ipsissima verba

From Latin ipsissima verba (“the very words”).

der

"The record in the magistrate's court does not purport to reproduce the ipsissima verba of the witness; it does not give questions and answers in the exact words in which the question was put and the answer made; it, at best, gives no more than a summary...."

1941, Engelbrecht v Nieuwoudt | CPD 54 at 55:

The actual words (spoken or transcribed).


par delictum

From Latin in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis (“if both (parties) are in the wrong, a defence is set up”).

uder

The 'clean hands doctrine', derived from English law, is similar in effect to the Roman law maxim in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis, which operated as an absolute bar to the grant of relief to the plaintiff. The par delictum rule is concerned with the moral guilt of contracting parties, not their criminal liability.

(law) The par delictum rule prescribes that a party should not obtain satisfaction from a court of law with where his own conduct is wrongful.


not much of anything

1971, Carol King, “So far away”, Tapestry, Ode Records
One more song about movin’ along the highway / Can’t say much of anything that's new.


can you tell us

Can you tell us how you will motivate your students to learn?

Begins a polite request; used on behalf of more than one speaker.


I'd like to know

I'd like to know more about the graduate admissions process.

我欲知影

góa beh chai-iáⁿ / góa berh chai-iáⁿ / góa boeh chai-iáⁿ

我欲知

góa beh chai / góa berh chai / góa boeh chai


I want to know

Could you please tell me where to catch the bus? / Well, where are you going? What do you really want to know?

I want to know the directions to the bus station.

I want to know how to get to the bus station.

I want to know where the M-5 bus stops.


do you know

汝知無？ /汝知无？

lí chai bô? / lír chai bô? / lú chai bô?

汝知影無？ /汝知影无？

lí chai-iáⁿ bô? / lír chai-iáⁿ bô? / lú chai-iáⁿ bô?


opinio juris sive necessitatis

Latin, opinio iuris sive necessitatis, "opinion of law or necessity"

The principle of international law where states believe or accept that a practice exists and must be followed because of a rule of law requiring it, to the extent that it becomes part of the body of norms known as international Customary Law.


so much for

For years, Volkswagen cars were designed to cheat on emissions tests. So much for "German engineering".

Well, I guess it'll never work. So much for that idea.

So much for goodwill!

Lukas Jensen replaced Roberts. The game restarted with an empty feeling around the ground.[…]So much for planning. A man down, Millwall sank back into a low block. Palace had all of the ball and all of the grass, generating a series of close-range scuffles and last-line wrestling matches.

2025 January 3, Barney Ronay, “Crystal Palace through after Millwall keeper’s red for head-high tackle on Mateta”, in The Guardian:

(idiomatic) An expression of dismissiveness, disappointment, disregard, or resignation; something said upon rejecting, giving up on, quitting, or disposing of something.

allà va

an expression of dismissiveness or resignation


no diggity

Compare African American Vernacular English dig, diggety.

I like the way you work it / No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up

1996, “No Diggity”, performed by Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre:

“I think we’re the only ones singing an original song,” I whisper in Galleria’s ear. ¶ She pokes me in the stomach and says, “No diggity, no doubt!”

2015, Deborah Gregory, Hey, Ho, Hollywood! The Cheetah Girls, Book 4, page 53:


tell it to Sweeney

"Tell it to Sweeney! (The Stuyvesants will understand.)” was an advertisement for the New York (NY) Daily News, first appearing in August 1922. The Daily News positioned itself as the newspaper of the average working man—such as the Irish “Sweeney.” The name “Stuyvesant” was used to represent blue bloods. Thus, if you advertise in the Daily News and reach the Sweeneys of New York City, the Stuyvesants will also get the message.

(idiomatic, dated, colloquial) I do not believe what you said.


tell it to the marines

Unknown, with many apocryphal suggestions.

William. No palaver! tell it to the marines. What, tacking and double tacking! Come to what you want to say at once.

I don’t believe the story you have been telling me, either, and think it far more likely that you are hiding from justice on account of some devil’s work you have been engaged in. Bah! Tell your story to the marines!

1868 February, Caroline M. Sawyer, “The Jester of Durano; Or, The Times of Old”, in The Ladies’ Repository, a Universalist Monthly Magazine for the Home Circle, volume XXXIX, Boston, Mass.: The Universalist Publishing House, page 128:

(idiomatic, colloquial) I do not believe what you said.


exceptio non numeratae pecuniae

Latin phrase.
exceptio (“an exception”) + non (“not (having)”) + numero - atis ("to count") + pecunia (“money”).

In my opinion a defendant in an action for provisional sentence on a mortgage bond who has renounced the benefit of the exceptio non numeratae pecuniae is not debarred either in the provisional case or in the principal case from raising the defence that he did not receive the money in respect of which he had acknowledged his indebtedness. The benefit of the exception is to enable a defendant to place upon the plaintiff the onus of proving that the money was paid; by renouncing the benefit, the defendant takes the onus of proof upon himself.

COHEN v LOUIS BLUMBERG (PTY), LTD AND ANOTHER 1949 (2) SA 849 (W)

(law) An exception whereby a defendant can claim that the plaintiff has not paid the money to him and that therefore the obligation is not owing.


are your ears burning

Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you.

(idiomatic, colloquial, rhetorical question) Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

no et xiulaven les orelles?

asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion

호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다

the tiger comes after the speech about him


exceptio quod metus causa

From Latin exceptio (“exception”) quod (“based on”) metus (“duress”) causa (“a cause (of action)”).

It appears that in that Court, the defence stressed by appellant's counsel was the exceptio quod metus causa and it was to that defence that the learned Judge-President mainly directed himself.

1974, SHEPSTONE v SHEPSTONE 1974 (2) SA 462 (N):

Reverting to the defence raised by first defendant, it is clear that a contract may be vitiated by duress (metus), the raison d'etre of the rule apparently being that intimidation or improper pressure renders the consent of the party subjected to duress no true consent at all. ]

[ 1974, AREND AND ANOTHER v ASTRA FURNISHERS (PTY) LTD 1974 (1) SA 298 (C)

(law) The exceptio metus; an exception based on the fact that the underlying cause of action was based on duress or intimidation by the plaintiff of the defendant.


gj

(Internet slang) Initialism of good job.


hyd

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of how('re) you doing (how are you doing?).


IMAO

Coined in contrast to IMHO (“in my humble opinion”).

(Internet slang, humorous) Initialism of in my arrogant opinion.


far be it

Calque of Latin absit ("may it be away"), found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible as part of the phrase absit hoc a me ("may this [thing] be away from me") at 1 Samuel 2:30, 1 Samuel 22:15 and 2 Samuel 20:20. Wyclif translated the phrase "Fer be this fro me"; the King James Version at 2 Samuel 20:20 has "Far be it from me".

Samuel 20:20,
And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

October 1761, Oliver Cromwell, letter to Mr. Storie
Far be it that soe much guilt should sticke to your hands, who live in a citye so renowned for the clere shininge light of the Gospell.

1969, Eric Idle, "Marriage Guidance Counsellor", in Episode 2 of Monty Python's Flying Circus, also in And Now For Something Completely Different
Deirdre (that's my wife) and I have always been very close companions, and I never particularly anticipated any marital strife. Indeed, the very idea of consulting such a professional marital advisor as yourself has always been of the greatest repugnance to me. Although, (chuckles) far be it from me to impugn the nature of your trade, or ... or profession.

`Far be it from me,' he said, `to tell you, Weston, that any girl you'd find for me would meet with no danger on this expedition."

1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 7:

Shepard: I don't have time for this, Conrad. I'm not here to be a role model.
Conrad Verner: Oh, I see how it is. Commander Shepard doesn't have time for the little people!
Conrad Verner: Far be it for me to get in your way! You go be a hero.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

(idiomatic) A disclaimer stating that something should not come to pass, or that a person would never do or think a certain thing.


I'm in love with you

‘I’m in love with you, Michael,’ Camilla said longingly.

A declaration of passion or romantic feeling.

我真疼汝

góa chin thiàⁿ lí / góa chin thiàⁿ lír / góa chin thiàⁿ lú / óa chin thiàⁿ lú


easy does it

Easy does it on the salt. I'm trying to cut down.

Easy does it! That thing is heavy and fragile.

“Nothing is bugging me, and nobody gave me any big pitch.” “Maybe that's what's bugging you, nobody give you the pitch. Did I strike oil there, June?” “Easy does it there, Rich,” said Wigman. “Don't get personal.”

2013, John O'Hara, The New York Stories, Penguin, →ISBN:

(idiomatic) Relax; do something gently, lightly or carefully; slow down; calm down.

आहिस्ता आहिस्ता (āhistā āhistā, literally “slowly, slowly”)


not on

It's just not on. We can't go breaking into another lawyer's office. I mean . . . it's just not something you can do.

1998, James P. Hogan, chapter 24, in Bug Park:

A feature of a situation may be influencing us although we do not realize it. From the agent's point of view the motivational power and direction of a consideration may not even be recognized. We often do not know why certain choices are just not on, and others so strangely attractive.

1998, Simon Blackburn, Ruling Passions: A Theory of Practical Reasoning, page 124:

2003, Dan Connell (author), Lionel Cliffe and Basil Davidson (introduction), Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution, 1976-1982, page 325,
After a week or so, he and I determined that walking hundreds of miles behind guerrilla lines under these conditions was just not on for him, and he packed his equipment to return home.

(informal, British, Australia, Ireland) Unacceptable or impossible.


six of one, half a dozen of the other

(idiomatic) The two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent; it doesn't matter which one we choose.

не врат, ами шия

半斤八兩 /半斤八两 (bànjīnbāliǎng, literally “half a catty, eight taels of the other”)

jeden za osmnáct, druhý bez dvou za dvacet

kuusi noita ja puoli tusinaa noita toisia

что в лоб, что по лбу (što v lob, što po lbu, literally “that which is in the forehead is on the forehead”)

jeden za osemnásť, druhý bez dvoch za dvadsať

chwech o un a hanner dwsin o'r llall yw hi

a horse apiece

the two alternatives are equivalent or indifferent

(idiomatic, of two people) Equally involved; equally responsible.


don't look at me

A: "Someone needs to label all these words as nouns or verbs."

B: "Don't look at me: I don't know anything about grammar."

2003, "Top Banana", season 1, episode 2 of Arrested Development
Michael Bluth: Well, I'll tell you what. I'm gonna give you a promotion. Welcome aboard, Mr. Manager.
George Michael Bluth: Wow! I'm Mr. Manager!
Michael Bluth: Well, "manager". We just say "manager". And you can hire an employee if you need one.
George Michael Bluth: Do you think I need one?
Michael Bluth: Don't look at me, Mr. Manager.
George Michael Bluth: Right. It's up to me now. I'm Mr. Manager.

