bee tee dubs

“Bee tee dubs,” Todd continues, “turns out that he has no idea what Fire Island is.”

2011, Justin Luke Zirilli, Gulliver Travels, →ISBN, page 95:

Bee tee dubs, isn’t it so much fun having a new bestie?

2013, Michelle Witte, The Faker’s Guide to the Classics: Everything You Need to Know About the Books You Should Have Read (But Didn’t), Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press, →ISBN, page 149:

“Loved the T.I. cover, bee tee dubs,” Jane interrupted.

2013, Jessa Holbrook [pseudonym; Saundra Mitchell], While You’re Away, Razorbill, →ISBN, page 30:


through the wazoo

Probably a blend of through the roof + out the wazoo.


on the water wagon

Dated form of on the wagon (“abstaining from alcohol”).


off the water wagon

Dated form of off the wagon (“no longer abstaining from alcohol”).


for the lolz

Maybe he should just have some fun. While he could. Stuff the cabinet with a whole load of idiots. […] Just for the lolz.

2023 July 20, John Crace, “With all his plans in tatters, Rishi eyes some reshuffle lolz”, in The Guardian:


like magic

With the aid of a screwdriver, the stuck jar lid opened like magic.


in the green tree … in the dry

From Luke 23:31, Koine Greek ὅτι εἰ ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ξύλῳ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τί γένηται (hóti ei en tôi hugrôi xúlōi taûta poioûsin, en tôi xērôi tí génētai), rendered “For if they do these things in a green tree [when the trees are green], what shall be done in the dry?” in the King James Version.

der

If this is seen in the green tree, what will it be in the dry? If this is so apparent now when the earth is loaded with her spontaneous fruits; what will it be when winter shall find them unprovided with the necessaries of life?

1865 September 11, J. C. Randolph, “[Letter to Freedmen’s Bureau Commissioner]”, in Ira Berlin et al., editors, Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861–1867, volume 1/2, The Wartime Genesis of Free Labor: The Upper South, published 1993, →ISBN, pages 713–4:

[…] disfranchisement was imposed upon 10,000 legal voters by a tribunal which had no jurisdiction to exclude a vote; if these things can be done in the green tree, what may we not expect to see in the dry?

1877 February 13, Matthew H. Carpenter, Electoral Count of 1877. Proceedings of the Electoral Commission and of the Two Houses of Congress […], published 1877, pages 266–7:

If you do that sort of thing in the green tree, what will you do in the dry? When the honourable member does it to members who support the Prime Minister, what will he do to members of his own party?

1910 November 30, George Laurenson, “Mr. Hine’s Charges”, in New Zealand: Parliamentary Debates. Third Session, Seventeenth Parliament […], volume 153, published 1910, page 1236, column 1:

His case, though never called, was kept in suspense for more than a year, and the dozen Italian workmen, arrested with him, too poor and friendliess to raise the exorbitant bail, remained in prison all that time. These things, and worse, were done in the green tree. Mr. Wallas’ article gives altogether too mild an impression of what is being done in the dry.

1920, The New Statesman, volume 14, page 613:

They saw it as an ominous, a fatal precedent; for if these things were done in the green tree, what would be done in the dry, when the Whigs returned despite the king?

1966, Owen Chadwick, The Victorian Church, volume 1, page 106:

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

(idiomatic, dated) In a better situation as against a worse one; used chiefly in rhetorical questions to suggest that what is bad at one time will be worse in future.


without welt or guard

For, as the Romans, a gowned nation, gave unto them that were entring into mans estate, a virile and plaine gowne, without welt or guard : even so, the Germans our Ancestors bestowed upon their young men, whom they judged meet [...]

1610, William Camden, Britain, or A chorographicall description:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see without, welt, guard. Of clothing, etc: not having a welt or hem.

… without Flattery or Dissimulation, but relate the Story without Welt or Guard, that these People, who are all Persons of Quality, may understand the want of …

1657 (published), The history of the most renowned Don Quixote of Mancha and his trusty squire Sancho Pancha now made English according to the humour of our modern language and adorned with copper plates by J.P., part 1, book 4, chapter IV

[BEDFORD-SHIRE, proverbs:] [...] / It is applyed to things plain and simple without either welt or guard to adorne them, as also to matters easie and obvious to be found with / [...]
[WARWICK-SHIRE, Saints:] Jacob, a plain man, with Nathaniel an Israelite without guile, welt or gard.

1662, Thomas Fuller, The history of the worthies of England:

(figurative, dated) Plain(ly) or straightforward(ly); without embellishment(s).


in isolation

The play, taken in isolation, seems nonsensical, but it is in fact a surreal satire of recent events.

On its own; unaccompanied by, or without reference to, anything else.


out of gauge

(shipping) Of cargo: that cannot be loaded in a standard dry container due to its excessive dimensions or weight.

During the year 1949, well over 7,500 exceptional and out-of-gauge loads were carried in the London Midland Region of British Railways. Among them were railway coaches for Egypt, locomotives for Ireland, and specially-constructed wagons and large pieces of machinery for various parts of the world.

1950 February, “Notes and News: Out-of-Gauge Loads, L.M.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 140:

(rail transport) Of rail vehicles, or loads carried on freight vehicles: where dimensions exceed the loading gauge or structure gauge for a particular line or route.


of someone's life

Visiting the Galapagos was the experience of my life.

Being the best or the most remarkable or memorable.


on special

Short grain rice is on special this week.

If a particular item is on special this week, when can I expect it to go on sale again?

This wine is outstanding. I recently ordered 2 cases of this when it was on special.

(Australia) For sale at a reduced price.


like a champ

Wow, you took that punch like a champ.

Here's Barbara Mikulski, who enters like a champ with great big hair.

2012 September 5, Elspeth Reeve, “DNC Recap: Bill Clinton’s Night”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-01-07:

As I'm walking through the festival entrance, a man casually vomits before continuing on, unfazed. ¶ Twenty-year-old me thinks, "Dope. That guy knows how to get faded like a champ!" ¶ Thirty-year-old me thinks, "I'm concerned for the boy's health and the general sanitation of this festival. Where are the comment cards located?!"

2015 June 10, Farley Katz, “Music Festivals in Your Thirties”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2017-08-14:

My sunny front lawn, however, grows like a champ. It grows so well that a passer-by, concerned about my boisterous crop of dandelions, once suggested I use her landscaping crew to corral my wild patch. "They can really get those dandelions under control," she said.

2019 April 26, Ronda Kaysen, “I’m Done Mowing My Lawn”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-09:

(idiomatic, informal) Very well; with great success or skill.


off the top of one's dome

off the top of one's head
off the top of one's head#English

Alternative form of off the top of one's head


for real life

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-for real life.wav

Perhaps a blend of for real + real life. Popularised by the 2018 Australian animated children's TV series Bluey, but attested earlier.

Sure, letting the neighbourhood kids set up a doctor's surgery in your loungeroom can end in chaos and crocodile attacks (as in the episode, The Doctor). But when Bingo goes to hospital for real life, the neighbours are at the ready with healing help (episode: Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound).

