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This tag is for questions seeking a phrase that fits a meaning. If you are looking for a word, or don't care, see the "word-request" tag too.

48 votes

What do you call a desperate attempt unlikely to succeed?

Such things are often called a "Hail Mary".
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

A person that is "storm in a cup of tea" or overestimating personal abilities and skills

First, "storm in a teacup" (or what I am more used to "tempest in a teapot") don't say anything about overestimating ability. One simple answer to your actual question,however, is "he is all talk". An …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

Sunday is my {cheat day}

I would not limit 'cheat day' to just diet but would also allow it for an exercise plan. I would not likely use it outside these two areas. One phrase I might use for other sorts of commitments is "le …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
2 votes

What is the opposite of "your pee is dark" in everyday conversation, for example, "your pee ...

'Light' is certainly the first word that comes to mind for me (that was the word your title question made me think of before even reading the actual post). Conversational language is much looser than …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
2 votes

Is it correct to say "unglue the box to make it flat"?

At least in AME the typical phrasing is "break down the box", regardless of whether the box had been glued or not.
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
1 vote

How to express "to move your palm over your face from top to down when you're tired, you may...

Another word I would use for this action is "swipe". I would only use "rub" when the motion is particularly around the eyes but for the motion of running the hand from forehead to chin swipe is much m …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

Is it natural to say "I hit him by surprise" or "I sneakily hit him"?

"I hit him by surprise" would be fairly natural, or "I sucker-punched him." but not "I sneakily hit him”" (the last might be "I hit him from ambush" or "I snuck up and hit him from behind")
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
1 vote

How to express that a child must pass all grade 1 subjects to study in grade 2?

For the first question the language I typically encounter is "advance": "You won't advance to 2nd grade if you don't learn this math." For the last, in typical US usage at least that is called "held b …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
1 vote

Is the phrase “target improvement” commonly known and used?

If it were "targeted improvement" I wouldn't have blinked at all, but I find "target improvement" very jarring. To me, "target improvement" is somehow trying to better a target, while "targeted improv …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
1 vote

What does "a cat is crawling" mean?

Depending on context this could also be referring to a bulldozer, which are often referred to as a "cat" — short for Caterpillar, one of the major brands, regardless of manufacturer. I (a western an A …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
0 votes

What is the meaning of "by time"?

As for the specific question being asked, you would be much more likely to encounter "profits show improvement over time", or some other variation using "over" (at least in US usage, I suppose elsewhe …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
0 votes

Is it correct to say "I have low-paid insurance"?

The usual word for AME is limit, perhaps reimbursement. As in "My insurance has low limits" or "My insurance has low reimbursement rates".
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
-1 votes

How do you show off a bedroom? (in the context of movie production)

I would simply read it to mean that some basic shot of the bedroom would be taken. It could have just as easily been "After that, establishing shots of the bedroom would be taken", and have pretty muc …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar
-2 votes

Do we say "she gave a lip service when she did her work" to say that she did her work with l...

Your initial query of doing a poor job in little time is classic lip service. But your later question about accomplishing the job while expending little effort is not necessarily lip service at all. I …
SoronelHaetir's user avatar