A response indicating that one is either unwilling or unable to perform a task, or that one is not guilty of something for which blame was implied.


one's bark is worse than one's bite

En-au-one's bark is worse than one's bite.ogg

(idiomatic) One acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless.

հաչան շունը չի կծում

one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless

弱い犬ほどよく吠る

よわいいぬほどよくほえる

соба́ка, кото́рая ла́ет — не куса́ет (sobáka, kotóraja lájet — ne kusájet)


no glove, no love

Employing glove, US slang for “condom”, and love as a euphemism for “sex”. Used as a safe-sex slogan since at least 1986.

(slang) Without a condom, there will be no sex.


shit happens

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

(vulgar) An expression of acceptance of misfortune and unforeseen bad circumstances or luck.


so far so good

Well, you've packed your bags for the holiday, bought your tickets, reserved the hotel and put the dog in kennels. So far so good; now let's get to Minorca.

(idiomatic) Up to this point, all is OK.


bound to

The leaking fuel tank was bound to explode sooner or later.

There was bound to be friction between a firstborn and his strong-willed stepmother.

Still, the real victims of the hung wei ping are ultimately bound to be the hung wei ping themselves.

1967, Jacques Marcuse, “Conclusion Inconclusive: A Postscript”, in The Peking Papers, Arthur Barker Limited, published 1968, →OCLC, page 344; republished as “The Red Guards Condemned”, in Colin Mackerras, editor, Sinophiles and Sinophobes: Western Views of China, Oxford University Press, 2000, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 149:

(only with a bare infinitive) Indicates something which cannot be avoided.


XFF

(Internet) Initialism of X-Forwarded-For: an HTTP header indicating that a message or request was forwarded by a proxy.


tfb

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of too fucking bad.


and change

Kate saw a wedge of land rearing up nineteen thousand feet and change, its pointed peak testing the boundaries of the sky.

1993, Dana Stabenow, A Fatal Thaw, →ISBN, page 179:

She wasn't much taller than five feet and change, and when she pulled off her mask she looked reassuringly human.

2010, Robert Charles Wilson, Spin - Volume 1, →ISBN:

“Six hundred and change shares of Grauptham House,” she said. “As soon as we have these notarized in the morning."

2012, Paul Melko, The Broken Universe, →ISBN, page 181:

Seven years and a few months after leaving Earth, we where about to survey the last of six planets around an amazingly stable star some eight hundred and change light years from Earth.

2013, Tony Pypka, Raptor, →ISBN, page 180:

It cost me two dollars and change. (i.e., more than $2 but less than $3)

How fast was he going? A hundred and change. (i.e., more than 100 but less than 110).

"A Million and 1 Questions" by Jay Z.
This ain't your speed young man, run in your lane / So I can come through doin' a hundred and change

(informal, idiomatic) And some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number.

ja vähän yli

and some quantity, but less than the increment to the next round number

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see and, change.


cooking with gas

From the suggestion, heavily advertised in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that stoves using natural gas as a fuel cook more effectively than, for instance, wood-burning or electric stoves.

She said, 'What are you doing? Tell me, I want to know.'
The blind man said, 'We're drawing a cathedral. Me and him are working on it. Press hard,' he said to me. 'That's right. That's good,' he said. 'Sure. You got it, bub. I can tell. You didn't think you could. But you can, can't you? You're cooking with gas now. You know what I'm saying? We're really going to have us something here in a minute. How's the old arm?' he said. 'Put some people in there now. What's a cathedral without people?'

1983, Raymond Carver, Cathedral (short story)

With the updated software, I was really cooking with gas. I got the project done in half the time.

(idiomatic) Functioning particularly effectively; achieving something substantial.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cook, with, gas.


now you're cooking

Alice: "Why are you still using that old software? You should try out the new version."

Bob: "Hey, this is really nice; much better than that crusty stuff we were using before."

Alice: "Now you're cooking!"

(idiomatic) A phrase, often given in response, meaning that the subject has switched to a more suitable or more efficient approach.


now you're talking

Alice: "I think we should stop coding and go grab a couple of pints."

Bob: "Now you're talking!"

(idiomatic) A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.


no comment

The district attorney said, "No comment," when the reporter asked if he knew the identity of the murder suspect, for fear that the culprit might be a flight risk.

(idiomatic) An official refusal to relay any further information, used for example in response to a question by a newspaper reporter or police officer.

لا تعليق

"official" refusal to relay any further information

Wrex: And Shepard--I like what you've done with the Normandy. Got tired of always hanging around the cargo bay before.
Wrex: I still don't have a window like Liara does... but maybe that's because I don't kiss as well. [laughter]
Shepard: No comment.
Wrex: Yeah [laughter]... I missed this place.

2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-2:

(idiomatic, somewhat sarcastic) A refusal to make the obvious impolite retort.

لا تعليق

refusal to say the obvious impolite retort


HAHO

(parachuting) Acronym of high altitude, high opening.


LFG

(Internet slang) Initialism of looking for group.

Coordinate term: let's go

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of let's fucking go.


Tips should always be welcome if given in a constructive way, saying "L2P noob your way of casting sucks" is NOT a tip.

2007, Shammy, “An angry player”, in alt.games.warcraft (Usenet):

(Internet, derogatory) Initialism of learn to play; used in Internet games as a slur against weak or inexperienced players.


that's life

[T]hen he shrugged his shoulders and said, with admirable philosophy: "Well, that's life, ain't it, bud?"

1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 87:


non constat

Learned borrowing from Latin nōn cōnstat.

lbor

(law, religion, sciences) It is not certain; It is doubted.


goodbye, cruel world

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-goodbye, cruel world.wav

committing suicide
commit suicide#English

An exclamation made before committing suicide, in speech, text, or in a suicide note.

(humorous) A call said before taking a stiff drink, especially a shot of vodka.


I hate you

I hate you and I will not see you again!

Expression of hatred, or intense disdain or dislike directed at someone.

আমি তোকে ঘৃণা করি

very familiar or disparaging, singular object

আমি তোদের ঘৃণা করি

very familiar or disparaging, plural object


it's too late for sorry

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-it's too late for sorry.wav

The grieving mother who lost her daughter in an accident told the drunk driver "It's too late for sorry!" after he tried to apologize.

An expression of anger or disgust uttered toward someone who offers an apology after causing great harm.


ooo

hugs (usually placed at the end of a letter or in text messaging, sometimes alongside xxx meaning kisses)


DWIM

(computing, humorous) Initialism of do what I mean: a wished-for feature in computer systems, offering magical freedom from the often frustrating discrepancies between one's intentions and the actual effects of a command.


WYMM

will you marry me
will you marry me#English

(text messaging) Initialism of will you marry me.


who writes this stuff

(ironic) A rhetorical question commenting on the writing of a book, play, movie, etc.


sticks and stones

En-us-sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.oga

1957, Brendan Gill, The Day the Money Stopped
‘You cheap dead-beat son of a bitch.’ / ‘Sticks and stones.’

1993, The Independent, 15 May
He has come through the worst and now presents a stoical ‘sticks and stones’ front to his detractors.

Elizabeth Swann: You're despicable!
Jack Sparrow: Sticks and stones, love.

2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (film)

(Kate): That's gross! You're a pervert.
(Trekkie):Oh, sticks and stones, Kate Monster.

2003, “The Internet Is For Porn”, in Avenue Q soundtrack:

sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me#English

(idiomatic) Ellipsis of sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

(idiomatic) any obsolete technology (usually of military and law enforcement purposes) when used in comparison to state of the art technology used by the antagonists or competitors.


that said

According to Garner's fourth edition, an elliptical nominative absolute standing for that having been said.

Christmas is exploited by capitalism. That said, it is still a religious festival.


let's roll

(informal) Let's go; used to suggest that a plan should be put into action.


the terrorists will have won

If you throttle the free press, the terrorists will have won.

1979, Edwin Nobles Lowe with Harry D. Shargel, Legal and other aspects of terrorism, page 222:

If governments overact and become oppressive, the terrorists will have won, for their theory is that repression will eventually lead to revolution.

1989, Susheela Bhan, Terrorism: an Annotated Bibliography, page 116:

If we have to wear sweaters and turn down our thermostat, the terrorists will have won.

2009, Andrea Cohen-Kiener, Claiming Earth As Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis Through the Lens of Faith, page 17:

(idiomatic) Phrase used to indicate that if a specified activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, which is an unacceptable result.


RTS

(postal) Initialism of return to sender, used on a misaddressed envelope to have the post office return the letter to the sender.


time is of the essence

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-time is of the essence.wav

Near-synonyms: no time to lose, clock is ticking, clock is running, time is ticking, time is short; tick-tock (interjection)

When transporting organs for transplant, time is of the essence.

You must realize that time is of the essence in regards to your money management and wealth creation.

2002, Ronald Hammond, Practical Money Management & Wealth Creation for Youth and Young Adults, page 53:

Patients lack the expertise to promptly obtain critically time-dependent referrals. When time is of the essence, the clinician and staff must assume direct responsibility to assure the stat referral to a microsurgeon is promptly accomplished.

2011, Kenneth M. Hargreaves, Steven R. Cohen, editors, Cohen's Pathways of the PULP, 10th edition, page 426:

Time is of the essence is the mantra in business transactions. Fulfilling the mantra of time is of the essence, depends on the capability of making realistic time estimates of what it takes to complete a series of tasks regardless of their complexity and making appropriate decisions.

2015, Gerard H. Gaynor, Decisions: An Engineering and Management Perspective, page 103:

Time was of the essence, U.S. and Ukrainian officials believed.

2022 September 13, Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, “The Critical Moment Behind Ukraine’s Rapid Advance”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(set phrase) Time is an essential consideration (in regard to an action or response); haste is necessary.

Most construction phase agreements and some pre-construction agreements contain a time is of the essence provision. If time is of the essence, a delay caused by the fault of the construction manager would constitute a breach of contract and could result in the construction manager's being liable for damages incurred by the owner as a result of the delay. If there is no time is of the essence provision, reasonableness will be the guide when measuring the timelines of the services provided by the construction manager.

2007, Paul H. Martinez, Rashida Y. V. MacMurray, “Chapter 10: Construction Manager's Responsibilities: Pre-Design, Design and Pre-Construction Phase”, in Stephen A. Hess, Jerome V. Bales, P. Douglas Folk, L. Tyrone Holt, editors, Design Professional and Construction Manager Law, page 297:

In a variety of contracts, the courts have held that the requirement that time is of the essence should be applied to the respective obligations of both parties (examples are between (a) buyer and seller, (b) ship owner and charterer, (c) purchaser and vendor, and (d) contractor and owner). Time is normally of the essence where:[…].