2020 January 17, Mary Bolling, “What parents can keep learning from Bluey”, in Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

(originally Bluey fandom slang, informal) Synonym of in reality, occurring in real life as opposed to play or make believe.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see for, real life.


in abeyance

Then I hereby declare this treaty in abeyance.

1989, Melinda M. Snodgrass, “The Ensigns of Command”, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 3, episode 2, spoken by Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart):


in the ascendant

Towards the end of the session of 1836, the hopes of the Conservative party were again in the ascendant.

1844, B[enjamin] Disraeli, chapter V, in Coningsby; or, The New Generation. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book IV, page 47:

[T]hose poets, […] by enriching the common language and by circulating from to town to town either in person or in their compositions, contributed to fan the flame of Pan-Hellenic patriotism at a time when there were few circumstances to co-operate with them, and when the causes tending to perpetuate isolation seemed in the ascendant.

1847, George Grote, “Lyric Poetry—The Seven Wise Men”, in History of Greece, volume IV, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, part II (Continuation of Historical Greece), page 136:

Becoming more popular, powerful, or relevant; on the rise.


to high heaven

But I wished to high heaven that my head would quit aching.

1921 December, anonymous author, “Shell-Shocked—And After”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 128, page 740:

The rear housing on the back tender truck was now blazing to high heaven.

1929, Francis Lynde, Young Blood, page 148:

If someone would have the nerve to ask for, say, 10 percent of that amount to be used for the training of this same young man to make a good farmer and citizen out of him, then they would cry to high heaven about the out-of-reason waste of money.

1955 October 28, Helge E. Nygren, “Statement of Helge E. Nygren […]”, in Price-Support Program: Hearings before the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, United States Senate, Eighty-Fourth Congress, First Session […], volume 3, published 1956, page 1182:

He stood in the middle of the road and began to complain to high heaven at the top of his voice.

2013 [a. 1929], Evald Tang Kristensen, translated by Stephen Badman, “Broken on the Wheel”, in John Herbert, editor, Odds and Sods: Stories Taken from the Collection of Evald Tang Kristensen, →ISBN, page 36:

How can I ever forget one cold night in February while the wind blew to high heaven?

2015, Nesarío García, Hoe, Heaven, and Hell: My Boyhood in Rural New Mexico, →ISBN, page 38:


in arms

It is worthy of remark, especially on the part of those who realize that the sword fits the hand of the Church and that Catholicism is never more alive than when it is in arms, I say it is worthy of remark by these that Spain and Portugal through the very greatness of an experience still recent when the Reformation broke, lost the chance of combat.

1920, Hilaire Belloc, Europe and the Faith:


to someone's credit

To his credit, the captain ensured that all passengers were taken off the sinking ship before himself.

In such a way that someone deserves praise.


down someone's alley

up someone's alley
up someone's alley#English


at the tail

Miss Brownell was very fond of ridiculing her pupils. All the girls in the class giggled except one who had not been there in the morning and was consequently at the tail.

1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Chapter 8”, in Emily of New Moon:


in bad taste

Jokes about someone’s physical appearance are in bad taste.

While some envied not finding their own Rolls-Royce like his under the tree, and instead smiled as they opened a pair of socks or new pajamas, others saw it as an ostentation in bad taste.

2022 December 28, Marta Rodríguez Peleteiro, “Georgina criticised for “almost pornographic” gift to Cristiano Ronaldo”, in AS USA:

(idiomatic) offensive or inappropriate (of an action, often of jokes)


'least

ASH / lights the fire with his Zippo lighter and huddles near the flame for warmth. / ASH / 'least I won't freeze to death.

1991 January 3, Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, The Army of Darkness (screenplay), page 38:

“Who’s playin’ here tonight?” Jack asked. / “The Rusty Cadillacs. They’re real good. ’Least I like ’em.” […] Everybody down here recognizes the first three notes of ‘Faded Love.’ ’Least the older folks do.” […] Think I’m feelin’ better somewhat, ’least tonight I am.

1995, Robert James Waller, Border Music, New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, →ISBN, pages 30, 170, and 237:

Murtaugh regards the body a moment. / MURTAUGH / 'Least he's no one's slave now.

1998 May, Channing Gibson, Lethal Weapon 4 (screenplay), via the Internet Movie Script Database, archived from the original on 2018-10-06, page 24:

She didn’t seem to want me much, either. ’Least she didn’t throw me off no ladder.

2001, Jacquelyn L. Miles, Roseflower Creek, Nashville, Tenn.: Cumberland House Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 16:

“[…] You get a call, you go out, ask some questions, figure out why. Sometimes it’s easy. Guy robs a convenience store, shot the clerk.” Sam scratched his head. “Actually, don’t think we’ve had one of those around here. ’Least not while I was on the job. But that’s just a fer instance.[…]”

2004, Parnell Hall, And a Puzzle to Die On (The Puzzle Lady Mysteries), New York, N.Y.: Bantam Dell, →ISBN, page 127:


at one's ease

The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit at their ease and gape at the play.

1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter I, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 5:

Alternative form of at ease (“free of anxiety; not stressed or tense”).


in Minecraft

From in + Minecraft (“a sandbox video game in which players explore a three-dimensional world made of blocks and can craft items and build structures”), implying that the speaker’s statement does not refer to the real world but merely the game. Apparently originated from the 4chan board /pol/ around early 2018.

I’ll blow up your house … in Minecraft!

/uj ok unironically does anyone know of any resources on how to get started doing online sex work in like. a safe way that won't get me kidnapped and locked in some old grody dude's basement 🥹 entirely hypothetically ofc. in minecraft

2022 November 13, “now that im 18 im thinking of finally putting that tight tgirl body to use making money because im so horny and desperate for affection uwu”, in Reddit, r/transgendercirclejerk, archived from the original on 2024-05-12:

.308 may be somewhat unreliable against heavy armor penetration at long distance, while .50 BMG barely has to touch you to kill you. In Minecraft, obviously...

2023 February 19, u/Nuker_Nathan, “Hypothetically, in Minecraft of course”, in Reddit, r/DramaticText, archived from the original on 2024-05-12:

You could very easily go to these shows and just note down all the plate numbers in the parking lot. It wouldn't be hard at all. You could build a database of all the people who attend these shows. Maybe you could cross reference it with other databases. In Minecraft, of course.

2023 March 25, @Babygravy9, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-03-26:

Literally the coolest looking gun on the planet, and unfortunately, literally the worst trigger on the planet. ¶ But with subsonics, it's so quiet you could run the Bin Laden raid in a suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood and I doubt anyone would hear you. ¶ In Minecraft, obviously.

2023 September 15, @FenixAmmunition, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-05-12:

(Internet slang, figurative, humorous) Used to supposedly keep oneself from becoming legally liable for making a certain statement that could be perceived as a threat, or that may otherwise pose a legal risk.

leikisti

used to supposedly keep oneself from becoming legally liable — see also in Roblox

Dylan, like many nine-year-olds, enjoys books but is more enthusiastic when talking about Minecraft, which he does with the casual expertise that many children have with their favourite games. He's already made his own Hunger Games world in Minecraft at home, but couldn't get some of his traps to work.

