what's your poison

choose your poison (alternative)
name your poison (alternative)
pick your poison (alternative)

From poison (“(informal) intoxicating drink; liquor”), from the fact that such beverages are toxic to the human body.

What's yer poison, darlin'?

1998 October 29, Black Isle Studios, Fallout 2, v1.02d, spoken by Bartender, Interplay Productions, Windows, level/area: Desperado:

(idiomatic, humorous, informal, dated) Used to someone what alcoholic beverage they would like to drink: what drink would you like to have?

你想喝什麼酒 /你想喝什么酒

used to ask someone what alcoholic beverage they would like to drink


DADT

don't ask, don't tell
don't ask, don't tell#English

(US, politics, military) Initialism of don't ask, don't tell.


to the best of one's knowledge

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-to the best of one's knowledge.wav

to one's knowledge
to one's knowledge#English


how so

From ellipsis of "how is that so?", and also continuing Middle English how-so, hou-so, hu se (“however, in whatsoever way”). Compare West Frisian hoesa (“how so, why”), Dutch hoezo (“how so, why”), German Low German woso (“how so, why”), German wieso (“how so, why”), Swedish hurså (“how so”). By surface analysis, how + so.

The city of Melbourne has much more culture than Sydney. ― How so?

I'm feeling really depressed. ― How so?


na-na na-na boo-boo

/ˈnæːnəˌnæːnə ˈbuːˌbuː/

Apparently from the longer childish playground taunt sung to a tune particular to the taunt:
: I'm better than you,
: na-na, na-na, boo-boo,
: stick your head in doo-doo.
Na-na and boo-boo may be imitations of sounds a baby or young toddler might make.
Boo-boo may also indicate boo-boo, a minor injury which leaves a mark on a child such as a scraped knee.

na na na na boo boo (alternative)
nanny nanny boo boo (alternative)
na-na na-na na-na (alternative)
na na na na na na (alternative)
nanny nanny moo moo (alternative)
neener (alternative)

... is that the educators out there aren't aware of this, they don't know it or what?
Ms. Bolinger. It's like na na na na boo boo, make me do it.
[Laughter.] ...

1992, Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, first session, Oversight on the status of special education in Iowa: hearing before the Subcommittee on Disability Policy of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, first session, examining the major issues facing students, parents, teachers, related ..., Alternate ISBN: →ISBN, →ISBN, page 82:

[Translator's note by David R. Slavitt] ...here is to make clear that this is a display of Schadenfreude, an elegant cocking of the snooks, a protracted "Na-na, na-na, boo-boo," a symphonic Bronx cheer!

1998, Aeschylus, edited by David R. Slavitt and Palmar Bovie, Aeschylus, 2: The Persians. Seven against Thebes. The Suppliants. Prometheus bound, Alternate ISBN: →ISBN, →ISBN, page 5:

(Canada, US, idiomatic, colloquial, childish, derogatory, taunt, often humorous) A taunt or putdown, typically used to indicate that the speaker believes he or she has beaten the listener in a competition or is better in some other way or in a general sense; or an expression of satisfaction that the listener has received some supposedly deserved minor punishment or misfortune (that is to say, schadenfreude).


na na na na boo boo

na-na na-na boo-boo
na-na na-na boo-boo#English

Alternative spelling of na-na na-na boo-boo.


na-na na-na na-na

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

(colloquial, childish) Alternative form of na-na na-na boo-boo.


na na na na na na

[ˌnænəˌnænəˈnæːˌnæː]


said the actress to the bishop

as the actress said to the bishop#English

Alternative form of as the actress said to the bishop.


NKDA

(medicine) Initialism of no known drug allergies.


will you marry me

propose marriage
propose marriage#English

"will we get married?") összeházasodunk?

私と結婚してくれませんか

わたしとけっこんしてくれませんか

僕と結婚してください

ぼくとけっこんしてください


I'm ... year(s) old

我……歲囉 /我……岁啰

góa ... hè--lo͘ / góa ... hè--lo͘h / góa ... hèr--lo͘ / góa ... hèr--lo͘h / góa ... hòe--lo͘h

…éves vagyok

including tens, and separately from multiple-element numerals


kthx

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of okay, thanks.


penny for them

penny for your thoughts
penny for your thoughts#English

(UK) Alternative form of penny for your thoughts.


jury is out

the jury is out (canonical)
the jury is still out (alternative)

The jury is out as to whether there is life anywhere else in the universe.

(idiomatic) An outcome or decision is still unknown and awaited.


what's yer poison

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

what's your poison
what's your poison#English

Pronunciation spelling of what's your poison.


that'll do

Just one six-pack of beer left, eh? Well, that'll do for this weekend.

Used to acknowledge something as being sufficient.

етәр

expression to indicate something as being sufficient or enough

OK, all right now — settle down — that'll do.

Used to stop somebody talking, arguing or fighting

All right now, that'll do, lass, that'll do!

A standard command to a herding dog to desist and return to the handler.


you get that

I tried driving into the city this morning during peak hour and it was so crowded. ― Yeah, you get that.

(informal) That's a normal occurrence; that's typical.


nulla pœna sine lege

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sumxr-nulla pœna sine lege1.wav

/ˌnʊlə ˈpɔɪnə ˌsiːneɪ ˈleɪɡeɪ/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sumxr-nulla pœna sine lege2.wav

From Latin: nūlla (feminine form of nūllus, “not any”) + poena (“penalty”, “punishment”) + sine (“without”) + lēge (ablative singular form of lēx, “a law”) = “no punishment without a law”.

This is a wide definition, and the courts, no doubt bearing in mind that a wide application might tend to defeat the maxim “nulla pœna sine lege” have been cautious in its application in practice.

1945, The Solicitors’ Journal, volume 89, page 262:

[…] -cutions on these and similar constructs, thereby overruling nulla pœna sine lege.

1992, European Journal of Sociology, volumes 33-34, Plon, page 196:

This is especially pertinent to nulla poena sine lege in its particular reference to punishment.

2005, Jerome Hall, General Principles of Criminal Law, page 55:

(law) The principle that a person shall receive no punishment unless he has committed an offence as explicitly defined in a law.


nulla poena sine lege

nulla pœna sine lege
nulla pœna sine lege#English

Alternative spelling of nulla pœna sine lege.


ig

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


WIWAL

(UK, Internet slang) Initialism of when I was a lad/lass.


tune in, turn on, drop out

A counterculture slogan that first appeared in the 1960s and popularized by Timothy Leary and attributed to Marshall McLuhan.

turn on, tune in, drop out (alternative)

That research might eventually move the category of drugs from their turn-on-tune-in-drop-out heyday in counterculture San Francisco to the mainstream.

2018 August 23, Kara Swisher, “How and Why Silicon Valley Gets High”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

To pay attention to the new way of living; to go within yourself, to take drugs; to abandon the established ways and cease conforming.


tough toodles

Probably an ellipsis of "It/that/this is/will be tough toodles for you."

(slang) Too bad (for you); the outcome one desires is not likely to evolve.


I am English

Indicates that the speaker is from England.

私はイングランド人です

わたしはイングランドじんです


the wheels fell off

the wheels came off (alternative)
the wheels fall off (alternative)
the wheels fell off the bus (alternative)
the wheels came off the bus (alternative)
the wheels fell off the wagon (alternative)
the wheels came off the wagon (alternative)

The coach said, "We were doing well for a while, but they got tired and then the wheels fell off".

(idiomatic) Something failed, often after or amidst a laborious, tiring process.


I'm twenty years old

Indicates that the speaker is aged twenty.


I've been robbed

Indicates that the speaker has been robbed.


I'm blind

我青盲囉 /我青盲啰

góa chhiⁿ-mî--lo͘ / góa chheⁿ-mê--lo͘h / góa chheⁿ-mêe--lo͘h / góa chhiⁿ-mê--lo͘ / óa chheⁿ-mêe--lo͘h

હું આંધળી છું

hũ ā̃dhaḷī chũ


please speak more slowly

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-please speak more slowly.wav

Used to ask the interlocutor to speak more slowly.

har du mulighed for at tale lidt langsommere?

もっとゆっくり話してください

もっとゆっくりはなしてください

kan du vara så snäll och tala långsammare?


can I use your phone

Indicates that the speaker wants to communicate with someone via the interlocutor's telephone, if it is available.

당신의 전화를 사용해도 되겠습니까?

dangsin-ui jeonhwa-reul sayong-haedo doegetseumnikka?

pot să folosesc telefonul Dumneavoastră?

mogú li ja vospólʹzovatʹsja vášim telefónom?

могу́ ли я воспо́льзоваться ва́шим телефо́ном?

ฉันสามารถใช้โทรศัพท์มือถือของคุณหรือไม่

chăn săamâat chái tohrásàp meu tĕu kŏng kun rĕu mâi


please say that again

Used as request for the interlocutor to repeat what he or she said previously.

هَلْ يُمْكِن أَنْ تُعِيدِي مِنْ فَضْلِكِ؟

もう一度言ってください

もういちどいってください

Przepraszam, mógłby pan powtórzyć? Przepraszam, mogłaby pani powtórzyć? Mógłbyś powtórzyć? Mogłabyś powtórzyć?


I'm a vegetarian

Indicates that the speaker is a vegetarian.

હું શાકાહારી છું

hũ śākāhārī chũ

私は菜食主義者です

わたしはさいしょくしゅぎしゃです

मी शाकाहारी आहे

mī śākāhārī āhe


what is your phone number

what's your phone number?
what's your phone number#English

Alternative form of what's your phone number?.


please turn right

When giving directions to a person (for example, a taxi driver), indicates that he or she should turn right.


please turn left

When giving directions to a person (for example, a taxi driver), indicates that he or she should turn left.

左に曲がってください

ひだりにまがってください


I'm allergic to aspirin

Indicates that the speaker has an allergy to aspirin.

لَدَيَّ حَسَّاسِيَّةٌ مِنَ الْأَسْبِرِين

アスピリンにアレルギーを持っています

アスピリンにアレルギーをもっています


I'm deaf

我臭耳聾囉 /我臭耳聋啰

góa chhàu-hī-lâng--lo͘ / góa chhàu-hǐ-lâng--lo͘ / góa chhàu-hī-lâng--lo͘h / góa chhàu-hǐ-lâng--lo͘h / góa chhàu-hīⁿ-lâng--lo͘h

私は耳が聞こえません

わたしはみみがきこえません


I'm married

Indicates that the speaker has a spouse.

मैं शादीशुदा हूँ

ma͠i śādīśudā hū̃

私は結婚しています

わたしはけっこんしています

ฉันแต่งงานแล้ว (chǎn dtɛ̀ng-ngaan lɛ́ɛo) (pronouns are not required, replace ฉัน (chǎn) with the appropriate pronoun, e.g. ผม (pǒm, “I (man)”) or ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn, “I (woman)”), add particles: ครับ (kráp) - male or ค่ะ (kâ) female for politeness)

tôi đã lập gia đình

replace tôi (“I”) with the appropriate kinship term


I'm single

Indicates that the speaker does not have a spouse or romantic partner.

ich bin nicht verheiratet

unmarried but possibly in a relationship


are you married

Used to ask whether the interlocutor does or doesn't have a spouse.

(replace bạn with the appropriate pronoun) bạn đã kết hôn chưa?

あなたは結婚していますか

あなたはけっこんしていますか

당신은 결혼하셨습니까?

personal pronouns, e.g. 당신 should be avoided and names, titles, etc. should be used instead


I'm sick

Indicates that the speaker has an illness.

मी आजारी आहे

mī ājārī āhe


who's calling

Used by a phone-call receiver to ask the identity of the caller.


I am twenty years old

I'm twenty years old
I'm twenty years old#English

Alternative form of I'm twenty years old.


