Misc Flashcards

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1
Q

Kicking the can down the road

A

To postpone a decision or action.

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2
Q

the final straw

A

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.

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3
Q

peter out

A

To dwindle; to trail off; to diminish to nothing

e.g. BW’s funds petered out in the last two quarters

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4
Q

Give lie to

A

To contradict or show to be false.

e.g. The bet against Treasuries gave the lie to a criticism sometimes made of Dalio

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5
Q

That’ll be the day

A

That will never happen, that’s very unlikely, as in You think I’ll win the lottery? That’ll be the day!

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6
Q

pow wow

A

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.

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7
Q

officer friendly

A

abusive cop

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8
Q

Barf

A

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

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9
Q

Mouth off

A

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!

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10
Q

wind someone up

A

irritate someone

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11
Q

look a million dollars

A

to look or feel extremely attractive

e.g. You look like a million dollars in that dress!

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12
Q

steno pool

A

office works (secretaries)

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13
Q

Out of line

A

Fig. beyond certain set or assumed limits.

e.g. Your bid on this project is completely out of line with our expectations.

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14
Q

Stud

A

basically a badass… this person is really cool.

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15
Q

Something else

A

A person, thing, or event that is quite remarkable, as in That pitcher is something else, or Her new film is something else.

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16
Q

belle of the ball

A

The woman generally acknowledged to be the most beautiful or attractive at a dance or similar function

17
Q

take after someone

A

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.

18
Q

feeling someone up

A

When someone sticks their hand up a girls shirt and feels her boobs or up/down her skirt/pants and feels her pussy.

19
Q

Quid pro quo

A

favor for favor, tit for tat

20
Q

sap

A

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!

21
Q

give me a break

A
  1. exclam. That is enough!

e,g. Stop it! Do you have to go on and on? Give me a break!

22
Q

stand in for

A

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.

23
Q

come to pass

A

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?

24
Q

go off the deep end

A

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.

25
Q

know where all the bodies are buried

A

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.

26
Q

get down to brass tacks

A

(idiomatic) Deal with the important details.

same as get down to the nuts and bolts.

27
Q

lose your marbles

A

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

28
Q

flesh out

A

to make something more detailed, bigger, or fuller.

e.g. This is basically a good outline. Now you’ll have to flesh it out.

29
Q

a thorn in someone’s side

A

a constant annoyance

30
Q

fall out

A

have an argument.

“he had fallen out with his family”

31
Q

rein in

A

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.

32
Q

mailing it in

A

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.

33
Q

ad lib

A

ad libitum, at one’s liberty, improv

e.g. “Charles had to ad lib because he’d forgotten his script”

34
Q

black eye

A

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.

35
Q

take issue with

A

disagree with; challenge.

e.g. “she takes issue with the notion of crime as unique to contemporary society”

36
Q

take gloves off

A

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.

37
Q

in someone’s wheelhouse

A

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.

38
Q

keep a lid on something

A

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.

39
Q

set someone’s teeth on edge

A

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.