans then, bouse, mort and ken, / the bien coue's bingd a wast: / On chates to trine, by Rome-coues dine, / for his long lib at last.

1612, Thomas Dekker, “The Canting Song”, in Lanthorne and candle-light:


another string to one's bow

(idiomatic) Another skill, ability or resource to be used in case of failure.


toothpaste is out of the tube

From the practical impossibility of getting toothpaste back into a tube once it is squirted out.

(idiomatic) A situation that cannot be recovered or reversed back to its original state.


upward of

Police believe that upward of 30 local burglaries may have been carried out by the suspects.

I have been your wife in this obedience / Upward of twenty years.

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


I'm your huckleberry

Uncertain, but dates to the late nineteenth century in the United States. Compare huckleberry in the sense "person of little consequence", or the idiom huckleberry above a persimmon.

The other day, while enjoying a social game of seven-up with that pure and gentle poet, Jim Lowell, I said, “Jim, let’s take a drink.” Tears bedimmed his gentle and pure orbs, as in faltering accents he replied: “I’m your huckleberry.”

1879 April 16, Joseph Cook, “Ultimate America”, in Puck, page 84:

See here, if you want me to go into this or any other deal with you, I’m with you to the limit. If you don’t, and you just wish me to go along as your private secretary and professor of wisdom-toothing, I’m your huckleberry, and I’ll pay my own board-bills besides.

1907, Edwin Lefevre, Sampson Rock of Wall Street: A Novel, page 177:

Holliday took a quick step toward him. “I’m your huckleberry, Ringo,” replied the cheerful doctor. “That’s just my game.”

1927, Walter Nobel Burns, Tombstone: An Iliad of the Southwest, →OCLC, page 138:

(dated, informal, US) I am your partner; I will join you; I will work with you; I will fight you; I will dance with you.


the hell you say

"The hell you say!" rejoined McBane. "I'll leave this car when I get good and ready, and that won't be till I've finished this cigar. See?"

1901, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter 5, in The Marrow of Tradition:

"The hell you say!" ejaculated the man, in amazement. "This Glidden is a German agent—perhaps a spy. He's no labor leader."

1919, Zane Grey, chapter 15, in The Desert of Wheat:

"The hell you say," Mr. Brzezinski replied indignantly, according to Mr. Allen, "Henry was working for our side."

1983 June 13, Terence Smith, “Kissinger role in '68 race stirs conflicting views”, in New York Times, retrieved 2017-10-10:

"The hell you say! Mister, I was appointed to the position by the city council! . . . I am a public servant, and you have no authority over me."

2013, Robert Vaughan, When Hell Came to Texas, →ISBN:

(idiomatic) I vehemently disagree with you; I will not obey you.

(idiomatic) What you are saying is unbelievable; it cannot be true.

Head office brought in all those new policies without consulting anyone and now people are upset and nothing is working right? The hell you say!

(idiomatic) (ironic) Ironically indicates lack of surprise.


where away

'Where away the nicht sae late, laird?' says John.
'I go to save a soul from hell,' was the answer.

1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

(archaic) Where are you going? What is your destination?

(nautical) A query uttered by the officer of the deck as to the direction of an object sighted by the lookout.


Misattributed to W.C. Fields. Original source unknown.

I said, "What do you do, Bill?" He says "Well, if I can't dazzle them with my brilliance I baffle them with my bull," and doggone if he doesn't.

1958, Pacific Northwest Advisory Board, 100th Regular Meeting, page 10:

The maxim that "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull" won't serve. An artful proposal may sometimes win a grant for a less than brilliant project, but a rare exception doesn't make a rule.

1984, Roy Meador, Guidelines for preparing proposals, →ISBN:

This is where the opposing attorney would love to hammer you in a lie in an effort to offset or divert attention to their less than honest descriptions of whatever the issue you are at the time discussing. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull !

2006, Raymond A. Heninger, Without Honor, →ISBN, page 78:

If so, there's no better recipe than that of W.C. Fields, who asserted: 'If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull."

2009, John Farndon, Do You Think You're Clever?, →ISBN:

As Skip had always heard “If you can't dazzle them with brilliance baffle them with bull” is a pretty effective way out of a tight spot.

2011, Carl Capatina, You Don't Know Me, But My Name is Yea, →ISBN, page 108:

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull. The phrase her mentor liked to quote had actually been a bit more descriptive than that, but it was the philosophy that was important.