I am ... year(s) old

I'm ... year(s) old
I'm ... year(s) old#English

Alternative form of I'm ... year(s) old.


do I know you

Used to ask the interlocutor whether or not he/she has met the speaker before.

我捌汝無？ /我捌汝无？

góa pat lí bô? / góa pat lír bô? / óa pat lú bô?


do you accept American dollars

Used to ask whether or not products or services may be paid for in American dollars.

otatteko vastaan Yhdysvaltain dollareita


it was delicious

Said to compliment a meal after eating it.

كَانَ لَذِيذ جِدًّا

phrase said to compliment a meal after eating it


I'm allergic to pollen

Indicates that the speaker has an allergy to pollen.

私は花粉症です

わたしはかふんしょうです


how much do you charge

Used to ask a professional the monetary cost of his/her services.

ско́лько вы берёте? (skólʹko vy berjóte?) (e.g. за (za) + accusative case)


I've burned myself

Indicates that the speaker is physically hurt due to contact with fire or heat.


stop the car

When giving directions to a person (for example, a taxi driver), indicates that he or she should stop the vehicle.


I have a fever

Indicates that the speaker has an abnormally high body temperature, which is usually a symptom of a disease.


I'm bleeding

我出血了

wǒ chūxuè le, wǒ chūxuě le, wǒ chūxiě le

my head, hand, arm, leg/foot… is bleeding; it is more usual to name the specific body part that is bleeding

vérzek vérzik a fejem/kezem/karom/lábam/…

私は出血しています

わたしはしゅっけつしています


I'm mute

CAN'T SPEAK

tap left pointer with right pointer; hold flat hand with folded thumb towards your mouth, tap


could I see the menu, please

Said in a restaurant, to ask for the menu.

můžu se podívat na jídelní lístek, prosím

môžem sa pozrieť na jedálny lístok, prosím

kan jag få se menyn, tack? (se can be replaced by synonyms such as kika and ta en titt)


I'll call the police

Indicates that the speaker is going to call the police, presumably to counter actions from the interlocutor.

я вы́зову мили́цию

in other former Soviet Republics where Russian is still spoken


I'm lost

Indicates that the speaker is unable to find his or her way.

أَنَا تَائِه

indicates that the speaker is unable to find his or her way

நான் தொலஞ்சிட்டேன்

nāṉ tolañciṭṭēṉ

All right, I'm lost. What are you talking about?

2019 February 10, Nancy Pimental, “Los Diablos!” (25:56 from the start), in Shameless, season 9, episode 10, spoken by Kevin Ball (Steve Howey):

(figurative) Indicates that the speaker couldn't catch or understand what was said.


it's an emergency

Indicates that the current situation is an emergency.


can I buy you a drink

Indicates the speaker wishes to buy the interlocutor a drink, in a bar.

puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à boire


you have beautiful eyes

Used by the speaker to compliment the interlocutor's eyes.


head

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me.wav

Attributed in various forms to Mae West, who said in a 1944 performance of the play Catherine Was Great, "Lieutenant, is that your sword or are you just glad to see me?" and in the 1978 film Sextette, "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"

(humorous) Indicates the speaker has noticed an erection underneath the interlocutor's clothes.

indicates the speaker has noticed an erection

har du en banan i buksa eller er du bare glad for å se meg?

Isso é uma pistola em teu bolso, ou só estás feliz em me ver?

¿Tienes una pistola en el bolsillo o es que te alegras de verme?


I lost my wallet

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her wallet.

私は財布をなくしました

わたしはさいふをなくしました


where does this bus go

ʔilā ʔayna hiya ḏāhibatun hāḏihi l-ḥāfila?

إِلَى أَيْنَ هِيَ ذَاهِبَةٌ هٰذِهِ الْحَافِلَة؟

このバスはどこへ行きますか。

このバスはどこへいきますか。


there's been an accident

Indicates that an accident has occurred.


he's unconscious

Indicates that a male person is currently not conscious.


she's unconscious

Indicates that a female person is currently not conscious.


I don't eat pork

Indicates that the speaker does not eat pork.

我毋食豬肉 /我毋食猪肉

góa m̄ chia̍h ti-bah / góa m̄ chia̍h tir-mah / góa m̄ chia̍h ti-mah / góa m̄ chia̍h tu-bah / góa m̄ chia̍h tir-bah

私は豚肉を食べません

わたしはぶたにくをたべません


I lost my bag

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her backpack.

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her handbag.


I've been shot

I've been shot! We've been shot! Oh my God, help!

The last words from Pacific Air Lines Flight 773

Indicates one has been shot and may require medical attention.


I've been raped

Indicates that the speaker has been raped.


do you have a menu in English

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-do you have a menu in English.wav

A question used to ask for a restaurant menu in the English language

hal ladayka qāʔima li-l-luḡa l-ʔinglīziyya?

هَلْ لَدَيْكَ قَائِمَة فِي اللُغَة الإِنْجْلِيزِيَّة؟

hal ladayki qāʔima li-l-luḡa l-ʔinglīziyya?

هَلْ لَدَيْكِ قَائِمَة فِي اللُغَة الإِنْجْلِيزِيَّة؟

hal ladaykum qāʔima li-l-luḡa l-ʔinglīziyya?

هَل لَدَيْكُم قَائِمَة فِي اللُغَة الإِنْجْلِيزِيَّة؟

onko teillä englanninkielistä ruokalistaa

英語のメニューがありますか

えいごのメニューがありますか

uṅkaḷiṭam āṅkilattil uṇavuppaṭṭiyal irukkiṟatā

உங்களிடம் ஆங்கிலத்தில் உணவுப்பட்டியல் இருக்கிறதா

มีเมนูเป็นภาษาอังกฤษใช่ไหม

mii mee-nuu bpen paa-sǎa ang-grìt châi mǎi?

کْیا آپ کے پاس مینُو ااَن٘گْریزی میں ہَے؟


the line is busy

Indicates that the telephone line is busy.


one moment, please

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-one moment, please.wav

少々お待ちください

しょうしょうおまちください


I'm dying

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-I'm dying.wav

Indicates that the speaker believes that he or she is dying.

我欲死去囉 /我欲死去啰

góa beh sí--khì--lo͘ / góa beh sí--khì--lo͘h / góa beh sí--khù--lo͘h / góa berh sí--khìr--lo͘ / góa boeh sí--khì--lo͘h

(slang) Indicates that the speaker is laughing hard or uncontrollably.


I don't eat fish

Indicates that the speaker does not eat fish.


do you have children

have you got any children (alternative)
have you any children (alternative)

Used to ask whether somebody is a parent of children.

bạn có con không? (replace bạn with an appropriate pronoun)


I need a guide

Indicates that the speaker needs a person to guide him or her.

Indicates that the speaker needs a book or document to guide him or her.


how do I get to the bus station

Used to ask for directions in order to go to a bus station.

אֵיךְ לְהַגִּיעַ לְתַחֲנַת הָאוֹטוֹבּוּס?


how do I get to the airport

Used to ask for directions in order to go to an airport.

كَيْفَ يُمْكِنُنِي الْوُصُولُ إِلَى الْمَطَار؟

空港へどう行ったらいいですか

くうこうへどういったらいいですか

공항에 가려면 어떻게 해야 돼요?

gonghang'e garyeomyeon eotteoke haeya dwaeyo?

bagaimana untuk pergi ke lapangan terbang


how do I get to the train station

Used to ask for directions in order to go to a train station.

كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَى مَحَطَّةِ الْقِطَار؟

kayfa yumkinunī l-wuṣūlu ʔilā maḥaṭṭati l-qiṭār?

كَيْفَ يُمْكِنُنِي الْوُصُولُ إِلَى مَحَطَّةِ الْقِطَار؟

駅へどう行ったらいいですか

えきへどう行ったらいいですか

기차역에 가려면 어떻게 해야 돼요?

gichayeog-e garyeomyeon eotteoke haeya dwaeyo?

bagaimana untuk pergi ke stesen kereta api?

bagaimana untuk pergi ke stesen keretapi?

kak dojéxatʹ do železnodoróžnoj stáncii?

как дое́хать до железнодоро́жной ста́нции?

ฉันจะไปสถานีรถไฟได้อย่างไร (chǎn jà bpai sà-tǎa-nii rót-fai dâai yàang-rai) (add particle ครับ (kráp) for male speaker or คะ (ká) for female speaker to sound more polite)


something tells one

Something tells me the project is going to succeed.

One has a feeling, hunch or a gut feeling that (something is true).


can I come in

我會使入來𣍐？ /我会使入来𫧃？

góa ē-sái li̍p-lâi--bōe? / góa ē-sái ji̍p-lâi--bē?

我會做入來𣍐？ /我会做入来𫧃？

góa ě-chòe li̍p-lâi--bǒe? / góa ē-chòe li̍p-lâi--bōe? / góa ě-chòe lia̍k-lâi--bǒe?


it figures

figures (alternative)
that figures (alternative)

(idiomatic, Canada, US) Used to indicate that a preceding event or statement by another is an unsurprising accompaniment of known facts and circumstances.


that figures

(idiomatic) Alternative form of it figures.


ISWYM

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


one's socks off

I've been working my socks off all week for no reward whatsoever.

We had a great time at the ball. We danced our socks off.

(idiomatic) With a large amount of effort or intensity.


you're right

Indicates that what the interlocutor said/says is correct.


please repeat after me

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-please repeat after me.wav

A request for the interlocutor to repeat what the speaker says next. Often used in language training.


I'm looking for a job

Indicates that the speaker is looking for a job.


LGTM

tlb

(informal, originally programming jargon)

Said to have originated within Google, early 2000s, originally to give positive feedback on other people's work in a code review.

The primary end goal of a code review is to get another engineer to consent to the change, which we denote by tagging the change as “looks good to me” (LGTM). We use this LGTM as a necessary permissions “bit” (combined with the other bits noted below) to allow the change to be committed.

2020, Titus Winters, Tom Manshreck, Hyrum Wright, “Code Review”, in Software Engineering at Google […] , O'Reilly, →ISBN:


quot homines tot sententiæ

From Latin, echoing line 454 of Terence’s Phormio: quot (“how many”) + hominēs (“men”, “people”; nominative plural form of homō: “man”, “person”) + tot (“so many”) + sententiae (“opinions”, “thoughts”; nominative plural form of sententia: “opinion”, “thought”).

Different auditors, as he observes, have different habitudes; so that, were we to put this assertion to the proof by particular applications, we should possibly find quot homines tot sententiæ.

1995, Brian Vickers, William Shakespeare: The Critical Heritage, page 133:

There are as many opinions as there are people who hold them.


I'm fine

Conventional response to "how are you?", indicating that one is well.

我好勢 /我好势

góa hó-sè / góa hó-sì / óa hó-sè / óa hó-sì


I'm sorry

(with an upward inflection) Indicates that the speaker is confused or requests information to be repeated; come again?, say again?, I beg your pardon?; see also Thesaurus:say again


kiss me

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

I informally request that you kiss me—that you touch my lips with your lips or press the lips against, as an expression of love or affection.


the story goes

The story goes that they won the day.

James Kirkwood's play P.S. Your Cat Is Dead! opened nearly three years ago on Broadway, and, so the story goes, was promptly killed by critics — presumably because of its gay material.

1978 April 8, Robert Chesley, “The Cat Burglar Returns”, in Gay Community News, page 11:

The story is usually depicted as follows.


what date is it today

What is the date? (used to request the current date)


two beers, please

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-two beers, please.wav

Indicates the speaker wishes to buy two beers.


do you accept credit cards

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-do you accept credit cards.wav

Used to ask whether or not products or services may be paid for by credit card.

