A few more

Posted by ESC on November 21, 2003

In Reply to: Next few (to 40) posted by Lewis on November 21, 2003

: : : hi,
: : : I need to know the meaning for the following phrases. I thank you very much.

: 1. gears up to run for re-election. Does the preparation work before running for election to an office he or she already holds.

: 2.a washington think-tank. Washington, D.C. Think tank (from Merriam-Webster online):
: Main Entry: think tank
: Function: noun
: Date: 1959
: : an institute, corporation, or group organized for interdisciplinary research (as in technological and social problems) -- called also think factory

: 3.to knock off Saddam. Kill him.

: 4.pulled the plug on something. Stop it.

: 5.got off to a bad start. Things didn't go well in the beginning of a project.

: 6.to create common ground. Decide what issues people/groups agree on.

: 7.to seeth over the affair. Angry within about something. Affair sometimes means a sexual affair.

: 8.took the oath of office. Swore the required oath ( a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says before) before assuming the duties of a political office.

: 9.swept into office. Won by a big margin.

: 10.ceremony was steeped in tradition. Lots of tradition, customs.

: 11.to put a damper on livelier festivities. Spoiled the fun, high spirits.

: 12. political high ground. Acting on a higher moral level. Not getting down in the dirt.

: 13.stalking out. Getting angry and walking out.

: : 14.something remained in effect.
it continued to apply

: : 15.defied the prophets of doom.
succeeded despite predictions that it would fail

: : 16.have a wedge issue to use against someone.
(tricky) could use a divisive debating tactic which would cause dissent amongst the opposition

: : 17.trying to find their footing.
seeking to establish a stable postion

: : 18.to mow down someone.
usually to kill in a massive amount of shots - or to drive into somebody with intention to kill them

: : 19.pried something open.
levered - pried to past tense of to 'pry'

: : 20.bemoaned the fate of something.
expressed sorrow at the outcome/what happened

: : 21.hands-on familiarity.
regular practical experience

: : 22.chord of disquiet in the american soul.
(figurative) a feeling of unease in the American public

: : 23.girlie bar.
(multiple uses) strip club/pick-up joint/place where prostitutes or 'easy' women congregate looking for partners

: : 24.sexual pit stops.
(figurative) pit stop = place where racing cars are refuelled and have quick repairs carried out - so a place where immediate sexual release may be obtained

: : 25.crop up in any boomtown.
crop up = unexpectedly appear
boomtown = place where there has been rapid increase in wealth for some

: : 26.to be no outcast.
to be included - to be an outcast is to be excluded from society

: : 27.wattzed off your feet.
waltz is a dance - to be charmed

: : 28. tuned-up calendar.
M-W online: Main Entry: tune-up
Pronunciation: -"&p
Function: noun
Date: 1933
1 : a general adjustment to insure operation at peak efficiency
2 : a preliminary trial : WARM-UP

: : 29.gear up to do something.
to prepare (can mean to get appropriately dressed)

: : 30.knock your socks off.
create surprise - astound

: : 31.next time around.
next time

: : 32.went out on a limb.
(figurative) climbed out on the branch of a tree - exposed self to risk

: : 33.winging into some place.
arriving by plane 9or just quickly)

: : 34.blow out.
multiple uses - to call off an appointment, to explode, to leave rapidly

: : 35.fly-overs.
where a road is supported by pillars and above ground-level

: : 36.ad hoc.
Latin - to/for now/the time being - informal and not proscribed in form

: : 37.going wobbly.
unsteady

: : 38.kicked down the road.
kicked in the direction of the street/kicked forcefully

: : 39.a watershed event.
a breakthrough (as in water spilling over the top of something)

: : 40.the name rang a bell.
the name sounded familiar

: : 41.monument-stippled mall. Monuments here and there, dotting the mall area. Stipple = to engrave by means of dots and flicks (M-W online)

: : 42. to lie low. Stay out-of-sight and unnoticed. Keep a low-profile.

: : 43.a wake up call. Something that gets a person's attention. Like a wake-up call hotel staff make to a guest.

: : 44. to read between the lines. Understand the importance of what is not being said.

: : 45.set off the bombshell. Make a surprise announcement, do something that will startle people.

: : 46.our military around the world is tapped out. Exhausted. Out of money, energy, resources. M-W online: Main Entry: tapped out. Function: adjective. Date: 1950
out of money : BROKE

: : 47.mentioned in the same breath as someone. Said at the same time. In the same conversation.

: : 48.he had been eclipsed by his son. The son's reputation, standing in the community, etc., exceeded the father's.

: : 49.to sail off to somewhere. Go somewhere else.

: : 50.leapt to its feet. Stood up quickly.

: : 51.wacky women. M-W online: wacky = absurdly or amusingly eccentric or irrational : CRAZY

: : 52.slyly boasted. M-W online. Slyly = 2 a. clever in concealing one's aims or ends b. lacking in straightforwardness and candor : lightly mischievous

: : 53. with all due respect to ... I respect you (or am saying I do) but I am going to say or do this anyway. Kind of a nod to an authority figure.

: : 54. make someone a token. If you're talking about a person being a "token" - M-W online: token - a member of a group (as a minority) that is included within a larger group through tokenism; especially : a token employee

: : 55. gatekeeping. Deciding who gets in, who gets access.

: : 56.somebody is cooking the books. M-W online. Cooking -- FALSIFY, DOCTOR Cooked the books with phony spending cuts and accounting gimmickry.

: : 57. with the economy taking off. Improving.

: : 58.bureaucratic foul-ups. Mistakes.

: : 59.pencilling in a date for election. A tentative date as in an appointment written in pencil that can be erased.

: : 60.to hunt down terrorists. Looking for them.

: : 61.brushing off warnings. Ignoring a warning.

