BTW

Posted by Lewis on June 17, 2005

In Reply to: Re: What is the meaning of the following phrases: posted by Smokey Stover on June 17, 2005

: : : What is the meaning of the following phrases:

: : : To leave someone in the lurch
: : : To have a dutch courage
: : : To bite off more than one can chew
: : : To show the white feather
: : : To add a feather to one,s cap
: : : To make a Hobson,s choice
: : : To work against the clock
: : : To stick to one,s gun
: : : To heap coals of fire on one,s head
: : : To make someone,s blood run cold
: : : To eat one out of the house and home
: : : To square accounts with
: : : To have an axe to grind
: : : To augur well for
: : : To face the music
: : : To play to the gallery
: : : To give the game away
: : : To move with the crowd
: : : To live from hand to mouth
: : : To go on a wild goose chase
: : : To deal fair and square
: : : To fall back on
: : : To carry something too far
: : : To bow out of a venture
: : : To come to grief
: : : To be on one,s guard
: : : To be under the heel of
: : : To bring to the book
: : : To lead a dog,s life
: : : To come of age

: : Nimi, if you would go back one page, and click on "Meanings and origins of phrases and sayings" you'll find it answers 90% or more of your questions. It is a burnden to ask the volunteers here to retype all the answers they made over the years in order to do your homework for you.

: You must by all means follow Bob's excellent suggestion. If you fail to find your phrase that way, try entering it, or part of it, in the search box at the top of the page. Many of the terms have been discussed more than once. And I have to say that I am impressed that you were able to line all these phrases up to start in every case with a verb in infinitive form. However, you will have better luck if you can distinguish between the comma and the apostrophe. SS

Some careless use of apostrophe in those phrases.
apostrophes go above and between letters - to indicate that certain letters are missing (elipsis?) - if you remember that, you will not misuse them as often.

that's all.

L