IDIOM OF THE DAY

[rufusredtail]

TALL

a tall poppy a privileged or distinguished person.

 I The Roman tyrant Tarquin was reputed to have struck off the heads of poppies as a gruesomely graphic demonstration of the way in which the important men of a captured city should be treated .

In recent years , the term tall poppy syndrome has also developed, referring to a tendency to discredit or disparage people who have become rich, famous, or socially prominent.

[rufusredtail]

WIND

between wind and water   at a vulnerable point.

I This is a nautical metaphor referring to the part of a ship's side near the waterline that is sometimes submerged; damage to the ship at this level  is particularly dangerous.

The phrase is first recorded in its literal sense at the time of the Spanish Armada (1588): 'one of the shot was betweene the winde and the water, whereof they thought she would haue sonke' .

By the mid 17th century, it was also being used by people.

[rufusredtail]

CHASE

chase the drag take heroin (sometimes mixed with another smokable drug) by heating it in tinfoil and inhaling the fumes through a tube or roll of paper.

I Chase the dragon is reputedly a translation from Chinese. The expression apparently refers to the undulating movements of the fumes up and down the tinfoil, resembling those of the tail of a dragon, a creature found in many Chinese myths

[rufusredtail]

FAMILY

sell the family silver   part with a valuable resource in order to gain an immediate advantage.

I In 1985, the former British prime minister Harold Macmillan made a speech to the Tory Reform Group on the subject of privatization (the selling off of nationalized industries to private companies).  He likened it to the selling of heirlooms by impoverished aristocratic families: 'First of all the Georgian silver goes.........'.

[rufusredtail]

KICK

kick the bucket die    informal

I The bucket in this phrase may be a pail on which a person committing suicide might stand, kicking it away before they hanged themselves.

Another suggestion is that it refers to a beam on which something can be hung up ; in Norfolk dialect the beam from which a slaughtered pig was suspended by its heels could be referred to as a bucket.

[rufusredtail]

AUSPICE

 under the auspices of   with the help. support, or protection of.

I Auspice (since the late 18th century almost always used in the plural), comes from the Latin word auspicium, which means the act of divination carried out by an auspex in Rome.

The auspex observed the flight of birds in order to foretell future events. If the omens were favourable he was seen as the protector of the particular enterprise foretold.

[rufusredtail]

SHEET

two (or three) sheets to (or in) the wind    drunk. informal

i  The origins of this expression are nautical.  sheets here are the ropes attached to the corners of a ship's sail, used for controlling the extent and direction of the sail; if they are hanging loose in the wind , the vessel is likely to be out of control or taking an erratic course.

[rufusredtail]

SKID

 hit the skids   begin a rapid decline or deterioration.  informal

I  The origin of skid is uncertain, but it may be connected with he Old Norse word from which English ski is derived. It is used here in the sense of a plank or roller on which a heavy object may be placed in order to move it easily.

[rufusredtail]

BARREL

get someone over a barrel   get someone in a helpless position; have someone at your mercy

I This phrase perhaps refers to the condition of a person who has been rescued from drowning and is placed over a barrel to clear their lungs of water.

[erik69]

Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

Prov. It is difficult to be friends with someone who owes you money or with someone to whom you owe something, so it is better not to borrow or lend in the first place.   

[erik69]

Pay someone back

1. . Lit. to return money that was borrowed from a person. You owe me money. When are you going to pay me back? You must pay John back. You have owed him money for a long time. You have to pay back everyone you owe money to.
2. Fig. to get even with someone [for doing something]. I will pay her back for what she said about me. Fred eventually will pay Mike back. He bears grudges for a long time. He intends to pay back everyone who has wronged him!

[rufusredtail]

SON

son of a gun  a humorous or affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone. informal

i  The term arose with reference to the guns carried on board ships; it is said to have been originally applied to babies born at sea by women accompanying their husbands. 

[rufusredtail]

REAP

you reap what you so    you eventually  have to face up to the CONSEQUENCES of your actions.

i This proverbial saying exists in various forms, Its biblical source is Galatians 6:7: 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap'.

[erik69]

There's no smoke without fire.....also .......Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Something that you say which means that if people are saying that someone has done something bad but no one knows whether it is true, it probably is true
eg...He claims that they were just good friends and that they never slept together but there's no smoke without fire, that's what I say.

[erik69]

Start with a clean slate
   
fig....... To start out again afresh; to ignore the past and start over again. I plowed under all last year's flowers so I could start with a clean slate next spring. If I start off with a clean slate, then I'll know exactly what each plant is. When Bob got out of jail, he started over with a clean slate.