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Phrases related to: playing with the boys

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boys will be boysIt is hard, often fruitless, to attempt to curb the natural playfulness and tendency to mischief of most growing boys.1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13But just then there was a slight altercation between Master Tommy and Master Jacky. Boys will be boys and our two twins were no exception to this golden rule.Even grown men usually remain somewhat boyish in heart"Boys will be boys", grinned grandpa while he joined his adult son playing with the fancy train-set he gave his grandson for Christmas while the kid was in school.Rate it:

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not playing with a full deck(chiefly US, Canada) (of a person) Not acting completely sanely, or mildly mentally retarded or diminished.Rate it:

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big boysPlural form of big boy.Rate it:

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big boysThe people or bodies with the most influence and/or power.Rate it:

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boys and girlsUsed to address an audience of children.Rate it:

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boys and their toysUsed to evoke the idea that adult men sometimes dote excessively on machines, automobiles, and gadgets in a childish manner.Rate it:

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they ranged from fuzz-cheeked boys to gray-haired, balding gansers...from "A Crown of Swords," book 7 in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series of novels (Tor books 1996). This quote is found on page 64.Rate it:

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in touchThe ball, or a player, is in touch when it, or he, is outside the playing area or touching the touchlines of the playing area.Rate it:

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stay wokeFirst used by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter in a 1938 interview afterword of his song Scottsboro Boys-named for nine Black teenagers and young men falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. Lead Belly knew the Scottsboro boys, and urged Black listeners and Black persons traveling through that area in Alabama to "Stay Woke" (be vigilant, cautious, and alert) in the spoken afterword to the song. Lead Belly's direct relative, Global Activist and Equality Advocate Greshun De Bouse began the #STAYWOKELEADBELLY movement to acknowledge the phrase's origin, and redefine its present-day meaning as a more generalized, all-inclusive phrase admonishing all to be cognizant of past, present, and future world occurrences.Rate it:

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Play Cat and MouseTo make someone fool by playing tricks, to annoy or tease someoneRate it:

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home field advantageUsually in sports, the heightened performance enjoyed by the team playing on its own familiar field in front of its home crowd.Rate it:

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home teamThe team that's playing in the usual area that they play in, as opposed to the visitor team.Rate it:

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knock upTo gently hit the ball back and forth before a tennis match, as practice or warm-up, and to gauge the state of the playing surface, lighting, etc. See knock-up.Rate it:

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strike upTo start something, usually playing live music.Rate it:

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kingA playing card with the image of a king on it.Rate it:

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pissing contestA boys' prankish competition to determine who can urinate the furthest up a wall.Rate it:

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symphōnīa canit (Verr. 3. 44. 105)the orchestra is playing.Rate it:

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ABCA straightforward, uniform playing style, often focusing on betting for value, folding weak hands, and avoiding bluffing.Rate it:

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ace of spadesThe playing card belonging to the spades suit and featuring one pip.Rate it:

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artes, quibus aetas puerilis ad humanitatem informari soletthe usual subjects taught to boys.Rate it:

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between the pipesBetween the goalposts; with respect to or playing the position of goaltender.Rate it:

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body EnglishA body motion made to coax an object already propelled go in a desired direction. For example, a nervous leaning or twisting movement while playing sports such as golf or bowling, to "persuade" the ball to go in a desired direction.Rate it:

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cela n'est pas du jeu1. That is not fair, not cricket; You are not playing the game. 2. That was not agreed upon.Rate it:

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coffin cornerThis is an aerodynamics term which refers to a narrow and critical altitude range where an aircraft’s stall speed approaches its maximum speed, which can lead to catastrophic instability. This phrase is also used in American football to refer to the section of playing field, near the endzone, between the goal line and the 5 yard line in which punters attempt to pin the opposing team within, by executing a ‘coffin corner’ kick. This manuever is highly difficult and requires immense precision.Rate it:

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come inTo join or enter; to begin playing with a group.Rate it:

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companyThe Boys in Company C.Rate it:

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d.c. al codaA music notation roughly meaning "go back to the beginning, playing everything again up to the coda."Rate it:

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doctrinae, quibus aetas puerilis impertiri solet (Nep. Att. 1. 2)the usual subjects taught to boys.Rate it:

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et aliiAnd others; used of men or boys, or groups of mixed gender; masculine pluralRate it:

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forewarned is forearmedAdvance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 4:[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.1885, G. A. Henty, Saint George for England, ch. 4:Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.circa 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind":"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."Rate it:

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forty minutes of hellThe NCAA strategy of playing a suffocating full-court press and aggressive offense for the entirety of a game.Rate it:

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

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il faut que jeunesse se passeBoys will be boys.Rate it:

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level upTo progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has aquired enough experience points.Rate it:

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line upTo start a game in a certain position on the playing field.Rate it:

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messing aroundPlayingRate it:

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nous jouons pour l'honneurWe are playing for love.Rate it:

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off one's gamePlaying or competing below one's usual level of performance.Rate it:

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on the hopPlaying truant from school.Rate it:

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park the busTo attempt to stop the opposition team from scoring a goal by playing extremely defensively and placing as many players as possible behind the ball.Rate it:

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pickin' and grinnin'a country way of saying "playing music"Rate it:

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pickin' and grinnin'Vigorous playing of folk or country music on a stringed musical instrument, especially the guitar or banjo, while smiling broadly.Rate it:

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play atTo pretend to be a different person while playing a game.Rate it:

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Pull a Fast OneTo cheat others by playing mastermind tricksRate it:

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pull my fingerA phrase used when playing a prank regarding flatulence, in which a mark is asked to pull the finger of the person playing the prank, who simultaneously flatulates so as to suggest a causal relationship between the pulling of the finger and the resulting expulsion of gas.Rate it:

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read 'em and weepWhen playing cards (usually poker) and the final hand is played, a person often shows their cards in anticipation of winning and boasts this phrase to brag that their hand is good enough to win that roundRate it:

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rule the school(of one or a group of students) To socially dominate a school's student population, or a major part of it (such as the girls or the boys).Rate it:

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second fiddleThe person playing second fiddle.Rate it:

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see redTo receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.Rate it:

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snowmanA playing card with the rank of eight.Rate it:

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