Redewendung (idiomatic expression)
German term: a fixed connection of several words whose meaning, as a whole, would not be apparent from the meaning of the individual elements
Nuremberg Funnel
mechanical way of learning and teaching (joking)
Opium of the people
Karl Marx's description of religion: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
Don't Mess with Texas
slogan
Die hard
first used during the Battle of Albuera (1811) in the Peninsular War.
no homo
slang phrase
salt office
government agency in the middle ages that regulated salt trade and mining
sex in advertising
use of sex appeal in advertising
Balance of power (Parliament)
the power exercised by a minor political party whose support enables a minority government to obtain office
status quo
Latin term meaning the existing state of affairs
Road to Canossa
1076 ritual submission of Emperor Henry IV
rest in peace
short epitaph or idiomatic expression wishing eternal rest and peace to someone who has died
There are unknown unknowns
phrase by Donald Rumsfeld
better dead than red
Cold War slogan
meet and greet
event where individuals can meet and talk to famous people
gentlemen's agreement
informal, non-binding agreement, sometimes based on honor
crocodile tears
phrase
lighthouse Project
a short-term, well defined, measurable project that serves as a model for other similar projects
egg dance
traditional Easter game to manipulate eggs with the feet without breaking them
May you live in interesting times
apocryphal purported Chinese curse
hands up, don't shoot
Human Rights slogan
Mind your own business
English saying often abbreviated as MYOB
Gordian knot
knot in Greek mythology, used as a metaphor for difficult problems with little or no solution
God does not play dice
quotation
Nigger in the woodpile
expression indicating something suspicious or wrong
fait accompli
French phrase
Writing about music is like dancing about architecture
maxim about music criticism
Elvis has left the building
catchphrase
quid pro quo
Latin phrase meaning "something for something"
real life
phrase separating "reality" from "fantasy" or "online"
chapeau
French hat
egg of the cuckoo
brood parasitism by cuckoos, German saying and synonym for to foist something on somebody
cold feet
apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action
Picking of feathers
German proverb
ten thousand years
East Asian phrase used to wish long life
Plus ultra
Latin motto and the national motto of Spain
Foot voting
expressing preferences through actions
Man overboard
exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that someone has fallen off of the ship
Monkey see, monkey do
pidgin-style saying
Swabian salute
Humorous, euphemistic reference to the profanity Leck mich am Arsch ("kiss my arse")
paper tiger
ineffectual threat
point of no return
point beyond which one must continue on the current course because turning back is impossible
lowest common denominator
expression used to appeal to the largest possible number of people
red tape
red-dyed cotton tape formerly used for bundling official documents; by extension, excessively bureaucratic procedures or regulations
women and children first
unofficial maritime code of conduct