: : 62.to stamp out the terrorist threat. End the threat, eradicate it.

: : 63.thrash out their views. M-W online. Thrash: to hammer out : FORGE Thrash out a plan.

: : 64.cement an image. Make it permanent.

: : 65.she opt for a wheelchair. She chose to use a wheelchair over other options.

: : 66.missing out on the opportunity to get better. Missing the chance.

: : 67.in limbo. M-W online. Limbo -- 2 a : a place or state of restraint or confinement b : a place or state of neglect or oblivion. Proposals kept in limbo. c : an intermediate or transitional place or state d : a state of uncertainty

: : 68.draft dodgers. People who avoid being drafted into the military.

: : 69.break-ins. Illegally entering a house by breaking in - breaking a window, a door, etc.

: : 70. armed offshoot. Don't know. An offshoot is an outgrowth.

: : 71. backed off. Took a step away from a situation.

: : 72.set out on a tour. M-W online. Tour = a journey for business, pleasure, or education often involving a series of stops and ending at the starting point

: : 73.to add insult to injury. The bad stuff keeps coming. A person is injured and then insulted.

: : 74.to draw up a plan. Create or make a plan.

: : 75.a sham speech. An insincere or fake speech.

: : 76.to kick off his tour. Begin his tour.

: : 77.to keep the schedule under wraps. Keep it secret.

: : 78.to shrug off the anouncement. As in "shrugging" one's shoulders. Indicate that it doesn't matter.

: : 79.to mend fences with someone. Try to reestablish or mend a friendship or relationship. As in neighbors working together to repair a mutual fence.

: : 80.to hold off any action. Delay.

: : 81.well-to-do man. A man of money and influence in the community.

: : 82.to stay the course with someone. Stay with the person, continue to support his or her course of action.

: : 83.wishfull thinking. Thinking about what you wish or want to happen.

: : 84.steered the whale around the pool. Never heard this one. Sounds like a useless action.

: : 85.tucked his daughter into bed. Covered her with a blanket and tucked it under the mattress so she won't come upcovered during the night.

: : 86.an effort is in full swing. Peak period of activity.

: : 87.one-on-one play. Person to person.

: : 88. down to earth subjects. Relating to common things. What people do everyday.

: : 89. to keep the ball up and in play. Keeping things going.

: : 90. putting someone on the spot. Asking someone a question or asking him or her to do something at a time or place when it is difficult to say no.

: : 91. sort out his ideas. Think about and prioritize his ideas. Rank them in importance, etc.

: : 92. wandered off into the evening. Left.

: : 93. hot-wire your ignition. Start a car without a key. M-W online: to start (as an automobile) by short-circuiting the ignition system

: : 94. buzzing off. Leaving.

: : 95.hopping up and down with rage. Jumping up and down.

: : 96. ripped off. Someone has stolen from the person.

: : 97. clambered down into the pool. Got into the pool with much grace.

: : 98. hands-on study. Actively involved. M-W online. Hands-on -- characterized by active personal involvement

: : 99.the case thrown out on technicality. Nothing of substance relating to guilt or innocence. M-W online: technicality - a detail meaningful only to a specialist. A legal technicality.

: : 100.a shoo-in-ticket for the presidency. A sure winner.

: : 101.so out of character. Not in line with the known character of a person. A strange thing for him to do.

: : 102. voted out of office. An officeholder doesn't win reelection.

: : 103. just for starters. To begin with.

: : 104. fit in with other kids. Be accepted as a part of a group. Not be considered an outsider.

: : 105. wee hours of the morning. Early hours of the morning - wee as 1 a.m., etc.

: : 106. for the life of me. In all my experience, knowledge, etc. Usually, "For the life of me, I can't understand."

: : 107.fired off a string of allegations. Rapidly accused someone of several wrongs.

: : 108. at stake. M-W online: stake - 3 a : something that is staked for gain or loss b : the prize in a contest c : an interest or share in an undertaking (as a commercial venture)

: : 109.waded into the raw. Don't know.

: : 110.took a sides wipe at her critics. Side swipe. A cat-like clawing motion.

: : 111.salted away more than $5 billion. Saved, put away the money.

: : 112.i will take him on that offer. Take him up on an offer. Accept, agree to.

: : 113. struck a chord with me. Said something or did something that touches a person emotionally. Deeply felt.

: : 114.an hour whizzes by. Goes by quickly.

: : 115.goofing around on his boogie board. Goofing - playing around, being silly.

: : 116.dorsal fin.

: : 117.throw off the yoke of colonial oppression.

: : 118.relegious right is on the act.

: : 119.fire up my internet.

: : 120.the resistence got so heated up.

: : 121.domestic strife.

: : 122.self-immolation.

: : 123.bluffed his way into the reception.

: : 124.full-fledged state visit.

: : 125.morphed into something.

: : 126.miffed at.

: : 127.dapper career diplomat.

: : 128.raged out of control.

: : 129.filibustered someone.

: : 130.quasi-democracy.

: : 131.cozied up to exile.

: : 132.a litmus test for authenticity.

: : 133.up for grabs.

: : 134.the army rounded up thousands of people.

: : 135.to spook the stock market.

: : 136.he has shoved out.

: : 137.two statesmen are tying their ties without pomp.

: : 138.will go into high gear.

: : 139.to pull off something.

: : 140.get someone off the hook.

: : 141.root someone out.

: : 142.the fact of the matter is.

: : 143.to snap up jobs.

: : 144.swooped on someone.

: : 145.spearheaded by.

: : 146.set the wheel in motion.

: : 147.common ground.

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• A few more Shae 21/November/03
• That's all folks ESC 21/November/03
  • Correcting a few typos ESC 21/November/03
    • Correcting a few typos Bill Smith 22/November/03