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making words matter

    expressions & phrases

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tear one's hair out

1/9/2020

 
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This informal expression means to feel extreme desperation and as well as frustration and annoyance, at someone or something:

For example, this headline:
 
Parenting 2020: Why online classes make me want to tear my hair out

[ Daily O | 01.09.20 | LINK]
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pull one's weight

28/8/2020

 
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We use to pull one’s weight to mean do one's fair share of work:

It is informal but can be used in any situation from cleaning the house to government departments not fulfilling their tasks:
 
What To Do When A Team Member Isn't Pulling Their Weight

[Forbes | 06.11.16 | LINK]
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one jump ahead

24/8/2020

 
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To be [one jump/ step ahead] means to be one step or stage ahead of someone else and so having the advantage over them:

It is usually used when planning, competition or business practices are involved and steps need to be taken to achieve a goal, for example:  

  • developing infrastructure in which business thrive [advance planning and opportunities]
  • developing an antibiotic [to be first means making more money]
  • sport and keeping ahead [prestige, pride and profit]:   

Harriet stays one jump ahead to win national title 
 
[Shropshire Live | LINK]
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out of my hand

20/8/2020

 
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If you have someone completely under your control, they are eating out of your hand; like a bird who fears nothing, it would eat out of your hand:
 
Former White House spox: Obama never had media ‘eating out of his hand’  
 
[The Washington Post | LINK]
[spox informal spokesperson]
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see the back of

17/8/2020

 
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Sometimes we are glad when someone comes. Sometimes we are not. When someone has gone, and we do not have to deal with them, again, we can say I’m so glad to see the back of her!

It means to be rid of (an unwanted person or thing) and can range from a difficult report just finished to an interview:
 
Why Germany would be especially happy to see the back of Trump  
 
[The Guardian | LINK]
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see it coming

13/8/2020

 
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If someone prepares or anticipates something we can say they [saw it coming]:

It means to foresee or be prepared for an event, typically an unpleasant one. Or maybe they didn’t, so they didn’t see that coming.
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a walk in the park

10/8/2020

 
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When something is [a walk in the park], it is something very easy to accomplish:

It is generally used when the speaker has absolute confidence in the task. It is not usually used for regular tasks or jobs.

In rewilding Europe, letting nature do the work is no walk in the park

The Grand Barry nature reserve in France's southeastern corner is undertaking one of Europe's largest experiments in rewilding.

At a time when reforestation projects -- planting new trees -- are growing in popularity, rewilding aims to let nature do the work by simply leaving ecosystems alone to recover, free from human influence. 

[AFP | 18.08.20 | LINK]

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sleep on it

7/8/2020

 
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If we [sleep on something] we delay making a decision until the following day:

Got a big decision to make? Sleep on it

As we tuck ourselves into bed at night, little do we realize that we have the chance to get some extra work done while we sleep.

The unconscious mind has long been appreciated as a well of creativity from which some of our greatest artworks, scientific discoveries and inventions have been dredged up. But studies show it is also a powerhouse when it comes to processing unwieldy amounts of information.

When making complex decisions that require us to weigh multiple factors, some researchers believe we can benefit from learning to combine our conscious deliberations with unconscious processing.

The idea that we only use a small percentage of our brain's capacity is "completely ridiculous," according to Maarten Bos, who researches decision making and the unconscious mind at Harvard Business School. "We use our brain the whole time," he says.

[CNN | 28.08.12 | LINK]
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that's rich

3/8/2020

 
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[Rich] is informally used to express (of a remark) ironic amusement or indignation:

We remark on what was said or what was done:

  • THAT'S RICH! Disgraced fund boss Neil Woodford who left investors £450million out of pocket is back in business

[The Daily Mail | 11.07.20 | LINK]
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out of pocket

1/8/2020

 
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If money is not in your pocket, it is out! If one is [out of pocket] it means having lost money in a transaction whether legitimate or fraudulent:

  • Due to the delay in transferring the money, I’m out of pocket by 300 euros.
  • THAT'S RICH! Disgraced fund boss Neil Woodford who left investors £450million out of pocket is back in business

[The Daily Mail | 11.07.20 | LINK]
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cap in hand

31/7/2020

 
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If we [go cap in hand], we humbly ask for a favour:

The meaning comes from the days when wearing a cap or hat was considered part of a man’s wardrobe when out of the house.

To show respect, you would take your hat off and hold it in your hand, especially when the person you are talking to is more senior in rank or holds a position of respect (the bank manager).
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at hand

29/7/2020

 
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When something is [at hand] it can mean:

  • close by: Security was at hand at all times.
  • readily accessible when needed: When cooking, ingredients should be at hand.
  • close in time; about to happen: We hope a breakthrough in combating the disease may be at hand.
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meet halfway

27/7/2020

 
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If we [meet someone halfway], we make a compromise with someone:

White House turns down Democrats' offer to meet halfway with US$2 trillion COVID-19 plan

White House officials trying to broker a deal on new coronavirus legislation will advise President Donald Trump to act on his own to deliver relief to Americans suffering from the pandemic, after talks with top Democrats in Congress broke down on Friday.

[CNA | LINK]
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by halves

24/7/2020

 
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When we say someone [doesn’t do things by halves] we mean they do things thoroughly or extravagantly:

When used, it means:

  • [a colleague who writes a report] She write a thorough and detail report and misses no details.
  • [a famous person who throws a party] Everything is done to make it the best possible
  • [a teacher] she prepares everything for her class before the event, anticipates what may go wrong and plans for this, and is organised with note taking and report writing.
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told you

22/7/2020

 
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[I told you so] is used to point out that one's warnings, although ignored, have been proved to be well founded. In other words, you were right in the first place:

However, saying I told you can make you appear arrogant, so tone is important.
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