Phrases Words

A collection of vocabulary terms, idioms, and economics laws found within the lecture notes covering various cultural, linguistic, and academic concepts.

Nowhere fast

Failing to produce a desired result or making progress.

Put lipstick on a pig

Tryna make trash look better.

My way or the highway

Take it or leave it; dont use like that issa dash exclusive.

Rome wasnt built in a day

Patience is needed for gr8 things.

Bite the bullet

Get sum over with cuz its inevitable.

Coup de grace

French phrase meaning final blow that kills a fatally wounded person out of their misery; [coo deh graw(s)].

carte blanche

French, literally 'blank document/white card', meaning full discretionary power or complete freedom to do something.

Plata o plomo

Colombian spanish slang term for 'silver or lead', means accept a bribe or die.

Call a spade a spade

Tell it how it is.

E pluribus unum

One of many.

Brick and mortar

Physical prescence of an organization or business in a building or other structure.

Can't make Head nor tail

Can't understand.

come/bring to a head

A situation reaches a point where something must be done about it; reach a crisis.

The pick of the litter

The best one of a group.

Bell the cat

To be brave enough to do something that will be good for a group that you are part of, but is dangerous or difficult.

Give up the ghost

Stop working; also the phrase used in the KJV to express dying.

Keeping up with the Joneses

To show that one is as good as other people by getting what they have and doing what they do.

Tried and true

Denoting something that has proven in the past to be effective or reliable.

Close but no cigar

(Of an attempt) almost but not quite successful.

In tandem

Alongside each other; together; or one behind another.

On the nose

Precisely or really obvious.

Keep something under one's hat

Keep something a secret.

Bread and circuses

A metonymic phrase referring to superficial appeasement by generating public approval through diversion, distraction, or satisfying base requirements like food (bread) or entertainment (circuses).

Know which side one's bread is buttered on

To know how to act or how to treat others in order to get what one wants.

Curry favor

To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.

Of note

Important and deserving to be noticed or remembered.

Post no bills

Used as a notice that one may not put any advertisements on the wall.

How the sausage is made

The practical and often unpleasant or messy aspects of a process that are usually not made public.

Fly on the wall

An unnoticed observer of a particular situation.

Walls have ears

Used to say that other people could be listening to what someone is saying.

life of Riley

A luxurious or carefree existence.

at a low ebb

In a poor state.

Ebb and flow

A recurrent or rhythmical pattern of coming and going or decline and regrowth.

Crow’s foot

A branching wrinkle at the outer corner of a person's eye or historical a caltrop.

Come home to roost

Used of person's past actions that are causing him or her to experience problems in the present.

Smoking gun

A piece of incontrovertible incriminating evidence.

familiarity breeds contempt

Extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it.

Peaks and valleys

High and low periods.

The world is your oyster

You are in a position to take the opportunities that life has to offer.

over the moon

Extremely happy; delighted.

modus operandi

Latin, literally 'way of operating'; a particular way or method of doing something that is characteristic or well-established.

raison d'être

Reason or justification for existence.

tête-à-tête

French, literally 'head-to-head'; a private conversation between two persons or a short piece of S shaped furniture intended to seat two persons facing each other.

(Edward A.) Murphy's Law

A law of nature stating that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Gresham's law

An economic observation that when two coins are equal in debt-paying value but unequal in intrinsic value, the one with the lesser intrinsic value remains in circulation while the other is hoarded.

Goodhart's law

An adage stated as, 'When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.'

Cobra effect/perverse incentive

An incentive structure with undesirable results, particularly where effects are unexpected and contrary to the designers' intentions.

drink (someone) under the table

To drink more alcohol than someone else without becoming extremely drunk or unconscious.

flash in the pan

A thing or person whose sudden but brief success is not repeatable, or something that appears promising but turns out worthless.

out of the frying pan into the fire

Moving from a bad or difficult situation to one that is worse.

have a few, several, etc. irons in the fire

To be involved with many activities or jobs at the same time to ensure several possibilities are available.

Perfect storm

An extremely bad situation in which many bad things happen at the same time.

by the skin of your teeth

To only just succeed in doing something.

at the drop of a hat

Doing something immediately without stopping to think about it.

a chip off the old block

Someone who is very similar in character to their father or mother.

Put something on ice

To decide to delay a plan or project for a period of time.

a method in/to one's madness

Good reasons for one's actions even though they may seem foolish or strange.

throw/fling/cast caution to the wind

To stop being careful and do something that is dangerous or that might result in failure.

a storm in a teacup

A situation in which people are very angry or upset about something that is not important.

Second wind

A new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort.

fit as a fiddle

In good physical condition : very healthy and strong.

leave no stone unturned

To do everything you can to achieve a good result, especially when looking for something.

once bitten, twice shy

A person who has failed or been hurt when trying to do something is careful or fearful about doing it again.

(straight) from the horse's mouth

To hear it from the person who has direct personal knowledge of it.

look a gift horse in the mouth

To look in a critical way at something that has been given to one.

put the cart before the horse

To do things in the wrong order.

Horses for courses

Different people are suited to different things or situations.

In the saddle

In charge or control.

Until the cows come home

For an indefinitely long time.

a drowning man will clutch at a straw

Said about someone in a difficult situation who will take any available opportunity to improve it.

be snowed under (with something)

To have so much work that you have problems dealing with it all.

Weather the storm

To deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged too much.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

To follow the customs of the place or situation you are in.

two's company, three's a crowd

A third person is not welcome when two people want to be alone with each other.

Greek gift

A gift given or a favor done with a treacherous purpose, referring to the Trojan horse story.

it's (all) Greek to me

A way of saying that you do not understand something that is said or written.

Dead men tell no tales

A colloquial phrase indicating that deceased people cannot reveal secrets or outcomes.

carry/take coals to Newcastle

To take something to a place where it is not needed because a large amount of it is already there.

cross that bridge when one comes to it

To not worry about a possible problem until it actually happens.

why keep a dog and bark yourself?

To wonder why someone would do something themselves when they already pay someone else to do it.

let the grass grow under one's feet

To wait before doing something or to do something slowly.

Rock the boat

Say or do something to disturb an existing situation.

Penny-wise and pound-foolish

Careful about small amounts of money but not about large amounts.

The die is cast

An event has happened or a decision has been made that cannot be changed.

Load the dice

To unfairly make one possible result more likely than another, as if tampered with by adding weight.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease/oil

The most noticeable problem or the loudest complainant gets the attention.

have a bee in one's bonnet

To talk and think a lot about something.

Iron out

Solve or settle difficulties or problems.

Jump the shark

When a series starts going downhill; coined after a show character jumped over a shark.

jump the gun

Act before the proper time.

bury the hatchet

To settle a disagreement and become reconciled.

Bury the lede

To not give emphasis to the most important point of a news story.

cut one's losses

To stop an activity that is failing in order to prevent more losses or damage.

Take something in stride

To deal with a problem or difficulty calmly.

Phoning it in

Performing a task with minimal effort, low enthusiasm, or lack of care.

Making inroads

Achieving significant progress or gaining ground on a difficult task or territory.

Bang to rights

Of a criminal, caught with positive proof of guilt.

Walk the beat

A police officer patrolling an area, especially on foot.

Few and far between

Not happening or existing very often; scarce and infrequent.

not mince (one's) words

To speak in a very direct and honest way without worrying about offending someone.