What does a lick of the tar brush mean?
of mixed race
dated ethnic slur To be of mixed race, such that one’s skin is darker than that of a person with only white ancestry.
What does the term tar brush mean?
Definition of tarbrush
1 : a brush for applying tar. 2 dated, usually offensive : black or nonwhite has a dash of the tarbrush in her.
Can you say tar with the same brush?
If some people in a group behave badly and if people then wrongly think that all of the group is equally bad, you can say that the whole group is tarred with the same brush.
Where did the saying tar with the same brush come from?
Having the same faults or bad qualities, as in He may be lazy, but if you ask me his friends are all tarred with the same brush. This term is thought to come from sheep farming, where the animals’ sores were treated by brushing tar over them, and all the sheep in a flock were treated in the same way.
What does tar everyone with the same brush mean?
idiom. to think that someone has the same bad qualities as another person: Because they worked so closely in the same department, John was tarred with the same brush as Tim.
What does throw a spanner in the works mean?
informal. : to cause something to not go as planned We were ready to start the project when the bank threw a spanner in the works by denying the loan.
What’s the meaning of cut and dry?
ˌkət-ᵊn-ˈdrī : being or done according to a plan, set procedure, or formula : routine. a cut-and-dried presentation.
What does the phrase brown study mean?
a state of serious absorption or
Definition of brown study
: a state of serious absorption or abstraction.
What does throw up the sponge mean?
admit defeat
When you ‘throw in the sponge’, you admit defeat and decide to give up what you have been doing. You realise that you will not succeed in what you are attempting to do. It is also possible to say, ‘throw in the towel’.
What does a hit and miss mean?
sometimes successful and sometimes not
Definition of hit-and-miss
: sometimes successful and sometimes not : not reliably good or successful.
What is the meaning of the phrase black and white?
Definition of in black and white
1 : in written or printed form I want to see it in black and white. 2 : in a way that involves a simple choice between two opposite things (such as good and bad or right and wrong) She sees everything in black and white.
What does the saying I smell a rat mean?
to recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something dishonest is happening: He’s been working late with her every night this week – I smell a rat!
What is the idiom of blue blood?
phrase. If you say that someone has blue blood, you mean that they are from a family that has a high social rank.
What is a spanner in the works?
What does hot water mean?
trouble
Definition of hot water
: a difficult or dangerous situation : trouble entry 1 sense 4 —used with in or into But this poor fellow was always getting into hot water, and if there was a wrong way of doing a thing, was sure to hit upon it.—
What is neat and tidy?
Definition of neat and tidy
: clean and organized The house is neat and tidy.
What means by and large?
on the whole
Definition of by and large
: on the whole : in general.
What does drop a ball mean?
Make an error; miss an opportunity
Make an error; miss an opportunity. For example, She really dropped the ball when she forgot to call back, or He dropped the ball, turning down their offer. This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error.
What is the idiom of red tape?
Red tape is an idiom referring to regulations or conformity to formal rules or standards which are claimed to be excessive, rigid or redundant, or to bureaucracy claimed to hinder or prevent action or decision-making. It is usually applied to governments, corporations, and other large organizations.
What does ran the last leg mean?
Extremely tired, close to collapsing, as in We’ve been cleaning house all day and I’m on my last legs. This hyperbolic expression originally meant “close to dying,” and in John Ray’s 1678 proverb collection it was transferred to being bankrupt.
What is the idiom of spill the beans?
idiom. to let secret information become known: We’ll all be there at 6 for the surprise party – now don’t spill the beans!
What is the idiom of crocodile tears?
If someone is crying crocodile tears, their tears and sadness are not genuine or sincere.
What is the idiom of brown study?
idiom old-fashioned. a mood in which you are very involved in your own thoughts and not paying attention to anything else: I could see she was in a brown study. He sank back on his pillow and fell into a brown study.
What do you call water that is frozen?
Ice is water in its frozen, solid form. Ice often forms on lakes, rivers and the ocean in cold weather. It can be very thick or very thin. It occurs as frost, snow, sleet and hail. Water will freeze at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
What do you call water that is cold?
‘Cool water’ is water that’s not hot, i.e., it could be at room temperature or cooler. ‘Cold water’ is water that is below room temperature or below comfort level.