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Phrases related to: after the fact Page #3

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Between a Rock and a Hard PlaceTo face a difficult situation and remain in a tight spot one after another, Or face some difficulty in making the right decision that would deliver no harmRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
carry a torch forTo harbor feelings of love despite not being in a relationship; generally unrequited or after a relationship has ended, and sometimes implying secret feelings. There is the implication of keeping hope alive.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
come aboutTo tack; to change tack; to maneuver the bow of a sailing vessel across the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other; to position a boat with respect to the wind after tacking.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
come toTo recover consciousness after fainting etc.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
drop backOf a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
fend for oneselfLook after and provide for oneself, without any help from othersRate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
hammer outTo come to an agreement after much arguing.Rate it:

(4.00 / 5 votes)
have I got news for youUsed to announce a fact of which the addressee was, or appeared to be, ignorant.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
keep inTo require a pupil to stay after school as a punishment.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
push one's luckTo take an excessive risk or to attempt some task unlikely to succeed, especially after having already been unexpectedly lucky.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
shelf-stableIn food processing and packaging, a product that requires refrigeration after, but not prior to, opening.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
trial by mediaThe process by which media coverage affects a person's reputation by creating a widespread perception of guilt or innocence, often before, or after, a verdict in a court of law.Rate it:

(3.67 / 3 votes)
and shitUsed after a noun or list of nouns in place of "etc".Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
ass-backwardsOriented backwards, particularly after a mishap.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
baby bluesPeriod and feeling of depressiveness after giving birth; a less severe form of postnatal depression.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
on a full stomachDirectly after eating, after a meal.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)
back to square oneLocated back at the start, as after a dead-end or failure.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
double upAfter a fly ball has been caught.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
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)
dust offTo use something after a long time without it.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
false lightA point of view resulting in a misleading or inaccurate representation of a person, situation, or fact.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
golden duckThe score of zero runs after getting out on the first ball faced.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
jeter le manche après la cognéeTo throw the rope after the bucket; To give up in despair.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
keep outAfter being warned, he kept out.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
pull oneself togetherTo become mentally focused after a period of being unfocused.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
run downTo find something or someone after searching for a long time.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
settle downTo become quiet and calm after a period of disturbance or restlessness.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
shoot the moonTo take a risk which may result in great rewards; to succeed after taking such a risk.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
spill one's gutsTo confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.Rate it:

(3.00 / 5 votes)
take a picture, it will last longeran ironic statement said after being stared at for a long time.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
you can't take it with youIt is not possible to take one's material wealth to whatever world may await one after death.1900, E. Phillips Oppenheim, A Millionaire of Yesterday, ch. 6:"The clause whichRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
little pitchers have big earsSmall children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, Abbeychurch, ch. 2:Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."1939, "Bedtime Bedlam," Time, 17 Apr.:A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.2002, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, ISBN 9780743455961, p. 185:I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
correlation does not imply causation(statistics) The observed correlation between two parameters, say, the growth of a market and the growth of a neighbor's child may, in fact, have nothing to do with each other's causation.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
for onceFor the first time, after many instances to the contrary; in a rare exception to the rule; as an exception to the usual.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
raise cainThe children tend to 'raise cain' if they can't play ball after supper.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
take aimTo position oneself and/or one's weapon so as to be aimed specifically at a chosen mark or target (which is indicated after 'at')Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
call off the dogsTo ease up on after inflicting great punishment.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
deadstick landingWhen a pilot lands a plane after the engine has died; a landing lacking any propulsion control.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
drop like fliesDie en masse, one after the other.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it downIn order to save water, only flush the toilet after defecation, not after urination.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Light at the End of the TunnelSuccess achieved after taxing effort, to finally get the answer after prolonged researchRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
me threeUsed to express agreement, after someone has already said "me too".Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
no plan survives contact with the enemyIt is a reality of conflict that, after a plan against an enemy is begun, there will always be unexpected elements resulting from opposition that require improvisation and deviation from the original plan.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
one-hit wonderA musical performer or musical group known for a single hit song, especially after failing at later attempts at success.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
sign inIn order to get into the office after hours, you'll have to sign in at the security desk.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
small wonderAn event or fact whose cause or rationale is not difficult to discern; an unsurprising occurrence.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
that's the way life isThat is the way things happenCertain things cannot be changed, helped or improved; struggle and objection are pointless.1935, Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything, page 279:That's the way life is, and there's no use trying to go against it.1979, Jay Edward Abrams, A Theology of Christian Counseling: More Than Redemption, ISBN 0310511011, page 45:There are no standards, no values; that's the way life is. Learn to accept it and slide with it. Stop fighting it.2002, B. Eugene Ellison, Rings of the Templars, ISBN 059524050X, page 337:Shit happens; that's the way life is. In fact, I want you to take an additional thousand for your efforts.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
a casa caiuSaid after a particularly undesirable, harmful change of events; often, though not always, said of a criminal or illicit activity discovered by the authority.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acquired tasteSomething that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

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