2018 July 11, Alison Flood, Sian Cain, “How Minecraft is helping kids fall in love with books”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-03-08:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, Minecraft.


in all but name

Thenceforth my voice was a household law; and at an age when few children have abandoned their leading-strings, I was left to the guidance of my own will, and became, in all but name, the master of my own actions.

1839, Edgar Allan Poe, “William Wilson”, in Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, published 1940, page 29:

‘Do you mean to say that you’ve become a communist?’
‘In all but name, William, yes. In all but name.’

1935, Christopher Isherwood, chapter 5, in Mr Norris Changes Trains, Penguin, published 1942, page 49:

2012, Katie Kitamura, Gone to the Forest, New York: Free Press, Chapter 5, p. 76,
He thinks: I have been running the farm in all but name. Leave and nothing here will change. You will see.

In practice, though in an unacknowledged way.


at bank

From at + bank (“ground at the top of a shaft”).

com

This case would, no doubt, excite the attention of all professional men, and they would, he thought, ventilate the flues more extensively than they had done hitherto; but it had staggered him as to whether it was advisable to place the boilers underground or at bank. Unless the pits were very deep, he thought the boilers should be placed at bank, and the steam conveyed underground.

1861, North of England Institute of Mining Engineers, Transactions, volume 9, page 170:

We are using compressed air for hauling and pumping in a coal seam at a depth of 900 feet from the surface, and strange to say the pressure gauge attached to the air receiver at bank reads 90 pounds pressure per square inch above the pressure of the atmosphere, whereas, the pressure gauge attached to an air receiver in the mines reads higher than that at the bank.

January 1895, “Solutions to Questions which Appeared in the November Number and for which Prizes Have Been Awarded.”, in The Colliery Engineer and Metal Miner, volume 15, number 6:

He had in his hands the balance sheet of that society, which covered Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, and the ironstone mines of Cleveland, and included in its membership the whole of the men at work down the mines and a very large number of those working at bank, the total number of members being nearly 123,000.

1897 May 25, John Wilson, “Liability of Certain Employers to Workmen for Injuries”, in The Parliamentary Debates, 4th series (House of Commons), volume 49, United Kingdom, page 1314:

(mining, obsolete) On the surface; at or around the mine entrance.


at the bank

(mining, obsolete) Alternative form of at bank (“on the surface”).

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see at, the, bank.


under the surface

In less of a nod than a jabbed finger to the film's own forebears, Felix drops in a mention of Evelyn Waugh being reputedly obsessed with the place. All of this is a calculated set-up, Saltburn intended to seduce the viewer with grandeur as much as it might hope to imply ominous things lurking under the surface.

2023 November 13, Rosalind Jana, “Saltburn and the bizarre life of Britain's stately homes”, in BBC:


FAPP

Popularized by physicist John Stewart Bell.

Is it not good to know what follows from what, even if it is not necessary FAPP? Suppose for example that quantum mechanics were found to resist precise formulation. Suppose that when formulation beyond FAPP is attempted, we find an unmovable finger obstinately pointing outside the subject, to the mind of the observer, to the Hindu scriptures, to God, or even only Gravitation? Would that not be very, very interesting?"

1988, John Stewart Bell, Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics, Cambridge University Press:

Going beyond FAPP to interpret quantum theory is today a growth industry, and a contentious field, though a very small fraction of physicists are involved.

2011, Bruce Rosenblum, Fred Kuttner, Quantum Enigma, page 206:

Newtonian physics works fine, FAPP, at the macroscopic level, say Rosenblum & Kuttner[…]

2019, David Yeats, A Universe Full of Magical Things, page 45:

for all practical purposes
for all practical purposes#English

(philosophy, physics) Abbreviation of for all practical purposes.


to the last man

Synonym of to a man (“including everybody”)


under construction

Our new office is still under construction.

(idiomatic) Being currently constructed.


with a high arm

with a high hand
with a high hand#English


in calf

a cow in calf


in battery

(firearms) Of a firearm, in the firing position after recovery from the recoil of a previous discharge.


behind the scene

behind the scenes
behind the scenes#English


on the spin

(British, informal) Successively, one after the other.


for me

The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me.

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

As far as I'm concerned
as far as I'm concerned#English


to a desire

The wind, serving us to a desire, now hauled into the west.

(archaic) Precisely as one would wish; ideally.


out of harness

(slang) Synonym of out of collar (“unemployed; out of work”)


in collar

[…] so the moment the site Foreman at Wheatfield Way gave Frank the nod we were back in collar, it had been well over four months, couldn't wait to get back to earn some money.

2010, Patrick Shortle, Full Circle: An Autobiography, page 109:

(slang) Synonym of in harness (“employed; at work”)


in motion

Moving; having movement; on the move; not stationary.


in the mix

There might be no need to use variations in the mix to avoid excessive inflation at any given level of employment if some form of incomes policy were capable of exerting complete control over the general level of wage rates and other incomes.

1985, James Oliver Newton Perkins, The Macroeconomic Mix in the Industrialized World, page 107:

(music) Acting as a deejay; mixing music

Women can get caught in the mix through self-destructive behaviors such as drug use and fighting or damaging relationships that interfere with one's program or limit freedom through placement in restrictive housing or the addition of time to one's sentence.

1998, Barbara Owen, In the Mix: Struggle and Survival in a Women's Prison, page 8:


in the dogbox

(New Zealand, South Africa, informal) Synonym of in the doghouse (“subjected to someone's anger or disapproval”)


on the stocks

(British, idiomatic) in progress, underway


for ya

Alternative form of for you (an intensifier to emphasize typicality of behavior).


in the original German

Said in reference to the propaganda and policies advocated by the Nazi Party and its leader, Adolf Hitler. First used by American journalist Molly Ivins in reaction to conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan's "Culture war" speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention.

(figurative, offensive) Said mostly on social media (usually Twitter) with regard to genocidal, racist, anti-Semitic, or totalitarian rhetoric interpreted as being reminiscent of Nazi Germany.


below the breadline

on the breadline
on the breadline#English


above grass

From above + grass, in reference to grass only growing on the surface.

(UK, mining, obsolete) Above ground; on the surface.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see above, grass.


like a dog with two dicks

(slang, vulgar, simile) Sexually voracious.


by the job

On the basis of a stipulated sum for individual pieces of work, rather than timework.


by the piece

At a pay rate for each item produced, according to the amount completed.


out of the side of one's mouth

Compare out of both sides of one's mouth.

speak out of the side of one's mouth

talk out of the side of one's mouth

He [Donald Trump] says some things that, uh, I don't, don't know where he's getting 'em from. I think he talks out of the side of his mouth before he realizes what he says.

2024 January 15, 7:11 from the start, Vote 2024, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour (television production), spoken by Chris Garcia, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 2024-01-15:

(figuratively) Falsely; untruthfully; inaccurately.


in-person

Since then, and after high-level in-person talks between ScotRail and TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust, "the company has done nothing to suggest they are prepared to shift their ground", the union said.