هَل تَقْبَلُونَ بِبِطَاقَات الاِئْتِمَان؟

你哋收唔收信用卡呀？

nei⁵ dei⁶ sau¹ m⁴ sau¹ seon³ jung⁶ kaat¹ gaa³?

apakah Anda menerima pembayaran dengan kartu kredit?

クレジットカードは使えますか (クレジットカードはつかえますか, kurejittokādo wa tsukaemasu ka, literally “can credit cards be used?”)


is there a smaller size

Indicates that the speaker needs a smaller size (of clothes or shoes).

有較細無？ /有较细无？

ū khà sòe bô? / ǔ khà sòe bô? / ū khah sòe bô?


the bill, please

Indicates the speaker wishes to pay the bill (e.g. in a restaurant).


do you have any pets

Used to ask whether the interlocutor is an owner of pets.

tartasz valamilyen állatot?

to avoid a farm connotation, kisállat (literally “small animal”) might be specified, which excludes large dogs

உன்னிடம் ஏதாவது செல்லப்பிராணி இருக்கிறதா

uṅkaḷiṭam ētāvatu cellappirāṇi irukkiṟatā

உங்களிடம் ஏதாவது செல்லப்பிராணி இருக்கிறதா


I like you

Indicates that the speaker likes the interlocutor.

我愛汝 /我爱汝

góa ài lí / góa ài lír / góa ài lú / óa ài lí / óa ài lír

te quiero

decidedly a step below "I love you"; more like "I desire you"


I lost my glasses

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her glasses.

我唔見咗我副眼鏡 /我唔见咗我副眼镜

ngo⁵ m⁴ gin³ zo² ngo⁵ fu³ ngaan⁵ geng³⁻²

我兮目鏡拍無去 /我兮目镜拍无去

góa ê ba̍k-kiàⁿ phah-bô--khì / góa ê ba̍k-kiàⁿ phah-bô--khìr

我兮目鏡拍毋見 /我兮目镜拍毋见

góa ê ba̍k-kiàⁿ phah-m̄-kìⁿ / góa ê ba̍k-kiàⁿ phàng-kìⁿ / góa ê ba̍k-kiàⁿ phàng-kiàn


call the police

Use a telephone to request the arrival of a police officer.

警察を呼んでください

けいさつをよんでください


the joke is on someone

As only a small per cent of the dealers use the word "Leghorn," and the ones who do try to use it can't tell a Leghorn from a mixed breed or from many other breeds, the most of the joke is on someone else.

Like Cole, we see through the penny-trick instantly, but the joke is on us, and on Malcolm himself, because we fall for the same joke on the level of the film as a whole.

2015, Randy Laist, Cinema of Simulation: Hyperreal Hollywood in the Long 1990s, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN, page 232:

“Guess what? The joke's on you because I'm going places, getting out of this nowhere town.”

2015, Lia Riley, Last First Kiss: A Brightwater Novel, HarperCollins, →ISBN:

"Well, the joke's on you because I'm resigning from the gymnast team. And if I resign, so will my friends, particularly when I tell them why."

2016, E. C. Eliott, Kemlo and the Purple Dawn, Gateway, →ISBN:

(idiomatic) Someone is the butt of a joke or is experiencing a negative outcome, especially if that person was trying to make someone else the butt of the joke or subject them to the negative outcome.


or something

I think she's a lawyer or something.

What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill us or something?

It's not like I hate parks or something; I just think it's too cold outside today.

So basically sexperts are reporters about sex, rather than sex professionals. Or something.

2010, Belle de Jour, Playing the Game, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

(idiomatic) Or something like that. Used to indicate the possibility that the preceding word or phrase is vague or not exactly correct in its applicability.


let's see

Let's see... I don't know if that would work.

Let's see. What should I make for dinner tonight?

used as a filled pause to indicating thinking or pondering, but allowing hearer to participate


I know

A response used to indicate that speaker was in agreement with the preceding statement before it was made.

𐔰𐔰𐔵𐔰

response indicating agreement with prior statement before it was made

Near-synonym: eureka

- What are we going to do with this leaky hosepipe?
- I know: let's use it as a garden sprinkler!

An emphatic assertion that one has a solution, an answer, or an idea.

我知囉 /我知啰

assertion that speaker has answer or idea


you're telling me

Near-synonyms: I know, right; IKR

(idiomatic, informal) Used to indicate that the speaker was in agreement with the preceding statement before it was made.

älä muuta virka

used to indicate agreement before preceding statement


I lost my keys

(US) Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her keys.

我兮鎖匙拍無去 /我兮锁匙拍无去

góa ê só-sî phah-bô--khì / góa ê só-sî phah-bô--khìr

我兮鎖匙拍毋見 /我兮锁匙拍毋见

góa ê só-sî phah-m̄-kìⁿ / góa ê só-sî phàng-kìⁿ / góa ê só-sî phàng-kiàn


I lost my backpack

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her backpack.


I lost my handbag

Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her handbag.


I'm a Christian

Indicates that the speaker is a Christian.

मैं ईसाई हूँ

ma͠i īsāī hū̃

میں عیسائی ہوں

ma͠i īsāī hū̃


I'm a Muslim

私はイスラム教徒です

わたしはイスラムきょうとです


I'm Jewish

Indicates that the speaker is of Jewish ethnic descent.

я євре́йка

note that the former жид (žyd) is more common in Western Ukraine but may sound pejorative in Eastern Ukraine

Indicates that the speaker is a follower of Judaism.


I'm not religious

Indicates that the speaker is a not a follower of any religious doctrines.


I'm an atheist

Indicates that the speaker is an atheist.


I'm a Buddhist

Indicates that the speaker is a Buddhist.


can you help me

汝會使鬥我𣍐？ /汝会使斗我𫧃？

lí ē-sái tàu góa--bōe? / lí ē-sái tàu góa--bē? / lír ě-sái tàu góa--bǒe? / lú ē-sái tàu óa--bē?

汝會做鬥我𣍐？ /汝会做斗我𫧃？

lí ē-chòe tàu góa--bōe? / lí ě-chòe tàu góa--bǒe? / lír ě-chòe tàu góa--bǒe?

tud/tudna nekem segíteni?

the second variant is more polite in both


are you allergic to any medications

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-are you allergic to any medications.wav

Asked mostly by doctors and nurses to ascertain whether certain medications should not be given to patients.

алергичен/на ли си към някое лекарство?

alergičen/na li si kǎm njakoe lekarstvo?

kas sa oled mõne ravimi vastu allergiline?

es-tu allergique à certains médicaments?

hast du Allergien gegen irgendwelche Medikamente?

a jeni alergjik ndaj ndonjë medikamenti?

izpitvate li alergii kǎm njakoe lekarstvo?

изпитвате ли алергии към някое лекарство?

請問您是否有藥物過敏史？ /请问您是否有药物过敏史？

Qǐngwèn nín shìfǒu yǒu yàowù guòmǐn-shǐ?

kas te olete mõne ravimi vastu allergiline?

oletteko allerginen millekään lääkkeelle?

êtes-vous allergique à certains médicaments?

haben Sie Allergien gegen irgendwelche Medikamente?

알레르기가 있는 약물(藥物)이 있습니까?

allereugi-ga inneun yangmur-i itseumnikka?

tumhālā koṇatyā auṣdhāñcī aĕlarjī āhe kā?

तुम्हाला कोणत्या औषधांची अॅलर्जी आहे का?


are you taking any medications

Asked mostly by doctors and nurses to ascertain whether certain drugs should not be given to patients, as they may interact adversely with other medications.


sell oneself short

don't sell yourself short

Don't sell yourself short. You're better than most around here.

You're selling yourself short by not mentioning your years of experience.

To belittle oneself in judgment; to underestimate oneself and one's abilities (and thus avoid being acknowledged to the deserved extent).


it's too expensive

Indicates the speaker thinks that the price is too high.

se on liian kallista

non-specific, like type of service, mass object

આ બહુ મોંઘું છે (ā bahu moṅghũ che, literally “This is too expensive”)


IDRC

I'm looking for music to use as background in my videos (preferably w/o lyrics but IDRC).

(Internet slang) Initialism of I don't really care.


I'm allergic to penicillin

Indicates that the speaker has an allergy to penicillin.


Happy Ramadan

An expression used during Ramadan to wish someone a happy time.


AITYD

(Internet slang) Initialism of and I think you do.


are you religious

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-are you religious.wav

A request for information about the listener's (or listeners') religious beliefs.


I'm gay

Indicates that the speaker is homosexual.


I'm straight

Indicates that the speaker is a heterosexual.


I'm a Catholic

Indicates that the speaker is a Catholic.


two can play at that game

two can play that game
two can play that game#English

Alternative form of two can play that game.


too much of a good thing

"If I must say what I think," continued Mr. Rushworth, "in my opinion it is very disagreeable to be always rehearsing. It is having too much of a good thing. I am not so fond of acting as I was at first.[…]"

1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 26:

"I like a woman with spirit," said Cradell. / "Oh, so do I. But one may have too much of a good thing."

1864, Anthony Trollope, chapter IV, in The Small House at Allington:

"That you won't either," said Muriel, "Two's company; seven's too much of a good thing."

c. 1922, D. H. Lawrence, “Tickets, Please”, in England, My England:

Household chemicals are about as personal as modern science gets. We are surrounded by hundreds of them every day — they're in our furnishings, our cosmetics, our vinyl floor tiles and plastic baby bottles. […] Are they too much of a good thing?

2003 July 20, James Geary, “Risky business”, in Time:

Something enjoyable or beneficial which, nevertheless, becomes bothersome or harmful in large quantities or over an extended period of time.

το πολύ το κυρ’ ελέησον το βαριέται κι ο παπάς (to polý to kyr’ eléison to variétai ki o papás, literally “even the priest is tired of too much 'Lord, have mercy”)

το πολύ το κυρ’ ελέησον το βαριέται κι ο Θεός (to polý to kyr’ eléison to variétai ki o Theós, literally “even God is tired of too much 'Lord, have mercy”)


ROFLMDAO

ROFLMAO with the insertion of damn for emphasis: Abbreviation of rolling on the floor laughing my damn ass off.

abbreviation of

(Internet slang) Used to indicate amusement.


shit just got real

From the movie Bad Boys II (2003), where it was spoken by Martin Lawrence.

(Canada, US, slang, vulgar) The situation suddenly became much more dangerous or serious.


them's the breaks

From break in the sense “a stroke of luck” (compare tough break, lucky break).

those are the breaks (alternative)
them’s da breaks (alternative)

And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.

2022 July 7, Heather Stewart, quoting Boris Johnson, “Boris Johnson’s resignation speech: what he said, and what he meant”, in The Guardian:

(colloquial, idiomatic, originally US) That is the way things happen; that's life.


HBD

Alternative form: HB

(Internet slang, email, text messaging) Abbreviation of happy birthday.


what someone said

(idiomatic) Used to indicate agreement, as if one would have wanted to say what a previous speaker has said, without change or qualification


ignotum per ignotius

From Latin ignōtum per ignōtius, “[to explain] the unknown by the more unknown”.

An attempt to explain something obscure in terms of something else which is even more obscure.

(logic) A type of fallacious argument in which one attempts to prove something unknown by relying upon an assumption that is also unknown.


howdedo

I had no sooner got disposed than the door opened and a man came in, a husky, busy-looking man in a blue suit and black shoes, with a stiff straw hat.[…] The girl said, "Howdedo, Mr. Cook, Mr. Derwin's in Mr. Anderson's room."