2010, John Adriaanse, Construction Contract Law: The Essentials, 3rd edition, page 172:

If there is no express stipulation in the contract that time is of the essence, it can be made so by serving a notice fixing a specified time for completion.

2015, MacRoberts Solicitors, MacRoberts on Scottish Construction Contracts, 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, page 142:

(law, in a contract) Failure to complete the required performance by the date certain set forth will constitute an incurable breach.


be there or be square

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-be there or be square.wav

There's a huge party on Saturday night; be there or be square.

(humorous) Used to encourage someone to attend an event.


so quiet you can hear a pin drop

one could hear a pin drop
one could hear a pin drop#English

Alternative form of one could hear a pin drop.


one could hear a pin drop

so quiet you can hear a pin drop (alternative)
so quiet one can hear a pin drop (alternative)
so quiet one could hear a pin drop (alternative)

Told the waiter Big Joe was settin' me up / Aw!, you coulda heard a pin drop, it got deathly quiet / And the waiter's face turned kinda white

1967, Tommy Faile, “Phantom 309”, performed by Red Sovine:

(idiomatic) Extremely quiet, for example, as during a lull in a normally bustling place or scene, or at a sudden dramatic or tense moment.


don't get someone started

"Do you know what the veterinary bill was?" / "Oh, don't get me started."

Don't get him started on conspiracy theories, or you'll never hear the end of it!

(idiomatic) Used to attempt to avoid or abbreviate a discussion that speaker or hearer may wish to avoid.


and then some

It created a disruption, and then some.

“Space travel isn’t a tax-free holiday for the wealthy,” said Representative Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon. “We pay taxes on plane tickets. Billionaires flying into space — producing no scientific value — should do the same, and then some!”

2021 July 20, Neil Vigdor, quoting Earl Blumenauer, “Bezos thanks Amazon workers and customers for his vast wealth, prompting backlash.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

I told you that we faced a generation-defining moment, and that we as a society would not be judged by some government action, but by the small acts of kindness that we showed one another. You met that challenge, and then some, and I've never been prouder to be British.

2024 May 22, Rishi Sunak, UK PM election statement:

Case in point: Her 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour has an estimated total gross of $18 million while her 2022 Happier Than Ever Tour reportedly made *checks notes* $131.8 million. ¶ Oh, and she's on track to make that (and then some!) again on her upcoming HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Tour. We simply love to see it.

2024 September 4, Mehera Bonner, Samantha Olson, “Behold, A Breakdown of Billie Eilish's Massive Net Worth”, in Cosmopolitan:

(idiomatic, colloquial) Used to confirm preceding utterance, while implying that what was said or asked is an understatement.


CRS

I dunno. To use those Windows keys successfully, you have to memorize stuff and as most everyone knows, I CRS <G>

2000 October 22, Ron Badour, “Re: Large icons, large screen”, in microsoft.public.win95.general.discussion (Usenet):

(Internet slang) Initialism of can't remember shit.


go fly a kite

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-go fly a kite.wav

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

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


ladies first

A phrase encouraging perceived polite gentlemanliness, allowing the ladies to go before the men.


YGWYPF

you get what you pay for
you get what you pay for#English


more cry than wool

Derived from the practice of shearing sheep, in which the sheep may "cry" as their wool is removed. The earliest recorded variation appears to be by 15th century English lawyer John Fortescue, who wrote "Moche Crye and no Wull" in De laudibus legum Angliae (c. 1470), ch. x.

Theſe are the Crimes of which we are guilty, before any Law to prohibit us: it were more allowable to plant Poiſon than to Manufacture with us, and we lie, it ſeems, under ſuch an Obloquy and Clamour, (which, as far as I can judge by your Letter, you alſo liſten to) that, as to import our Cattle to you is a Nuſance, and to export our Wools is Felony ; ſo, by Gradation, to erect here a Manufacture ought to be no leſs than Treaſon. And yet there is more Cry than Wool in all this Matter : For I dare, and do aſſure you, that, modeſtly ſpeaking the whole Quantity of what we work up in Ireland, amounts not to the Half of what any one Clothing-County in England does.

1747, John Smith, Chronicon Ruſticum Commerciale; or, Memoirs of Wool, &c., London: T. Osborne, page 304:

In rebuttal, the petitioner offers more cry than wool. He points first to the vague threats that his family and friends relayed to him during his 1990 return to El Salvador, and speculates that members of the FMLN still sought to harm him at that time. This is unabashed surmise.

1999 February 26, Bruce M. Selya, “Aguilar-Solis v. INS”, in 1st Cir. 1999, case no. 98-1484:

(idiomatic) Dramatic assertions that are backed by little evidence.


BOGO

BOGOF (alternative)
BOGOFF (UK) (alternative)

(chiefly US) Acronym of buy one, get one (free).


it is what it is

that's life

This circumstance is simply a fact and must be accepted

Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover that. Sorry, but it is what it is.

I shall not criticize the Treaty of Versailles. It is a fact. It is what it is.

1926 March 8, “La Semaine du Parlement”, in Time:

I would prefer to start further up than where I am, but it is what it is and we'll just go out there and get to work.

2005 November 20, Viv Bernstein, “Stewart Poised to Head Onto Road Less Traveled”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-07-24:

Air Force One comin' in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

(idiomatic) That's life; expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances, usually without complaint

niin se vain on

phrase expressing resignment to a situation or set of circumstances

(by extension) Let it be; accept the fact and let the matter rest.

But more important, while I am aware that "it is what it is" can be used in the "que sera sera" way, I do not agree that my interpretation of it is therefore incorrect. Rather, it is an example of how common it is in language for words and expressions to have more than one meaning, despite the fact that we rarely notice it. […] Regarding my troubles, he detachedly intoned, "Well, it is what it is." […] I recounted thinking: What a gorgeously chilly way of saying "Your problems don't matter to me." He was not using the phrase's other, "que sera sera" meaning, counseling me to accept how things unfold in a Zen-like way. / Those who think of the Zen version of "it is what it is" aren't wrong, however: It is often used that way when referring to oneself, for example. But those who agree with me that the expression can be dismissive are also correct in thinking of dismissive exchanges such as my own. "It is what it is" has two meanings. / The issue here is language change. The expression "it is what it is" began as counsel about coping. However, an implication floats over the proactive, constructive intent of the phrase: its element of distance, coolness, indifference. Implications like this can take over the word or expression's meaning and create either a new meaning or at least an alternative, 2.0 version.

2023 September 12, John McWhorter, “What Is 'It Is What It Is'?”, in New York Times, retrieved 2023-09-13:

(by extension, sometimes) Who cares?; I don't care.

That every thing has a real constitution, whereby it is what it is, and on which its sensible qualities depend, is past doubt.

1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see it, is, what, it, is. This thing has its own distinct nature; this thing is itself.


first come, first served

This complicated situation means that strategically managing services through the central Manchester area and beyond is not possible for signallers in the Greater Manchester area, and trains are invariably dealt with on a 'first come, first served' basis.

2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 22:

(idiomatic) One will be dealt with in the order in which one arrives.

先到者，先招待

people will be dealt with in the order they arrive

den, der kommer først til mølle, får først malet

den som kommer først til mølla, får først malt

primeiro a chegar, primeiro a ser atendido

пе́рвым при́был — первым обслу́жен (pérvym príbyl — pervym obslúžen)


DYK

DYK that Ricky Ledee, son of the Sonora Poncena singer Tonito Ledee, who died in an automobile accident, is a promising baseball player in the New York Yankee top minor league team, Columbus?

1997, FFigue3292, “Did you know?”, in rec.music.afro-latin (Usenet):

(Internet, text messaging) Initialism of did you know?.


UTSL

A pun on Obi-Wan Kenobi's "Use the Force, Luke!" in Star Wars.

(Internet) Initialism of use the source, Luke.


all in a day's work

Unfortunately, dealing with rude customers is all in a day's work around here.

Coming with the territory
come with the territory

—Wow, it's amazing that you fixed it so well that no one would even know that it was ever broken! —All in a day's work!

A nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment.

kuuluu toimenkuvaan

a nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment.

де́ло жите́йское (délo žitéjskoje, literally “everyday thing, common occasion”)

э́то моя́ ра́бота (éto mojá rábota, literally “this is my job”)


if the shoe fits

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

(idiomatic) Ellipsis of if the shoe fits, wear it.


pardon me

anteeksi

polite expression to get someone to repeat

Pardon me for stepping on your foot.

Pardon me, but that is not true.

(idiomatic) Polite expression used to soften a contradiction.

valitettavasti

polite expression used to soften a contradiction

Pardon me, I didn't hear you.

(idiomatic, Canada, US) Polite expression to ask someone to repeat an utterance.


HE

(Internet slang) Initialism of how embarrassing.


LGM

(US, baseball) Initialism of let's go Mets.


WYCIWYG

(Internet, acronym) What you cache is what you get: A URI scheme specific to the Mozilla family of web browsers which indicates that a link should be preferentially fetched from cache instead of from the web server.

(religion, acronym) What you choose is what you get.


yw

Living legend Miley Cyrus and songwriter/producer/drummer Maxx Morando have recently ratcheted up their PDA, and if you're new here ("here" being their relationship), don't worry about it. We put together a timeline just for you—yw!

2024 July 12, Mehera Bonner, “Serena Williams's Daughter Olympia Made an Adorable Appearance on the ESPYS Red Carpet!”, in Cosmopolitan:

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of you're welcome.


quod erat demonstrandum

head

quod erat demonstrandum (plural quae erant demonstranda)

Borrowed from Latin quod erat dēmōnstrandum (“that which was to be proved”), calqued from Ancient Greek ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι (hóper édei deîxai, “precisely what was required to be proved”).

der

ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι

(something) which was to be proved; which was to be demonstrated.


God knows

God only knows (alternative)
goodness knows (alternative)
gosh knows (alternative)
heaven knows (alternative)
heaven only knows (alternative)
Lord knows (alternative)
Lord only knows (alternative)

Don't touch that! God knows who else put their hands on that thing!

[…] Origen himself does not say this. His words are simply, "Who wrote it [i.e. penned it down], God knows, ἡ δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάσασα ἱστορία", but a report has come to us, that it was either Clement or Luke.

1837, Moses Stuart, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, 4th edition, page 73:

I paid the rent, washed your clothes / Cooked your food and only God knows / Only God knows why I stay with you / I guess I'm in love

1994, Daryl Simmons & Babyface, “Willing to Forgive”, performed by Aretha Franklin:

So, you want my father to pay for this? – You saw him. He was fiddling with the engine. God knows what he did there.