2024 April 3, “Network News: Fresh manager strikes at ScotRail”, in RAIL, number 1006, page 9:


head

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-at church every time the doors swing open.wav

at church every time the doors are open#English

Synonym of at church every time the doors are open


like a rat from a sinking ship

like rats from a sinking ship
like rats from a sinking ship#English

(simile) Alternative form of like rats from a sinking ship


with a hook

[…] nor did the cruel sarcasm of "Oh, yes, with a hook!" — which some courtier would throw in — divert her at all from her humble purpose.

1864, Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, John Leech, The Comic History of England (page 255)

Mr. Bartley thinks himself a capital speech-maker. — (Yes — with a hook.)

1838, Actors by Daylight, volume 1, page 176:

(UK, slang, obsolete) Appended to a statement to indicate that one does not believe it.


by blood

(law) Sharing a relationship that connects two individuals through their biological parents.


in a bad spot

(informal) In a problematic situation; in trouble, in a predicament.


in jig time

(idiomatic) Rapidly; in a very short amount of time.


at one time or another

At a certain point in time; at various times.


many a time

(obsolete, dated) Many times, in many instances; often, frequently.


at odd times

During times when one wouldn't expect something to occur.


at times and again

(dated, obsolete) At various times; occasionally.


by a time

(Scotland, obsolete) Sometimes, occasionally.


time back

(dated, archaic, regional) Some time ago.

(dated, archaic, regional) For a long time.


like robbing a baby

like taking candy from a baby
like taking candy from a baby#English

(simile) Synonym of like taking candy from a baby


on God's green Earth

on God's green earth
on God's green earth#English

Alternative form of on God's green earth


at the bottom of the pile

Dad tried and tried to get a different job, any job. But jobs in the town were scarce, and a man with a wooden leg always found himself at the bottom of the pile.

2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

At the lowest level in a list or hierarchy.


what in time

(idiomatic, US, New England) Used as an intensifier of an interrogative word or phrase.


as times go

(dated, obsolete) As the way things are in current times; according to contemporary standards.


out of one's time

(dated) In an era not sympathetic to or not in conformity with one's aspirations or attitudes.

(dated) Beyond one's period of minority or apprenticeship.


like all possessed

(US, colloquial) With great energy or vigor.


on the critical list

Mike's nose sounds as if it's on the critical list.

1985, John Milward, Ilene Cherna, The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary, page 101:


on the front burner

[…] arms control was on the front burner. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and with other events in the Soviet Union, arms control has not been on the lips of many Senators or people in Congress […]

1991, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations, START, Present Status and Prospects: Hearing..., page 12:

(idiomatic) Currently receiving attention.


on someone's radar screen

on someone's radar
on someone's radar#English


in the course of time

After a period of time; as time goes by.


in record time

(idiomatic) That is the fastest or greatest recorded example; faster than any previously recorded time.


in times

(dated, obsolete) At times; on various occasions.


in one's own good time

(dated, idiomatic) At one's own pace; at a pace unaffected by external influence; unhurriedly.


till time

(dated, archaic, literary) Until the moment; at the moment.


when the time comes

At the appropriate time; in due time; in good time.


by the sound of it

Tom adored to give pleasure while Gore has always liked to boast that he has never knowingly or intentionally gratified any of his partners. Not even a sighing reach-around by the sound of it.

2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic, published 2011, page 153:

By the sound of it, the ever obliging Agent Barrett didn't really feel like obliging. Else he was too sleep-drunk to string two rational thoughts together.

2011, Sabine C. Bauer, Stargate SG-1: Transitions, Fandemonium Books (2011), unnumbered pages

His name was Toby Bell and he was entirely alone in his criminal contemplations. [ - - - ] As to the Toby, which might by the sound of it set him higher on the English social ladder than his provenance deserved, it derived from nothing more elevated than his father's pride in the holy man Tobias, whose wondrous filial virtues are set down in the ancient scripts.

2013, John le Carré, A Delicate Truth, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

Frank sighed, and replied, “I know, Dad. It was stupid of me. But by the sound of it you are about to do something stupid too.”


on the improve

(colloquial) Improving; getting better; on the mend.


upon one's legs

[…] but it is clear, from Mr. Lov's circular, that if these charges were paid off the company could be easily put upon its legs again; […]

1885, Investors Chronicle and Money Market Review, volume 49, page 625:

Synonym of on one's legs (“in an independent position”)


to a greater extent

We do, indeed, find mention made of axiomata or general propositions to a greater extent than in the Organon, but they are never clearly distinguished…

1882, Alfred William Benn, The Greek Philosophers, page 375:

Recently though, slack manufacturers have been cuddling under the wings of the clothing industry to a greater extent than ever, for it has become good business to promote separate slacks and sport coats as a coordinated sales unit.

1970, Harry A. Cobrin, The Men’s Clothing Industry: Colonial Through Modern Times, New York, N.Y.: Fairchild Publications, Inc., →ISBN, page 7:

Semi-arid cropping systems in India, and to a greater extent in Indo-China and east Indonesia, use dryland or upland rice when possible during the wet season.

1995, C. J. Pearson, D. W. Norman, J. Dixon, Sustainable Dryland Cropping in Relation to Soil Productivity, Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization, →ISBN, page 81, UN call number FAO(05)/S6/no.72/ENG:

During 15-day biodegradation experiments, DOM from the two pasture streams was altered to a greater extent than DOM from the forest streams, with formulas with H/C and O/C ranges similar to protein (H/C = 1.5–2.2, O/C = 0.3–0.67), lipid (H/C = 1.5–2.0, O/C = 0–0.3), and unsaturated hydrocarbon (H/C = 0.7–1.5, O/C = 0–0.1) being the most bioreactive groups.

2015 December 30, “Use of ESI-FTICR-MS to Characterize Dissolved Organic Matter in Headwater Streams Draining Forest-Dominated and Pasture-Dominated Watersheds”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:


beyond words

With the lift in the block still out of order, they climbed the flights and flights of steps. When Dad finally put the key in the front door, both were weary beyond words.

To such a great extent that it is inexpressible.


in kid

"Those little ones there, probably no more than ten, fifteen kilos," he says, pointing out three goats about the same size as the cattle dog, "they would be in kid."

2008, Monte Dwyer, Red In The Centre: The Australian Bush Through Urban Eyes, Monyer Pty Ltd, page 200:


full of

Queens full of nines — three queens and two nines.

The strongest possible full house is aces full of kings — three aces and two kings.

Full house. Eights full of aces. A higher full house. Aces full of sixes.

2006 November 14, Casino Royale, spoken by Dealer (Andreas Daniel):

(poker) Used to designate a type of full house; the three of a kind is "full of" the pair.


without a scratch

(figuratively) Unscathed, safe and sound.


without so much as a by-your-leave

without so much as a by your leave#English

Alternative form of without so much as a by your leave


out of one's hands

I wish you weren't going to lose your job, but it's out of my hands: I can't tell them to keep you on.


