lumber off 30342

lumber off
to move or lope away heavily and awkwardly. The frightened bear lumbered off, and we left in a hurry. He lumbered off, leaving us there alone.

certain party 30341

certain party
someone you know but whom I do not wish to name. I spoke to a certain party about the matter you mentioned. If a certain party finds out about you-know-what, what on earth will you do?

in the interim 30340

in the interim (between things)
in the meantime; in the time between the ending of something and the beginning of something else. In the interim between her morning and afternoon classes, Susan rushed home to get a book she had forgotten. My favorite show starts in five minutes, but I'll talk to you in the interim.

send/throw somebody into a tizz/tizzy (informal)30339

send/throw somebody into a tizz/tizzy (informal)
to make someone very upset, excited, or confused The idea of producing a meal for fifty people threw her into a tizzy. (informal)

back on track 30338

back on track
Fig. running according to schedule again. (*Typically: get ~; get something ~; have something ~; put something ~.) I hope we can have this project back on track by the end of the week.

wear more than one hat and wear two hats 30337

wear more than one hat and wear two hats
Fig. to have more than one set of responsibilities; to hold more than one office. The mayor is also the police chief. She wears more than one hat. I have too much to do to wear more than one hat. He wears two hats; he's both CEO and chairman of the board

a sine qua non 30336

a sine qua non (formal)
something that is necessary, especially if you are going to achieve a particular thing (often + of ) The company sees training as the sine qua non of success.

down the street 30335

down the street
a short distance away on this same street. Sally lives just down the street. There is a drugstore down the street. It's very convenient.

fleet·ing 30334

fleet·ing (fltng)
adj.
Passing quickly; ephemeral: a fleeting glimpse; a fleeting interest in the campaign

breve,efimero,pasajero

'Hang in the balance' 30333

'Hang in the balance'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If an outcome is hanging in the balance, there are at least two possibilities and it is impossible to predict which will win out

backward-looking 30332

backward-looking , conforming, conservative, earlier generation, leftovers, old line, old-fashioned, past, traditional, unprogressive

retogrado

hairsplitting 30331

hairsplitting [ˈhɛəˌsplɪtɪŋ]
n
the making of petty distinctions
adj
occupied with or based on petty distinctions


citizens who have committed war crimes is wrapped up in every conceivable kind of complicated legal hair-splitting.

bait and switch 30330

bait and switch
Fig. a deceptive merchandising practice where one product is advertised at a low price to get people's attention [the bait], but pressure is applied to get the customer to purchase a more expensive item. Walter described how the store used bait and switch, since they never seemed to have in stock the bargains that they advertised. Wilbur accused the merchant of bait and switch practices and stalked out of the store

Snap decision 30329

Snap decision A quick decision based on an impulse, without taking time to
weigh the consequences, is called a snap decision.
"Completely overworked, he suddenly turned off his computer and
made a snap decision to go swimming.

morning after (the night before)30328

morning after (the night before)

- a hangover

The man is not feeling well. It is the morning after the night before.

Pastures new 30327

Pastures new
When someone goes to pastures new they are leaving their job or home to go to a new one:

'After 5 years with our company Joe has decided to go to pastures new

on the knocker 30326

If someone is on the knocker, they are going from house to house trying to buy or sell things or get support.

All ages and stripes 30325

All ages and stripes'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A shorthand for expressing a diversity of folks in a group

vim and vigor 30324

vim and vigor If you have vim and vigor, you have lots of energy and enthusiasm for life.

Don't cry before you are hurt 30323

Don't cry before you are hurt.
Prov. Do not be upset about a bad thing that might happen; only be upset when something bad really does happen. Fred: What am I going to do? There's a possibility that my job will be eliminated! Jane: Don't cry before you are hurt. They haven't eliminated you yet

to get a roasting 30322

to get a roasting = to be told off for something wrong. The player got a roasting from angry fans.

run scared (mainly American)3321

run scared (mainly American)
to be worried that you are going to be defeated (usually in continuous tenses) There are rumours that the Democrats are running scared after recent opinion polls showed their rivals to be way out in front.

expostulate about someone or something and expostulate on someone or something30320

expostulate about someone or something and expostulate on someone or something
to comment or argue intensely about someone or something. He always seems to be expostulating on something. Why can't he simply say "Yes" or "No"? Sam is expostulating on Bill's many shortcomings again.

put one's head on the block (for someone or something)3319

put one's head on the block (for someone or something)
Fig. to take great risks for someone or something; to go to a lot of trouble or difficulty for someone or something; to attempt to gain favor for someone or something. I don't know why I should put my head on the block for Joan. What has she ever done for me? Sally tried to get me to put in a good word about her with the boss. But the last time I put my head on the block for anyone, it all backfired, and when the person goofed up, I looked like an idiot

fly/show/wave the flag 30318

y/show/wave the flag
to support or to represent your country (often + for ) In the absence of any other Italian film directors, Mr Infascelli bravely flew the flag for his country

quite a ways 30317

quite a ways (spoken)
a long distance We're quite a ways from the Mexican border here

breathe easy 30316

breathe easy
to relax Baseball fans can breathe easy now that the players' strike is over

1. faffing 221 up, 27 down 30315

1. faffing 221 up, 27 down
buy faffing mugs, tshirts and magnetsTime wasting/feckin' around
Stop faffing around and do the dishes!

