sublety 20250

: the quality or state of being subtle
2: something subtle

za·ny (zn)20249

za·ny (zn)
n. pl. za·nies
1. A ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown.
2. A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.
adj. za·ni·er, za·ni·est
1. Ludicrously comical; clownish.
2. Comical because of incongruity or strangeness; bizarre

uncanny hability 20248

being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers

Ring Fencing: 20247

Ring Fencing:
Seperated usual judgement to guarantee protection, especially project funds

Nail-biter 20246

Nail-biter
If a game, election, contest, etc, is a nail-biter, it is exciting because the competitors are so close that it is impossible to predict the result

Poetry in motion 20245

Poetry in motion
Something that is poetry in motion is beautiful to watch.

Pink slip 20244

Pink slip
If someone receives a pink slip, they receive a letter telling them they have lost their job.

the cock of the walk (British old-fashioned)20243

the cock of the walk (British old-fashioned)
a man who acts as if he is more fashionable or important than other people He acts like the cock of the walk around the office

st (up)on the scene 20242

st (up)on the scene
to appear suddenly somewhere; to enter or arrive suddenly some place. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than

A hitch in your giddy-up 20241

A hitch in your giddy-up
If you have a hitch in your giddy-up, you're not feeling well. ('A hitch in your gittie-up' is also used

op·er·ate (äp′ər āt′)20240

op·er·ate (äp′ər āt′)

intransitive verb operated -·at′ed, operating -·at′·ing

1.to be in action so as to produce an effect; act; function; work
2.to bring about a desired or appropriate effect; have a certain influence
3.to carry on strategic military movements
4.to perform a surgical operation

reliance 2239

Reliance Meaning and Definition
(n.) Anything on which to rely; dependence; ground of trust; as, the boat was a poor reliance.
(n.) The act of relying, or the condition or quality of being reliant; dependence; confidence; trust; repose of mind upon what is deemed sufficient support or authority.

i decided to extend my stay at the hotel by two weeks 2238

CONFINEMENT 20237

CONFINEMENT
The dog was kept in confinement until it was determined to be healthy.
He remained with his wife during her confinement

permutation 20236

A complete change; a transformation.
The act of altering a given set of objects in a group.
Mathematics. A rearrangement of the elements of a set.

unrelated 2035

unrelated [ˌʌnrɪˈleɪtɪd]
adj
1. not connected or associated an unrelated incident
2. not connected by kinship or marriage

pop up 20234

pop up - appear suddenly or unexpectedly; "The farm popped into view as we turned the corner"; "He suddenly popped up out of nowhere

harden your heart (slightly formal)20233

harden your heart (slightly formal)
to make yourself stop feeling kind or friendly towards someone You've just got to harden your heart and tell him to leave.

Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape. 20232

Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.

Prov. Truly expert criminals are never caught. Everyone's making such a fuss because they convicted that bank robber, but he must not have been a very dangerous criminal. Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.

thumb a ride and hitch a ride 20231

thumb a ride and hitch a ride
to get a ride from a passing motorist; to make a sign with one's thumb that indicates to passing drivers that one is asking for a ride. My car broke down on the highway, and I had to thumb a ride to get back to town. Sometimes it's dangerous to hitch a ride with a stranger

full of the devil 20230

full of the devil and full of Old Nick
always making mischief. Little Chuckie is sure full of the devil. Toward the end of the school year, the kids are always full of Old Nick

your mind goes blank 20229

your mind goes blank
if you are asked a question and your mind goes blank, you cannot think of anything to say I was so nervous during the interview that when I was asked about my experience, my mind went blank

Bodice-ripper 20228

Bodice-ripper A novel, usually on a historical theme, with a plot that involves
romantic passion between a vulnerable heroine and a rich, powerful
male character, is called a bodice-ripper.
"The novel is a bodice-ripper set in the French revolution."

pet hate 20227

pet hate

Fig. something that is disliked intensely and is a constant or repeated annoyance. My pet hate is being put on hold on the telephone. Another pet hate of mine is having to stand in line

a knight in shining armour (British & Australian) also a knight in shining armor (American & Australian)20226

a knight in shining armour (British & Australian) also a knight in shining armor (American & Australian)

someone who helps you when you are in a difficult situation
Usage notes: In stories about medieval times (= the time between 500 and 1500 AD), knights were soldiers who rode on horses and helped women in difficult or dangerous situations.
She looked around the bar to see if there was a knight in shining armour who might come and save her from this awful man.

He that would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime 20225

He that would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime.