1995, Tom Gammill and Max Pross, “The Gum”, in Seinfeld, season 7, episode 10 (television production):

It is only known to God; it is unknown to people.

اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَم

Only known to God; only known to the gods

God knows many kids don't like going to school!

[…] those therefore that appeal to him^([sic]) upon every trivial occasion, and with a slightly superficial God knows, while they never think of God, nor have any regard to his^([sic]) knowledge, profane his^([sic]) name by taking it in vain[…]

1700 August 8, Matthew Henry, “A Sermon Preached at the Opening of the New Meeting-House at Chester”, in Misc. Works, published 1830, page 1134:

I have my faults, God knows, and I may even be among the first to admit them, but to this very day I know in my bones that I'm a much better person than He is.

No, no, no. Don't do it. Don't do it! For my sake! God knows I don't ask you for much! Now, come on. Please, Jerry. Please! I'm beggin' ya! Please! Come on! Please!

1992, Larry David, “The Contest”, in Seinfeld, season 4, episode 11 (television production):

(often modifying a parenthetic concession) It is known unto God; it is certainly true.


fuck knows

Probably a shortening of "who the fuck knows"

Fuck knows what we'll do now the car's broken down.

(idiomatic, vulgar, followed by a wh-clause) I don't know; nobody knows; it is unclear.


RA

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (RA) is known as the Father of Pakistan.

rahmatu 'llahi alayh
rahmatu 'llahi alayh#English

رحمة الله عليه
رحمة الله عليه#Arabic

Initialism of rahmatu 'llahi alayh, that is Arabic رحمة الله عليه (“God have mercy on him”), a eulogy used by Muslims in reference to honoured deceased.


head

one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind

Spoken by Neil Armstrong when he first stepped onto the surface of the Moon. Armstrong intended to say "one small step for a man", but misspoke.http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp

(idiomatic) (used imitatively) A cliché used to exaggerate an accomplishment or milestone.


IDGI

(text messaging) Initialism of I don't get it, used to express confusion.


bbiaf

(Internet slang) Initialism of (I'll) be back in a few (minutes).


bbiafm

(text messaging, Internet slang) Initialism of be back in a few minutes.


blind leading the blind

The phrase can be traced back to The Upanishads, written between 800 BCE and 200 BCE.
: Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind. - Katha Upanishad
A similar expression exists in the Buddhist Pali Canon, composed in North India, and preserved orally until it was committed to writing during the Fourth Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka in 29 BCE.
The expression appears in Horace: Caecus caeco dux ("the blind leader of the blind"). Horace was a leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE)
The saying appears in the King James Version of the Bible (1611), Gospel of Matthew, 15:14:
: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Grandma teaching you to drive is like the blind leading the blind.

"The Lord preserve us from evil times. . . . Without his grace, we are the blind leading the blind."

1843, James Fenimore Cooper, “5:”, in Wyandotte:

"I have been giving them some good advice."
"Good advice!" laughed Janet. "Between you and Jamie Logan, it is the blind leading the blind, and nothing better."

1896, Amelia E. Barr, chapter 2, in A Knight of the Nets:

Instructor George Breathitt asked an audience of 300 computer enthusiasts in Louisville, Kentucky, how many seniors in the group would like to teach other seniors about computers. A younger member of the audience quipped disdainfully, "Wouldn't that be the blind leading the blind?"

1995 March 1, John F. Dickerson, “Aging: Never Too Old”, in Time, retrieved 2014-08-04:

Look, we're as fucked-up as you are. It's like the blind leading the blind.

1999 August 29, Jenny Bicks, “Games People Play”, in Sex and the City, season 2, episode 13, spoken by Samantha:

(idiomatic) A situation in which an unqualified person is attempting to guide, advise, or train others.


BBB

Such opposition to BBB completely mixes up the short-term and the long-term, and utterly confuses deficit spending to fight Covid-19 with fully paid-for spending to fund long-term reforms.

2021 November 13, Jeffrey Sachs, “US can fight inflation and still ‘build back better’”, in CNN:

(politics) Initialism of build(ing) back better.


see you later, alligator

From the song See You Later, Alligator (1955), chosen for the rhyme.

Didn't know you were sick, Whitey, thought you were like […] some of the other times. From the top stair, See you later, alligator.

1955, Judson Jerome, Nolan Miller, New Campus Writings:


don't mention it

- Thank you for doing that.
- Don't mention it.

A polite way of responding to thanks, by suggesting that the service is too trivial or humble to warrant thanks; you're welcome.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see don't, mention, it.


cheaper by the dozen

(idiomatic) Handled more efficiently as a group, rather than individually.


no harm, no foul

From informal instances of sports, in which a foul is a formal violation of the rules.

He parked in my space, but I was away at the time: no harm, no foul.

Although technically a breach of some code or law may have occurred, there was no actual damage meriting punishment, apology or retribution.


chance'd be a fine thing

An ellipsis of even having a chance [to do so / at that] would be a fine thing and similar ideas, in reference to something that is either completely impossible or currently forbidden by circumstances, higher authorities, etc., originally chiefly with regard to opportunities to have sex or get married.

chance is a fine thing (alternative)
chance's a fine thing (alternative)
chance would be a fine thing (alternative)

Mrs Hawthon: Why didn't you get wed if you were so curious? There's plenty would have had you.
Fanny: Chance is a fine thing. Happen I wouldn't have had them!
Mrs Hawthorn: Happen you'll be sorry for it before long. There's not so many will have you now, if this gets about.

1912, Stanley Houghton, Hindle Wakes, act I, scene i:

Come on. You're management, Corrigan. Get it sorted.
Right. Chance would be a fine thing. [VO] That's a thing people say, isn't it...
Mark, can't you reset it?
Chance would be a fine thing, Lisa.
I know what you should do. Coffee run. Corrigan, 200 lattes.
Good, good one Jeff. Chance would be a fine thing, a fine thing indeed. [VO] Hmm. Saying that too often now.

2009 September 18, Jesse Armstrong & al., Peep Show, Season 6, Episode 1

Dr Clarkson: Sit down and put your feet up if you can.
Mrs Patmore: Oh, chance'd be a fine thing.

2012 September 23, Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey, Season 3, Episode 2

Me winning the lotto? Chance'd be a fine thing.

(British, idiomatic) Synonym of no chance, fat chance, or with a somewhat more cheerful attitude.


the nose knows

(informal, idiomatic) Despite the addressee's belief that the speaker was unaware of something, the speaker, in fact, was already aware.


et tu, Brute

Borrowed from Latin et tū, Brūte (literally “and you, Brutus”). Used figuratively from 1591 (sometimes jocularly) to express shock and sadness at the treachery of a good friend. Although apparently an Elizabethan invention, a “genuine antique reproduction”, it appears to have been well known in England before its use in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

bor

[Prince Edward:] Et tu Brute, wilt thou stab Cæsar too? A parlie sirra to George of Clarence.

1591, William Shakespeare (disputed), “The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of York, and the Death of Good King Henrie the Sixt”, in Alexander Dyce, Robert Dodsley, Thomas Amyot, editors, A Supplement to Dodsley's Old Plays, volume IV, Shakespeare Society, published 1853, page 176:

[Casca stabs Cæsar in the Neck. Cæsar catches hold of his Arm. He is then stabbed by several other Conspirators, and at last by Marcus Brutus.]
Cæsar: Et Tu Brute?—Then fall, Cæsar.
[Dies. The senators and people retire in confusion.]

1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 119, column 1:

And that is the reason why a young buck with an intelligent looking calf's head before him, is somehow one of the saddest sights you can see. The head looks a sort of reproachfully at him, with an “Et tu Brute!” expression.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

“Oh, Gilbert, not you,” implored Anne, in an et-tu Brute tone. “I thought you would understand. Can’t you see how awful it is?”

1915, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, Anne of the Island, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, →OCLC:

Barney Custer turned his incredulous eyes upon the lieutenant. “Et tu, Brute?” he cried in anguished accents, letting his head fall back into the girl’s lap. He found it very comfortable there indeed.

1926, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mad King:

But according to the Oxford editor of Julius Caesar, ‘Et tu, Brute’ had probably already become a popular tag by the time of True Tragedy [see 1591 cite], readily understood by English speakers just as it is today.

[2002, Randall Martin, editor, Henry VI, Part Three, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, footnote, page 112:

"Et tu, Brute?" (3.1.76). This familiar but strange, strangely familiar, anachronistic foreign language at the heart of Julius Caesar is the only Latin in all of Shakespeare's so-called Roman plays.

[2006, Maria Wyke, Julius Caesar in Western Culture, Blackwell Publishing, →ISBN, page 223:

"You too, Brutus" or "even you, Brutus"; expressing a recognition of betrayal.

Julius Caesar (play)
Shakespeare's Ghost Writers
et tu, Brute?


itt

(Internet slang) Initialism of in this thread or in this topic.


naked as the day one was born

as naked as the day one was born (alternative)


Sort, straighten, shine, standardize, sustain: a workplace discipline used to ensure reliable work practices and a clean working environment, now used in the West but originally from Japan.


apropos of nothing

aprovechando que el Pisuerga pasa por Valladolid


cheese it

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

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

1811, Francis Grose, Hewson Clarke, Lexicon Balatronicum:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


dym

(Internet slang) Initialism of dig your message.

(Internet slang) Initialism of do you mind.

(Internet slang) Initialism of do/did you mean.


to the

Two to the fourth equals sixteen.
= Two to the fourth power equals sixteen.
= Two to the four equals sixteen.
= (Two to the power of four equals sixteen.)

=Ten to the four

Ten to the minus four (1/10,000)

Ten to the zero (1)

(mathematics) Ellipsis of to the power of or to the ... (nth) power.

J to the L-O

(slang) used in rap songs between the letters of a word being spelled


don't give up your day job

When the accounting department's barbershop quartet was warming up, the sales team was ribbing them, yelling, "Don't give up your day job!"

"I remember after the school was over," he said, "I went up to the instructor just completely wound up like: ‘O.K. man, how do I do this and become a real racecar driver? I want to quit my job and do this.’ . . . And he goes: ‘Other Sports Beckon. You suck. Don't give up your day job.’ "

2006 July 3, Viv Bernstein, “Said Makes His Case for Success in Nascar”, in New York Times, retrieved 2015-10-11:

(idiomatic, often humorous) Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing arts), implying that they are unlikely to be successful.


UB

Sexual affair ¶ Short or long term. I’m 34, lk. 28, well built, small, 150 lbs, 5’10”, married. UB well kept and care about yourself, married, single, young or old.