2012, Christine Flynn, Finally His Bride, →ISBN:

(slang, somewhat vulgar) When one doesn't have all the facts or have a brilliant explanation, one can often convince people or win an argument by using nonsense.


wym

what (do) you mean?
what do you mean#English

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of what (do) you mean?.


how do you like that

Well, how do you like that? He cancelled on us again!


delay no more

Deliberate Hobson-Jobson of Cantonese 屌你老母 (diu² nei⁵ lou⁵ mou⁵⁻², “fuck your mother”).

der

Delay no more sea tiger! Sea tiger eat shit la!

Delay No More to All who Against the Korea Team!!

2002 June 26, alt.sports.soccer.worldcup2002 (Usenet):

how dare you thing yourself god? Yes, you are the god of your own world. Delay no more.

The G.O.D. emporium on Hollywood Road joined in the local action by dressing its window mannequins in t-shirts that read, "Delay no more: Supporting local culture" and "Delay no more: Save local markets."

2012, Kwok-bun Chan, editor, Hybrid Hong Kong, Abingdon: Routledge, →ISBN:


I need to vomit

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-I need to vomit.wav


dayenu

Borrowed from Hebrew דַּיֵּנוּ (“it would have sufficed”): the title of a Passover song.

bor

Harriet Meyer, president of Ounce of Prevention, remembers him saying, with a dollop of Hebrew, "If only we can build a place where kids from chaotic communities can have a predictable, responsive place for the next five years, then dayenu—that would be enough."

2009, David L. Kirp, The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics:

I have many more adventures planned for the year and I'm brimming. But if I get no farther down the road than this one extraordinary walk among the rivers of home, then dayenu, it will have been enough.

2010, Kurt Hoelting, The Circumference of Home: One Man's Yearlong Quest for a Radically Local Life:

(in Jewish contexts) It will (or would) have been sufficient.


this is where we came in

Joe hit Paul, so Paul hit Joe, so Joe hit Paul, so Paul hit Joe, and this is where we came in.

(idiomatic) Said of a situation which has become repetitive.


AFAICMO

For quotations using this term, see Citations:AFAICMO.

(Internet slang) Initialism of as far as I can make out.


cease fire

(military) Stop engaging in hostile acts, particularly those involving firearms. A command that troops end the existing status of engaging in hostile action.


OOM

If you write infinitely recursive code, you might generate an OOM error.

(programming) Initialism of out of memory.

order of magnitude
order of magnitude#English

(video games) Initialism of out of mana.


before you can say knife

'Oh, we'll pull you off before you can say knife. Take care of His Excellency. I shall try to get a little sleep now.'

1893, Rudyard Kipling, “Judson and the Empire”, in Many Inventions:

‘Ginger, Ginger, before you can say knife she'll make you into a damned missionary.’ I don't know that I'd mind that so much if we had a little mission of our own.

1926, W. Somerset Maugham, “The Letter”, in More Far Eastern Tales, Random House, published 2010, →ISBN:

en moins de temps qu'il ne faut pour le dire


fair's fair

"Okay," I said. "If we take turns with the dishes. I'm not going to do them all the time."
 "Fair's fair," Matt said. "We rotate the dishes, and Jon and I do our own laundry."

2008, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life as We Knew it, Houghton Miffin Harcourt, →ISBN:

An expression used when asking for fair or just treatment, or when asserting that a situation is fair.


more dollars than sense

more money than brains
more money than brains#English


LMWAO

(Internet slang) Initialism of laughing my white ass off.


use one's coconut

(Philippines, dated) Use one's head; think.


something-something

something something (alternative)
something, something (alternative)

– How does that work?
– Something something motors, something something tension.

Replaces parts of a sentence a speaker either does not know or deems unimportant; blah blah blah.


something is rotten in Denmark

Among other sources who pepper the book's pages with their tips: "the Bookkeeper," a conscience-stricken woman who served C.R.P.'s finance chairman, Maurice Stans. "Something is rotten in Denmark and I'm part of it," she tremblingly warned Bernstein in her home one night a few weeks after the breakin.

1974 April 22, “The Press: Woodstein Meets Deep Throat”, in Time, →ISSN:

something is rotten in the state of Denmark#English

Ellipsis of something is rotten in the state of Denmark.


IWLT

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I would like to.


I feel you

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-I feel you.wav

(African-American Vernacular) An agreement or understanding in sentiment or belief.


HAGS

Acronyms such as “HAGS” (have a great summer) have given a new spin to traditional good wishes for the future, and vernacular poetry has maintained its appeal.

2016, Elizabeth Tucker, “Writing”, in Simon Bronner, Cindy Dell Clark, editors, Youth Cultures in America, page 753:


IANAD

(Internet) Initialism of I am not a doctor.


fuck this for a game of soldiers

Fuck this for a game of soldiers, I'm gonna nick a car.

'Fuck this for a game of soldiers!” Neville shouted. And without bothering to close the front door behind him, he set off down the pub.