Prov. Being a sailor is so unpleasant that anyone who would do it for fun must be crazy. Old Sailor: Why did you decide to go to sea? Young Sailor: I thought it would be fun. Old Sailor: He that would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime

the law of the jungle 20224

the law of the jungle
the way in which only the strongest and cleverest people in a society stay alive or succeed I was brought up on the streets where the law of the jungle applies, so I soon learnt how to look after myself.

the only thing i could do was sit and wait 20223

there was anything i could do apart from sit and wait

the manufacturing prossecc was delayed by problems 20222 no one had foressen

the manufacturing process was held up due to unforessen problems

pea-brained (informal)20221

pea-brained (informal)

a pea-brained person is very stupid (always before noun) Take no notice - he's just a pea-brained idiot.

big man on campus 20220

big man on campus
Sl. an important male college student. (Often derisive or jocular.) Hank acts like such a big man on campus. Let some big man on campus do the dirty work for a change.

He puts his pants on one leg at a time 20219

He puts his pants on one leg at a time.
Prov. The person referred to is only human.; The person referred to is an ordinary person. Sue: That man is my favorite movie star. Don'tyou think he's just divine? Jane: Oh, I don't know. I imagine he puts his pants on one leg at a time

far from the madding crowd 20218

far from the madding crowd
in a quiet, restful place. (From Thomas Gray's poem, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.") Julia sat daydreaming at her desk, wishing she were far from the madding crowd. Jane: Where shall we go this weekend? Alan: Anywhere, as long as it's far from the madding crowd.

•a/the trained eye 20217

•a/the trained eye
the ability to see the difference between things that are similar or to recognize that someone has a particular skill
These differences are only obvious to the trained eye

shoulder heavy burden 20216

uncanny 20215

seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious b : being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers

follow suit 20214

follow suit
1. Games To play a card of the same suit as the one led.
2. To do as another has done; follow an example

Mary went to work for a bank, and Jane followed suit. Now they are both head cashiers. The Smiths went out to dinner, but the Browns didn't follow suit. They stayed home.

hindsight 20213

hind·sight (hndst)
n.
1. Perception of the significance and nature of events after they have occurred.
2. The rear sight of a firearm.

THE STORY WAS DISMISSED AS NOTHING OTHER THAN PURE SPECULATION 20212

THE STORY WAS DISMISSED AS NOTHING OTHER THAN PURE SPECULATION

it is of no consequence to me what make of car you choose 20211

outright 20210

archaic : straight ahead : directly
2 : in entirety : completely
3 : without restraint or reservation
4 : on the spot : instantaneously
5 : without lien or encumbrance

the machine doest look safe but i will take your word 2209 for it

the cinema is under threat of closure due to poor attendance levels 2208

at no time did david express regret for hurting his mother 2207

deity 20206

de·i·ty (d-t, d-)
n. pl. de·i·ties
1. A god or goddess.
2.
a. The essential nature or condition of being a god; divinity.
b. Deity God. Used with the

Evasive action 20205

Evasive action
1. Noun. An action aimed at evading an opponent

gaffe 20204

gaffe also gaff (gf)
n.
1. A clumsy social error; a faux pas: "The excursion had in his eyes been a monstrous gaffe, a breach of sensibility and good taste" (Mary McCarthy).
2. A blatant mistake or misjudgment

pave the way 20203

pave the way
To make progress or development easier: experiments that paved the way for future research.

Legend in your own lunchtime 20202

Legend in your own lunchtime
Somebody who becomes a legend in their own lifetime acquires fame, but often only to a select or specialist audience, while they are still alive.

check mate 20201

To attack (a chess opponent's king) in such a manner that no escape or defense is possible, thus ending the game.
To defeat completely.

precising definition 2200

precising definition
A careful effort to reduce the vagueness of a term by stipulating features not included in its lexical definition.

casuistry 20199

casuistry - application of general ethical principles to particular cases of conscience or conduct

assumption 20198

assumption
A proposition accepted without proof or evidence as the basis for some further conclusion.

ethnocentrism 20197

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with concern to language, behavior, customs, and religion. These ethnic distinctions and sub-divisions serve to define each ethnicity's unique cultural identity.[1]

The term ethnocentrism was coined by William G. Sumner, upon observing the tendency for people to differentiate between the ingroup and others. He described it as often leading to pride, vanity, beliefs of one's own group's superiority, and contempt of outsiders.[2]

Anthropologists such as Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski argued that any human science had to transcend the ethnocentrism of the scientist. Both urged anthropologists to conduct ethnographic fieldwork in order to overcome their ethnocentrism. Boas developed the principle of cultural relativism and Malinowski developed the theory of functionalism as guides for producing non-ethnocentric studies of different cultures. The books The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia, by Malinowski, Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict and Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead (two of Boas's students) are classic examples of anti-ethnocentric anthropology.

consumer,personal loan 20196

Consumer loan granted for personal (medical), family (education, vacation), or household (extension, repairs, purchase of air conditioner, computer, refrigerator, etc.) use, as opposed to business or commercial use. Such loans are either unsecured, or secured by the asset purchased or by a co-signor (guarantor). Unsecured loans (called signature loans) are advanced on the basis of the borrower's credit-history and ability to repay the loan from personal income. Repayment is usually through fixed amount installments over a fixed term. Also called consumer loan.