NBM

37/F/Salt Lake, Utah NBM

(Internet slang, online dating) Initialism of never been married.


out of spoons

From spoon theory, in which the amount of physical and/or mental energy that a person has available for daily activities and tasks is metaphorically represented as a certain amount of spoons.

(idiomatic) Out of physical and/or mental energy


in hell

I knew very well I had no chance in hell that I could handle this group of people definitively.

2009, Jan K. Herman, Navy Medicine in Vietnam, page 204:

There's no way in hell will I be your family's housekeeper while your family has Mike and Mitch living here with them!

2013, Doris Miller, DIANE D: The Musical Drama, page 218:

As if having a copper rod you don't have a hope in hell of catching flying towards your face isn't traumatic enough, sometimes the teacher would introduce a second rod, so you had to both throw and catch at the same time.

2021, Sara Gibbs, Drama Queen: One Autistic Woman and a Life of Unhelpful Labels:

(mildly vulgar) Used as an intensifier to emphasize how unlikely something is.


on net

Under Willes the Times circulation has increased on net', but at a price.

1999 August 9, “Tear down walls, or hit them?”, in Forbes:

The alternative interpretation is to read "shall have been encreased during such time" as "shall have been encreased on net during such time," thereby prohibiting the appointment of a congressional member to an office only when the emoluments of the office are greater at the time of appointment than they were at the start of the member's term.

2009 May 20, “Statutory Rollback of Salary to Permit Appointment of Member of Congress to Executive Office”, in U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, archived from the original on 2024-04-02:


to time

(dated, obsolete) In time; at the same pace or rhythm as.


off one's block

Me, carry a gun in that desert sun? What a crock; you're off your block.

2007, Thurman Woodfork, Guitars, Sandbags, and Saigon Tea, page 163:


to the dot

Easy bearings to carry—three South—three to the dot;

1896, Rudyard Kipling, “(please specify the poem name)”, in The Seven Seas, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC:

At twelve to the dot Howard Burroughs was shown into the little morning room

1913 December 5, Anna Alice Chapin, The Woman With a Past, A Case of Blackmail:

Eleven-thirty to the dot. The good old Amelia that brought Madame Helena to us.

c. 1921 (date written), Karel Čapek, translated by Paul Selver, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots): A Fantastic Melodrama […], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1923, →OCLC, Act 2:


at the first

Professor Flinders Petrie, although doubtful at the first, has for many years assigned the deposits in which they were found to the time of the XIIth Dynasty.

1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 66:


in a body

On the contrary, it seemed, that mainly at Steelkilt’s instigation, they had resolved to maintain the strictest peacefulness, obey all orders to the last, and, when the ship reached port, desert her in a body.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Town-Ho’s Story”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 286:

(formal, literary) As a group, together.


ITW

(Internet slang) Initialism of in the world.


in the aggregate

Cancers are common diseases; in the aggregate, they are among the leading causes of death nationally and worldwide, and their incidence is increasing as the population ages.

2015 February 26, Francis S. Collins, Harold Varmus, “A New Initiative on Precision Medicine”, in The New England Journal of Medicine, volume 372, number 9, →DOI, pages 793–794:


off the dome

off the top of one's dome
off the top of one's dome#English

(slang) Clipping of off the top of one's dome.


off the shits

(slang, drugs) Extremely high; tripping, wired, etc..


on the hog train

First appears c. 1893 in the publication Railroad Trainmen's Journal.

(US, slang) Leading a life or an existence as a tramp or a vagrant, or traveling as such.


on the hog

on the hog train
on the hog train#English


upon a time

... one of the servant girls made faith that she upon a time rashly entered into the house, to speak, in your cant, "in the hour of cause."

1844, Robert Burns, John Wilson, The Works of Robert Burns, page 160:

Captaine Timotheus having upon a time beene at a sober and frugall scholars supper.

1888, Charles Talbut Onions, James Augustus Henry Murray, Sir William Alexander Craigie (editors), A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (cited text refers to P. Holland's translation of Plutarch's Morals (1603), page 574:

Well, after a while the Captains and stout ones of the town of Mansoul agreed, and resolved upon a time to make a salley out upon the camp of Diabolus, ...

2012, John Bunyan, The Holy War, Annotated Companion to the Pilgrim's Progress (a republication of Bunyan's original work in 1682), page 212:

(dated) At a certain time; at a particular time.


with the passing of time

with the passage of time
with the passage of time#English


within the agreed time

As planned, as scheduled; according to an established timetable.


within the four seas

(dated, obsolete) Within or located in Great Britain.


with every ounce of one's being

with every fiber of one's being
with every fiber of one's being#English

Synonym of with every fiber of one's being


with every fibre of one's being

Alternative form of with every fiber of one's being


time past

(dated) For a considerable amount of time.


on someone's ass

Help! The cops are on my ass!

Then they saw him, his legs pumping, his face a mask of determination. "Go!" he shouted in a high voice. "They're on my ass!"

1987, Samantha Harte, Vanity Blade, Toronto, Ont., New York, N.Y.: PaperJacks Ltd., →ISBN, page 243:

(Canada, US, colloquial, vulgar) Rapidly chasing or pursuing someone.

My mom's always on my ass about keeping my grades up.

They would see to it that I graduated, not by pulling strings as might have been done at other schools, but by staying on my ass just as a parent would to help me off the field as well as on the field.

2011, Harry Carson, Captain for Life: My Story as a Hall of Fame Linebacker, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 44:

I slept on his couch for a few days, then he started getting on my ass about looking for work. I said, 'For Christ's sake, Frankie, I just graduated. Can I just enjoy the moment?'

2012, Mark Anthony Rolo, My Mother Is Now Earth, St. Paul, M.N.: Borealis Books, →ISBN, page 121:

(Canada, US, colloquial, vulgar) Persistently urging someone on and putting pressure on them.


without cause

(law, business, human resources) Wihtout any reason or justification.


at a discount

Below the usual price; below face value.

It is not that there are no replacements for such as Derek Gladwin; the tragedy is that there are. It is rather that, nowadays, long service and ideological constancy are at a discount as you move upwards.

2003 April 14, Lord McCarthy, “Obituary: Lord Gladwin of Clee”, in The Guardian:

(figuratively) In low regard; not in demand.


in the Biblical sense

Hopefully I have learned something out of all my years of screwing around with bands (in the Biblical sense, that is), so can offer some words of wisdom to Sue Sullivan, who wrote the letter in MRR #34 regarding the sexual demands of touring hardcore musicians.

1986 May, Lynne Lopatin, “P.O. Box”, in Maximum Rock’n’Roll, number 36, Berkeley, Calif., →ISSN, column 1:

For the whole of Ian’s life till I turned up, the ‘official’ date that our father and mother first met – in the Biblical sense – must have been given as or assumed to be, at the very earliest, some time after Ernest was killed, 1944. But in fact our parents had met and conceived me in early 1942, while Ernest was risking his life for king and country. But why had my father reacted in such a defensive manner over a matter of dates?

