Phrasal verbs

by Samuel Johnson

Fig.   to   suddenly   begin   moving   or   doing   something.   As  soon  as  the   boss   came  in  the   door,   everyone   sprang into   action.   Every   morning,  I  jump   out  of  bed   and   spring   into   action.

Act   so   as   to   give   an   advantage   to   an   opponent,   as   in   The   senator   played   right   into   the   hands  of  her   opponents when   she   backed   that   unpopular   amendment  to  the   tax   bill   .

attract a great deal of attention or interest. e.g. At the office, a classic pair of oxfords or loafers may not turn heads, but your feet will thank you.

e.g.  Congress fights Obama on absolutely everything. Obama could say the sky was blue and the Republicans in Congress would shout at the top of their lungs that it's red. Source: facebook

2.   Fig.   to   get   rid   of   doubts   or   hard   feelings.   All   right,   let's   discuss   this   frankly.   It'll  be  better  if we  clear   the   air. Eliminate   confusion,   dispel   controversy   or   emotional   tension,   as   in   His   letter   has   cleared   the   air;  we  now   know where  he  stands .   This   idiom   alludes   to   an   atmosphere   cleared   of   sultriness   by   a   storm.  

e.g. Block Off Time for “Deep Work” to Make Headway on Your Biggest Projects

put words in  (to)   someone's  mouth Fig.  to  interpret   what   someone   said  so  that   the   words   mean   what   you   want   and   not   what   the   speaker   wanted. I  didn't   say   that!   You   are   putting   words   into  my  mouth.   Stop   putting   words  in my  mouth!

If you [..] find [...], it’s not without good reason.

E.g. these Chinese students shouldn't be flashy around ghetto area ostentatiously attractive or impressive. "he always had a flashy car" synonyms: ostentatious ,  flamboyant , showy ,  conspicuous , extravagant ,  expensive ;  

done according to a systematic or established form of procedure. "a methodical approach to the evaluation of computer systems" synonyms: orderly , (well) ordered, (well) organized, (well) planned,  efficient , businesslike ,  systematic , structured,  logical ,  analytic ,  disciplined ; meticulous ,  punctilious "a methodical approach to the evaluation" (of a person) orderly or systematic in thought or behavior. Antonyms  for methodical careless chaotic disorderly disorganized inefficient negligent thoughtless unmethodical

Fig.   to   manage   to   say   something   when   other   people   are   talking   and   ignoring   you.   (Often   in   the   negative. Alludes   to   trying   to   "squeeze"   a   word   into   a   running   conversation.)   It  was   such  an  exciting   conversation   that  I could   hardly   get  a  word  in  edgewise.   Mary   talks  so  fast   that   nobody   can   get  a  word  in  edgeways.

More than that, though,  MythBusters  revealed something striking: a national hunger for data-driven authority, and the methodology that delivers it.   One of the great things about the show has been its transparency about method. At least outwardly, and within the limits of a reality-TV show, the experiments carried out by Savage and Hyneman were pretty transparent and fairly rigorous. 

informal a campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or unpopular views. e.g. Some Republicans in the House admitted, it is nothing but a partisan witch hunt and a waste of resources.  Ref:  For Republicans, Benghazi, it seems, will always be about a Democratic president's failures and his politically ambitious secretary of state.   Bonus:  The year is 2032 - Benghazi Committee calls former President Hillary Clinton to testfiy for the 463rd time. Trey Gowdy, Jr presides. Freedumb Caucus expects indictment. Following the Committee meeting, the House votes for the 1,569 time to repeal Obamacare.

Suggested retail price of a product, determined in such a way as to compete with prices of other products. A product may be introduced with a specific price point, but that price may be altered depending on current demand and competition. E.g. At price point of $xxx

E.g. Fix the pain point

  Handouts ,  freebies , or  giveaways , such as those handed out at  conventions .

to   jerk   something   out   [of   some   place].   Liz   whipped  a  pencil   out  of  her   pocket.   She   whipped   out  a  pencil and   signed   the   contract. e.g. whip out a credit card

an expression used to emphasize that you will ALWAYS choose this over that.  e.g.   I’ll take fruit flies, which are  easy to get rid of , over mice any day, though.

used  for  saying  that you find something very  shocking  or  surprising A  child   divorcing  his  parents ? Now I’ve  seen  it all!

A feeling of confusion, when you don't know what to think about a person. I can't stand his way of love,  He makes my headspin.  Note: Not head spin. e.g. Well, Huckabee's really on a roll tonight? lol Guess those real issues facing our country gave him a head spin.  Ref: Huffpost

e.g. Google is very good about not crucifying people for mistakes. Increases transparency, and people's willingness to admit when they screw up. An engineer caused all of Google to go down, but then received a bonus for his handling of the recovery. Ref:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/student-sanmay-ved-buys-google-dot-com_561bc96de4b0dbb8000f2c5a?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

e.g.  I've worked hard over the years to make sure that when I get mad, I get over it quickly and never lose control of myself.

Fig.   to   have   things   in   the   wrong   order;   to   have   things   confused   and   mixed   up.   (Also   with   have.)   You're   eating your   dessert   first!   You've   put   the   cart   before   the   horse.   John   has   the   cart   before   the   horse  in  most  of  his projects.

a venture or guess that has only the slightest chance of succeeding or being accurate. "it's a long shot, but well worth trying" synonyms: gamble ,  venture ,  speculation ,  risk ,  chance , outside chance "it's a long shot, but you could win big"

Once you believe something untrue, it's very easy to keep rationalizing that belief. It's very easy to dismiss your critics as shortsighted. And when you're constantly attacked, it's natural to make your resilience part of your identity, to become even more committed to maintaining it.

like waiting something to finish or doing like if you didn't do something teacher: blah blah blah blah booring blah ...  you: *roll eyes* (when is this going to finish?)  or  she: who painted my face while i was sleeping?!  you: *roll eyes*

Same as MHMM, meaning  "Yes, sure, OK"

Ready to go full tilt. Possibly early version of balls out. Poo: You coming to my party?  Roo: Yes, I will be there with bells on. To arrive triumphantly.

= I understand [...] e.g.  Yes, you’ve retired from surgery. You feel, I gather, that the hand-eye coordination and three-dimensional reasoning to which you credit your excellence as a surgeon will decline in your sixties. Note: "Gather", however, has overtones of "despite the fact you didn't state X explicitly, I've still managed to work it out". So it could sound a bit dismissive in an application.

informal take action to support one's statements or opinions. e.g. put their money where their mouth is

Fig.   to   lessen   someone's   force   or   authority.   What  do  you   mean  by  coming  in  here   and   stealing  my  thunder? I'm  in  charge   here!   someone   stole  my  thunder  by  leaking  my  announcement  to  the   press. To   use,   appropriate,   or   preempt   the   use   of   another's   idea,   especially   to   one's   own   advantage   and   without consent   by   the   originator.