2005, John Harvey, Flesh and Blood, →ISBN, page 134:

Night came and we reluctantly went to bed and made love, it wasn't the best ever and it certainly didn't make up for the next seven months. We did it but were too sad to enjoy it. Fuck this for a game of soldiers.

2009, Julian Beirne, Diary of a Sapper, →ISBN, page 49:

sod this for a game of soldiers
sod this for a game of soldiers#English

(vulgar) Synonym of sod this for a game of soldiers.


wya

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of where you at (“where are you at?”).


to overflowing

The train was full to overflowing, and the doors would barely shut.

It is no use gaily arranging for large hauls of coal to converge on a Scunthorpe steelworks if the latter's sidings are already full to overflowing, and many sizeable traders are therefore advised each morning of traffic that is in the railway pipeline for them, to ascertain if they are able to receive it.

1962 August, G. Freeman Allen, “Traffic control on the Great Northern Line”, in Modern Railways, page 129:

In reality, 7 Middagh was sensationally cluttered, stuffed to overflowing with Americana, which reflected something essential about [George] Davis, who was a collector of all things weird, including people.

2012 May 28, John Lahr, “The Gang’s All Here”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-24:

And she is lovely. She is all I wanted. She filled me up to overflowing and I never got back on my feet.

2020 February 3, Jayne Tuttle, “Stopping at one child: 'Every parent feels there's more they could give'”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-04-30:

(idiomatic) So as to be absolutely full.


life's a bitch

Life's a bitch, but God forbid the bitch divorce me

1996, “Affirmative Action”, in It Was Written, performed by Nas:

Glory days don't mean shit to me
 I drank a six-pack of apathy
 Life's a bitch, and so am I

1997, “The Grouch”, in Nimrod, performed by Green Day:

(idiomatic, vulgar) Life can be tough, unpleasant, unrewarding.


NFBSK

(Internet slang, rare) Initialism of not for British schoolkids: general euphemism to replace an expletive, similar to hell.


what was someone thinking

What were you thinking when you left the oven on yesterday?

(idiomatic) Used to express disappointment about someone's uncharacteristic or abnormal past actions.


dress for the slide, not the ride

There's merit to the saying, "Dress for the slide, not the ride." Even at a modest 30 miles per hour this is.

2005, Pat Hahn, How to Ride a Motorcycle, →ISBN:

Moto pants are probably the trickiest aspect of my riding getup. I don't like any gear that really shouts “I RIDE A MOTORCYCLE,” but I also want to make sure I'm protected. Dress for the slide, not the ride, right?

2016 June 24, Morgan Gales, “UglyBros Motorpool Jeans Reviewed”, in Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine:

Riders are told to “dress for the slide, not the ride.” This means you should be completely outfitted to improve your chances of surviving a crash.

2017 July 16, Amanda Smith, “Investigative Reporter Amanda Smith learns what it takes to get a motercycle license”, in WKBN News:

“Dress for the slide, not the ride," said Florida State University Police Officer Sheffield. “Doesn't always look cool it's not always I was just going down the street. But if you get hit by a car and your head hits the asphalt or if you just simply fall over and it wipes out from underneath you. That's where a lot of the damage comes from. A lot of the injury comes from. Its traumatic brain injury."

2017 December 11, Taylor Knight, “Some Question How Safe Mopeds And Motorcycles Are For College Students”, in WUSF News:

(motorcycling) When choosing clothing for riding a motorcycle, priority should be given to protective gear that helps one survive an accident.


if not for

If not for her surgical skill, you'd be dead now, so some appreciation may be in order.

If (something) were not (or had not been) there; in the absence of (something); without.


not here to fuck spiders

The big double gates of the holding paddock were swung open. Cattle bellowed, whips cracked, voices shouted out. Pat rode up to Alex. 'Come on, boyo, come on, we're not here to fuck spiders.' Alex grinned at him and cracked his whip.

1997, Beverly Harper, chapter 7, in Edge of the Rain (ebook), Pan Macmillan Australia, published 2009, →ISBN:

'What are you doing here, Novik?' 'Well I'm not here to fuck spiders, Karylon. I'm here for you, of course.'

But they wouldn't find out by standing around. Eva clapped her hands together. “We're not here to fuck spiders, let's do this."

2017, Dave Sinclair, The Amnesiac's Guide to Espionage: An Eva Destruction Novel, →ISBN:

(Australia, vulgar) Used to indicate one has serious business to pursue and should not be wasting time.


YHBW

(Internet slang) Initialism of you have been warned.


SFYL

Heard you invested in Ethereum just before it hit its ATH last December. SFYL.