2008, Dave Sharp, John Parker, Complete Surrender: The True Story of a Family’s Dark Secret and the Brothers It Tore Apart at Birth, London: John Blake Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 209:

“No, Walker, when I really think about it I don’t think there was anyone. In the Biblical sense that is, but what about you?” / “I guess in that way we are alike. I can’t honestly recall anyone.” / “Not even high school?” / He paused. “If you insist on going back that far, dear, I could include Jasmine.” / “Oh yes. You were quite smitten with her.”

2008, Richard Haight, Winter Beach Dog Trot: A Novel, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 105:

in the biblical sense
in the biblical sense#English

Alternative letter-case form of in the biblical sense.


beyond a reason of a doubt

beyond a reasonable doubt
beyond a reasonable doubt#English


in reaction

Viewed in its proper historical context this reaction fits a not-unfamiliar pattern seen first after emancipation of slaves and the Thirteenth Amendment, then in reaction to blacks holding political office during reconstruction.

2016, Obi Nwasokwa, Witness to Greatness; The Consequential Presidency of Barack Obama in Perspective, page 422:

(idiomatic) By being partially or entirely a response to a stimulus or other event, without which there would be a diminished or no such action or statement.; (while under) duress; by dint of; in the face of; in light of; in return; (in) response;.


for the plot

All senses originate from the phrase sense. Coined as an inspirational phrase by actress and media personality Serena Kerrigan in a video posted to the social media video-sharing service TikTok on 23 July 2021, in which she alluded to every person being the main character of their own storyline: “If something works out, great, and if it doesn't, it's for the plot”. By this, she meant that negative events and obstacles are inevitable in one's life in order to advance “the plot” onto the next plot point (presumably a more positive one) in their life.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-for the plot.wav

(Internet slang, idiomatic) Suggests doing something adventurous or risky just for the sake of it.

Used to dare someone to do something; take a risk; take a chance.


b/o

Alternative form of o/b/o (“on behalf of”)


to the gods

[Jennifer Lawrence] arrived at the Oscars spray-tanned to the gods and looking like she just wandered off the set of Barbie, her long blonde hair almost as shiny as her diamond necklace.

2024 March 19, Elizabeth Logan, “Jennifer Lawrence Paired Her Cozy Spring Layers With the Season’s Most Divisive Shoe”, in Glamour:

(African-American Vernacular and gay slang) Synonym of for the gods.


for the gods

[La Mer Crème de la Mer]^([sic]) is literally dry skin heaven. If you have dry skin, you are going to love this. You do not need much at all. It will hydrate your skin for the gods.

2018 September 10, Leah Melby Clinton, quoting Nyma Tang, “8 Beauty Bloggers Reveal Their Luxe Sephora Hauls”, in Marie Claire:

(African-American Vernacular and gay slang) Perfectly; in an exceptional manner.


for the foreseeable

We'll have to make do with this for the foreseeable.

(informal) Ellipsis of for the foreseeable future.


for one's foams

Referring to being mugged or killed for one's sneakers, also used in image macros of mortally wounded fictional characters, notably Uncle Ben in the 2002 film Spider-Man with the phrase "They got me for my foams".

jack got me for my foams. rt to help me find my mutuals🙏🏼😭

2020 February 25, @luver4skategirl, Twitter:

Killer Bee really ran sasuke for his foams while he was rapping 😭😭😭

AI got me for my foams smh

(Internet slang, humorous) Totally or in humiliating fashion, in the context of being wronged or defeated.


a.m.a.

Alternative form of AMA (“against medical advice”)


in-date

Customers should continue to carry their in-date physical immigration documents with them when they travel internationally.

2024 April 17, UK Home Office, Media factsheet: eVisas:


besides oneself

Feſtus ſayde with a lowde voyce: Paul / thou arte beſides thy ſilfe. Moche learnynge hath made the mad.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Actes off the Apostles xxvj:[24], folio cxcv, recto:

Notwithſtondinge it came ſo often vnto him / that what with laboure and whate with feare / the man was almoſt beſides him ſilfe / and then was he ſent to Oxfoꝛth to aſke counſell what was beſt to be done.

c. 1531, John Frith, A diſputaciõ of purgatoꝛye [A Disputation of Purgatory]:

For I am under the same accusation with my Saviour—for they said, he is besides himself.

c. 1759–1763, Christopher Smart, Jubilate Agno; first published as W. F. Stead, editor, Rejoice in the Lamb: A Song from Bedlam, 1939:

(Early Modern) Archaic form of beside oneself.


fo sheezy

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

Pronunciation spelling of for sheezy, representing African-American Vernacular English.


for sheezy

From for sure + -eezy (suffix forming hip-hop-sounding words).

af

-eezy<pos:suffix forming hip-hop-sounding words>

"I think I might change my name to cutie since everyone here calls me that. My name is Freaky and that's fo sheezy."

2003, Antoine Thomas, Flower's Bed, New York, N.Y.: Amiaya Entertainment, →ISBN, page 82:

"You gon' call me?" she asked. ¶ "Fuh sheezy, boo. I'm feeling your vibe," he said as he pulled her even closer.

2014, Parish Sherman, A Little More Sin, Wilmington, D.E.: Street Knowledge Publishing, →ISBN, page 99:

Yup, I'm for sheezy. Check out this hoodie. It looks like any ole black hoodie but it's actually a state of the art transformational mask.

2015, Marcus Gardley, “No More Monsters Here”, in Facing Our Truth: Short Plays on Trayvon, Race, and Privilege, [New York, N.Y.]: Samuel French, Inc., →ISBN, page 85:

(African-American Vernacular, slang) For sure, for real, definitely.


up someone's strasse

Substitution of strasse, the German word for street, perhaps originally in a Germany-related context, then gaining wider currency through euphony.

(informal, humorous) Up someone's street.


in the foothills

Presumably a reference to the need to pass through foothills before attempting to climb a mountain.

LeBaron followed electronics stocks, which were in the foothills of a major market surge.

1994, Steven L. Mintz, Five Eminent Contrarians: Careers, Perspectives, and Investment Tactics, page 13:

We seemed in the foothills of a fabulous conversation when quite suddenly he was asleep.

Ruby recognised his discomfort talking about whether they might actually be in the foothills of a relationship.

2009, Bernadette Strachan, How to Lose a Husband and Gain a Life, page 221:

(idiomatic) In the earliest stages; at the outset.


to the left

Sunshades are really just umbrellas, but to the left.

Dean says "I love you" but it's not quite on purpose. After Castiel almost gets hurt in a hunt Dean loses his shit and may say some things he can't take back.

2022 January 8, Casey06, “I love you (but to the left)”, in Archive Of Our Own (fan fiction), archived from the original on 2024-06-26:

Y'all, please give Paul a follow and check out Bovaskala! Kespar is a really cool card game he created […] (think poker but to the left) and chatting with him is not only a joy, but can lead to things like a new fortune telling tarot deck for the world!

