Idioms & Phrases Flashcards
up the ante
(third-person singular simple present ups the ante, present participle upping the ante, simple past and past participle upped the ante)
(poker) To raise the stakes of a hand of poker
With three aces and two jacks, he thought it was safe to up the ante.
(idiomatic) To make something more desirable.
The school system cannot raise teachers’ salaries, so they are providing better benefits as an effort to up the ante.
Synonyms
1.sweeten the pot
2.raise the stakes
(informal) to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusion
⇒ whenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves
in letter and spirit
- They will follow it as written, but also know the intent behind what is written and follow that, too.
- implement according to the rule/law/regulation, but also attempting to follow the intent behind same
Explanation:
If you only focus on the “rule of letter”, then your point of view will be narrow. This approach focuses on meeting the minimum requirements under (insert whatever here) in order to comply with rule/law/regulation.
In the spirit exhibits an approach that looks at the idea behind the regulation.
In the offing
likely to happen or appear soon
e.g. Treaty to regulate $70-billion global arms trade in the offing
lex loci
MEANING:
noun: The law of the place.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin lex (law) + locus (place). Earliest documented use: 1832.
NOTES:
Lex loci says that the law of that country or jurisdiction applies where the act was done.
USAGE:
“Another statute book named Conscience is observed lex loci wherever God sees.”
David Mitchell; Cloud Atlas; Random House; 2004.
“He is also survived by his two Labrador retrievers: Lex Loci and Stare Decisis.”
in the offing
Likely to happen or appear soon
A ——- to be reckoned with (or to reckon with)
a thing or a person of considerable importance or ability that is not to be ignored or underestimated.
- cudgel one’s brain (or brains)
2. take up the cudgels
- to try to comprehend or remember something or someone
2. to come to the aid of someone or something
on an even keel
› regular and well-balanced and not likely to change suddenly:
The new manager succeeded in putting the business back on an even keel.
beat a tattoo
> rhythmic tapping or drumming
(“He beat a tattoo with his fingers on the table-top.”) And it’s clearly related to taps in the sense of a bugle call for lights to be put out in army quarters (which was originally also sounded on a drum).
run aground (on something)
[for a ship] to ram its hull into something beneath the water and get stuck.
The ship ran aground on a reef and had to wait for high tide to get free. I was afraid we would run aground in the storm.
‘A rising tide lifts all boats’
This idiom, coined by John F Kennedy, describes the idea that when an economy is performing well, all people will benefit from it.
leave in the lurch
to leave in an uncomfortable or desperate situation, dessert in time of trouble : our best salesperson left us in the lurch at the peak of the busy season
tongue-in-cheek
characterized by insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration
e.g.What made you want to look up tongue-in-cheek? Please tell us where you read or heard it
void ab initio
[Latin, From the beginning; from the first act; from the inception.] An agreement is said to be “void ab initio” if it has at no time had any legal validity. A party may be said to be a trespasser, an estate said to be good, an agreement or deed said to be void, or a marriage or act said to be unlawful, ab initio. Contrasted in this sense with ex post facto, or with postea.
come to naught
to come to nothing; be without result or fruition; fail.
out of conceit with,
displeased or dissatisfied with.
fait accompli
plural faits ac·com·plis [fe za-kawn-plee] Show IPA. French.
an accomplished fact; a thing already done: The enemy’s defeat was a fait accompli long before the formal surrender.
cross / pass the Rubicon
to take a decisive, irrevocable step: Our entry into the war made us cross the Rubicon and abandon isolationism forever.
succès de scandale (syk-seduh skahn-dal)
French.
success won by reason of topical, usually scandalous, subject matter rather than by merit and critical respect.
succès d’estime
French.
success won by reason of merit and critical respect rather than by popularity.
ex ante
— noun
based on anticipated changes or activity in an economy (opposed to ex post).
rest on one’s laurels
to be content with one’s past or present honors, achievements, etc.: He retired at the peak of his career and is resting on his laurels.
esprit de corps
noun: esprit de corps; plural noun: esprits de corps
1.
a feeling of pride and mutual loyalty shared by the members of a group.
“they developed some esprit de corps through athletics competitions”
Origin
French, literally ‘spirit of the body’.
volonti ginirale
general will
n
1. (Philosophy) (in the philosophy of Rousseau) the source of legitimate authority residing in the collective will as contrasted with individual interests
powers that be
important people who have authority over others:
It’s up to the powers that be to decide what should be done next.
learn the ropes
to understand how to do a particular job or activity It’ll take some time for the new receptionist to learn the ropes.
Usage notes: sometimes used in the forms know the ropes (to understand how something is done) and show someone the ropes or teach someone the ropes (to teach someone how something is done): You’d better find someone to show you the ropes if you’re going to fix the car yourself.
See also: learn, rope
Due Diligence
Due Diligence is a business term for conducting an investigation into any number of practices, entities, or people. Because these investigations can and will be very different based upon what is being investigated, the specific definition of due diligence gain a great deal of meaning from the context in which it is being used. Therefore to understand due diligence, due diligence must be discussed within its context.
stand in good stead
to be useful to, especially in a critical situation: Your experience will stand you in good stead.
queer the pitch,
British Informal. to spoil the chances of success.
to hear or yield without protest, contradiction, or resistance:
take lying down
e.g. I refuse to take such an insult lying down.
grist to the mill
something turned to ones advantages or use
re·duc·tio ad ab·sur·dum
\ri-ˈdək-tē-ˌō-ˌad-əb-ˈsər-dəm, -ˈdək-sē-ō-, -shē-, -ˈzər-\
noun
1 : disproof of a proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion
2 : the carrying of something to an absurd extreme
Origin: Late Latin, literally, reduction to the absurd.
First use: 1741
Credo quia absurdum
I believe because it is absurd
Sturm und Drang\ˌshtu̇rm-u̇nt-ˈdräŋ, ˌstu̇rm-, -ənt-\
Sturm und Drang\ˌshtu̇rm-u̇nt-ˈdräŋ, ˌstu̇rm-, -ənt-\
noun
1 : a late 18th century German literary movement characterized by works containing rousing action and high emotionalism that often deal with the individual’s revolt against society
2 : turmoil
Examples
in a year filled with corporate Sturm und Drang, the company was headed by no fewer than three different CEOs
Origin: German, literally, storm and stress, from Sturm und Drang (1776), drama by Friedrich von Klinger †1831 German novelist and dramatist.
First use: 1845
Synonyms: disquiet, ferment, fermentation, restiveness, restlessness, unrest, turmoil, uneasiness, unquietness
Antonyms: calm, ease, peace, peacefulness, quiet, tranquillity (or tranquility)
cottoned on
2cotton
intransitive verb
1 : to take a liking — used with to
2 : to come to understand — used with to or on to
Other forms: cot·toned; cot·ton·ing \ˈkät-niŋ, ˈkä-tən-iŋ\
Examples
It took a while, but they are finally starting to cotton on.
She cottoned on to the fact that I like her.
We cottoned to our new neighbors right away.
First use: 1605
