| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| the devil makes work for idle hands |
if a person is not busy he will do evil things, work ethic
|
Protestants believe children should be busy because the devil makes work for idle hands.
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| the devil you say |
that is amazing, how about that, you don't say
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"I caught a thirty-pound trout." "The devil you say!"
|
| the dickens you say |
that is unbelievable, gadzooks, say what
|
"Ping, you won a car!" "The dickens you say!"
|
| the downside |
the negative side, the disadvantages, the bad points
|
The downside of abortion is that some women use it as a method of birth control.
|
| the dying seconds |
the last few seconds in a game
|
The score was tied 3 - 3 in the dying seconds of the third period.
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| the early bird gets the worm |
the one who arrives first gets the reward etc.
|
I want to go to the sale at 8 a.m. The early bird gets the worm!
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| the end-all, be-all |
(See the be-all, end-all)
|
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| the end justifies the means |
any method is fine if the result is good
|
If a person steals food to survive, does the end justify the means?
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| the end of the line |
the time to leave, the place to get off
|
When the group began to gossip, it was the end of the line for me.
|
| the eye of a needle |
the hole in a needle, the opening for the thread
|
The hole in the tube was smaller than the eye of a needle.
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