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Phrases related to: performing arts

Yee yee! We've found 44 phrases and idioms matching performing arts.

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pay it forwardPerforming a selfless act of kindness (normally for a random stranger) after having been the beneficiary of such an act oneself - the mentality behind which is to make kindness contagious such that it multiplies exponentiallyRate it:

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stage-door JohnnyA devoted fan of live theatre and of performing artists, who habitually spends time in and around theatres.Rate it:

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chew the sceneryTo display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
speak now or forever hold your peaceSay something now, if you want to object, or don't ever say anything about it; most commonly said at weddings before the person performing the ceremony pronounces the couple man and wife.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
drain the swamp when up to one's neck in alligators(idiomatic) When performing a long and complex task, and when you've gotten utterly immersed in secondary and tertiary unexpected tangential subtasks, it's easy to lose sight of the initial objective. This sort of distraction can be particularly problematic if the all-consuming subtask or sub-subtask is not, after all, particularly vital to the original, primary goal, but ends up sucking up time and resources (out of all proportion to its actual importance) only because it seems so urgent.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stickTry the same thing (or similar things) often enough, and, even if the general standard is poor, sometimes one will be successful.2001, And still no one is shouting stop. read in The Kingdom archives at on 02 Nov 06,Many team managers are of the philosophy that if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick. They believe that team preparation is all about physical fitness. They run the players into the ground and they believe they will be "flying on the day".2001, Robert McCrum, Let them eat cake, in The Observer 16 Dec 01, read on Guardian Unlimited site at on 02 Nov 06,Australian publishing boomed and in the past 10 years the country's literary culture has undergone a mini golden age, capped by Carey's triumph at the 2001 Booker Prize. As one Australian arts administrator said to me many years ago: 'Listen, mate, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.'2001, Chris Collin, Re: 2-cp speys on The Strathspey Server mailing list archive at on 02 Nov 06,I am finding that "if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick". It doesn't always work of course (especially on the nights when the class is mostly the beginners), but the class seems to thrive on the challange.2005, Ray Craft (poster on The right scale blog), Fitzhooie and his Burden, read at on 02 Nov 06,Prosecutors everywhere have bad habits of overcharging lots of cases, knowing that if the throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick.2005, Sean Kelleher, Spike Milligan: His part in our downfall in Business 07 Aug 05, read at on 02 Nov 06,As long as there is negligible regulation and enforcement anyone can actually try and do the job...Weak regulation allows the industry to build strategies on full time recruitment. The theory goes: throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick.c2005, Everything You've Learned About Marketing Is Wrong, read on LINC Performance website at on 02 Nov 06,They have the money to continue to believe in the repetition side of the equation. You throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick. But it still isnRate it:

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Black Sheep of the FamilyA disrespected member of a family, community or any other group or society due to certain actions. It happens when all other are performing or doing well but one person lacks it allRate it:

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scrub inTo thoroughly wash one's hands and forearms in preparation for performing a surgery.Rate it:

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throw outTo dismiss or expel someone from any longer performing duty or attending somewhere.Rate it:

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do a giga group of people performing the same dance movement to celebrate their success or achievement.Rate it:

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square mealA satisfying meal, especially suitable for one performing physical labor.Rate it:

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abhorrere ab artibus (opp. delectari artibus)to have no taste for the fine arts.Rate it:

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ahead of the curveAbove average; generally performing well.Rate it:

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artium (liberalium) studium, or simply studiuma taste for the fine arts.Rate it:

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cop outTo avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.Rate it:

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cop-outAn excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.Rate it:

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copious free timeA hypothetical time set aside for performing time-consuming tasks, however insinuating that the speaker really has no free time.Rate it:

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equal to the taskcompetent or capable of performing a certain role or handling a situationRate it:

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every cloud has a silver liningIn every bad situation there is an element of good1881, National Academy of Code Administration (U.S.), Folio, page 417:Every cloud has a silver lining; but in the old-fashioned meeting-houses every cloud of hymnal melody generally had a nasal lining before the congregation...1887, Shakers, Religion, page 36:that "a little reserve and thou'lt fail surely," will prove to be true in our experience. Every cloud has a silver lining and so has every sorrow,1918, George Jean Nathan, Performing Arts, page 222:But the most popular attitude toward what we may call "sad" plays is the peculiar one of believing that, since every cloud has a silver lining,Rate it:

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fink outTo avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.Rate it:

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gentilattractive, pretty; also derogative, in the sense of superficial, esp. in the artsRate it:

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go to workTo begin performing some task or work.Rate it:

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he/she is on fireWhen someone is described as being 'on fire' they are performing at their absolute best, they're unstoppable, unbelievable, very impressiveRate it:

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hit itStart performing; start playing a song, etc.Rate it:

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i'd rather shit in my hands, then clap!When you really don't want to do something, you'd rather shit in your hands, then clap the poo, than performing a given task!Rate it:

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in the line of dutyAs part of or while performing official duties, usually of the military or police personnel, or of government officials.Rate it:

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like turkeys voting for ChristmasSelf-defeating or serving to bring about a situation detrimental to the person performing the action.Rate it:

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off one's gamePerforming in any activity below one's usual level; behaving in an irregular, inept, or awkward manner; feeling unwell.Rate it:

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off the hookPerforming extraordinarily well.Rate it:

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on one's gamePerforming brilliantly; with optimum skillRate it:

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on rare formPerforming very well.Rate it:

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one-trick ponyA performing animal that knows only one trick.Rate it:

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optima studia, bonae, optimae, liberales, ingenuae artes, disciplinaethe sciences; the fine arts.Rate it:

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out of characterNot in character; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance. See also break character, drop character.Rate it:

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over one's headPerforming at a level greatly superior to one's usual level of performance.Rate it:

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rotten eggA person who is the latest, the last, or the slowest in a group at performing a certain task, especially at going to a certain place.Rate it:

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stand on one’s headTo try to impress someone by performing difficult feats or through hard workRate it:

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suffering housemaid's kneeQuaint expression of earlier days relative to female servants performing chores of scrubbing floor on hands and knees.Rate it:

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the engineer of the train can hostle his own locomotive.The engineer of the train can move his own locomotive to the roundhouse or locomotive service area. In doing so he is performing the task of a hostler.Rate it:

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time and materialA form of contractual compensation involving payment for materials used and at agreed rates for the those involved in performing the services.Rate it:

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trick outTo trick out; to mod or customize an object, typically for the purpose of both personalization as well as enhancing the object's performance capabilities and more particularly for the purpose of performing stunts with that object.Rate it:

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with so many colors, paint black and white dreams is only for those with colorful imagination.It is a phrase inspired by the arts.Rate it:

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you don't know beans aboutYou Don't Have Any Idea About? Doing a task, performing a certain choreRate it:

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百花齊放，百家爭鳴classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period in 475 BC to 221 BC, but adopted as a policy by Mao Zedong to promote progress in the arts and sciences, and the development of a dynamic socialist cultureRate it:

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