1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, Bantam, published 1992, →ISBN, page 47:

Pronunciation spelling of how do you do.


call an ambulance

Use a telephone to ensure arrival of an ambulance

救急車を呼んでください

きゅうきゅうしゃをよんでください

ហៅទូរស័ព្ទរថយន្តសង្គ្រោះបន្ទាន់របស់

hav tuurɔsap rʊət yʊən sɑŋkrʊəh bɑntoan rɔbɑh


WAE

(US, government) Initialism of when actually employed.


ask me one on sport

a sarcastic reply given when a person does not know the correct answer.


do you believe in God

Used to ask whether the interlocutor believes in God.


let me see

Now, let me see. When did you want the appointment?

Let me see. What should I make for dinner tonight?

(set phrase) Used as a filled pause to indicating thinking or pondering, not inviting hearer to participate.

Let me see if I can find that book for you.

Let me see if this microphone works.

Used when pondering the results of an action one is doing, or to politely ask for permission to do something

Let me see if I understood you correctly.

Let me see if I have this straight.

(by extension) Used to indicate incredulity; wait a minute; hold on

[…] Eric stepped in front of Shala, unaware that he was blocking her view. […]
“Let me see,” Shala demanded, trying to peer around him.

1994, Betty Brooks, Viking Mistress (Zebra Historical Romance), Kensington Publishing Corporation, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 161:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, me, see.


here lies

Calque of Latin hīc jacet (whence also English hic jacet, a direct borrowing).

A phrase written on gravestones followed by the buried person's name.


and that

Parkin: I can bring you some logs up later but I've got the cows and that to feed first.

Don't get me wrong la, it's lovely what he's trying to do and that but, end of the day, a lad's got his pride to consider, hasn't he?

(informal) And everything related to that; and so on; etc.

Are we meeting Tom and that?

(UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) And the others; used after a name to denote the friends or social group of that person.


metoo

(Internet) Deliberate misspelling of me too, used to indicate agreement.


who'd have thunk it

He stayed until he saw she had recovered her self possession, then he left, telegraphed to Mr. Hinsdale of Helen's safe arrival—always the same thoughtful fellow—and then went home and wrote sonnets to his lady love. "Who'd have thunk it of 'im?"

1895 September, Frances Cora Perce, “A Sonata of the Woods”, in W. S. B. Mathews, editor, Music. A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Art, Science, Technic and Literature of Music, volume VIII, Chicago, Ill.: The Music Magazine Publishing Company […], →OCLC, pages 478–479:

"Hello, Muggs!" he cried, vainly trying to bestow a pat upon that unquiet animal. "Say, Trevor, hasn't he grown? He's twice the size he was when you got him!" / "It's a way puppies have." / "You don't say so? Who'd have thunk it![…]"

1906, Ralph Henry Barbour, “In the Rowing-room”, in Captain of the Crew, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, page 147:

who would have thunk it
who would have thunk it#English

Alternative form of who would have thunk it.


does anyone here speak English

ʔamin ʔaḥadin hunā yatakallamu bi-l-ʔinjlīziyyati?

أَمِنْ أَحَدٍ هُنَا يَتَكَلَّمُ بِٱلْإِنْجْلِيزِيَّةِ؟

хто-небу́дзь тут гаво́рыць па-англі́йску?

এখানে ইংরেজি বলতে পারেন এমন কেউ আছেন?

ekhane iṅreji bolote paren emon keu achen?

遮有人會曉講英文無？ /遮有人会晓讲英文无？

chiâ ū-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô? / chiâ ǔ-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô? / chia ū-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô?

這兜有人會曉講英文無？ /这兜有人会晓讲英文无？

chit-tau ū-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô? / chit-tau ǔ-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô?

這爿有人會曉講英文無？ /这爿有人会晓讲英文无？

chit-pêng ū-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô? / chit-pêng ǔ-lâng kóng Eng-bûn bô?

kas on keegi siin kes räägib inglise keelt?

est-ce qu'il y a quelqu'un ici qui parle anglais

an bhfuil Béarla ag duine ar bith anseo?

こちらで英語を話せる人はいますか

kochira de Eigo o hanaseru hito wa imasu ka

មានម្នកណាចេះភាសាអង់គ្លេសទេ

meean m'neak na cheh piasah ongkleh teh?

혹시 여기 영어 하시는 분 계시나요?

hoksi yeogi yeong'eo hasineun bun gyesinayo?

czy jest ktoś tutaj kto mówi po angielsku?

кто-нибу́дь здесь говори́т по-англи́йски?

มีใครบ้างไหมที่นี่ที่พูดภาษาอังกฤษได้

mee krai bâang măi têe nêe têe pôot paasăa anggrìt dâi

ghe zeło calchedun che'l parla par ingleze?


rolling in it

(idiomatic) Having an abundance of money; rich, very prosperous.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see roll, in, it.


lands preserved

(UK, Ireland) statement placed on signs or in newspaper ads, advising that hunting or shooting is not permitted on the property.


cheap at half the price

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cheap at half the price.wav

Deliberate transformation of a street trader's cry, cheap at twice the price (informing customers that what he was selling would still be cheap even if it cost twice as much), into cheap at half the price which would imply that the price was excessive.

After breakfast, Shirley and Gordon walked down the street to a shopping mall to look at fancy clothes and high priced jewelry. "Cheap at half the price," Gordon observed. Shirley smiled.

2007, Gordon Hughes, Hard Drive!: As the Disc Turns, page 76:

After he'd convinced you you'd only got one leg – the left – he'd sell you a gross of right-footed shoes. "Cheap at half the price! A real bargain." Afterwards, you'd feel you'd been done a favour to, and obligingly walk off with a limp.

2001, Roy Holland, C. H. Muller, Flakes of Dark and Light: Tales from Southern Africa and Elsewhere, page 110:

(from misunderstanding) Satisfactorily cheap.


I have asthma

Indicates that the speaker is afflicted with asthma


I have cancer

Indicates that the speaker is afflicted with some form of cancer.


I have low blood pressure

Indicates that the speaker has hypotension (low blood pressure).

我有低血壓 /我有低血压

wǒ yǒu dīxuèyā, wǒ yǒu dīxuěyā, wǒ yǒu dīxiěyā


I have high blood pressure

Indicates that the speaker has hypertension (high blood pressure).

我有高血壓 /我有高血压

wǒ yǒu gāoxuèyā, wǒ yǒu gāoxuěyā, wǒ yǒu gāoxiěyā


I have diabetes

Indicates that the speaker has diabetes.


I have AIDS

acquired immune deficiency syndrome
acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Indicates that the speaker has acquired immune deficiency syndrome.


do you have a boyfriend

Used to ask whether the interlocutor has a boyfriend.


I have no money

Indicates that the speaker has no money.

私はお金がありません

わたくしはおかねがありません

私はお金がないんです

わたしはおかねがないんです


come to mention it

An ellipsis of "now that you come to mention it".

"What do you think of the banking reforms?" / "Come to mention it, I've got to get to the bank before it closes today.

"Did you see that hat he was wearing?" / "Come to mention it, he always wears funny clothes."

(idiomatic) What you just said reminds me of something; Used to justify a change of subject or a kind of statement that needs some kind of license.


you kiss your mother with that mouth

head

(do) you kiss your mother with that mouth?

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-you kiss your mother with that mouth.wav

No wonder then that I felt compelled when coming upon Tony and John's contest-in-insults to glare and say, "Hey, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

1983, Reinhold Aman, Maledicta, Volume 6, Issues 1-2, Maledicta Press, page #209

"Chris doesn't like my hair up. I don't like my hair up. I'm not wearing my fucking hair up." ― "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

1998, Anna Quindlen, Black and Blue, Wheeler Pub., page #153

Serena, always the charmer. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

2004, Tim McCleaf, For They Know Not What They Do: Two Novellas, iUniverse, page 64:

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" mocked the man-who-was-ten. Matthew replied, "No, but I kiss yours!"

2009, Ryan Russell, Johnny Long, Timothy Mullen, Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition, Final Chapter, and DVD: The Complete Series, Syngress, page 469:

you kiss your girlfriend with that mouth

you kiss your grandmother with that mouth

you kiss your grandfather with that mouth

(rhetorical question, informal, sarcastic) Used to indicate that the other person's speech has become too obscene or vulgar.

con esa boca comes pan

rhetorical question used to indicate that the other person's speech has become too obscene or vulgar


guess what

Perhaps an ellipsis of "(can you) guess what I am about to say/what happened next?"

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see guess, what.

Guess what the top two success drivers were from his detailed research: a unique, superior, differentiated product; strong market orientation and voice of the customer built in. Guess what the top two deficiencies were: lack of market orientation; poor quality of execution.

2007, David Richmond, The Software Entrepreneur’s Template, page 15:

She started down on one end, and whether she knew you or not, she walked right up to you, got six inches away from your face, and said, “Guess what, I won!”

2011, Bob Merritt, When Life's Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow, page 57:

Have you ever said “abracadabra”, “hocus pocus”, or “presto chango”? Well, guess what? You were casting a spell!

2011, Jen Jones, The Girl's Guide to Wizards: Everything Magical about These Spellbinders, page 17:

(idiomatic, by ellipsis, rhetoric question) Used to introduce a surprising outcome or one that the hearer is not expected to try to guess.

by ellipsis; rhetoric question; by ellipsis; rhetoric question

I've only had two job interviews and – guess what – no job offers.

Yesterday evening at 6:30 P.M. there's a new charge nurse, he's going to give me my seizure medication and guess what? There isn't any!

2011, Sandra Gila, Vortex: The Journey of a Nursing Home Survivor, page 160:

(idiomatic) Used to dramatize the introduction of an unsurprising outcome.


that's the spirit

I may have failed this job interview, but there will be many more opportunities in the future. ― That's the spirit!

Ibanez shook out her jumpsuit sleeves. "Delta, the guy, was no great shakes; he rolled around with Lil, tried to roll me, and I put one of his own bullets between his eyes. Sorry."

2022 October 4, HarryBlank, “Drilling Down”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 2024-05-23:

Used to encourage someone's positive attitude.


alone in a crowd

Feeling as though one does not fit in with the people around oneself.


gloves are off

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-the gloves are off.wav

One possible etymology comes from the sport of boxing, where competitors fistfight wearing padded gloves; removing the gloves during a fight could result in serious physical injury. Another comes from the trend of gentlemen wearing gloves as part of their outfit; these gloves would often be taken off before engaging in rough behavior.

The gloves are off in this match; both teams are purposely committing fouls against opposing players!

The gloves were off at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester on October 2, with Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper spending much of his speech attacking Labour and the unions.

2023 October 18, Mel Holley, “Network News: Harper attacks Labour over strikes... but unions hit back”, in RAIL, number 994, page 18:

Expressing that people are arguing or competing without regard to their actions or each other's feelings.

when push comes to shove

in an uncontrolled or difficult situation


wouldn't you know

wouldn't you know it
wouldn't you know it#English

(idiomatic) Alternative form of wouldn't you know it.


TWIMC

to whom it may concern
to whom it may concern#English


tighter than Dick's hatband

as tight as Dick's hatband
as tight as Dick's hatband#English

(colloquial, now principally US, dated) Alternative form of as tight as Dick's hatband.


tight as Dick's hatband

as tight as Dick's hatband (canonical)
tighter than Dick's hatband (alternative)

(colloquial, now principally US, dated) Very tight, whether:

Very tight, whether:
Very tight-fitting.

She's sharp as a tack when she wants to be and still tight as Dick's Hatband about her money.

2014, C.B. McKenzie, Bad Country, page 108:

Very tight, whether:
Very tight with money, very stingy.


as fine as Dick's hatband

(colloquial, now principally US, dated) Very fine: very good or well-made.


