Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: a bad workman always blames his tools Page #5

Yee yee! We've found 968 phrases and idioms matching a bad workman always blames his tools.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
every silver lining has a cloudEvery good situation has the potential to turn bad.2007, Diab A. Shetayh, Actuality : The Reality RequiemA great partnership isn't a self-maintaining entity. Perseverance and persistence make it thrive. For every silver lining has a cloud. Ignorance of this reality is not an option.Rate it:

(4.50 / 4 votes)
look on the bright sideto examine a situation, usually bad, from a positive perspectiveRate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
worm in the applesomething you thought was a good thing turns out to be a bad thing; usually at the worst possible time.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
yes manA person who always agrees with his employer or superior.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
you can't polish a turd(vulgar) Something inherently bad cannot be improved.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
every king needs a queenEvery man needs a woman to be with for the rest of his life.Rate it:

(4.33 / 3 votes)
cut a sorry figureTo be regarded unfavorably by others by making a bad impression E.g. Looking embarrassed or humiliated in an unpleasant situation.Rate it:

(4.17 / 6 votes)
à chacun son goûtto each his ownRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
beauty is only skin deepWhat matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
break upOf a telephone conversation, to cease to be understandable because of a bad connection.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
butter fingersA clumsy person who always drops things, a klutz.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
curate's eggA thing which has good and bad parts.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
expellere aliquem domo, possessionibus pellereto turn a person out of his house, his property.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
il fait la caisseHe is making up his cash account.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
it's an ill wind that blows nobody any goodThere is usually something of benefit to someone, no matter how bad the situation.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
like father, like sonA son will have traits similar to his father upon reaching adulthood.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
sack chaserA women who tries to woo weathy man for his money.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
try to top that one!When one excels often and in a high degree, there is naturally a strong feeling of achievement. The proud winner may chide and challenge his associates and peers.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
when it rains, it poursIf a person encounters bad luck, more bad luck will follow.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pigYou can try to change something or one's outward appearance, but it will not change the inward appearance. Even if you put lipstick on a pig, it will always roll in mud and grunt.Rate it:

(4.00 / 4 votes)
pardon my frenchPlease excuse my swearing or bad language.Rate it:

(3.75 / 4 votes)
familiarity breeds contemptThe more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.Rate it:

(3.50 / 4 votes)
the course of true love never did run smoothThere will always be problems in a relationship.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
what else is newImplies that the situation is and always has been unsatisfactory.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
year in, year outDuring every year; always.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
accident of birthReference to the fact that various benefits or detriments to the life of a person arise from the circumstances into which that person was born, these being entirely beyond his control.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
green handAn inexperienced crew member of a 19th-century whaler on his first voyage.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
time after timeAgain and again; repeatedly; every time; always.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
truth will outA mystery will always be solved, or a truth will always be discoveredTruth will eventually and inevitably be discovered.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
bring downTo make someone feel bad emotionally.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
I lost my bagIndicates that the speaker has lost his or her backpack.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
il fait la pluie et le beau temps dans cette maisonHis will is law in that house; He is the boss of that show (fam.).Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
kingA male monarch; member of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
managerial inbreedingBad management, caused by managers making poor selection choices in recruitment, rewards, and promotions of the staff that report to them, leading to another generation of managers who lack the necessary skill sets to reward and promote the most effective staff.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
mene mene tekel upharsinWords written by a mysterious hand on the wall of Belshazzar's palace, and interpreted by Daniel as predicting the doom of the king and his dynasty.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
nobody's perfectUsed when someone's mistakes or flaws are acknowledged, to remind that everyone else makes mistakes and has flaws1995, New York Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5, 30 January 1995, The de-moralization of society (Book Review)Hypocrisy, particularly in sexual matters, is excused on the grounds that hey, nobody's perfect, and at least folks back then felt bad enough to lie.2000, Madonna, Nobody's PerfectI feel so sad. What I did wasn't right. I feel so bad and I must say to you: Sorry, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's perfect. What did you expect? I'm doing my bestRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
run for one's lifeTo attempt to escape an extremely bad situationRate it:

(3.00 / 3 votes)
swear offTo quit or cease completely, or to promise to quit, as of a bad habit.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
sweat equityAn investment of labour, typically by the owner and often his or her family, usually in a small business or personal residence that increases the value of the business or residence.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
tackle the jobDetermine tools and manpower needed, Move on site, Begin and complete necessary demolition, Launch make-ready tasks in order for all trades to move on site and begin the new construction.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
there's many a slip twixt cup and lipIn any situation, however well planned, something can always go wrong.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:

(3.00 / 4 votes)
wet the bedTo go bad, to fail (said of machines; a euphemism for shit the bed).Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
no news is good newsA lack of information about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."Rate it:

(2.34 / 15 votes)
a lie has no legsYou can't get away with a lie, the truth will always come out.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
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:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
aemulatio dupliciter dicitur, ut et in laude et in vitio hoc nomen sitthe word aemulatio is employed with two meanings, in a good and a bad sense.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
depuis sa faillite il file un mauvais coton (fam.)Since his failure, his health (or, reputation) has entirely broken down.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
il sait son pain mangerHe knows on which side his bread is buttered.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for a bad workman always blames his tools:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Take this job and _____ it.
A kiss
B shove
C work
D cram

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