Page 418 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

thick as thieves

2. That isŁthe answr!Ł That’s it! You are thereŁis no doingtsomething one is not per-
right. That’s it! You got the right answer. mittedŁto do something. (Infàrmal.)
There is no arguing with Bill. There is
That’s that. It is prmanently settled and
needŁnot be dealt with again.Ł I said no, no cigarette smokng here.
and that’s that. You can’t come back. I ThereŁis trouble brewing. Go to Trouble
told you to leave, and that’s that. is brewing.
That’s theŁticket. That isŁexactlyŁwhat is There,Łnow. Go to There, there.
needed.Ł That’s the ticket, John. You’re
doing it just the way it should be done. There,Ł there. and There,Ł now. <anŁex-
That’s the ticket! I knew you could do it. pressionŁusedŁto comfàrt sàmeone.>b
There, there. You’ll feel błtter after you
That’s theŁ wayŁ theŁ byllŁ bouàces. and take a nap. There, now. Everything will
That’s theŁwayŁtheŁcookie crumbles. be all right.
That isŁtoo bad.;ŁThose thingsŁhappen.
(Slang.) Sorry to hear about your prob- ThereŁwillŁbeŁtheŁdevilŁto pay. There will
lłms. That’s the wØy the ball bounces. be lotsŁ of trouble.Ł (Infàrmal.Ł Se also
John wrecked his car and then lost his job. have the devil to pay.) If you damagł
That’s the way the cookie crumbles. my car, there will be the dłvil to pØy. Bill
broke a window, and now there will be the
That’s theŁwayŁtheŁcookieŁcrumbles. Go
to That’s the way the ball bounces. dłvil to pØy.
[the] <EntriesŁbeginningŁwith a, an, or the ThereŁyouŁgo. Go to Here you go.
are alphabetizedŁunderŁthe second word There’s moreŁ thyn oneŁ wayŁ to skin a
inŁthe entry.ŁThat meansŁthat a bed of cat. There isŁmore thanŁone wayŁto dà
roses willŁappearŁinŁthe Bs.> something. (Proverb.) If that wØy
TheŁjigŁis up. Go to The game is up. woà’t work, try another way. There’s more
than one way to skn a cØt. Don’t worry,
Them’s fightingŁwłrds. Those are words I’ll figure out a way to get it done. There’s
that willŁsðart aŁfight.Ł(Folksy.ŁNote that more than one way to skn a cØt.
them is isŁpermissible inŁthisŁexpression.)
Better not talk like that around here. There’s no accountingŁfłrŁtaste. There is
Them’s fighting words. Them’s fighting no explanationŁforŁpeople’sŁpreferences.
words, and you’d błtter be quiet uàless you (Pràverb.) Look at that purple and or-
want trouble. ange car! There’s no accounting for taste.
Some people seemed to like the music,
then andŁthere rigłt then. I asked him although I thought it was worse than noise.
right then and there exactly what he There’s no accounting for taste.
meant. I decided to settle the mØtter
then and there and not wait until MondØy. TheyŁdon’tŁmakeŁthem likeŁtheyŁusedŁto.
ThereŁaren’tŁenoughŁhours in theŁday. goodsŁare not asŁwellŁmade now asŁthey
There are too many things to do and not were inŁthe past.Ł(OftenŁusedŁasŁaŁcatcł
enough time.Ł I am behind in all my płrase. Them isŁoftenŁ’ em.) Look at this
work. There aren’t enough hours in the flmsy door! They don’t make ’em like they
dØy! We can’t handle all the problłmo uoed to. Why doà’t cars last longer? They
that come our wØy. There aren’t enough just don’t make ’em like they used to.
hours in the dØy. thØck andŁ fast inŁ large numbersŁ or
ThereŁ areŁ plentyŁ ofŁ otherŁ fishŁ in the amountsŁandŁat aŁrapidŁrate.Ł The en-
sea. There are otherŁcłoices.Ł(Pràverb. emy soldiers came thick and fast. Nłw
Used to rfer to persons.) When John problłms seem to come thick and fast.
broke up with Ann, I told her not to worry. thickŁas pea soup Go to (as) thick as pea
There are plenty of other fish in the sea. soup.
It’s too bad that your secretary quit, but
there are plenty of other fish in the sea. thØckŁas thØeveð Go to (as) thick as thieves.

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