June Flashcards
long shot
a venture or guess that has only the slightest chance of succeeding or being accurate.
e.g. “it’s a long shot, but well worth trying”
from the hip
does not think/analyze before making a decision
e.g. “swashbuckling, trade-from-the-hip hedge fund managers such as George Soros”
gravedancer
to profit from someone’s misfortune
e.g. “Grave dancer of the hedge funds, Citadel was known for sweeping in on distressed companies and gobbling up the remains of the bloodied carcasses”
take someone to the cleaners
To take a significant quantity of a person’s money or valuables, through overcharging, litigation, unfavorable investing, gambling, fraud, etc
e.g. “Muller outchipped him eight to one after having taken Paraschivescu to the cleaners”
smarting
(of a person) feel upset and annoyed.
e.g. “chiefs of staff are still smarting from the government’s cuts”
lineups
A police technique in which a handful of people fitting a similar description are stood in a line together for a witness of a crime to see. The witness is then supposed to pick out the perp.
e.g. They had to let the suspect walk after the witness couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
shakedown
Another word for extortion/blackmail, or the obtaining of a good or service through means of force, threats/intimidation, or abuse of power.
what’s the world coming to
I am shocked and disappointed
e.g. What’s the world coming to when you can’t leave your house for five minutes without someone trying to break in and rob you?
trumped up
a false charge filed by the police because they can’t get anything else to stick.
e.g. Police wanted to bust them for their medical marijuana but they were legal so the cops came up with trumped-up charges of child abuse instead.
sweating bullets
tv. to suffer about something; to be anxious or nervous about something; to sweat blood.
e. g. The kid sat in the waiting room, sweating bullets while the surgeons worked on his brother.
kick in the teeth
The worst place to be kicked. Its just pure humiliation.
e.g. I have been guilty of kicking myself in the teeth - Alice In Chains
knock it off
stop it, desist (often a stern command)
e.g. Knock it off you freaking scallywags.
snicker
give a smothered or half-suppressed laugh; snigger.
e.g. “they all snickered at her”
beat it
(Tell a person to leave)
e.g. If you don’t like somebody just tell them beat it
hang up ur spurs
To retire from something.
e.g. Lola was the only stripper over thirty at the club. I told her it was time to finally “Hang up your spurs”.
go straight
to stop breaking the law and lead a lawful life instead.
e.g. The judge encouraged the thief to go straight. After Bob was arrested, he promised his mother he would go straight.
tapping
(verb) . The act of sexual intercourse.
e. g. If the sign on the door says “Occupied” it means that I am inside tapping her ass!
retainer
a fee paid in advance to someone, especially an attorney, in order to secure or keep their services when required.
“they’re paid a retainer”
run-of-the-mill
Not special or outstanding; average.
“your run-of-the-mine college graduate”
a closed mouth gathers no feet
One who does not speak can be certain he won’t say anything embarrassing.
a rolling stone gathers no moss
A person who never settles in one place will never be successful / prosper.
slumming
to hang out- or go out with someone on a lesser scale than you
a senior “slumming” a freshman to get some nice tyte pussy wit lil or no hard work
g-man
government man; FBI agent.
The drug bust operation was put in the hands of an FBI g-man.
conjure man
Also called a witch doctor, “jujuman,” root doctor, obeahaman” and leaf doctor.
scab
A worker, often temporary, who crosses a strikers’ picket line, going to work in place of the strikers.
e.g. The scabs had their cars egged when they arrived at the factory.
gunslinger
- The ‘holder’ or controller of a political smoking gun
- A vigilante
- The true story leaked out via an anonymous gunslinger, who also implied that the incident had connections to the Skull and Bones society of Yale.
- The cops showed up, but the gunslinger had already tied up the perpetrators.
knock up
To get someone pregnant.
e.g. Man, I really should’ve used a condom with her… I knocked her up!
there’s something in the water
A typical example is if a bunch of people in the same office got married in the same year, or a bunch of women in the office all became pregnant in a short time. Somebody would be likely to make the joke “there must be something in the water”, implying it’s a result of contamination. And also implying (as a joke) that contamination could cause a bunch of people to decide to get married.
two time someone
Sl. to cheat on or betray one’s spouse or lover by dating or seeing someone else.
e.g. When Mrs. Franklin learned that Mr. Franklin was two-timing her, she left him.
to show someone up
To embarrass someone by being superior.
“You talked the talk but he walked the walk, he totally showed you up.”
“I can’t believe I got showed up by a little girl!”
broad
Word for a woman. Less respectable than lady but much more respectable than bitch.
Man, look at those two broads. They are smokin.
fence jumper
A illegal person from either mexico,cantral or south america
e.g. geroge lopez is a fence jumper
lam
to run, sometimes follows “on the,” meaning “on the run.” Used by thirties-style gangsters, the same ones who said things like “Let’s case the joint, see?”
Kramer: Yeah, he went down at the Beakman. He tried to lam, but they cheesed him.
pinched
caught.
Vinny shot the guy in front of a dozen people. He was sure to get pinched.
round up
to collect a group of people or things; to organize people or things into a group.
e. g. The cowboys rounded up the cattle for market.
e. g. See if you can round some helpers up.
look the other way
Fig. to ignore something on purpose.
e.g. John could have prevented the problem, but he looked the other way.
hit a snag
Fig. to run into an unexpected problem.
e. g. We’ve hit a snag with the building project.
e. g. I stopped working on the roof when I hit a snag.
in short order
very quickly.
e. g. I can straighten out this mess in short order.
e. g. The maids came in and cleaned the place up in short order.
you don’t dip your pen in company ink
Don’t have a relationship with a person in the company you are working
feeling your oats
When horses are fed oats, they tend to behave more energetically afterward. When people are said to be “feeling their oats”, it is because the same kind of behavior (higher energy, enthusiasm, assertiveness, or excitement) is observed.
Since you’re feeling your oats today, would you use some of that energy taking the dog for a walk?
scale fall from someone’s eyes
if the scales fall from someone’s eyes, they are suddenly able to understand the truth (bible).
e.g. When I saw his photograph in the paper, the scales fell from my eyes and I realized I’d been conned.
throw the book at
To give someone the maximum sentence for a crime or penalize very harshly.
e.g.. Marty really got screwed over that jaywalking charge when the judge threw the book at him and gave him a life sentence in the federal do-me-in-the-ass prison.
