A few more

Posted by Shae on November 21, 2003

In Reply to: A few more posted by ESC 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. Fin on the back of a fish or whale

: : : 117.throw off the yoke of colonial oppression. Become an independent state by rebelling against an occupying nation.

: : : 118.relegious right is on the act. Religious right are people who adhere rigidly to their religion.

: : : 119.fire up my internet. Log on to the internet

: : : 120.the resistence got so heated up. The resistence (opposition?) got so angry.

: : : 121.domestic strife. Argument/conflict in the home

: : : 122.self-immolation. Setting oneself on fire, e.g. by pouring flammable liquid over oneself and setting it alight

: : : 123.bluffed his way into the reception. Used deceipt to gain access to the reception (function or party)

: : : 124.full-fledged state visit. A visit by a head of state to another country, accompanied by lots of ceremony.

: : : 125.morphed into something. Changed into a different shape

: : : 126.miffed at. To be offended by something

: : : 127.dapper career diplomat. Dapper = neatly dressed. A career diplomat dedicates his working life to being promoted in the diplomatic service

: : : 128.raged out of control. Uncontrollable, e.g. 'the fire raged out of control.'

: : : 129.filibustered someone. Obstructed someone's plans/intentions by delaying tactics.

: : : 130.quasi-democracy. Almost but not really a democracy

: : : 131.cozied up to exile. Don't know

: : : 132.a litmus test for authenticity. A test to determine without doubt if something is genuine or not.

: : : 133.up for grabs. Available for anyone who wants to take it

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

: : : 135.to spook the stock market. To cause unease in the stock market

: : : 136.he has shoved out. Not sure about this. He has embarked on a course of action?

: : : 137.two statesmen are tying their ties without pomp. Two statesmen are agreeing to cooperate without fuss.

: : : 138.will go into high gear. Will become fully operational

: : : 139.to pull off something. To succeed at something

: : : 140.get someone off the hook. To get somebody out of trouble

: : : 141.root someone out. Find someone who had been hiding

: : : 142.the fact of the matter is. 'It is true that . . .'

: : : 143.to snap up jobs. To take jobs as soon as they become available

: : : 144.swooped on someone. Attacked, e.g. a hawk swoops on its prey

: : : 145.spearheaded by. Led by

: : : 146.set the wheel in motion. Start something happening

: : : 147.common ground. Ideas/concepts on which all are in agreement.

: :