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crummy

adjective 1 . dirty, unpleasant, or of poor quality. "a crummy little room" 1.  Miserable or wretched:  a crummy situation in the family. 2.  Shabby or cheap:  a crummy little rowboat.

come up for air

1.   Lit.  to lift one's head out of the water to breathe. 2.   Fig.  to stop what one is doing for a different activity or rest.  Whenever you get off the phone and come up for air, I have a question for you.   I want you to go to the store for me when you come up for air. e.g. I was in meetings all morning -- and just came up for air

case in point

def:  a specific example of what one is talking about. e.g.  Elliott is one of the best rappers around, and her new album is a case in point. e.g. I find the negative comments to be a case in point why the US is falling behind or has fallen behind in development, science and invention.

cardigan vs. pullover

A  cardigan  is a type of knitted garment that has an open front. Often, cardigans can be buttoned. By contrast, a  pullover  does not open in front but must be "pulled over" the head to be worn.  It is most popular during cool weather. As an item of formal clothing for either gender, it is worn over a button-down  dress shirt . A less formal style is a  T-shirt  underneath.

complement

defin: a thing that completes or brings to perfection. "the libretto proved a perfect  complement to  the music" see also - complementary: defin:  combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other or another. "three guitarists playing interlocking, complementary parts"

dinky

tiny, small Thatsa dinky gift! Is that all I get? Comically small; almost insignificant. 1) Your house looks dinky next to that mansion, Wilson. 2) One dinky screwdriver is the best you can come up with for a birthday present?

makeshift

n. A temporary or expedient substitute for something else. adj. Suitable as a temporary or expedient substitute:  used a rock as a makeshift hammer. Synonyms:  makeshift, expedient, resort, stopgap These nouns denote something used as a substitute when other means fail or are not available:  lacked a cane but used a stick as a makeshift; exhausted every expedient before filing suit; will use force only as a last resort; a crate serving as a stopgap for a chair.

Telltale

Def: revealing something not intended to be known His eye was blinking, a telltale signal that he was lying. He blushed when he approached, a telltale sign that he was happy to see him.

jump the shark

a term to describe a moment when somethin that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity. Origin of this phrase comes from a Happy Days episode where the Fonz jumped a shark on waterskis. Thus was labeled the lowest point of the show. e.g.  The Brady Bunch jumped the shark the day Cousin Oliver joined the cast.

cut to the chase

Sl.  to focus on what is important; to abandon the preliminaries and deal with the major points.  All right, let's stop the idle chatter and cut to the chase.   After a few introductory comments, we cut to the chase and began negotiating.
his work earned favorable reviews for its elegant, lively writing and lucid summary of the complexities of the scandal.

moniker

def: a nickname, a pseudonym, an alternate name e.g. It looks and sounds unpolished with the RC moniker e.g. 2  but I didn't feel they were quite deserving of the 'blackest  black '  moniker  yet

stock phrase

def:  ( idiomatic )  A  phrase   frequently  or  habitually  used by a person or group, and thus  associated  with them. Bart Simpson's  stock phrase  "I didn't do it" was once lampooned on the show itself. e.g. (JP)  いってきます see you later  ( said by a person leaving, a stock phrase required by the Japanese etiquette, lit.: (after) going, I will come back )

Crank up

To increase the volume of an electronic device. E.g. He cranked it up a little more and CRACK, there went both speakers! Kelly cranked up his stereo until we were nearly deafened.

Rack up

Fig. to accumulate something; to collect or acquire something. E.g. They all racked a lot of profits up. We racked up twenty points in the game last Saturday. To obtain a large amount of something . E.g. We racked up a lot of miles on our last vacation. Laura is starting to rack the money up now.

smth and the lack of it

e.g.  The aim of this study is to clarify the significance of power  and the lack of it  in the opinions of nurses and in prevailing nursing practice. e.g.2 ...  where the pace of IT change has never been faster  and the lack of IT  governance has never been lower. e.g.3  This perspective of abundance,  and the lack of it , is the environment in which focus is possible-and focus activates the Law of Attraction.

an adrenaline rush

A sudden burst of energy from an increase of the hormone Adrenaline,usually occurs during a stressful event. sometimes causes feats of abnormal strength. e.g.  Isaac Brumaghim was reeling in a tuna when a tiger shark grabbed the fish.   "It definitely was an adrenaline rush for me," Brumaghim said afterward.

cut out

( idiomatic )  Well  suited ;  appropriate ;  fit  for a particular activity or purpose Most commonly found in negative constructions, such as "not cut out for ...". I'm not really  cut out  for camping outdoors. I'm allergic to mosquito bites. We've got our work  cut out  for us. e.g. I'm not cut out to build the thermae for the emperor.

tongue-in-cheek

adj.  Meant or expressed ironically or facetiously. When someone speaks tongue-in-cheek, that means they're joking and kidding. e.g. He always speaks tongue-in-cheek, he never takes things seriously.

head it off

e.g.  We really need the log files quickly to head this off .   head off:   to prevent or forestall (something that is likely to happen) head off  - prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike"

"Go ahead, make my day."

is a  catchphrase  written by  Charles B. Pierce  and spoken by the character  Harry Callahan  from the 1983 film  Sudden Impact . Usage notes: used as a humorous way to show that the person you are speaking to knows it would be a big mistake to  make your day

downright

adj. 1.  Thoroughgoing; unequivocal:  a downright lie. 2.  Forthright; candid. adv. Thoroughly; absolutely. Quote: The constant references to Plan B and ella as abortion-causing pills frustrates  Susan Wood,  "It is not only factually incorrect , it is downright misleading ."

dubious distinction

It sarcastically refers to the "honour" of doing something very badly, eg. "The Miami Dolphins had the dubious distinction of being the worst team in the NFL last year". "Dubious distinction" = a distinction, fact or statistic that you should not really be proud of

legit

Real.  Meaning: Not fake or Real(Cool). a. "I swear this watch is legit ......... O.K fine, you can have it for $15."  b. "That new speaker setup he's got is fully legit and shit."

circle back

Middle-management buzzword for the need to discuss an issue at a later time. Since Andy dropped the ball on this one, we will have to circle back next week and go over the numbers.

knack

a special way of doing something; "he had a bent for it"; "he couldn't get the hang of it" the ability to do something skilfully and easily  It took me some time to learn the knack of making pancakes. e.g. Someone are naturally scientist. But he's got a knack in business.

Rubber Duck

The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in Western  pop culture  and is often symbolically linked to bathing. 

snuggie, snuggle

snuggie is a kind of blanket that people can sort of wear like clothes. counterpart in Japan is to sit around a low table.. snuggle:  To lie or press close together; cuddle.  To curl up closely or comfortably; nestle

no two ways about it

(There's) no two ways about it. something that you say in order to emphasize that something is true  Patricia was the meanest person I've ever met. No two ways about it. no two ways about it there is no doubt about something  She just fell madly in love with him, no two ways about it.

Magpie

Magpies  are intelligent  birds  of the  corvidae  familia, including the black and white  Eurasian Magpie .