2022 November 16, @vesmiryn, “Archived copy”, in Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-06-26:

‘minecraft is an advanced version of cookie clicker’ whatever is wrong with his brain is also what’s wrong with my brain but to the left […]

2023 March 18, @Not_Bxnny, “Archived copy”, in Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-06-26:

i've been informed toasted means drunk. I thought it meant like. fried, but to the left.

2024 May 20, @ChronosAster, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-05-20:

(fandom slang) Different; resembling a given concept, but different in an unspecified way.

My sister is on the right in this picture, and I'm to the left.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see to, the, left.


out of heat

(biology) In dioestrus; unreceptive to mating.


in knots

Centrists are in knots over whether to field one or several candidates to be the faces of their 2024 campaign.

2023 July 5, Eddy Wax, “Liberals divided over 2024 EU election campaign strategy”, in Politico:

The conservative stance made it difficult to advance the legislation, and the appropriations process ended up in knots despite a Republican pledge to consider and pass 12 individual spending bills.

2023 December 15, Carl Hulse, “A ‘Historical and Hysterical’ House Flees After a Tumultuous Year”, in The New York Times:

In a state of disagreement or confusion; at a standstill; in a deadlock.


on the flipside

on the flip side
on the flip side#English


all for nought

(literary) All for nothing; in vain, unsuccessfully.


at a distance

(idiomatic) At a level of detachment or separation.


in no way, shape or form

in no way, shape, or form
in no way, shape, or form#English

Alternative form of in no way, shape, or form.


BAMN

We must stop the siege BAMN.


in rough

Younger learners will 'copy out in rough, copy it out in neat, draw a coloured border around it, highlight the keywords in primary colours, draw you a picture'.

1998, Alistair Smith, Accelerated Learning in Practice, page 43:

Where accounts exist both in rough (or draft) form and in neat (or finished) form, preference is given to the neat version, which may be considered more 'official,' unless the rough text preserves details lost in the neat text.

2007, Lawrence M. Clopper, Elizabeth Baldwin, David Mills, Cheshire Including Chester - Volume 1, page cxcv:

However, drafting does not mean 'write in rough – correct – copy up in neat'.

2012, Tony Martin, Chira Lovat, Glynis Purnell, The Really Useful Literacy Book, page 191:


in neat

Coordinate term: in rough


like smack

He ran down like smack.


in school

They have three kids, one who is not in school yet.


with one's chest

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-with one's chest.wav

Finally a friendship we can stan with our chests 🫶🏾 #LoveIsland

2022 July 19, @httpundisclosed, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-07-28:

"Yes, and?" / Say that shit with your chest, and / Be your own fucking best friend

2024 January 12, “Yes, And?” (1:20 from the start)performed by Ariana Grande:

Anything I do, I do it with my chest. That's why I think I don't like sneaky shit so bad 🤣 because what you sneaking for boo. It's never nothing

2024 April 21, @coleyyyru, Twitter, archived from the original on 2024-07-28:

Say it with your chest. You're not just "a little" upset. You ARE upset.

2024 July 14, u/nmymo, “My partner bought a house that I can't live in with him and I'm a little upset.”, in Reddit, r/TwoXChromosomes, archived from the original on 2024-07-28:

(informal, idiomatic) With total confidence.


of its own study

(dated, obsolete, rare) Of one's own composition.


of itself

(dated, obsolete) By one's own motion; without the aid of another.


of its hand

(dated, obsolete) Regarding or concerning one's actions, especially one's valor in battle.


of its proper movement

(dated, obsolete) Regarding a desire, inclination or urge.


of one's making

of one's own making
of one's own making#English


on the couch

From the trope of a mental health patient lying down on a couch before a therapist or psychologist.

French: Did that background growing up in the American West, your time serving as a judge in the West, did that inform your approach to administrative law and your approach to these labyrinth of laws? / Gorsuch: David, I don’t know. I can’t put myself on the couch. I don’t know.

2024 August 1, David French, “‘I Just Have Some Questions’: An Interview With Justice Gorsuch”, in The New York Times:

Undergoing psychological therapy or analysis.


fwiw

Alternative form: FWIW

for what it's worth
for what it's worth#English

(Internet slang, text messaging) Initialism of for what it's worth.


by hook and by crook

Thus, by diverse little make shifts, in that ingenious way which is commonly denominated "by hook and by crook," the worthy pedagogue got on tolerably enough, and was thought, by all those who undersood nothing of the labour of headwork, to have a wonderful easy life of it.

1820 March 5, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number VI, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, pages 62–63:

In these fields of Mr. Tulkinghorn's inhabiting, where the shepherds play on Chancery pipes that have no stop, and keep their sheep in the fold by hook and by crook until they have shorn them exceeding close, every noise is merged, this moonlight night, into a distant ringing hum, as if the city were a vast glass, vibrating.

1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, “Closing In”, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC, page 469:

He had destroyed his talent by not using it, by betrayals of himself and what he believed in, by drinking so much that he blunted the edge of his perceptions, by laziness, by sloth, and by snobbery, by pride and by prejudice, by hook and by crook.

1936 August, Ernest Hemingway, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, in The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 14 October 1938, →OCLC, page 158:

by hook or by crook
by hook or by crook#English


in the rear with the gear

In reference to being behind front lines ("the rear") alongside equipment and supplies ("the gear").

They offered me a deployment overseas to see some action, but I declined. I prefer just staying in the rear with the gear.

(military, slang) Far away from any battlefield; not involved in active combat; in a support role.


to hell and back

She's been to hell and back.

(idiomatic) Through an extremely difficult or distressing situation.


in a foam

But that Poet was always in a foam at his ſetting out, even before the Motion of the Race had warm'd him.

1716, Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy, John Dryden, Richard Graham, Roger de Piles, The Art of Painting, page 54:

Yes, the ſecond time he ſaid, that he met the King's guards that were come back all in a foam

1730, Sollom Emlyn, Thomas Salmon (contributors), A Complete Collection of State-trials, and Proceedings for High-treason, and Other Crimes and Misdemeanours: 1685-1696, page 560:

Horſe and man were in a foam.

1792, Samuel Richardson, The History of Clarissa Harlowe, in a Series of Letters, Volume 6, page 109:

while the horses and mares were all in a foam, and scarcely able to breathe;

1842, J.S. Redfield (publisher), Two Hundred Pictorial Illustrations of the Holy Bible ... Compiled Principally from the Notes to the London Pictorial Bible. Third Series, page 172:

(idiomatic, dated, literary) Foaming at the mouth.


in Heaven's name

“Why, thus I mean it. He thinks he sees him; but, if he does, upon my honour, he sees a ghost,” and Dangerfield chuckled merrily. / “Pray, Mr. Dangerfield, consider me, and be serious, and in Heaven’s name explain,” said Mervyn, speaking, evidently, in suppressed anguish.

1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “How a Gentleman Paid a Visit at the Brass Castle, and There Read a Paragraph in an Old Newspaper”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume III, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 21:

“I’ve got a woman,” he said, and even to himself he sounded surprised. / “Then what in Heaven’s name are you playing at crime for?”

