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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Hobson's Choice |
Take it or leave it; a choice of taking what is available or nothing at all eg: "The regional council must decide whether a private toll bridge is better than no bridge at all- it's a Hobson's Choice" |
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to cry wolf |
to give a false alarm "Nobody is going to listen to him. He's cried wolf too many times." |
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Fool's errand |
A fruitless mission |
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Covered all the bases |
Do everything possible to make sure that something is successful.
eg: Does your Monetization strategy cover all the bases?
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Cream of the crop |
The very best of all. eg: The students at this college are the cream of the crop. |
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Short shrift |
Bad treatment |
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Bite the bullet |
Decide to do something difficult or unpleasant that one has been putting off or hesitating over.
eg: "Decisions have to be taken and as director you have got to bite the bullet" |
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Red herring |
A clue or piece of information which is or is intended to be misleading or distracting. eg: "The book is fast-paced, exciting and full of red herrings" |
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Set much store by |
To have much faith, confidence or belief in someone or something; To very seriously care about, appreciate, or respect someone or something. |
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Terms of reference |
The scope and limitations of an activity or area of knowledge. eg: the minister will present a plan outlining the inquiry's terms of reference. |
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Rake over smth |
To continue to think or talk about (Smth that happened in the past)
eg: Don't spend so much time raking over the past |
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Smack of |
To seem to contain or involve (usually smth unpleasant); suggestive of something eg: To be honest, this sort of thing raises my hackles(a feeling of anger). It smacks of magical thinking, and positive visualization, and somehow catapulting yourself out of the real circumstances of your life into a realm of unalloyed bliss. |
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Out on a limb |
She was out on a limb with her project- nobody supported her idea. |
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Missing the wood for the trees |
Someone is missing the bigger picture because they are too focused on the details. |
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Wet behind the ears |
Lacking experience, immature eg: "He's a nice young fellow but a bit wet behind the ears" |
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Weak link |
If you describe someone or something as a weak link in the chain, you mean that they are an unreliable part of a system or member of a group, and because of them the whole system or group may fail. |
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Pipe dream (n.) |
An unattainable or fanciful hope or scheme. eg: "free trade in international aviation will remain a pipe dream" |
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Far cry |
A disappointing disparity eg: It was a far cry from what he had expected. |
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Avant-garde |
Radically new or original eg: an avant-garde theatre piece. |
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State-of-the-art |
The highest level of development at a particular time (especially the present time) eg: state-of-the-art technology. |
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To flog a dead horse |
Try to revive interest in a subject that is out of date |
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Abstract away |
To eliminate, omit or disregard the details of something in order to generalize or simplify it at a conceptual level. Eg: But as much as they differ, they both share an underlying desire: to implicitly or explicitly abstract away human fallibility in service of a fully automated vision of perfection. |
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Smoke and mirrors |
Something that is described as smoke and mirrors is intended to make you believe that something is being done or is true, when it is not eg: The new budget isn't smoke and mirrors; it's an honest attempt to reduce the deficit. |
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Apple pie order |
'Neat and clean' eg: The girls arranged the books in apple pie order. |
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Cry foul |
Protest strongly about a real or imagined wrong or injustice.
"deprived of the crushing victory it was confidently expecting, the party cried foul" |
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Up the ante |
Increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute.
= raise the stakes eg: "He decided to up the ante in the trade war" |
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A leopard can't/ doesn't change its spots |
It's impossible for someone to change their character. eg: After all, the leopard has not really changed its spots. |
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Within a stone's throw |
Very near. eg: Our school is within a stone's throw of the railway station. |
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It takes two to tango |
Both parties involved in a situation or argument are equally responsible for it. eg: I have tried everything to stop our marriage falling apart. But it takes two to tango and, so far, my husband has made no effort to save our relationship. |
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The Whole nine yards |
Everything possible or available. The entire thing, all of something. eg: "send in the troops, aircraft, nuclear submarine experts, the whole nine yards" |