1996 October 4, “Variations”, in The Boston Phoenix, volume 25, number 40, Boston, Mass.: The Phoenix Media/Communications Group, Adult Services, page 3:

(in personal ads) Abbreviation of you be.


FIA

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck it all.


TBH

Alternative form: tbh

TBH (To be honest), I skip a lot of it too. But did read it for a while.

1991 June 17, Bill Biesty, “Re: Stop silliness about justification for vegetarianism”, in rec.food.veg (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-04, message-ID <1991Jun17.211640.29488@ide.com>:

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of to be honest.

(obsolete, gay slang) Initialism of to be had (“sexually available”).


et alios

/ˌɛt ˈɑːliɒs/

From Latin et (“and”) + alios (“others”).

And others; used of people, unless exclusively of female gender


et alia

From Latin et (“and”) + alia (“others”).

And others; used of things; neuter plural


et aliae

From Latin et (“and”) + aliae (“others”).

And others; used of females; feminine plural.


et alibi

From Latin et (“and”) + alibi (“elsewhere”).

and elsewhere; used to terminate lists of passages in a text


et alii

And others; used of males, or groups of mixed gender; masculine plural


o/b/o

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

Initialism of offered by owner (commonly seen in real estate sales advertisements).


tl;dr

tl (canonical)
dr (canonical)
tldr (alternative)
tl/dr (alternative)
tl dr (alternative)
TLDR (alternative)
TL;DR (alternative)
TL/DR (alternative)
TLDNR (alternative)
TL/DNR (alternative)
TL-DNR (alternative)

/tiː ˌɛl diː ˈɑː/

The phrase is an initialism of t(oo) l(ong); d(idn’t) (or sometimes d(on’t)) r(ead). The noun and verb are derived from the phrase.

initialism

tl;dr

2002 December 21, Lenny Perkins, “My Thoughts on Metroid Prime (Long)”, in rec.games.video.nintendo (Usenet):

too long; didn't read
too long; didn't read#English

(chiefly Internet slang) Initialism of too long; didn't read (or sometimes too long; don't read).

Used to indicate that one did not read a (long) text.

How I got to be an atheist is a fairly long and winding story, so I'll give you the "tl;dr" version—I was finally honest about myself that "the gods" just "weren't there."

2016, Jeffrey Flagg, “The Care and Feeding of Your Atheist Pagan”, in John Halstead, editor, Godless Paganism: Voices of Non-theistic Pagans, [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu.com, →ISBN, part 10 (Looking Forward: Non-theistic Pagan Community), page 351:

Incidentally, my absolutely favourite headline about the Duchess of Sussex's new coat of arms was: "Will Meghan Markle's new California-inspired coat of arms convince millennials to embrace traditional heraldry?" Tl;dr, no!

2018 May 30, Hadley Freeman, “The meaning of beige tights: they show what the Windsors will do to Meghan”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-10-27:

Used to introduce a short summary of an overly long text.


all duck or no dinner

Probably derived from shoot duck or no dinner.

"You know," said Bob, "they'll be pushing their luck getting across the tides of the Irish Sea. It's going to be all duck or no dinner for Captain Carlsen . ”

2004, Bill Cullen, It's a Long Way from Penny Apples:

This is what might be termed an all-duck-or-no-dinner approach in which “a univocal meaning” containing no “ anti-liberationist❞ strain is sought.

2006, Mark Gray, Rhetoric and Social Justice in Isaiah, page 223:

The afternoon I moved out of home, my father said, 'You're all duck or no dinner', which still applies to me today, although I can sometimes moderate the extremes.

2020, Ross Fitzgerald, Fifty Years Sober: An Alcoholic's Journey:


FYA

(business) Initialism of for your action (commonly used in corporate e-mail forwarding).

for your action

(Internet slang, vulgar) Initialism of fuck you all.


balloon goes up

/bəˌluːn ɡəʊz ˈʌp/

Probably from the releasing of a balloon as a signal for an event to begin, possibly popularized by the use of balloons by the British Army during World War I (1914–1918) as a signal for artillery fire to commence.

― When is your job interview?
― The balloon goes up at 10 tomorrow.

‘You tell Alfonso..that one more break like that will give him a good swift start for Spain.’..‘In brief, Alfonso, cut out the musical extras or your balloon goes up.’

1909, Putnam's Magazine, quoted in OED ⎥ Oxford English Dictionary online, retrieved 2024-08-22:

This was the moment when he must put his fortune to the test, to win or lose it all. Now or never must the balloon go up.

1932 August 17, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter 16, in Hot Water, Woodstock, New York, N.Y.: The Overlook Press, published 1983, →ISBN, page 209:

”Time’s up, my chickens!” “What time?” said Fanny. “Why, the truce, of course!” said Harry. “You’ve had your twenty-four hours and longer. After dinner tonight the balloon goes up.” And go up it did.

1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 73:

Mr. Addabbo. […] But TACFIRE, because it is big and noisy and radiates heat, is vulnerable. If the balloon goes up TACFIRE won't last long. It is also very old technology. / […] General Keith. […] What I am saying is if the balloon goes up tomorrow, we will have something over the next few years to greatly enhance the efficiency of our field artillery. […] I cannot tell you when we will be able to say when the balloon goes up we have got something that is that much better.

1980 April 15, Joseph P[atrick] Addabbo (chairman, Subcommittee on the Department of Defense), Donald R[aymond] Keith (witness), “Army Research and Development”, in Department of Defense Appropriations for 1981: Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, Second Session […] Part 3: Research, Development, and Acquisition, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 681:

(idiomatic) Chiefly preceded by the: something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins.


Houston, we have a problem

A misquotation of the phrases “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” and “Houston, we’ve had a problem” said by the American astronauts Jim Lovell (born 1928) and Jack Swigert (1931–1982), who were crew members of the Apollo 13 moon flight, to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, on April 13, 1970, after an oxygen tank triggered an explosion which led to the mission being aborted.
The phrase in the form “Houston, we have a problem” was popularized by the film Apollo 13 (1995). The American screenwriter William Broyles Jr. (born 1944) altered the original phrases as he felt that “[t]he past perfect tense wasn’t as dramatic”. However, the phrase has been used earlier, for example, as the title of a 1974 television movie about the Apollo 13 mission.

Houston, we have a problem. We're running out of oil! The petroleum that fuels our daily lives is getting harder to find.

2002, Dan Ramsey, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power for Your Home (Complete Idiot’s Guide), Indianapolis, Ind.: Alpha Books, →ISBN, page xvii:

(US, humorous) Used to report that a (major) problem has occurred.

Apollo 13
Jack Swigert
Jim Lovell
The Washington Post
William Broyles Jr.

Հյուսթոն, մենք խնդիր ունենքէ

used to report that a (major) problem has occurred


ROTFLOL

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of rolling on the floor laughing out loud.


where the sun doesn't shine

where the sun don't shine
where the sun don't shine#English

Alternative form of where the sun don't shine.


Bob's your uncle

Unknown. Several unsupported theories exist about its origin. A common explanation, involving Arthur Balfour gaining a promotion through the supposed intercession of his uncle, Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, is doubted because the expression did not appear in print until 1924.

Insert the plug, press the switch, and Bob's your uncle.

You want to go to the stadium? Go straight on until you reach the park, take the first left and Bob's your uncle!

And you're not going to give me that stuff about just shoving over the lever and bob's your uncle. You forget the times the fellow gets caught and has to be kicked off the edge of the trap hole.

1954, Brendan Behan, The Quare Fellow, act 3; republished in Cóilín Owens, Joan Newlon Radner, editors, Irish Drama, 1900–1980, 1990, page 591:

Click the Import Contacts button and—Bob's your uncle (that's "Tada!" for my readers)—you should see a confirmation that all went according to plan, and your contacts have been imported into your Gmail address book.

2007, Preston Gralla, Big Book of Windows Hacks, O'Reilly Media, page 314:

Simply type in a description of your item and Bob's your uncle: someone, somewhere in the eBay virtual universe will be selling something similar.

2008, Julian Knight, Wills, Probate, & Inheritance Tax For Dummies, UK, unnumbered page:

All you need to do is learn to make these little loops and Bob's your uncle, you're a real live knitter.

2011, Lauren O'Farrel, Stitch London: 20 Kooky Ways to Knit the City and More, page 112:

(UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, idiomatic) No problem, the solution is simple, there you have it, it's that easy, you have what you want, all will be well: indicates a desirable conclusion has been reached with ease.

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

[и] де́ло в шля́пе ([i] délo v šljápe, literally “[and] the business is in the hat”)


et uxor

From Latin et (and) and uxor (his wife).

I confirmed at Whitegate church about 300 persons, and returned to Vale Royal, where dined with me Sir Thomas Grosvenor et uxor, and Mrs. Rigby, Sir Philip Egerton, uxor et filius, Mr. Leftwich Oldfeild, Mr. Dean, Mr. Woods, vicar of Over, Mr. Marbury, rector of Davenham, Mr. Hanmore, Mr. Oakes, curate of Astbury, Mr. Oakes, Mr. Colley; and at supper Captain Birch and Captain Mainwaring more.

post 1687, The Diary of Dr. Thomas Cartwright, Bishop of Chester; commencing at the time of his Elevation to that See, August M.DC.LXXXVI.; and terminating with the Visitation of St. Mary Magdalene College, Oxford, October M.DC.LXXXVII. Now first printed from the original MS. in the Possession of the Rev. Joseph Hunter, F.S.A., London, 1843, page 28

… Keyes plaintant, Hill et uxor, defendants. Anno 22 Eliz.

1616, Reports, or Causes in Chancery, collected by Sir George Cary, one of the Masters of the Chancery, Anno 1601. Out of the Labours of Mr. William Lambert. Reprinted from the Edition of 1820, London, 1872, page 129

Coordinate term: et conjunx

(law) "And the wife" or "and his wife"; often used in the context of a legal document to include a man's wife in whichever obligation, ownership, etc. the document indicates.


WAD

(computing, humorous) Acronym of works as designed.

(computing, gaming) Acronym of where's all the data?, commonly used when referring to the video game Doom.


there are

There are three zeros in “1000”.

third-person plural present indicative of there be. see also there is.


all hell breaks loose

head

all hell breaks loose (simple past all hell broke loose)

Came not all hell broke loose?

1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

I think it's kind of fun because, had Hillary Clinton spoken at the Democratic Convention, all hell would have broken loose.

1992 August 19, “Beckel, Barnes and Rollins Discuss the Republican Convention”, in CBS Morning:

The U.S. commanders received the news in a moment of stunned silence. Then, all hell broke loose as, off in the distance, antiaircraft fire was spotted as the antisubmarine patrol aircraft made optimistic and recklessly-brave assaults; four aircraft in total, armed with depth charges, attacked over a dozen enemy fleet units.