1951, Philip Loraine [pseudonym; Robin Estridge], “Officer, Gentleman . . . and Fox”, in The Break in the Circle, New York, N.Y.: The M. S. Mill Co. and William Morrow & Co., part II (Semi-Circle), page 145:

Who in Heaven’s name was Dr Mama? And why would she need to meet with him?

2016, Yewande Omotoso, The Woman Next Door, London: Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 141:

in heaven's name
in heaven's name#English

Alternative letter-case form of in heaven's name.


in full form

On the contrary, such verdicts have always been within the limits of my reading and practice, been received by the Courts and put in form proper for judgment; and under the nisi prius system which formerly prevailed in New York, upon such verdicts the postea was always made up in full form according to the effect of the intent of the verdict upon the issue.

1858, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Minnesota, page 150:

Edward H. Ken received the Degree of Secret Master in full form and the 14th Degree of Perfection in ample form.

1912, Brotherhood - Volumes 1-6, page 6:

I asked, "Establish prayers in full form next to him?!” Imam replied, “(Establish prayers) in full form.”

(dated) Performed with all the prescribed participants, steps, symbols, and traditions, although other more abbreviated or modified options might be possible.

In the examples opposite the 64th Radical, shou, the hand, the Radical stands in the first example, in full form, on the left of the Phonetic; in the second, in modified form, also on the left; in the third, in full form, underneath the Phonetic .

1867, Thomas Francis Wade, Yü-yen Tzŭ-erh Chi, a Progressive Course Designed to Assist the Student of Colloquial Chinese, page xxxiii:

In lines 14 and 16, T1 specifically asks L11 to choose one of the candidate grammatical structures, and although L11 provides the correct option in line 17, T1 initiates another repair asking L11 to read the sentence in full form, an explicit orientation to form-and-accuracy.

2015, Olcay Sert, Social Interaction and L2 Classroom Discourse:

There are two techniques to writing the speech, whether in full form for Manuscript or Memorized Speeches, or in outline form for Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speeches.

2024, Anath Lee Wales, Communication For Professionals:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, full, form. In the most complete form or structure, with no ellipses, abbreviations, or modifications.


under cover of darkness

under cover of night
under cover of night#English


under cover of night

Hidden or protected by the darkness of night.


with one's tail up

Seconds later Nano’s monster throw-in from the left was recycled to the wing-back and, when he produced the most delicious of deliveries, the totally unmarked Lopes drilled home from six yards.
Now with their tails up, Toni tried his luck with a dipping effort from distance that had Ferguson at full stretch once again.

2024 August 29, Alex Mills, “Larne headed for Conference League group stages as Andy Ryan hat-trick secures historic Play-Off joy”, in Belfast Telegraph:


as a matter of facts

As a matter of facts, the introduction of an isolation system allows to reduce shear and bending moment in piers, but may increase decks’ relative displacements.

2017, Iolanda Nuzzo, Nicola Caterino, Giuseppe Maddaloni, Antonio Occhiuzzi, “Smart hybrid isolation of a case study highway bridge exploiting seismic early warning information”, in Engineering Structures, volume 147, pages 134-147:

As a matter of facts, it is as low as R = 0.6 for a quasicrystal like i-ACF.

2015, Jean-Marie Dubois, Esther Belin-Ferré, “Wetting and adhesion properties of quasicrystals and complex metallic alloys”, in Applied Adhesion Science, volume 3:

As a matter of facts, spatial creativity is a terrain on which it is hard to fix an objective, a referential framework for the interpretation of artistic and/or architectural creations.

2014, Dino Borri, Domenico Camarda, Rossella Stufano, “Spatial primitives and knowledge organization in planning and architecture: some experimental notes”, in City, Territory and Architecture, volume 1:

as a matter of fact
as a matter of fact#English

(nonstandard, adverbial) Alternative form of as a matter of fact.


head

like kicking a dead whale down the beach

like kicking dead whales down the beach#English

Alternative form of like kicking dead whales down the beach


like kicking dead whales down the beach

Originating in computer programming jargon.

I have a full backup, but restoring 213 MB of data from one oppy to another with a single drive, even using dd and big packets, is going to be like kicking dead whales down the beach. Is there an easier way?

1993 September 16, Joshua W. Burton, “OD has no more alternates for remap -- should I worry?”, in comp.sys.next.hardware (Usenet):

“How’s it going?” I asked. ¶ “Swimmingly, man. Like kicking dead whales down the beach.”

1998 April, Mark Fabi, “Wall Street Walpurgisnacht” (chapter 3), in Wyrm, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 65:

(simile, slang, of a task, process, etc.) Very slow and difficult.


on skibidi

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

Blend of on God (“affirmatively”) + skibidi (“nonsense word”), possibly by analogy with similar jocular terms like the skibidi and oh my skibidi.

blend

on skibidi spanish class is only good for rizzing up latina gyatts

2023 December 12, @showerwastaken, Twitter:

no cap this is as real as it gets on skibidi

(Internet slang, humorous, neologism) With all honesty and earnestness, really; no cap; on God.


not for attribution

(US, journalism) Indicating that a source must not be named.


on the ready

(idiomatic) Well-prepared or set to initiate.


infairness

(Philippines) Alternative form of in fairness


in contempt

(law) The willful disobedience to or open disrespect of a court, judge, or legislative body.


by the score

(idiomatic) A great amount; a great deal.


on that score

Alternative form of on this score (“pertaining to a separate or distinct subject or topic”)


on this score

(idiomatic) In reference to or with regard to the subject that is being discussed.


on the beach

Ericson had been axed from the navy in 1927, after ten years’ service: he had been on the beach for two hard years[.]

1951, Nicholas Monsarrat, chapter 1, in The Cruel Sea, London: Cassell:

[O]fficers received only half pay when not on active service. Even Horatio Nelson spent five years “on the beach”[.]

2023, Evan Wilson, The Horrible Peace: British Veterans and the End of the Napoleonic Wars, University of Massachusetts Press:

(idiomatic, nautical) Removed or retired from an active shipboard position in the navy or merchant navy.


on what score

However, let us see on what score he eulogizes this man himself also. On what score then does he eulogize?

1848, Saint John Chrysostom, Homilies on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians; Translated, with Notes and Indices. Part I. Hom. I.-xxiv, page 212:

On what Score the two Engliſh Runagadoes turn'd here, I know not.

1729, Lionel Wafer, William Dampier, William Funnell (contributors), A Collection of Voyages: A supplement to the voyage round the world ; Two voyages to Campeachy ; A discourse of tradewinds 1699, by William Dampier, page 138:

"Explanation?" he questioned presently, and looked at her. "But on what score?" "On the score of the deception you have practiced on us—on me."

(idiomatic, dated) For what reason; in regard to what.


before GTA 6

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Celestial Soccer Bunny-before GTA 6.wav

(Internet slang, humorous, video games)Suggesting that certain events occurred afore Rockstar Games releasing Grand Theft Auto 6.