CIM

[…]PSE (porn star experience) means you up the ante a bit in the bedroom with a bit of COF, Spanish, Tromboning, CIM, maybe even CIMWS (never my thing)—and for the really adventurous, Greek[…]

2017, Samantha X, Back on Top: Confessions of a High-Class Escort, Hachette, →ISBN:

(prostitution slang) Initialism of cum in mouth; indicates that the client ejaculates in their mouth.


vacat

Unadapted borrowing from Latin vacat (“it is empty”).

ubor

(palaeography) Indicates a willingly empty portion of an inscription.


verbum sat

A shortening of Latin verbum (sapienti) sat est (“a word is enough (to a wise man)”). Compare verbum sapienti.

der

For there one learns—'t is not for me to boast, / Though I acquired—but I pass over that, / As well as all the Greek I since have lost: / I say that there 's the place—but ‘Verbum sat.’

Used to bring something to a conclusion, implying that further comment is unadvisable or unneeded.


WGARA

First of all if a mechanical engineer can input 1 watt and output 4 watts it is a WGARA (who gives a rat's a--) as to whether its fusion or not.

1989, fusion, “Submission for Alt.fusion”, in alt.fusion (Usenet):

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

(slang) Initialism of who gives a rat's ass?.


head

Due to the very small size of a postage stamp. First use appears c. 1905. See cite below.

"That's the answer," he announced gleefully. "What you don't know about chickens could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

1905, “The Bird And The Bride”, in Poultry, volume 2, page 32:

Something classical that Annie couldn't immediately place, which was hardly surprising given that what Annie knew about symphonies could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

could fit on the back of a postage stamp

(figuratively) Something that is very small or limited.


could fit on the back of a postage stamp

could be written on the back of a postage stamp#English

Synonym of could be written on the back of a postage stamp.


after Saturday comes Sunday

From Arabic مِن سَلَّف السَبت لاقا الحَدّ قَدّاموه (min sallaf es-sabt lāqā el-ḥadd qiddāmūh), literally "When Saturday is gone, one will find Sunday". The phrase is a classical proverb that means "the good or bad you do comes back to you".

der

مِن سَلَّف السَبت لاقا الحَدّ قَدّاموه

(politics, rare) A phrase sometimes attributed to fundamentalist Muslims, implying that they wish to kill the Jews, whose sabbath is Saturday, and then the Christians, whose sabbath is Sunday.


whoops, there go my trousers

/ˈʍʊps ðɛː ˈɡəʊ maɪ ˈtɹaʊzəz/

/ˈwʊps ðɛɚ ˈɡoʊ maɪ ˈtɹaʊzɚz/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-whoops, there go my trousers.wav

A reference to a gag in slapstick comedy theatre plays where a character’s trousers fall to the ground, exposing his underwear, to elicit laughs from the audience.

Four Rooms is the latest attempt to combine multiple directors' skits into one film. It is also an attempt to mix "whoops!-there-go-my-trousers" farce with the slick kitsch pop-art comedy.

1995 December 29, Chris Wright, “Four Rooms [TV review]”, in The Boston Phoenix, Boston, Mass.: Boston Phoenix, →OCLC, section 3, page 19:

But what's this? A play about a Carry On film by Terry "Whoops, There Go My Trousers" Johnson, the man responsible for the National's revival of The London Cuckolds, an 18th-century version of Run For Your Wife?

1998 June 13, “Carry on up the National”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, weekend edition, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10, column 1:

The bolts have to be opened and closed in the right combination to avoid scenes worthy of a French farce. But I feel less a character in ‘Whoops! There go my trousers’, and more like something miserable by [Samuel] Beckett or [Franz] Kafka about the meaningless of life, and the fatuity of communication.

2002, Simon Calder, No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-cost Revolution in the Skies, London: Virgin Books, →ISBN, page 45:

Instead this relies on the supposedly comical misunderstandings that have been a feature of sitcoms since the 1950s. [...] The children are smart arses, the laughter is canned, the parents befuddled and every line delivered as if they're on stage starring in "Whoops, There Go My Trousers".

2009 January 9, Andrea Mullaney, “TV Review: The Life of Riley, The Green Green Grass, Dexter”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh: Scotsman Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2009-02-16:

(comedy, theater) Used to describe a genre of farcical theatre plays.


olive juice

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

“Olive juice,” Jimmy said. Mark stood up and Ann came in. She tucked Jimmy in. “Olive juice,” she said. They walked back into the living room. “What's olive juice?” Mark asked. “Watch my lips when I say it,” Ann said.

2005, Scott Wolven, Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men, →ISBN, page 97:

Hey, baby, I hope you're feeling better. You're not a failure; you are perfect in every way. I'll see you soon! Olive juice <3 xx

2013, Cassidy Briggs, Thigh Gaps and Men, →ISBN, page 62:

One day while I was in my nook, he said, “olive juice.” “Huh?” I said. Slowly and deliberately with no sound, he mouthed “olive juice.” “What does it look like?” he said.

2014, Elle Kay, Where's My Happily Ever After?, →ISBN, page 80:


VNE

(aviation) Initialism of velocity never exceed.


UNODIR

(military) Abbreviation of UNless Otherwise DIRected.


do not disturb

Used to indicate that somebody does not wish to be disturbed, e.g. a sign on a hotel room door, or a "busy" mode of an instant messenger.


where do you live

أَيْنَ تَعِيشِينَ؟

see more individual verb conjugation forms for different pluralities and genders

汝徛佗落？

lí khiā tó-lo̍h? / lí khiǎ tó-loh? / lú khiā tá-lo̍h? / lí khiā tah-lo? / lí khiā tá-lo?

汝徛佗落仔？

lí khiā tá-lo̍h-á? / lí khiā tah-lo-á? / lí khiā tá-lo-á?

汝徛佗位？

lí khiā tó-ūi? / lí khiā tah-ūi? / lí khiā tá-ūi?

汝蹛佗位？ /汝𰸚佗位？

lí tòa tó-ūi? / lí tòa toh-ūi? / lí tòa tah-ūi? / lí tòa tá-ūi?

你們住在哪兒？ /你们住在哪儿？

哪兒 /哪儿 (nǎr) can be replaced with 哪裡 /哪里 (nǎlǐ) in all examples

hol él? hol/merre lakik? (ön)

formal; where someone is based; formal; where someone is currently staying

hol/merre laksz? (note: “hol lakik/laksz” may sound rather direct)

คุณอยู่ที่ไหน (kun yùu tîi-nǎi) (casual, polite gender-specific particles need to be added to sound polite)

(generic, replace bạn with the appropriate pronoun) bạn sống ở đâu?


nmu

A: hey

B: 'sup?

A: nmu

(Internet) Initialism of not(or nothing) much, you?.


hbu

what's up? — i'm about to go to bed, hbu?

(Internet) Initialism of how 'bout you?.


what languages do you speak

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-what languages do you speak.wav

What are the languages which you can understand and which you can speak or write in?

مَا هِيَ اللُّغَات اَلَّتِي تَتَكَلَّمُهَا؟

مَا هِيَ اللُّغَات اَلَّتِي تَتَكَلَّمِينَهَا؟


I live in Melbourne

Explains that the person lives in Melbourne (example city).

asun Melbournessa (city name in the inessive case)

હું મેલબોર્નમાં રહું છું (hũ melbornmā̃ rahũ chũ) (city name with a postposition appended)

я живу́ в Ме́льбурне (ja živú v Mélʹburne) (в + city name in the prepositional case)


do not enter

Used on various signs to indicate that an area should not be entered, e.g. a military installation, or a hotel room.

毋通入去

m̄-thang li̍p-khì / m̄-thang ji̍p-khì / m̄-thang li̍p-khìr / m̄-thang lia̍k-khì

毋通入來 /毋通入来

m̄-thang li̍p-lâi / m̄-thang ji̍p-lâi / m̄-thang lia̍k-lâi

莫入去

mài li̍p-khì / mài ji̍p-khì / mài li̍p-khù

甭入去

mang li̍p-khì / mang li̍p-khìr / mang ji̍p-khì / mang lia̍k-khì

甭入來 /甭入来

mang li̍p-lâi / mang ji̍p-lâi / mang lia̍k-lâi

Used on a road sign to indicate a one-way street that cannot be entered from the direction one is facing when seeing the sign.


what does … mean

Used to ask the meaning of a word (replace “…” with a word).

مَاذَا يَعْنِي …؟

māḏā yaʕnī …?

що зна́чить …?

ščo znáčytʹ …?


OBO

obo (alternative)
o.b.o. (alternative)
o. b. o. (alternative)
O.B.O. (alternative)
O. B. O. (alternative)
o/b/o (alternative)
O/B/O (alternative)

(commerce) Initialism of or best offer; showing that a price is negotiable.


WORE

(computing) Initialism of write once, run everywhere.


never say never

Anything can happen; a certain option should not be totally dismissed.


dk

Alternative form: DK

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


it's what's inside that counts

One's personality is more important than one's physical looks.


some mothers do have them

Popularised by the popular British comedy show Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em starring Michael Crawford as the clumsy and foolish Frank Spencer (although it had been in common British use for many years before then).

(UK) A colloquial and mildly pejorative reaction to a clumsy or foolish action.


warm regards

(idiomatic) Used as a polite way to finish a letter.


hugs and kisses

(idiomatic) An informal way to end a letter, email etc. to a loved one.


I have to love you and leave you

I gotta love you and leave you (alternative)
I must love you and leave you (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-I have to love you and leave you.wav

(informal, endearing or humorous) Goodbye.


AINEC

(Internet slang) Initialism of and it's not even close.


you win

Okay, you win. I can't spend all day arguing over such a small detail.

Used to express resignation, or concede defeat even though one is not convinced of the opposing arguments.


nobody's perfect

1958, Some Like It Hot, film by Billy Wilder, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe.
When Jerry (Jack Lemmon) disguised as "Daphne" tries to fend off Osgood Fielding's insistent proposals of marriage with one excuse after another with no success, he finally yanks off his wig wig and shouts, "I'm a man!" to which Osgood amiably replies, Well, nobody's perfect.

Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.

1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)

2000, Madonna, Nobody's Perfect
I feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my best

Used when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws.

人無完人 /人无完人

phrase to remind that we all fail at times

完全無欠な人はいない

かんぜんむけつなひとはいない


you never know

At this point, I doubt that they'll meet their deadline, but you never know — stranger things have happened.

8 October 2010, Colin Jackson for BBC Sport, 'Magic can happen between Turner and Sharman'
They are only running times in the 13.20s, but next year he could run 13.25 and you never know, he may end up running 13.1 quite easily

Used to speculate about a possibility; especially, a slight one.

ei sitä koskaan tiedä

phrase used to speculate about a slim chance


so they say

head

so they say (simple past so they said, present perfect so they have said)

so they said (past)
so they have said (perfect present)

As people move to the suburbs, bank branches follow, so they say.

A: Are they seriously planning to build a new bank branch on that corner? B: So they say.


as the saying goes

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-as the saying goes.wav

Near-synonym: you know what they say

The neighborhood, to our ears, seemed haunted by approaching footsteps; and what between the dead body of the captain on the parlor floor, and the thought of that detestable blind beggar hovering near at hand, and ready to return, there were moments when, as the saying goes, I jumped in my skin for terror.

1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

Used before or after saying an apt proverb, adage, cliché etc.


no pun intended

The air was thick with cat calls (no pun intended),
But not even a muscle in her neck did twitch as she sauntered up into
The heart of the alleyway.
She knew what she wanted.
She was lookin' for that stud bull, she was looking for that he cat.
And that was me.
Tommy the Cat is my name and I say unto thee...

1991, “Tommy the Cat”, performed by Primus:

Used to acknowledge that what one has just said, or what one is about to say, could be viewed as an unintended pun or double entendre. The term is likewise used sarcastically to emphasise an intended pun.


come stà

From Italian come sta (literally “as it stands”). The accent mark is not present in standard Italian orthography.

bor

(music) An instruction to play without improvised ornamentation or rhythmic alteration.


need I say more

Joe Bloggs became president – need I say more?