2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 2:05 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 2022-11-03:

It was a shocking attack, and within hours all hell had broken loose.

2023 November 26, Rory Carroll, Lisa O'Carroll, “‘Remember who we are’: riots, race, and the end of the ‘Irish welcome’”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

(idiomatic) The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage.


name it, claim it

(Christianity) A catch phrase of the Christian Word of Faith movement, a statement of faith and affirmation.


SMIDSY

Acronym for "Sorry mate, I didn't see you."

“SMIDSY?” Rich chuckled, “Yeah, car pulled out into me, then literally as the guy got out and looked at me lying on the road he said,'Sorry mate, I didn't see you,' S-M-I-D-S-Y.”

2017, CJ Moseley, The Wrath of Atlantis: With Strange Aeons:

(UK, Australia) Sorry mate, I didn′t see you.


standing room only

Ever since Stourbridge-born Bellingham became huge news, fans turn out to cheer the local hero on the big screen inside the clubhouse whenever the Three Lions - who play a friendly with Australia on Friday followed by a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy next Tuesday - are in action.
"It was standing room only in here when he played for England at last year's World Cup," Andy Pountney, chairman of Stourbridge, tells BBC Sport.

2023 October 12, Neil Johnston, “FA Cup: Why Stourbridge is fearing for its future”, in BBC Sport:

Here [at Grantham], the train has three minutes to reverse, during which time it is suddenly packed out with shoppers heading to Nottingham. It's standing room only for those who arrive last.

2024 April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1007, page 57:

public transportation
public transportation

So well attended, or (of public transportation) so full, that all of the seats in the venue are occupied, leaving only the ground or the floor for other people. (of an event)


PLM

police lives matter
police lives matter#English


game over

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

/ˌɡeɪm ˈəʊ.və(ɹ)/

The message originated on pinball machines and has been very widely used in video games.

Before I could figure out what the hell was the object of the game, I hear the thing go boom-boom, and the screen lights up with a sign: game over.

(video games) A message signaling that the game has ended, usually because the player failed (for example by losing all of their lives) but sometimes following successful completion of the game.

If your wife finds out about us, it's game over!

That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?

Once we started attacking that network from the inside, it was pretty much game over.

2004, Ryan Russell, Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent, page xxi:

(by extension) The end of some ongoing situation due to either failure or success, typically failure.

When you have cancer, you pretty much have two options: chemotherapy, or game over.


the end

Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; […] remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.
the end.

1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Alice’s Evidence”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 192:

Used traditionally at the end of a story or film.

I have no idea where this conversation is going. Shall we head it off the page and say this is The End.

2007, Kathryn M. Hilton, Artificial Intelligence Is Fun!: Conversations with a Computer, page 240:

Used to indicate the termination of something.


TNLN

(geocaching) Initialism of took nothing, left nothing.


MSM

(driving) Initialism of mirror, signal, maneuver.

Near-synonym: M4M

(in personal ads or Internet slang) Initialism of male seeking male, man seeking man, or masc seeking masc.


veni, vidi, vici

Borrowed from Latin vēnī vīdī vīcī (“I came, I saw, I conquered”).

bor+

vēnī vīdī vīcī


rise over run

(mnemonic) Used for remembering that the slope of a non-vertical line is the ratio of the amount it rises over some interval, over the length of that interval.


time flies

Time flies when you're having fun.


j/k

Alternative forms: jk, JK

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of just kidding.


gamme

It gamme something to think about.

Told you she my bella chicca, and she gamme her heart [...] I don't cheat, she's so cakey, and she gamme a slice

2021, Gladwin Ngobeni, Nhlayiseko Makaringe, Ntsako Nukeri, “Muchacha”, in How It Started, performed by Sadistic Zombie feat. Slay & Clesh:


XYZ

Initialism of examine your zipper: a discreet warning that one’s trouser fly is undone.


fair play

[S]he consolidated her position by purchasing the kennels, doing them up regardless of expense and buying two new horses, and, fair play to her, fair play, as they say in Wales, ...

1964, Charles Norman De Courcy-Parry, Here lies my story, page 248:

"Fair play to Jean, he has made it work for him."

1990 July 1, Joe Saward, quoting Martin Donnelly, “Interview: Martin Donnelly”, in The Business of Motorsport Newsletter, archived from the original on 2017-10-16:

The Gaelic Athletic Association, fair play to them, want absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with that thingumajig football tournament in America.

1994 June 21, Liam Hayes, “GAA's holding its own now, but could lose in the end”, in Irish Voice, archived from the original on 2016-04-21:

I wasn't expecting much of Ms Dynamite at the start of the night, but fair play to her, she's got a great voice on her.

2002 October 30, "Acquiesce", “Re: noel and chris at fair play gig”, in alt.music.oasis (Usenet):

Liam Watson: "Fair play to Southport, they were the best team on paper because they got the most points. We just want to prove we are as good as them".

2010 May 7, “Clayton sure buoyant Reds are up to the task of seeing off Fleetwood”, in Derby Evening Telegraph:

(colloquial, UK, Ireland) used to acknowledge or congratulate for something.


Q.E.D.

QED (alternative)
Q. E. D. (alternative)
q. e. d. (alternative)
q.e.d. (alternative)

From Late Latin QED, from Latin quod erat demonstrandum.

[A]fter the same manner S and U are proved to be equal, therefore the square of CB is equal to the square of the 2 other sides Q E D.

1684 August 30, Mr. Ash, “A New and Easy Way of Demonstrating Some Propositions in Euclid”, in Philosophical Transactions: Giving Some Accompt of the Present Undertakings, Studies and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World, volume XIV, number 162, London: Printed by T. R. for John Martyn, printer to the Royal Society; […] , →OCLC, page 674:

Now let any right line meet four harmonicals in A, C, B, D, and if those harmonicals be parallel, the thing is evident; but, if they intersect in V, draw ECF parallel to VD, the line most remote from C; then, by the first part, EC#61;CF, and AD#58;AC#58;#58;VD#58;EC or CF. Therefore AD#58;AC#58;#58;BD#58;CB. q. e. d.

1803, “The Mathematical Repository, Nº 63”, in The Gentleman’s Diary, or The Mathematical Repository; an Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1803: […], London: Printed for the Company of Stationers by Nichols and Son, […]; [a]nd sold by George Greenhill, […], →OCLC, page 33:

By Cases 1 and 2, we see that any finite collection of 4k-1 primes cannot contain all such primes. Thus there are infinitely many primes of this type. ¶ Q.E.D.

1999, William Dunham, “Euler and Analytic Number Theory”, in Euler: The Master of Us All (The Dolciani Mathematical Expositions; 22), [Washington, D.C.]: Mathematical Association of America, →ISBN, page 64:

quod erat demonstrandum
quod erat demonstrandum#English

(mathematics, dated) Initialism of quod erat demonstrandum (“what was to be proved; what was to be demonstrated”): placed at the end of a mathematical proof to show that the theorem under discussion is proved.

קמ׳׳ל

''initialism placed at the end of a mathematical proof to show that the theorem under discussion is proved''

That this part of the world has actually been peopled (Q. E. D.) to support which, we have living proofs in the numerous tribes of Indians that inhabit it.

1809, Diedrich Knickerbocker [pseudonym; Washington Irving], chapter IV, in A History of New York, from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty. […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Inskeep & Bradford, […], →OCLC, book I, page 42:

PROP[OSITION] VI. One substance cannot be produced by another substance. ¶ Demonst[ration]. In the preceding proposition we have seen that there cannot in the nature of things be two Substances of the same attribute, or that they have anything in common (by Prop. II.); and so (by Prop. III.) one cannot be the cause of, or be produced by, another: q. e. d.

1870, Benedict de Spinoza [i.e., Baruch Spinoza], R[obert] Willis, “[The Ethics.] Part I.—Of God.”, in Benedict de Spinoza; His Life, Correspondence, and Ethics, London: Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC, page 418:

Of all those on the market, Eastman's is the only one with a solution tight, locking cover. ¶ Q. E. D.

1908 July, C. H. Claudy, “Tanks”, in Frank V. Chambers, editor, The Camera: An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Advancement of Photography, volume 12, number 7, Philadelphia, Pa.: The Camera Publishing Company, page 252:

(by extension) Used to indicate that an argument or proposition is proved by the existence of some fact or scenario.


kicking and screaming

to drag someone kicking and screaming

Well, then…you can say that I said it is a step in the right direction that will…er…be welcomed by all forward-thinking people and will drag the city kicking and screaming into the Century of the Fruitbat.

Against someone's will; with extreme reluctance on someone's part.


TANJ

Used (in lower-case form) in Larry Niven's "known space" fiction.


PRN

Alternative forms: prn, p.r.n.


anything goes

In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking
But now, Heaven knows,
Anything goes.

My way, your way, anything goes tonight!

[…] fucking and sucking by providing an anything-goes atmosphere reminiscent of the wildest days of the baths.

2004, Charles Silverstein, Felice Picano, The Joy of Gay Sex: Fully Revised and Expanded Third Edition, page 228:

(idiomatic) There are no rules or restrictions.


cat got someone's tongue

Why won't you tell me that secret? (Has the) cat got your tongue?

You used to be alright / What happened? / Did the cat get your tongue? / Did your string come undone?

2007, “15 Step”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:

(idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything?

язы́к проглоти́л? m (jazýk proglotíl?, literally “did you swallow your tongue?”)


the die is cast

/ðə ˌdaɪ ɪz ˈkɑːst/

Calque of Latin iacta ālea est, which is grammatically, and thereby semantically, an incorrect translation by the Roman historian Suetonius (c. 69 – p. 122 C.E.) in his work Vīta Dīvī Iūlī (On the Life of the Caesars, 121 C.E.) of the Ancient Greek ἀνερρίφθω κύβος (anerrhíphthō kúbos), which was said to have been spoken by Julius Caesar (100 – 44 B.C.E.) when he crossed the Rubicon to irreversibly begin a civil war in the Roman Republic (see cross the Rubicon).
Caesar was quoting from the comedy Ἀρρηφόρῳ (Arrhēphórōi, The Bearer of Ritual Objects) by the dramatist Menander (c. 342 or 341 – c. 290 B.C.E.). The Greek phrase is more accurately translated as “let the die be cast” (meaning “let the game be played” and implying “let us proceed irreversibly”), and refers a game of chance in which the outcome is determined by the throwing of dice or a single die.

noncog

ἀνερρίφθω κύβος

nb...

With an English Translation by Bernadotte Perrin.

lang

Ἑλληνιστὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἐκβοήσας, ‘Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος,’ διεβίβαζε τὸν στρατόν.

