Misc Flashcards
Kicking the can down the road
To postpone a decision or action.
the final straw
the last in a series of unpleasant events which finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation
e.g. One night he came home drunk at 5 o’clock in the morning and that was the last straw.
peter out
To dwindle; to trail off; to diminish to nothing
e.g. BW’s funds petered out in the last two quarters
Give lie to
To contradict or show to be false.
e.g. The bet against Treasuries gave the lie to a criticism sometimes made of Dalio
That’ll be the day
That will never happen, that’s very unlikely, as in You think I’ll win the lottery? That’ll be the day!
pow wow
A brief discussion about a matter concerning a person or an event. Usually to come to a conclusion that needs to be addressed quickly.
1. Dude. Don’t carry on until we have a pow wow about this.
officer friendly
abusive cop
Barf
verb: The premature expulsion of consumed materials through the mouth and nose.
noun: The material that is expelled in the manner described above.
e. g. I’m gonna barf
Mouth off
To speak out of turn; to backtalk.
e.g. That bitch has a reputation four mouthing off at the worst possible moments, I should cut her throat before she says any other stuff!
wind someone up
irritate someone
look a million dollars
to look or feel extremely attractive
e.g. You look like a million dollars in that dress!
steno pool
office works (secretaries)
Out of line
Fig. beyond certain set or assumed limits.
e.g. Your bid on this project is completely out of line with our expectations.
Stud
basically a badass… this person is really cool.
Something else
A person, thing, or event that is quite remarkable, as in That pitcher is something else, or Her new film is something else.
belle of the ball
The woman generally acknowledged to be the most beautiful or attractive at a dance or similar function
take after someone
to resemble a close, older relative.
e.g. Don’t you think that Sally takes after her mother? No, Sally takes after her Aunt Ann.
feeling someone up
When someone sticks their hand up a girls shirt and feels her boobs or up/down her skirt/pants and feels her pussy.
Quid pro quo
favor for favor, tit for tat
sap
A fool; someone who is prone to being taken advantage of, usually in a situation that is easily perceived by others as foolhardy.
e.g. This is the third time Joe… what a sap!
give me a break
- exclam. That is enough!
e,g. Stop it! Do you have to go on and on? Give me a break!
stand in for
To replace; to act as a double or substitute for.
I asked my colleague to stand in for me so I could take the day off.
come to pass
to happen; to take place.
e.g. And when do you think all these good things will come to pass? Do you think it will really come to pass?
go off the deep end
Be irrationally carried away, act irresponsibly or heedlessly. For example, Just because you like her looks doesn’t mean you should go off the deep end and propose.
know where all the bodies are buried
to know all the secrets and intrigue from the past; to know all the relevant and perhaps hidden details.
e.g. He is a good choice for president because he knows where all the bodies are buried.
get down to brass tacks
(idiomatic) Deal with the important details.
same as get down to the nuts and bolts.
lose your marbles
Lose your marbles = lose one’s mind, insanity, person who does not have common sense/wits.
e.g.I knew she’d eventually lose her marbles = I knew she’d eventually lose her common sense/rational mind
flesh out
to make something more detailed, bigger, or fuller.
e.g. This is basically a good outline. Now you’ll have to flesh it out.
a thorn in someone’s side
a constant annoyance
fall out
have an argument.
“he had fallen out with his family”
rein in
To stop or slow a horse by pulling the reins
(idiomatic) To stop or slow something, by exercising control.
e. g. The government has no other option than to rein in public spending.
mailing it in
Slang for doing the least amount of work possible or slacking off.
e.g. He’s really been mailing it in lately, he hasnt finished any of his labs.
ad lib
ad libitum, at one’s liberty, improv
e.g. “Charles had to ad lib because he’d forgotten his script”
black eye
Fig. harm done to one’s character. (*Typically have ~; get ~; give someone ~.)
e.g. Mary got a black eye because of her constant complaining. The whole group now has a black eye, and it will take years to recover our reputation.
take issue with
disagree with; challenge.
e.g. “she takes issue with the notion of crime as unique to contemporary society”
take gloves off
Fig. to stop being calm or civil and show an intention of winning a dispute by any means. (As if boxers were to remove their gloves in order to inflict more damage. See also The gloves are off.)
e.g. Both of them took their gloves off and really began arguing.
in someone’s wheelhouse
Matching a person’s interests or abilities well.
e. g. as an alcoholic, a beer drinking contest is right in my wheelhouse.
e. g. Have the handsome guy address that roomful of female sales potentials; it’s right in his wheelhouse.
keep a lid on something
to control the level of something in order to stop it increasing
e.g. Economic difficulties continued and the government intervened to keep a lid on inflation.
set someone’s teeth on edge
Fig. [for a scraping sound] to irritate someone’s nerves. That noise sets my teeth on edge!
e. g. Tom’s teeth were set on edge by the incessant screaming of the children.
2. Fig. [for a person or an idea] to upset someone very much.
e. g. Her overbearing manner usually sets my teeth on edge. The very thought of doing that set her teeth on edge.