'How was your picnic?' 'My husband did the cooking, need I say more?' 'Nah, say no more'

(colloquial, humorous, rhetorical question) Used to say that audience can predict the result of something.


I've lost my keys

(UK) Indicates that the speaker has lost his or her keys.


how do you spell this word

I would like to know how this word is written.

この言葉の書き方は何ですか

このことばのかきかたはなんですか


intra legem

('Equity Intra Legem') - A court's power to interpret and apply the law to achieve the most equitable result.


NTG

(Internet) Initialism of not this group (i.e. newsgroup).


NNTO

Coordinate term: NNTR

(Internet slang) Initialism of no need to open: indicates that a message has no content beyond what can be seen in the subject line.


a thing or two

What are you doing today?
—I have a thing or two to take care of.

He's a good mechanic, and surely knows a thing or two about car engines.

I could tell you a thing or two about that new boyfriend of yours.

He [Winston Churchill] was born at Blenheim Palace, that Oxfordshire pile built for his ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who also knew a thing or two about warfare.

2021 September 22, Stephen Roberts, “The writings on the wall...”, in RAIL, number 940, page 75:

The good news is that the new Rail Minister is Huw Merriman, former Chairman of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, which means he knows a thing or two about the railways.

2022 November 16, Christian Wolmar, “Can Merriman use his rail knowledge to make a difference?”, in RAIL, number 970, page 44:


bbs

Alternative letter-case form of BBS (be back soon).


it's on

[A man from a competing gang throws a drink in Fred's face, just before a fight begins.]
Fred Alger (Mel Tormé): It's on!

(colloquial) A conflict or competition is starting.


there we go

This key doesn't seem to fit the lock... ah, there we go; it's starting to turn now.

When's this film supposed to begin? Ah, there we go; the lights are dimming now.

(informal, idiomatic) said after an action has been performed successfully


A.C.

(India, historical) Initialism of after compliments: marking the omitted formalities of native compliments, in official versions of native letters.


IKR

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I know, right?: indicates agreement with a previously mentioned idea, statement, viewpoint, etc.


I don't eat meat

Indicates that the speaker does not eat meat.


I'm allergic to nuts

Indicates that the speaker has an allergy to nuts.

allergiás vagyok a dió-, mogyoró- és gesztenyefélékre


you had to be there

What he did was so hilarious, the way he was dancing... well, you had to be there.

Used to indicate to the interlocutor that the situation being talked about could only be properly understood if that person had been present.

你要是在場就明白了 /你要是在场就明白了

the situation could only be understood if the person had been present


I beg your pardon

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-I beg your pardon.wav

“Not like cats!” cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. “Would you like cats if you were me?”
“Well, perhaps not,” said Alice in a soothing tone: “don’t be angry about it. And yet I wish I could show you our cat Dinah: I think you’d take a fancy to cats if you could only see her. She is such a dear quiet thing,” Alice went on, half to herself, as she swam lazily about in the pool, “and she sits purring so nicely by the fire, licking her paws and washing her face—and she is such a nice soft thing to nurse—and she’s such a capital one for catching mice⸺oh, I beg your pardon!” cried Alice again, for this time the Mouse was bristling all over, and she felt certain it must be really offended. “We won’t talk about her any more if you’d rather not.”

1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “The Pool of Tears”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, pages 25–27:

York got down and said very respectfully, "I beg your pardon, my lady, but these horses have not been reined up for three years, and my lord said it would be safer to bring them to it by degrees; but if your ladyship pleases, I can take them up a little more."

[1877], Anna Sewell, “Earlshall”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part II, pages 104–105:

(literally) Used to express an apology for an action.

"We were talking of the man whom my mother one day caused to exist, and created gardener at Saint-Omer. She gave him a name. Henceforth he acted."
"I beg your pardon, sir?" said Monsieur Goubin, wiping his eye-glasses. "Do you mind saying that over again?"
"Willingly," replied Monsieur Bergeret. "There was no gardener. The gardener did not exist. My mother said: 'I expect the gardener!' Straightway the gardener existed—and acted."

1915, Anatole France, Crainquebille, Putois, Riquet and other profitable tales, translated by Winfred Stephens Monsieur Gobin and Monsieur Jean Marteau came in. Monsieur Bergeret told them the subject of the conversation

Used to request something, for example if a statement was not heard.

Used to ask for clarification of something said if it is unexpected, odd or seen as rude without context.


perstat

(medicine) (The condition under discussion) persists.

Alternative spelling of the military acronym PERSTAT


first annual

(idiomatic) Being the first occurrence of an event that is scheduled or hoped to become annual.

(somewhat rare) Being the second occurrence of an annual event, that is, the first occurrence that is indeed annual.


to hell with

"I don't want an elephant's soul, or any soul at all!" he said. For a few moments he sat despondently. Suddenly he jumped to his feet, with his eyes blazing and all the signs of intense cerebral excitement. "To hell with you and your souls!" he shouted. "Why do you plague me about souls? Haven't I got enough to worry, and pain, and distract me already, without thinking of souls!"

1897, Bram Stoker, “Dr. Seward’s Diary”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter XX, page 299:

Yes, it would be dangerous to get too carried away but right here, right now, to hell with anyone who insists it is time for restraint.

2018 July 3, Daniel Taylor, “England knock Colombia out of World Cup in last-16 penalty shootout”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-07-04:

(mildly vulgar) Used to show displeasure or disregard toward the named person or thing.

dă-o dracului f + de (name of thing or person)

dă-o naibii f + de (name of thing or person)

dă-l dracului m + de (name of thing or person)

dă-l naibii m + de (name of thing or person)

la dracu' + cu (name of thing or person)


by way of

From Shakespeare to Milton by way of the English Bible, our language has been shaped by humanist ideas.

Intensity was more usually reached by way of the solemn than by way of the brilliant.

1878, Thomas Hardy, chapter 1, in The Return of the Native:

“I always go over the wall, by way of the plum tree,” said Matilda.

1914, Saki (pseudonym; H. H. Munro), “The Boar-Pig”, in Beasts and Super-Beasts:

In 1919, demobilisation specials from Purfleet, Essex, to the North, usually made up of nondescript, almost paintless or grey stock which had seen long wartime service, chalked with slogans, were worked through by way of Bromley and the North London line […].

1950 April, R. A. H. Weight, “They Passed by My Window”, in Railway Magazine, pages 258-259:

My name is Elle Woods, Boston by way of Bel Air.

2003, Kate Kondell (screenplay), Legally Blonde 2 (motion picture), spoken by Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon):

By way of apology, he tried to be gallant.

By way of qualification, I should point out that…

Thus much may serve by way of proem: / Proceed we therefore to our poem.

1731, Jonathan Swift, On the Death of Dr. Swift:

Why they hesitated I never could tell, unless they did it by way of a joke.

By way of contrast there is an air of finality about the closure of the Welsh Highland Railway.

1949 November and December, “Notes and News: Festiniog and Welsh Highland Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 409:

“So what's new in the whiskey business?” one of the fat men finally says by way of welcome, […]

1968, Joan Didion, “On Keeping a Notebook”, in Slouching Towards Bethlehem:

Considerable work had to be done by way of repairs and replacement of bricks and woodwork (doors, floors, skirtings and panelling) where these were too far gone to be salvageable, including reprofiling to match originals.

2023 December 13, Robin Leleux, “Restored... and a richly deserved award: Cullybackey”, in RAIL, number 998, page 39:

For the purpose of; as a means of; as an instance of; as a type or form of.

kautta

for the purpose of, as a means or instance of

Thoreau, too, come to think of it, was, by way of being a prophet, a pioneer in this Emancipation of Man from Bothery.

1898, H. G. Wells, “The Trouble of Life”, in Certain Personal Matters, pages 16–17:

"From what you tell me, he's by way of being the brains of the family."

1921, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Springtime:

(UK, often followed by being) Possessing the characteristics, nature, or standing of; in the state or condition of.

par le fait de

possessing the characteristics, nature, or standing of


QEF

From Latin quod erat faciendum (“what was to have been done”), from Ancient Greek ὅπερ ἔδει ποιῆσαι (hóper édei poiêsai).

uder

ὅπερ ἔδει ποιῆσαι

“quod erat faciendum”, “what was to have been done” – used to end a mathematical passage other than a proof.


JWTK

(Internet slang, rare) Initialism of just wanted to know.


NTBCW

Stamps aren't worth much with holes in them, but I think they've even stopped using hinges (NTBCW henges) these days.

2008, Adam Funk, “Bear, a Magdalenian test case”, in sci.lang (Usenet):


the lady doth protest too much

An allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet, where the line is spoken by Queen Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. In the play, "protest" is used to mean "insist that what one is saying is true" (in this case, the Player Queen's protestations of love), not "insist that what another is saying is false."

methinks the lady doth protest too much (alternative)
methinks thou dost protest too much (alternative)

In all Penelope's devotion to her husband there is an ever present sense that the lady doth protest too much.

1897, Samuel Butler, The Authoress of the Odyssey:

It is suspected that, because someone is insisting too much about something, the opposite of what they're saying must be true.

because someone is insisting too much about something, the opposite must be true

as-sayyida(t) taʕtariḍu ʔakṯar min al-lāzim

السَّيِّدَة تَعْتَرِضُ أَكْثَر مِن اللَّازِم

se koira älähtää, johon kalikka kalahtaa

ledi dejstvitelʹno sliškom mnogo vystupajet.

леди действительно слишком много выступает.


the cure is worse than the disease

From Latin aegrescit medendo (literally “it worsens with healing”) attributed to Virgil in book XII of the Aeneid.

der

The medical treatment for an illness produces a worse net result than the illness does (or threatens a non-negligible risk of doing so), especially via adverse effects.

Regarding the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act and other repeals of financial regulations, or even in legislating new financial regulations, you have to be careful that the cure is not worse than the disease.

2014-06-11, Robert Johnson The Real News Network

(figuratively) The solution or proposed solution to a problem produces a worse net result than the problem does (or threatens a non-negligible risk of doing so), especially via unintended consequences.

qaş düzəltmək əvəzinə göz çıxarmaq

The solution to a problem produces a worse net result


IDR

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I don't remember or I don't recall.

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I don't really (know, find, etc.).


don't mind if I do

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Would you like a biscuit? ― Don't mind if I do!

(informal) Used to express acceptance of something offered to the speaker.

好的

used to express acceptance of something offered to the speaker


one for all, all for one

Each individual should act for the benefit of the group, and the group should act for the benefit of each individual.

一人は皆の為に、皆は一人の為に

ひとり は みな の ため に、みな は ひとり の ため に, hitori wa mina no tame ni, mina wa hitori no tame ni


head

en-au-don't let the door hit you on the way out.ogg

(idiomatic, derogatory) Used as a command to leave in haste, or to indicate that one is glad, or at least unmoved, to see the addressed person leaving.

used to indicate that one is glad to see someone leaving

ска́тертью доро́га (skátertʹju doróga, literally “let the road be like a table-cloth”)

ба́ба с во́зу — кобы́ле ле́гче (bába s vózu — kobýle léxče, literally “when a woman leaves the cart, the mare feels easier”)

закро́й дверь с обра́тной стороны́ (zakrój dverʹ s obrátnoj storoný, literally “close the door from the reverse side”)

don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you


che sara sara

→ Italian: che sarà, sarà

/ˈkeɪ səˌɹɑː səˈɹɑː/

First constructed in the 16th century for English heraldic mottos, and notably quoted as che sera sera by Christopher Marlowe in his 1604 play Doctor Faustus (Act 1, Scene 1). From standard Italian quel che sarà, sarà (“what will be, will be”), ignoring the correct spelling and grammar (according to which a pronoun such as quel, quello or ciò is compulsorily needed at the very beginning of the sentence).
Popularized by the 1956 song “Que Sera, Sera”, which adopted a Spanish-like spelling.

bor

che sera sera (alternative)
que sera sera (alternative)

All serve to show that all things are possible to us, provided we are not content to fold our bands and cry with the fatalists “Che Sara Sara”.