Δειπνοσοφισταί

Δειπνοσοφισταί

Δεδογμένον τὸ πρᾶγμ’ · ἀνερρίφθω κύβος

Δεδογμένον τὸ πρᾶγμ’ · ἀνερρίφθω κύβος

nb...

par Athénéé, Traduit, tant sur les Textes imprimés, que sur plusieurs Manuscrits, par M. Lefebvre de Villebrune.

Is the die caſt, muſt / At this one throvv all thou haſt gaind be loſt? / The VVorlds a Lott'ry; He that dravves may vvin: / VVho nothing ventur's, looks for nothing;[…]

[1634, H. H., “[Dedication by H. H.]”, in T[homas] H[erbert], A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […] William Stansby, and Jacob Bloome, →OCLC:

The die is cast. I cannot go back. I must get ready. Will you see me to the station?

1879, George Meredith, “At the Railway Station”, in The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative. […], volume II, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], →OCLC, page 188:

you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube

(idiomatic) A conclusive action has been taken, so events will proceed in an irreversible manner; the point of no return has been passed; the future is determined; there are no more options.

Athenaeus
Bernadotte Perrin
Harvard University Press
Julius Caesar
Loeb Classical Library
Menander
On the Life of the Caesars
Suetonius

سبق السيف العذل

a conclusive action has been taken, so events will proceed in an irreversible manner

木已成舟 (mùyǐchéngzhōu, literally “the wood has already been made into a boat”)


sweet dreams

(idiomatic) Said to someone before they fall asleep, wishing them a good sleep.

dobrou noc a ať tě blechy štípou celou noc


my back teeth are floating

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-my back teeth are floating.wav

Compare French avoir les dents du fond qui baignent, albeit with a different meaning.

cog

Where's the restroom? My back teeth are floating!

(informal, slang) I have a strong need to urinate.


penny for your thoughts

/ˈpɛn.i fɔː jɔː ˈθɔːts/

/ˈpɛn.i fəː jəː ˈθɔːts/

One day, as your ladyship was playing on the harpsichord to my master, Mr Jones was sitting in the next room, and methought he looked melancholy. La! says I, Mr Jones, what's the matter? a penny for your thoughts, says I.

1749, Henry Fielding, chapter XIV, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume II, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV, page 106:

As for Harry, he sate in very deep meditation over the scene; and when Mrs. Lambert offered him a penny for his thoughts, he said, “That he thought, Young Norval, Douglas, What-d'ye-call-'em, the fellow in white satin—who looked as old as his mother—was very lucky to be able to distinguish himself so soon.

1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, chapter LIX, in The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:

And she said to Gerty:
—A penny for your thoughts.
—What? replied Gerty with a smile reinforced by the whitest of teeth.

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

The penny-post is, commonly, an institution through which you seriously offer a man that penny for his thoughts which is so often safely offered in jest.

1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:

“A penny for your thoughts,” said Miss Wilkinson, looking at him with a smile.
“I’m not going to tell you,” he answered.
He was thinking that he ought to kiss her there and then.

1915, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter XXXIII, in Of Human Bondage, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC:

Is there any thing else to say? My cry upon firing will be, “A penny for your thoughts.”

[1973, Arthur Bremer, An Assassin's Diary, Harper's Magazine Press, →ISBN, page 141:

(idiomatic) Used to inquire into the thoughts and feelings of another, especially when the person appears pensive or conflicted.

你在想什麼？ /你在想什么？ (nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?) (no exact equivalent exists; lit., "what are you thinking about?")


no pressure

Your boss wants to give the board a quick run-down our project in half an hour. Just five minutes and some question time. No pressure.

(idiomatic) The situation at hand is rife with emotional pressure.


ODTAA

The expression is reputed to have gone around the colonial clubs of the distant countries of the British Empire in the Victorian period. It came to fame with the publication of the book ODTAA in 1926 by John Masefield.

thing after another
one thing after another

(abbreviation, mildly vulgar) one damn thing after another


today we are all

Probably originates from "today we are all Republicans", said by a physician attending U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan prior to a surgery.

"I know I speak for every American when I say to him today, we are all Georgians".

August 12, 2008:, Robert Barnes, "McCain to Georgian President: "Today, We Are All Georgians"", Washington Post

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman punctuated the day with a speech to Christians United for Israel last night, declaring that "today, we are all Israelis."

July 19, 2006:, Jim VandeHei, "Congress Is Giving Israel Vote of Confidence; Both Parties Back Ally, Court Jewish Support", Washington Post, page A05

No progress in human affairs will ever be built on the blood of innocent people. Today, we are all Spanish.

March 11, 2004: Denis MacShane, Guardian Unlimited

Madness, even under the pretext of despair, is never a force that can regenerate the world. That is why today we are all Americans.

September 12, 2001: Jean-Marie Colombani, "Today, We Are All Americans", Le Monde

(idiomatic, US) An expression indicating that the speaker empathizes with members of an identifiable group that was the subject of a disaster, and projects that others empathize as well.


if looks could kill

In aphorism 64, section 2 of Friedrich Nietzsche's 1878 book Human, All Too Human, Nietzsche writes that "If looks could kill, we would long ago have been done for."
In chapter 16 of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula in a diary entry of Dr. Seward, he notes about the undead Lucy Westenra that "If ever a face meant death--if looks could kill--we saw it at that moment."
An ellipsis (anapodoton) for an expression such as "If looks could kill, her look would have led to the death of the person she was looking at."
A possible origin of the phrase comes from the legend of Medusa, who had the power to turn anyone who looked at her into stone.

(idiomatic, anapodoton) Used to characterize a look of strong hostility

如果眼神可以杀人

used to characterize a look of strong hostility


let's not and say we did

“We must go on to the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, Pa,” said Seb, bravely. “We can't feel any worse.”
“Let's not and say we did,” groaned the sick father from his position of vantage at the rail.

1921, Harvard Lampoon, volume 80, number 10, page 324:

"Let's kick in a window on George," Dick Buckford said.
 "Let's not and say we did," Andy Houlihan said.

1947, James Thomas Farrell, The Life Adventurous and Other Stories, Vanguard Press, page 286:

Many teachers take a "Let's not and say we did" attitude toward extended experiential learning in the different styles.

2006, Jane A. G. Kise, Differentiated Coaching: A Framework for Helping Teachers Change, Corwin Press, →ISBN, page 65:

(idiomatic, colloquial) Indicates that the speaker does not agree with a proposed action, and does not wish to participate.


age before beauty

It is recorded that Mrs. Parker and a snooty debutante were both going in to supper at a party: the debutante made elaborate way, saying sweetly "Age before beauty, Mrs. Parker." "And pearls before swine," said Mrs. Parker, sweeping in.

1938 September 16, John Carter, “Best Sellers and the Atlantic”, in The Spectator, page 448:

(idiomatic) A phrase said to allow older people to go before younger ones.

Molodym vezdé u nas doroga, starikam vezdé u nas počót

Молодым везде́ у нас дорога, старикам везде́ у нас почёт


beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

beauty is in the eye of the beholder#English

Alternative form of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


five will get you ten

Betting parlance for even odds, i.e. betting five pounds (dollars, etc.) should win you ten.

Five will get you ten that your sheet will have an editorial on the Orchard case Sunday, and what will it say?

Five will get you ten that he's either gone or dead by midnight Sunday.

She has a nice strong tone that falters just a bit in the upper ranges; five'll get you ten that problem clears up as soon as [she] gets completely comfortable with performing publicly.

1983 December 3, Jolanta Benal, “Spandex, Sousa, Bad Politics”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 20, page 6:

As it is I'm going to be in big trouble financially if I lose my job and five will get you ten the bastards will try to drum me out.


camel through the eye of a needle

en-au-camel through the eye of a needle.ogg

With reference to the New Testament, Mark 10.25, Mat. 19.24 and Luke 18.25. See the Citations page for those texts.

Getting George to wake up before 7 o'clock is harder than getting a camel through the eye of a needle.

1795, John Swanwick (as "Snub"), "To WILLIAM WILCOCKS, Esquire, L. L. D. and DUke of New-York, &c.", in A Rub from Snub; or a cursory analytical epistle, page 57, quoting Wilcocks in the first footnote.
Alluding to the exordium of his writings againſt the democrats, wherein he ſays “ It is a difficult for a party-man to be an honeſt man, as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,” whereby he moſt emphatically declares his own diſhoneſty at the very firſt daſh of his pen.

1825, "Sir H. L.", in The Political Correspondence of the Leading Members of Parliament with the the Speaker of the House of Commons on Emancipation, James Bigg (publ.), page 83.
You are endeavouring to pass a bill that never can and that never will pass the House of Lords. Do you want to make a camel go through the eye of a needle?

(idiomatic) Hyperbole to illustrate something that is impossible to do or to make happen.

حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِيَاطِ

faire passer un chameau par le chas d'une aiguille

łatwiej jest wielbłądowi przejść przez ucho igielne

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God


what the hey

Hold the phone, folks! What the hey's going on? What happened to the Great Gonzales?!?

2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Glitzville:


per stirpes

From Latin per (“by, through”) and stirpēs (“rootstock”).

(law) A method of distributing an estate to the descendants or heirs of a deceased legatee in which the estate is divided equally among the branches of a family or designated heirs, without regard to differing numbers of people in different branches.

por estirpe

method of distributing an estate to the descendants of a deceased legatee in which the estate is divided equally among the branches of a family, without regard to differing numbers of people in different branches


the jig is up

head

the jig is up (simple past the jig was up)

the jig was up (past)
jig's up (alternative)
one's jig is up (alternative)
one's jig's up (alternative)
the jig's up (alternative)

Jig is an old term for a lively dance, and in the Elizabethan era the word also became slang for a practical joke or a trick. This idiom derives from this obsolete slang word.

We knew then the jig was up, and it was no grin matter for us.

When I first told 'em how the jig was up with us, that the British were going to have the land, without any fighting about it, I never see fellows so mad before in my life, unless it was Major Eaton at Washington when he sot out to flog Mr. Ingham.

1833, Seba Smith (as Jack Downing), The life and writings of Major Jack Downing, of Downingville, away down East in the State of Maine, Lilly; Wait; Colman & Holden, page 176:

After I had returned home in the spring of 1893 from Washington, where I saw so many gray-haired men who had held high elective office begging for the crumbs from Cleveland's table, I gave my wife an account of what I observed, and told her that when the jig was up for me I would hasten back to Missouri to begin the practice of law once more and be a man among men.

1920, Champ Clark, My Quarter Century of American Politics, Harper & brothers, page 96:

The universe works in strange ways: just when you think the jig is up, you get a second chance.

