a nigger in the woodpile
Originally a way of accounting for the disappearance of fuel, this phrase now denotes something under- handed or wrong, or a concealed motive.
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a nine days' wonder
Something that causes a great sensation for a few days, and then passes into the limbo of things forgotten. An old proverb is: "A wonder lasts nine days, and then the puppy's eyes are open," alluding to dogs which, like cats, are born blind. As much as to say, the eyes of the public are blind in astonishment for nine days, but then their eyes are open, and they see too much to wonder any longer.
a nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
a nose of wax
Mutable and accommodating (faith). A waxen nose may be twisted any way.
a notch above
Slightly better than something else
a note of hand
A promise to pay made in writing and duly signed.
a number of something
Some, but an unspecified amount
A parish demagogue. (P. B. Shelley)
A local leader who gains power by exploiting emotions
a paternoster- while
Quite a short time: the times it takes one to say a paternoster.
A Paul's man
A braggart; a captain out of service, with a long rapier; so called because the Walk down the centre of old St. Paul's, London, was at one time the haunt of stale knights.
a penny saved is a penny earned
Saving money is as valuable as earning it
a penny-father
A miser, a penurious person, who "husbands" his pence.
a period of time
A duration or length of time
a picture is worth a thousand words
A visual representation can convey more information than a large amount of text
a pig in a poke
A blind bargain. The refer- ence is to a common trick in days gone by of trying to palm off on a greenhorn a cat for a sucking-pig. If he opened the poke or sack he "let the cat out of the bag,'* and the trick was disclosed. The French chat en poche (from which the saying may have come) refers to the fact, while our proverb regards the trick. Pocket is diminutive of poke.
a pig's whisper
A very short space of time; properly a grunt — which doesn't take long.
a pitched battle
One for which both sides have made deliberate preparations.
a place in the sun
A favourable position that allows room for development; a share in what one has a natural right to. The phrase was popularized by William II of Germany during the crisis of 1911. In his speech at Hamburg (Aug. 27th) he spoke of the German nation taking steps that would make them — sure that no one can dispute with us the place in the sun that is our due.
a plucked pigeon
One fleeced out of his money; one plucked by a rook or sharper.
a point-to-point race
A race, especially a steeplechase, direct from one point to another; a cross-country race.
a poor hand
An unskilful one. "He is but a poor hand at it," i.e. he is not skilful at the work.
a poor thing
A person (or, sometimes, an inanimate object) that is regarded with pity or disparagement.
a post-mortem degree
In old University slang, a degree given to a candidate after having failed at the poll.
a pot of money
A large amount of money; especially a large stake on a horse.
a pound or two
a small amount of weight
a pound to a penny
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support. (Ambrose Bierce)
A prejudice is an unsupported and baseless opinion
a preliminary canter
Something which precedes the real business in hand. The reference is to the "trial trip" of horses before the race begins.
a pretty good spell
A long bout or pull, as a "spell at the capstan," etc. Spell ho! An exclamation to signify that the allotted time has expired, and men are to be relieved by another set.
a pretty penny
A considerable sum of money, an unpleasantly large sum. A penny for your thoughts! Tell me what you are thinking about. Addressed humorously to one in a "brown study." The phrase occurs in Heywood's Proverbs (1546).
a priest of the blue bag
A cant name for a barrister. See LAWYER'S BAG.
a printer's devil
A printer's message boy; formerly, the boy who took the printed sheets from the tympan of the press. Moxon says (1683): "They do commonly so black and be- daub themselves that the workmen do jocosely call them devils.
A problem shared is a problem halved. (Strauss, 1994 p. 351)
Sharing a problem with others reduces its burden
a queer card
An eccentric person, "indifferent honest"; one who may be "all right," but whose proceedings arouse mild suspicion and do not inspire confidence.
a queer cove
An eccentric person, a rum customer; also Queer card. See CARD.
a queer fish
An eccentric person, All is fish that comes to my net. I turn everything to some use; I am willing to deal in anything out of which I can make a profit.
a rag and a bone and a hank of hair
A person who is extremely thin or gaunt
a range of something
A variety or selection of things
a reconciled friend is a double enemy
A former friend who has reconciled can become a more formidable opponent
a reed shaken by the wind
A person blown about by every wind of doctrine. John the Bap- tist (said Christ) was not a "reed shaken by the wind," but from the very first had a firm belief in the Messiahship of the Son of Mary, and this conviction was not shaken by fear or favour. See Matt, xi, 7.
a regular harpy
One who wants to appropri- ate everything; one who sponges on another without mercy.
A Revising Barrister
One appointed to revise the lists of electors for members of parliament.
a rich cob is a plutocrat
Hence also a male, as a cob-swan. Riding horses run between fifteen and sixteen hands in height, and carriage horses, between sixteen and seventeen hands.
a riddle of claret
Thirteen bottles, a mag- num and twelve quarts; said to be so called because in certain old golf clubs magistrates invited to the celebration dinner presented the club with this amount, sending it in a riddle or sieve.
a ring of bells
A set of bells (from three to twelve) for change ringing, tuned to the dia- tonic scale.
a rise in the number of visitors
Common English phrase; full definition pending editorial review.
a rising tide lifts all boats
General prosperity benefits everyone
A Robin Hood wind
A cold thaw-wind. Tradition runs that Robin Hood used to say he could bear any cold except that which a thaw- wind brought with it.
a Roland for an Oliver
To give as good as one gets
A Roland for an Oliver
A blow for a blow, tit for tat. The exploits of Roland and Oliver, another of the paladins of Charlemagne, are so similar that it is difficult to keep them distinct. What Roland did Oliver did, and what Oliver did Roland did. At length the two met in single combat, and fought for five consecutive days on an island in the Rhine, but neither gained the least advantage.
a rolling stone gathers no moss
A person who frequently changes jobs or pursuits will not be successful
a rotten apple injures its companions
One bad person can harm or corrupt others around them
a rough diamond
An uncultivated genius ; a person of excellent parts, but without society manners.
a round robin
A petition or protest signed in a circular form, so that no name heads the list. The device is French, and the term seems to be a corruption of rond (round) ruban (a ribbon). It was first adopted by the officers of government as a means of making known their grievances.
a round table conference
A conference be- tween political parties in which each has equal authority, and at which it is agreed that the questions in dispute shall be settled amicably
a sack race
A village sp9rt in which each runner is tied up to the neck in a sack. In some cases the candidates have to make short leaps, in other cases they are at liberty to run as well as the limits of the sack will allow them.
A Sancho Panza
A rough and ready, sharp and humorous justice of the peace. In allusion to Sancho, as judge in the isle of Barataria.
a scold's cure
A coffin. The blowen has napped the scold's cure; the bitch is in her coffin.
a scratch race
A race of horses, men, boys, etc., without restrictions as to age, weight, previous winnings, etc., who all start from scratch.
a self-made man
One who has risen from poverty and obscurity to opulence and a position of importance by his own efforts. The phrase was originally American.
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