1892 March 17, Cigarette, “Giant Discontent”, in Otago Witness:

Is it a phase of old world fatalism that prompts the Englishman to breathe “Che sara sara,” don the colours of the side he thinks will win instead of that he wishes to, and be cheerful?

Used to express a personal philosophy of fatalism and acceptance of the future.

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)


che sera sera

Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.

1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:


don't make me laugh

Humiliated, Wood said, "I shouldn't have brought it up. I'll collect that money without you. Me and Carney will take care of the ranger."
"Carney Blake? Don't make me laugh." Rose chuckled, his hand still extended for payment. "He's been down drunk all summer. He'll be lucky if he doesn't shoot himself."

2006, Ralph Cotton, Gunfight at Cold Devil:

(informal) Used to express that one cannot take a suggestion seriously.


you've got to laugh

The army teaches you to rely on yourself. It teaches you a whole lot of crap, like that some of those guys are real arseholes, and wouldn't stand a chance in the outside world. But you've got to laugh at that, man. It doesn't matter. It teaches you not to give a damn about anything, that nothing really matters.

Used when somebody sees the funny side to a tough situation, to remind not to take things so seriously.


so long, and thanks for all the fish

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From the title of a comic novel by Douglas Adams in 1984, in which it is the last message left by dolphins for humankind before escaping a doomed Earth.

so long and thanks for all the fish (alternative)

When it was at last time to push off, he and his companion shook our hands and wished us luck, and by way of saying so long and thanks for all the fish, I gave each of them the postcards we'd had printed back in the UK

2005, Paul Grogan, Barbed Wire & Babushaks: A River Odyssey Across Siberia, London: Virgin Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 48:

[…] Templates” badge, which you can request by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope filled with 100 dollar bills to me directly. Please allow 52-104 weeks for processing and delivery. That's all there is. So long and thanks for all the fish.

2007, Zac Woodall, The Rational Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2007 Templates, Rollinsford, NH: Mann Publishing Group, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 247:

I pursed my lips and blew a kiss out into the New York air to mingle with the cab fumes. 'So long, and thanks for all the fish, beautiful, beautiful New York.'

2008, Bella Vendramini, Biting the Big Apple, Sydney, N.S.W.: Hachette Livre Australia, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 314:

I lived my life, people, and I expect you to live yours. So long, and thanks for all the fish!

2013, Chris Kluwe, Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: On Myths, Morons, Free Speech, Football, and Assorted Absurdities, New York: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 252:

So long and thanks for all the fish (I don't even know what that means but I heard it somewhere once and it feels right). Yours sincerely, Tuesday Cooper

2015, Elanor Wood, My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend, London: Macmillan, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 266:


embrace, extend and extinguish

Formerly used internally by Microsoft. First described outside Microsoft in a 1996 New York Times article entitled "Microsoft Trying to Dominate the Internet".

A strategy of marketing that involves extending widely used standards of product categories with proprietary capabilities, and then using the differences to disadvantage its competitors.


is that so

I used to be a millionaire back in the '80s. ― Is that so?

هَلْ هٰذَا صَحِيح؟

hal hāḏā ṣaḥīḥ?


all bets are off

Originally used by sports bookmakers, and in particular horseracing. The bookmaker is not taking any more bets and all existing bets placed on the competition are now null and void. This may have been because the race was cancelled, the starting lineup was substantially changed, or due to an irregularity in the conduct of the race.

(idiomatic) Indicates that a future event appears uncertain, especially one that before seemed more certain. Any prior agreements are no longer valid.

(idiomatic, by extension) Anything can happen; any previous preconceptions about what might happen are dismissed.


narmean

Pronunciation spelling of do you know what I mean.


NFA

Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said the case has been classified as "no further action" (NFA) due to lack of evidence.

2020 November 24, “Individuals linked to Chin Peng's ashes will not face charges - minister”, in Malaysiakini:

ACP Nik Ezanee closed the investigation by classifying it as no further action (NFA) after hearing about the woman's plight.

2021 January 31, Farik Zolkepli, “PJ police go the extra mile to help the needy”, in The Star:

Police have completed investigations into a Physical Education (PE) teacher who allegedly made a rape joke in front of his students at school, and have classified it as No Further Action (NFA).

2021 August 5, Muhaamad Hafis Nawawi, “Case of teacher who allegedly made rape joke classified as NFA”, in New Straits Times:

no further action
no further action#English

(law enforcement, criminal law, UK, Malaysia) Initialism of no further action; a potential outcome for a suspect from a police investigation.


GINO

From the construction of RINO and DINO, using -INO in conjunction with "G" for Galactica.

(neologism, fandom slang) Acronym of Galactica in name only—a derogatory term used by partisan fans of the original Battlestar Galactica to refer to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.


ADS

(video games) Initialism of aim down sights.


credit where credit's due

give credit where credit is due (alternative)

Used to justly praise someone for their achievement or contribution.


as much use as a chocolate teapot

En-au-as much use as a chocolate teapot.ogg


IK

Alternative form: ik

Coordinate term: IDK

Although (Cosmo cover girl, heeeyyy) Ashley Park’s hair looks one-dimensional in the first pic above, if you scroll, you’ll see she’s got a super-underrated balayage throughout her ends that adds some brightness to her ends. IK what you’re thinking: Why bright for fall?

2024 September 5, Beth Gillette, “24 Fall Hair Colors Every Celebrity Is Asking for Rn”, in Cosmopolitan:

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of I know.


there's more where that came from

Thank you for donating all of these blankets to the orphanage. ― There's more where that came from!

“Take that” was the punctuation of a hero's fist or bullet. “Had enough yet, Big Shot? There's more where that came from.”

1992, Confrontation, numbers 48-50, page 38:

A greater number of similar things can be provided in the future.

還有更多的呢 /还有更多的呢

a greater number of similar things can be provided in the future


much ado about nothing

/mʌtʃ əˈduː əˈbaʊt ˈnʌθɪŋ/

First appears c. the early 1500s, and first found in The Defense of the Aunswere to the Admonition, against the Replie of T. C., a pamphlet (1574) by John Whitgift (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to 1604). Made popular and particularly known from the title of the comedy play Much Ado About Nothing (1598) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare had earlier used ado (“business, activity”) in the play Romeo and Juliet (1592) Weele keepe no great adoe, a Friend or two, though it is now frequently used to mean fuss as a contraction of the phrase here; nothing in the title of the play is a wordplay which can also mean noting (“to notice”) besides the usual meaning of nothing.

(idiomatic) A lot of fuss or bother about something trivial.

Archbishop of Canterbury
John Whitgift
Much Ado About Nothing
Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare


out with it

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“What’s your name, youngster? Out with it!” cried Laballière, striving to shake the little free mulatto into speech; but he stayed dumb as a mummy.

1894, Kate Chopin, “In and Out of Old Natchitoches”, in Bayou Folk:

1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 4: The engine-burglar,
"Come, out with it," said the Doctor.
"It's rather hard, you see," said Bobbie, "to out with it; because of what Mother said."

"Six years!" mused Gor Hajus. "Well, out with it, man. What do you want? If it is to slay Ras Thavas, no! He has saved me from utter destruction; but name me some other, preferably Vobis Kan, Jeddak of Toonol. Find me a blade and I will slay a hundred to regain life."

1928, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter VIII, in The Master Mind of Mars, ESCAPE:

Used to tell somebody to reveal a secret.


look who's talking

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Used when someone receives criticism for something by someone else who is guilty of the same thing.

the call is coming from inside the house


you know what they say

Near-synonym: as the saying goes

You know what they say about fish and company. After three days, you start to stink. -- but after three decades of Hosni Mubarak, the stench has become unbearable.

2011 January 30, Sherry Jones, “Opinion: What I Saw In Egypt”, in AOL News:

You know what they say about men with big feet, don't ya?" A man in back smirked at me. I really didn't know what to say. I had heard the saying about men with big feet were supposed to be well hung, but I had no idea what would happen if I said something.

2007, Katherine D. Bennett, Forever One:

Used to introduce, or alluding to, an apt adage.


if you know what I mean

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-if you know what I mean.wav

He seemed a little too interested in the details, if you know what I mean [implying that perhaps he had ulterior motives].

(disjunctive) Used to allude to something unsaid or hinted at.

你懂得

used to allude to something unsaid or hinted at

érted/érti, ugye? (“érted”: informal; “érti”: formal)

Then you've got to jiggle it just right, if you know what I mean, before you can get it to come out of there.

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

do you know what I'm saying
do you know what I'm saying#English

(informal) Used as a rhetorical question to confirm attention, understanding, or agreement at the end of an utterance or each segment thereof; synonym of do you know what I'm saying.


the thick plottens

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The thick plottens in the checker scandal. Our expert along those lines, whose monicker is thinly veiled, in the subscription to the appended document, evidently knows more than he is of a mind to spring at this time.

1909 February 3, “In the wake of the news: Weaving the net”, in Chicago Daily Tribune, page 12:

"The thick plottens, Gilly," he observed in great good humor. "Decidedly, the thick plottens!"

1942, Vincent Starrett, "The Case of the Two Flutes", Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, No.2, p.96

Meanwhile, the thick plottens. It involves renegade US Treasury agents, vast amounts of money, lots of gunplay, crashing and exploding planes and the capture of Hal by a gang of serious ne'er-do-wells [...]

1993 May 28, Bill Taylor, “Credibility left dangling in Rocky vs. Rockies”, in Toronto Daily Star, page C6:

the plot thickens
the plot thickens#English

(humorous) Spoonerism of the plot thickens


alles anderes ist Menschenwerk

A corruption of German mathematician Leopold Kronecker's finite dictum “die ganzen Zahlen hat Gott gemacht; alles andere ist Menschenwerk” : “God made the integers; everything else is the work of man”. The reason for the addition of an "s" to "andere" ("anderes" is grammatically incorrect and not present in the German phrase) is unclear.

Yet in its inadequate way it seems to gesture towards something which is closest of all to what has concerned many who have been worried about moral objectivity: the idea that there is no moral order ‘out there’ – out there, in the world, are only the sorts of things and the sorts of facts that science, and the more everyday processes of human enquiry of which science is a refinement, deal. Alles anderes ist Menschenwerk. Statement (c) [There are no moral facts; there are only the sorts of facts that science or common observation can discover, and the values that men place on those facts.] can be said – using the word in an unambitious way – to express a metaphysical view.

1972, Bernard Williams, Morality (1993 Canto edition, chapter 2: “Subjectivism: First thoughts”, pages 14–15

It would help overthrow the pernicious chauvinistic idea that, apart from certain elementary facts, Alles anderes ist Menschenwerk, all necessity, all intensionality, all value.

1980, Don S. Mannison, Michael A. McRobbie, R. Routley, Richard Sylvan, editors, Environmental Philosophy, Research School of Social Sciences Canberra Department of Philosophy, →ISBN, page 187, →ISBN:

‘Facts’ and ‘things’ are ‘out there’ in the world, alles anderes ist Menschenwerk.