(Internet slang, trading) Initialism of sorry for your loss, commonly said in response to someone being scammed or losing money from a risky investment. It originated from the phrase "sorry for your loss", usually addressed to people mourning loved ones and is mostly used in finance in a sarcastic way.


stricto sensu

Learned borrowing from Latin strictō sēnsū and sēnsū strictō, both meaning the same. Various misspellings exist, such as stricto senso, strictu sensu, senso stricto and sensu strictu, which can be attributed to ignorance of the underlying Latin grammar causing analogical leveling of the endings. (The only grammatically correct alternative form is sensu stricto, which is also commonly found in English.)

lbor

Coordinate term: lato sensu

Near-synonym: technically

(sciences, academics) Narrowly: in the narrow sense (of a polysemic word with narrow and broad senses).

in enge zin

in the strict sense — see also technically


head

Right now though I'm so hungry I could eat the arse out of a low flying duck, so off to put the nose bag on.

2002 February 28, LarbGai, “SCT Stats, simplified”, in soc.culture.thai (Usenet):

After this exchange, I'm so hungry I could eat the arse out of a low-flying duck.

2009 August 4, FarmI, “Pollan Good Read On Cooking”, in rec.gardens.edible (Usenet):

By now I was so hungry I could've eaten the arse off a low-flying duck.

2010, Dave Ulliott, Devilfish: The Life & Times of a Poker Legend, →ISBN:

By now, we were ravenously hungry. 'So hungry I could eat the arse out of a low flying duck,' John joked as he threw a gnarled wattle stump on the fire.

2017, Katherine Boland, Hippy Days, Arabian Nights, →ISBN:

could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck#English

(Australia, slang) Alternative form of could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck.


EN-AU ck1 could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck.ogg

Against all odds we got there, and a marvelous meal it was, even though we were all hungry enough to eat the crotch out of a low-flying duck by that time.

1995 January 4, JOHN WHAT'S-THE-M-FOR? WILLIAMS, “ZooFest Report V”, in bit.listserv.words-l (Usenet):

"'Ken oath, I'm so hungry I could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck," announced Jaime.

2001 March 12, Sydney Webb, “Foundation and Huns - Postscript”, in soc.history.what-if (Usenet):

Tis only hunger. gristlefuck: I could tear the crotch from a low-flying duck with me bare teeth!

2004, Anthony Crowley, The Frail Man, page 37:

Max stretched. “I'm so famished I could eat the crotch out of a low-flying duck.

2006, Louise Deteliga, Fashion Slaves, →ISBN, page 82:

But the ferry into Devonport was two hours late and I was famished. I could have eaten the crotch out of a low-flying duck.”

2010, Nicholas Shakespeare, Secrets of the Sea, →ISBN, page 444:

(Australia, slang) Am/are/is extremely hungry.


could eat the crutch from a low flying duck

Now I have to go and eat. I'm so hungry I could eat the crutch out of a low-flying duck!

1999 March 6, Tom D, “LaGrande - asking for trouble”, in alt.music.leonard-cohen (Usenet):

'And how's Dave?' 'So hungry I could eat the diff out of a shit truck,' came Dave's deep voice from beneath the tarp. 'Or eat the crutch from a low-flying duck,' Kate added.

2008, Rachael Treasure, The Rouseabout, →ISBN:


In the end he was blood from head to hocks and all over the place like a mad woman's custard.

1959, D'Arcy Niland, Woman from the country, page 212:

The story, though, is all over the place, like mad woman’s custard.

2010 January 27, Roger Perkins, “The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman: review”, in The Telegraph:

I was all over the place like a mad woman's custard.

2012, Jim Mcloughlin, David Gibb, One Common Enemy: The Laconia Incident: A Survivor's Memoir, →ISBN:

(colloquial, simile) Moving about randomly.


as ever

You're as charming as ever, sweetheart.

1925-29, Mahadev Desai (translator), M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Part I, chapter xiv
Everything was insipid. Every day the old lady asked me whether I liked the food, but what could she do? I was still as shy as ever and dared not ask for more than what was put before me.

(idiomatic) Consistent with past behaviour, as expected; as usual; as always.


it depends

Used to indicate that different situations may produce different results.


PMOYS

(Internet slang, Snapchat) Initialism of put me on your story or your Snapchat.


caution - slippery when wet

Warning, often in the form of a sign, that people should pay attention when walking on a wet and slippery floor not to fall down and get injured.

تحذير - الأرض زلقة عندما تكون رطبة

tahdhir - al'ard zalqah eindama takun rutabuh

cuidado - resbaladizo cuando está mojado


let he who is without sin cast the first stone

let him who is without sin cast the first stone#English

Alternative form of let him who is without sin cast the first stone.


in the interest of time

In order to save time; in order to use time more efficiently; so that time can be used more efficiently.