see the error of your ways 30314

see the error of your ways
to understand that you have been behaving badly and to decide to improve your behaviour It's the story of a corrupt policeman who finally sees the error of his ways

be bone dry also be as dry as a bone 30313

be bone dry also be as dry as a bone
to be completely dry The ground was bone dry after 3 weeks without rain.
See also: bone, dry

quicken the pulse also quicken somebody's pulse 30312

quicken the pulse also quicken somebody's pulse
to cause excitement or interest There's nothing in this book to quicken the pulse.

price something up 30311

price something up
to raise the price of something. They have priced oranges up so high that I can't afford any. Why do they price up these common foods so high?

procrastinate 30310

To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
To postpone or delay needlessly.

out to lunch 30309

out to lunch
1. Lit. eating lunch away from one's place of work or activity. I'm sorry, but Sally Jones is out to lunch. May I take a message? She's been out to lunch for nearly two hours. When will she be back?

swear up and down 30308

swear up and down
to say as strongly as possible He swore up and down that he didn't know the guy at all.

grunt something out 30307

grunt something out
to say something with a snort or grunt. Jane grunted a command out to someone. She grunted out a curt command and the gate opened.

Ballpark figure 30306

Ballpark figure
A ballpark figure is a rough or approximate number (guesstimate) to give a general idea of something, like a rough estimate for a cost, etc.

dirty crack 30305

dirty crack
a rude remark. Who made that dirty crack? Another dirty crack like that and I'll leave

dirty crack 30304

dirty crack
a rude remark. Who made that dirty crack? Another dirty crack like that and I'll leave

Pet peeve 30303

Pet peeve
A pet peeve is something that irritates an individual greatly.

You Are Looking For Trouble 30302

You Are Looking For Trouble ( doing something that will cause problems ... )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"you are looking for trouble"

back in(to) circulation 3301

back in(to) circulation
1. Fig. back enjoying one's social contacts; back continuing to make new friends and develop a social life. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) After her illness, Kristine looked forward to getting back into circulation. I want to get back in circulation and have some fun.
2. Fig. becoming available for dating again. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) Now that Fred and Amy are through, Amy is getting back into circulation. Now that you're divorced, are you going to get back into circulation

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts 3300

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Prov. Do not trust an opponent who offers to do something nice for you. (A line from the story of the Trojan horse, as told in Vergil's Aeneid.) Jill: I can't believe Melanie brought me cookies today, when we've been fighting for weeks. Jane: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. She probably has ulterior motives. When the rival company invited all his employees to a Christmas party, Tom's first impulse was to beware of Greeks bearing gifts, but then he upbraided himself for being paranoid

Third times a charm 3299

Third times a charm:
After no success the first two times, the third try is a lucky one

'Tall enough to hunt geese with a rake 3298

'Tall enough to hunt geese with a rake'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A person who's much taller than a person of average height

not for publication 3297

not for publication
not to be talked about openly; secret. Please tell no one about this. It's not for publication. This report is not for publication, so keep it to yourself.

flip the bird 3296

hacer un corte de manga

without fail 3295

without fail
for certain; absolutely. I'll be there at noon without fail. The plane leaves on time every day without fail.

Get Your Walking Papers 3294

Get Your Walking Papers:
Get fired from a job.

Dog Days of Summer 3293

Dog Days of Summer:
The hottest days of the summer season

caught a nasty bug 3292

Saved by the bell 3291

Saved by the bell.
something that you say when a difficult situation is ended suddenly before you have to do or say something that you do not want to
Usage notes: In a boxing match, a bell rings when it is time for the fighting to stop.
Luckily, my bus arrived before I had time to reply. Saved by the bell.

rusty 3290

My French is very rusty

wee buns 3289

Something that is easy, such as a task. Originated as slang in Northern Ireland.
"How was your driving test?"
-"Meh, wee buns!"

Joshing Me 3288

Joshing Me:
Tricking me.

as red as a poppy 3287

as red as a poppy

- bright red

The mark on my arm was as red as a poppy.

where somebody is coming from 3286

where somebody is coming from
If you know where someone is coming from, you understand their opinions and feelings, especially because you understand things about their past life. At the time, I didn't really understand where she was coming from, and her poems just seemed odd

cross the Rubicon 3285

cross the Rubicon (formal)
to do something which will have very important results, which cannot be changed later
Usage notes: Julius Caesar started a war by crossing the river Rubicon in Italy.
International pressure may be able to prevent the country crossing the Rubicon to authoritarian rule

social climber 3284

social climber
someone who tries to join a higher social class, especially by becoming friends with people from that class He was a dedicated social climber and was at all the best parties.

sound/toll the death knell 3283

sound/toll the death knell
to cause an organization, system, or activity to fail or end
Usage notes: A knell is the sound of a bell being rung slowly to tell people that someone has died.
(often + for ) The new superstore will sound the death knell for hundreds of small independent shops. (sometimes + of ) The closure of the local car factory tolled the death knell of the town

press the flesh 3282

press the flesh
to meet and talk with people He believes he should get out and press the flesh if his campaign is going to succeed

There are two sides to every question 3281

There are two sides to every question
There are always two ways of looking at something

A man is as old as he feels 3280

A man is as old as he feels

A person's age is immaterial - it is only when he thinks and feels that he is ageing that he actually becomes old

Time devours all things. 3279

Time devours all things.

you look sleepy". 3278

you look sleepy". The dictionary here here gives.
"Tienes de cara sueño

soft·-soap 3277

soft·-soap (-sōp′)

transitive verb

Informal to flatter

latchkey child 3276

latchkey child n niño cuya madre trabaja

on an even keel 3275

on an even keel
calm and not likely to change suddenly My main priority is to keep my life on an even keel for the sake of my two boys.