1989, W. E. Morrow, Chains of Thought: Philosophical Essays in South African Education (Southern Book Publishers), page 41

“Everything else is the work of man.” “Everything else is a human construct.”


what, me worry

(idiomatic, US) As an interrogatory, indicative of a nonchalant attitude towards potential criticism, not caring about what other people think, confident and self-possessed.


dream on

When you first come out, you might have an overactive gaydar. When I realized I was gay, I wanted everyone to be gay too, which led to a lot of wishful thinking.
"Helen Hunt is gay!" Dream on, girl!

Used to express skepticism or derision about the possibility of an interlocutor's statement.


with any luck

with luck (alternative)
with a bit of luck (alternative)
with a little luck (alternative)

With any luck, we'll be able to finish our assignment before the deadline.

(colloquial) Hopefully; with a modicum of good fortune.


wait for it

I just found out that my ex-wife, who never wanted children, now has two kids called, wait for it, Ludwig and Balthazar.

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment invites couples to "delight their dark side" this Valentine's Day weekend with -- wait for it -- stories of violence against romantic partners?

2011 February 10, Carissa Dimargo, “'Crimes of Passion' Glorified for Valentine's Day”, in NBC Washington:

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to draw attention to and build suspense, often ironically, for a remark to come.


much to be said

a lot to be said (alternative)
something to be said (alternative)

There is much to be said for a policy of caution.

The British empire had much to be said for it, but it is over – dead, deceased, struck off, no more.

2013 August 14, Simon Jenkins, The Guardian:

Why not think of oneself as simply thrown together with fellow citizens or conationals in the same sort of random way as a group of people might be thrown together in a life-boat? There is much to be said in favor of such a story.

1999, Gillian Brock, “The new nationalisms”, in Monist, volume 82, number 3, page 367:

Used to assert the defensibility or advisability of what follows.

nyomós érvek szólnak

followed by mellett, i.e., for a given point


no parking

On a traffic sign, indicates that parking a vehicle is not allowed within the area of influence of the sign.

যানবাহন রাখা নিষিদ্ধ (janbahon rakha niśiddho, literally “storing vehicles is prohibited”)


TINLC

(Internet, humorous) Initialism of There is no lumber cartel.


every king needs a queen

Every man needs a woman as a romantic partner with whom to spend his life.


what are the odds

(idiomatic, rhetorical question) Used to express surprise at an unlikely outcome.


& cetera

A use of the ligature & to stand for the et in et cetera.

A Charter of Raff Godeknave I‐made to Geffrey Sawser for a mese with his partynentis, & cetera.

1905, Early English Text Society, page 498:


dust settles

I tried to make amends after the dust settled.

You should let the dust settle.

when the dust settles

(idiomatic) A heated, angry, or confused atmosphere calms down.


I see what you did there

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Book a tabla now (te-he) www.electromancer.com/artists/squishmusic [Yes, very good, I see what you did there - Ed].

Leonard Hofstadter: Of course, we're in different departments. He's an engineer and I'm an experimental physicist. You know, one of guys who examines the building blocks of creation and says: "Hello, maker of the universe. I see what you did there. Good one."

2010 November 4, Bill Prady, Steven Molaro & Steve Holland, "The Apology Insufficiency", episode 4-7 of The Big Bang Theory, 00:05:03-00:05:19

"Wait. I see what you did there. You turned my comment around on me so that it would be an insult. You are one clever gal, Dr. Rodgers."

2011, Grant R. Jeffrey, Alton L. Gansky, The Scroll, WaterBrook Press, →ISBN, page 103:

Oh, I see what you did there! You made a little "bacon" joke at moi's expense. You got a death wish or something, buster?!

2011 November 19, “Fast chat: Miss Piggy of 'The Muppets'”, in Newsday:

(informal, humorous, also Internet slang) An expression used to point out that another person's joke or cleverness has been recognized or understood, either to acknowledge its cleverness or alternatively to communicate a lack of amusement.


pick on someone your own size

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" I say angrily as he tries to push her out of line.

1988 February 7, Marea Murray, “Battles Joined: Oddysey of a Lesbian AIDS Activist”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 29, page 8:

(colloquial, idiomatic) An admonition of cowardice, usually said to make someone cease harassing or bullying someone else, especially where the bullied party is physically smaller or weaker than the bully.


citation needed

From a tag, first created in June 2005, used on the English Wikipedia website to mark statements in articles that require verification.

I pass the Museo del Bargello, a former army barracks and prison, it is now home to masterpieces by Michelangelo, Donatello, Vincenzo Gemito and Robert Mapplethorpe [citation needed].

2013, Dan T. Alighieri [pseudonym], “Prologue”, in Dan’s Inferno: A Parody, London: Michael O’Mara Books, →ISBN, page 7:

I have learned recently, where I can't remember, that books made of scrolls of papyrus were cut into pages and enclosed in wooden covers. Books like this were in circulation at the time. For now, just like Wikipedia, we will mark this: "citation needed."

2013, Phil[lip D.] Johnson, “My Favorite Event as Told by Mark”, in Funny Stuff in the Bible: A Field Trip in the Bible Library, Eugene, Or.: Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock, →ISBN, page 91:

You know, every time I hear their stories [of near-death experiences] I just want to say "citation needed", because all the stuff they're saying, the only people who believe it happen to be the ones in their circles.

2013 December 4, Hemant Mehta, “Atheists, there is PROOF of Heaven!”, in YouTube, retrieved 2017-02-06:

Euclid’s solution was simply to take parallel lines for granted and add them in as a fifth postulate. [...] In The Elements, the first four postulates are stated in simple and obvious statements, together amounting to only thirty-four words. The fifth postulate alone requires thirty-five words. This was the ancient Greek equivalent of ‘citation needed’.

2014, Matt Parker, “Shapes: Now in 3D”, in Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension: A Mathematician’s Journey through Narcissistic Numbers, Optimal Dating Algorithms, at Least Two Kinds of Infinity, and More, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 92:

Do you struggle to keep up with all the great podcasts and video content The Spinoff puts out every week? Luckily, we have a solution – introducing Rec Room, The Spinoff’s latest and some are saying greatest [citation needed] newsletter.

2020 August 17, “Subscribe to Rec Room, Our Newsletter for Video, Podcasts and Other Favourite Stuff”, in The Spinoff, archived from the original on 2020-09-29:

> Democrats want a centralized autocratic government / [citation needed] Meanwhile, Trump's autocratic tendencies have become legendary after his one and only term. / > Democrats want a dictatorial leader (as evidenced by their refusal to hold their leader(s) to any Constitutional or legal standards) / [citation needed] Meanwhile, Banana Republicans just spent four years displaying clear anti-democratic tendencies and support for a rogue executive who regularly flouted laws, norms, and Congressional oversight.

2020 November 7, Nadegda, “How to defeat a coup attempt”, in talk.politics.misc (Usenet):

[...] [Nick] Kroll cited The Bible (citation needed) as dictating, "Thou shalt have a Goldberg [i.e., Evan Goldberg] that one grows up with, and then writes TV and movies with." Don’t question it.

2020 December 1, Dennis Perkins, “Nick Kroll Got Some Helpful Direction from Harry Styles on Popping the Question”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-12-01:

(originally Internet slang, chiefly humorous) Used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification.

verwysing benodig

used to designate an assertion or other statement as false, inaccurate, or requiring verification

The sun is really bright,[citation needed] and its light illuminates the earth.[citation needed]

Used ironically to designate an obvious fact that needs no support.


time was

Time was, the feet of the messengers of peace were glorious, but now their message is mean; […] time was, thou wert exceeding tender of the least sin, and not a day past, but thy cheeks were wet in secret before the Lord; now thou art grown blind […] .

a. 1659, Jonathan Mitchell, editor, The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied [sermons of Thomas Shepard], 1797 edition, volume 2, page 259 http://books.google.com/books?id=uvI2AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA259&dq=glorious

I call him poor; but time was, that in our intercourse I was the obliged party.

1879, John Berwick Harwood, Young Lord Penrith, chapter 34; as serialized in, 1879 June 21, Chambers's Journal, fourth series, number 808; which was reprinted in, Chambers's Journal 1879, page 387 http://books.google.com/books?id=mtwXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA387&dq=%22but+time+was+that%22

Liberal arts and community colleges as well as other teaching-centered institutions have always promoted high standards of teaching excellence. But time was that no one really cared much what instructors in more research-oriented universities did in the classroom, as long as it was legal.

2010, Linda B. Nilson, Teaching at Its Best, 3rd edition, Jossey-Bass, →ISBN, page xvii:

It was once true (that)...; there was a time when...


shut the front door

What in the Sam Hill just happened to him? Shut the front door.

(minced oath, euphemistic, slang) shut the fuck up (usually expressing disbelief)


my eyes are up here

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(informal, sarcastic) Said to prompt the interlocutor to stop looking lustfully at the speaker's body.


do you kiss your mother with that mouth

head

do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

you kiss your mother with that mouth#English

Alternative form of you kiss your mother with that mouth.


heads I win, tails you lose

A slight twist on the normal convention when flipping a coin, which is heads I win, tails you win. The flurry of antonymic reversals — heads or tails, you or me, win or lose — sounds euphonious and might seem fair when first analyzing it, which makes the phrase suitable for a fast-talking confidence trick except to the extent that it has become hackneyed and synonymous with rigged arrangements.

I suppose it is just as if he had said to me, "Heads I win, tails you lose." I thought that it was against law; but this man, Lord they call him, quieted me with his reciprocity.

1790, Sir David Dalrymple, The Little Freeholder, a Dramatic Entertainment, in Two Acts, page 31:

I'll flip a coin, heads I win, tails you lose—and the loser must tell a story

1922, Jim Tully, Emmett Lawler, page 163:

So here was an early instance of the "heads I win, tails you lose" dilemma, in which the United States is faced with corrupt regimes, on the one hand, and Islamic militants, on the other—or indeed a collusion between them.

2011, Christopher Hitchens, Arguably: Selected Essays, page 14:

Said to describe a conflict in which someone has a particular advantage from the start.


some rights reserved

1997, “Perri 6”, Demos, Escaping Poverty: From Safety Nets to Networks of Opportunity, page footer,
This page is covered by the Demos open access licence. Some rights reserved.

The owner, or other copyright holder, of a work simultaneously reserves a number of copyright-related rights and waives a number of other copyright-related rights.


et ceteræ

(hypercorrect, obsolete) Alternative form of et cetera.


every time one turns around

Whenever I turn around, the boss is checking up on me.

Every time you turn around, the price of milk has gone up again.

Every time, to an annoyingly repetitive or consistent degree.


whenever one turns around

Whenever I turn around the boss is checking up on me.

every time one turns around
every time one turns around#English

Alternative form of every time one turns around.


born and bred

She is a born and bred New Yorker.

Oh, you're from America? —Born and bred.

That’s because Nikos Zouganelis, “born and bred” on the party island, has deliberately sought to do something new.

2022 September 4, Helena Smith, “Mykonos has had its fill of champagne-fuelled tourism”, in The Observer:

(idiomatic) Showing characteristics of birth and upbringing, especially in relation to a particular location.


very good

- Find out if there's any claret in the cellar, Jeeves.
- Very good, sir.

B.W. Wooster: If you ask me, art is responsible for most of the trouble in the world.
R. Jeeves: An interesting theory, sir. Would you care to expatiate upon it?
Wooster: As a matter of fact, no, Jeeves. The thought just occurred to me, as thoughts do.
Jeeves: Very good, sir.

1992 May 3, “Comrade Bingo”, in Jeeves and Wooster, season 3, episode 6:

A polite acknowledgement of orders or statements.


the enemy of your enemy is your friend

the enemy of my enemy is my friend (alternative)

Two parties who have an enemy in common should join forces against it.


that's a wrap

Used to indicate that the activity being engaged in has just ended.


not so fast

(idiomatic) Used to tell someone to cease doing something or to call into question what someone has said.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see not, so, fast.