2007, Mary Newport, in Jerry Newport and Mary Newport, Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 248:

(Australia, New Zealand, US, idiomatic) An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defense", or if spoken to a person who has just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, where it means "You've been discovered".


one's jig is up

1836, Horatio Hastings Weld, "The Martyr to Science", in Corrected Proofs, Russell, Shattuck & Co., page 74,
P.S. C'est en fait—my jig is up! While under the barber's hands this morning, a boy posted up in the shop the programme of a course of Phrenological Lectures!

1920, Ethel and James Dorrance, Glory Rides the Range, The Macaulay Company, page 272,
"You tell the lie!" she accused. "And you'd better quit, for your jig is up. I've got you right. […]"

2006, Derrick Parker and Matt Diehl, Notorious C.O.P.: the inside story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay investigations from the NYPD's first "hip-hop cop", St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 102,
But I'd convinced a witness to come in, […] Sure enough, when we brought Marshall in for the lineup, she picked him right away. ¶ Marshall was naturally upset that his jig was up, […]

(idiomatic) Alternative form of the jig is up [for one].


NK

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of not kidding.


'nuff said

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-'nuff said.wav

Contraction and pronunciation spelling of enough said.

“Your new computer is super expensive!” “Yeah, but it rocks! ’Nuff said!”

Remember, Blanche DuBois was a blotto and her trip to New Orleans didn't get her anywhere. Nuff said.

1979, Margaret Oberman, Doug Steckler, I Could Have Been a Contender: Or, The Other Book of Lists, New York, N.Y.: Avon, →ISBN, page 102:

(informal) Used either to end a discussion, or to imply that further discussion is not needed.


monkey see, monkey do

Monkey see, monkey do / Don't ever make the first move, just let 'em come to you

2003, Eminem, “Monkey See, Monkey Do”, in Straight from the Lab:

Then why Hong Kong people stock toilet paper? Because monkey see monkey do. Hong Kong people stock toilet paper because people scared toilet paper come from China, tomorrow China no toilet paper, we all cannot go pang sai.

2020 February 20, Chan Chun Sing, as quoted, “Full transcript of 25-minute leaked audio recording of Chan Chun Sing dialogue with SCCCI”, in Mothership.sg:

A conventional explanation for mimicry, especially of a foolish action done with no consideration of the consequences.


what's the crack

what's the craic
what's the craic#English


TKO

/ˈtiː ˈkeɪ ˈəʊ/

(medicine) Initialism of to keep open: an indication for the insertion of an intravenous catheter.


TLDNR

(Internet, slang) Alternative form of tl;dr (“too long, did not read”).


perish the thought

Equivalent to "[may] the thought perish", with the verb in the subjunctive mood followed by its subject.

What! was he to lose his hold over these boys, and that because he was unable to cope with a boy much smaller and younger than himself? Perish the thought!

1885, Horatio Alger, chapter 13, in Hector's Inheritance:

According to industry gossips, Richard and Judy may soon go their separate ways. Not maritally; no, perish the thought.

2007 June 22, Grace Dent, The Guardian, G2, p. 3:

May the thought perish; said of an idea or suggestion that is deeply undesirable.


the night is young

The night is young, and full of possibilities / Well come on, and let yourself be free

1979, Frederick Knight, “Ring My Bell”, performed by Anita Ward:

It's not very late (at night) and there's plenty of time.

вся ночь впереди́ (vsja nočʹ vperedí, literally “the whole night lies ahead”)

ещё не ве́чер (ješčó ne véčer, literally “it is not the evening yet”)


does a bear shit in the woods

First attested in print in the 1960s (see Citations). Earlier attested variations include Does the little brown bear live in the woods? (1952), and Does a bear like the woods? (1959)

do bears shit in the woods? (alternative)
does the bear shit in the woods? (alternative)

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

(colloquial, rhetorical question, mildly vulgar) A rhetorical question in response to a question to which the answer is an emphatic yes.

schijt een beer in het bos?

emphatic yes by way of an idiomatic, rhetorical question

does the Pope shit in the woods?

A combination of is the Pope Catholic? and does a bear shit in the woods?


how much does it cost

What is its price? How much money do you want for it?

偌濟錢？ /偌济钱？

lōa-chōe chîⁿ? / lǒa-chōe chîⁿ? / lōa-chē chîⁿ? / gōa-chōe chîⁿ? / gōa-chē chîⁿ?


Erin go bragh

From Irish Éire go brách or Éirinn go brách.


IIUC

(Internet slang) Initialism of if I understand correctly.


don't take any wooden nickels

HELMER: What the hell, Nora? NORA: So long, Kid, don't take any wooden nickels!

Well, I only meant to write a line and I've written pages! Well, don't take any wooden nickels.

1917, William Ely Hill, Among Us Mortals: Pictures and Legends by W.E. Hill:

For conversation pieces . . . the whacky necklace called "Don't take any wooden nickels!" at $1.83 (designed by Martha Sleeper).

1938, "Macy's College Shop" [display advertisement], New York Times, 14 Aug, p. 19

H. T. Webster's comic strip, "The Timid Soul," in the Oakland Tribune of September 10, 1950 used the tendency to repeat worn phrases as the subject for the hero's good intentions. The following are recorded: . . . Don't take any wooden nickels.

1951 Jan, “Folklore in the News: Cliché Strip”, in Western Folklore, volume 10, number 1, page 84:

Don't take any wooden nickels
When you sell your soul
A devil of a time awaits you
When the party's over
You're on your own.

2000, Mark O. Everett, “Wooden Nickels”, in Daisies of the Galaxy, performed by Eels:

(US, dated) One should not permit oneself to be cheated or duped; one should not be naive.


I could eat a horse

She said: "I'm starved. I could eat a horse." I told her she was lying, because I had once eaten horse.

1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 46:

(idiomatic, hyperbolic) I am very hungry.

zjadłbym konia z kopytami

lit.: I would eat a horse, including hoofs

tengo más hambre que el perro de un ciego

lit.: I'm so hungry, I could eat a lamb for a single meal

o kadar açım ki tek oturuşta bir kuzu yiyebilirim


none of your bee's wax

none of your beeswax
none of your beeswax#English

Alternative form of none of your beeswax.


all rights reserved

(idiomatic, law) The copyright holder of a creative work reserves all copyright-related rights, typically including the right to publish the work, to make derivative works of it, to distribute it, to make profit from it, to license a number of these rights to other people, and to forbid these uses by any unauthorized people, thus being entitled to take legal action against infringement.


TL/DNR

(Internet, slang) Alternative form of tl;dr.


dw

Alternative form: DW

But...what exactly are celebrities asking for in the first place? It’s a classic chicken-and-egg scenario. Dw, tho, I asked the pros firsthand: What are the elite set asking for this year, for those of us who want to get in on the trends a little early? And they delivered.

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

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


SCNR

(Internet slang) Initialism of sorry, could not resist: used in partial apology for a wisecrack.


DNE

(college) Initialism of do not erase, written on chalk boards to protect information from being erased.

(business, mathematics) Initialism of does not exist.


here you are

(idiomatic) Said when handing something over to someone or doing a favour to them, usually to draw the recipient's attention to the exchange; equivalent to “thank you” when receiving something.


you snooze you lose

(slang) If one is not alert and attentive, one will not be successful.

nopeat syövät hitaat

If you are not alert and attentive, you will not be successful

camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente


peel me a grape

First recorded use by Mae West in the film I'm no Angel (1933): "Beulah, (yes ma'am) peel me a grape."

His early, brilliant "Peel Me a Grape," which has long been one of Blossom Dearie's anthems, laughs at social ennui in the seventies and eighties in the way that Cole Porter laughed at it in the thirties: Peel me a grape, crush me some ice, Skin me a peach, save the fuzz for my pillow, Start me a smoke, talk to me nice, You gotta wine me and dine me, Don't try and fool me, bejewel me, Either amuse me or lose me, I'm gettin' hungry -- peel me a grape.

2006, Whitney Balliett -, American Singers: Twenty-Seven Portraits in Song, →ISBN, page 242:

Can't you hear Adam say to her, “Peel me a grape, Lilith.” And her response: “Peel it yourself! And while you are at it, where's dinner?”

2009, Ronald B. Allen, Beverly Allen, Liberated Traditionalism: Men and Women in Balance, →ISBN, page 91:

Half an hour later when dad and I ventured into the lounge, mum glaring at us with a face like thunder, Kim was lying contentedly next to Armalade in front of the fire, a real con merchant if ever there was one, basking in all the attention. Talk about peel me a grape!

2011, Maggie Graham, Me and My Animals, →ISBN, page 80:

“Daaaahlings I say, please refill my glass and peel me a grape.” She grinned and mugged it up for us gathered proletariat.

2011, Michael R. Häack, Passport: A Novel of Adventure and Intrigue, →ISBN, page 414:

A request to be pampered or to have one's whims indulged.


fair enough

You can play the exercises pretty well on piano, fair enough, but can you play the movement expressively?

Puel was let go in June despite leading Southampton to their first major final for 14 years and an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. But apparently his style was too boring and some players and many fans disliked his method, so he had to go – fair enough but look at them now.

2017 October 14, Paul Doyle, “Mauricio Pellegrino yet to find attacking solution for stuttering Southampton”, in the Guardian:

If I say "Donald" and you say "Fair enough, but there's someone called Donaldo"...

2021 August 9, 3:26 from the start, in No More Jockeys, season 4, episode 15, spoken by Tim Key:

(idiomatic) An expression used to concede a point, but suggesting that the broader argument is incorrect.

Used to acknowledge a person's point or argument; denotes that, upon consideration, something is correct or reasonable; an expression of acknowledgment or understanding.


none of your beeswax

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-none of your beeswax.wav

Alteration of none of your business. From the historical use of beeswax to cover up blemishes.

none of your bee's wax (alternative)
none of your bees' wax (alternative)

“Whatcha got in that bag?” asked Scooter.
“None of your beeswax,” answered Henry.

1950, Beverly Cleary, Henry Huggins, page 21:

BARBARA. That’s for me to know.
RANDY. Come on. Who?
BARBARA. None of your beeswax.

1977, Albert Ramsdell Gurney, Children, page 25:

“You can ask, but since it's really none of your beeswax, I think I'll keep my mouth shut on that score.”

1996, Stephen King, The Green Mile, page 74:

“We were just discussing your love life. Or lack thereof.”
“My love life is none of your beeswax,” she huffed.

2003, Augusten Burroughs, Running With Scissors: A Memoir, page 194:

A riposte to badgering questioning, expressing a refusal to answer, and an insistence that the questioner cease prying any further.

das geht dich einen feuchten Kehricht an