Phrase which is to say

The most common English idioms These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation in the United States. Also known as "The Golden Rule" by itself Don't count your chickens before they hatch Don't count on something good happening until it's happened.

If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. Others will arise. Idiom Meaning Usage A little learning is a dangerous thing People who don't understand something fully are dangerous by itself A snowball effect Events have momentum and build upon each other as part of a sentence A snowball's chance in hell No chance at all as part of a sentence A stitch in time saves nine Fix the problem now because it will get worse later by itself A storm in a teacup A big fuss about a small problem as part of a sentence An apple a day keeps the doctor away Apples are good for you by itself An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure You can prevent a problem with little effort.

Fixing it later is harder. Both people are involved. However, if your goal is to communicate a confident commanding message and persuade people to see it your way, instead of hedging make your statement or recommendation with certainty. May I stop by your office around 1pm?

Record yourself. Did you use any of the phrases on this list, or any other words or phrases that may be perceived as limiting or negative? Write down the phrase you used, mark through it, and beside it construct an alternate phrase that more positively communicates your message.

Enlist a buddy. Listen for these phrases when others speak. When you hear how jeopardizing these phrases actually sound when spoken by another, it sends a powerful message to your brain heightening your own self awareness. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here.

Do you ever say "I feel greatly"? The only time you should say you feel badly is if you aren't good at physically touching something. A consensus is a generally held opinion. So a general consensus of opinion is an overachiever from the Department of Redundancy Department — a triple redundancy! Consensus by itself gets the point across, and more succinctly.

Here's another redundancy in action. A synonym of proximity is closeness, and close means, well, close. So "in close proximity" has an overload of "closes. When you're sharing a perspective or insight, readers will already get the concept: it's your opinion. There's no need to throw in that all-too-overused phrase — unless, of course, you're countering your opinion with others. If you really need to make it clear, opt for the simpler "I think …". Many managers say this phrase comes off as pompous and jargony.

Instead of four words, use only one: "Finally. If you're in the process of something, it means that you started something and are still doing it.

But it's a clunky, often unnecessary phrase that is typically used with confusing sentences. This frequently appears on grammar pet peeve lists. The issue? In the final poem in his third book of Odes , Horace boasts that his poetry will outlive any manmade monument: "Exegi monumentum aere perennius. Sic semper tyrannis is a phrase with a somewhat problematic history.

Some sources have claimed that this was spoken by Brutus as he delivered the knife blow to Julius Caesar. John Wilkes Booth is likewise said to have claimed the same utterance was made when he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. And the words have long been the state motto of Virginia, an incongruity which was much commented upon by abolitionists in the days leading up to the Civil War.

But although the words may have been used in conjunction with various acts of violence over the years, this does not mean that they might not be useful; something, perhaps, for you to mutter softly under your breath on the occasion that some despised supervisor is fired from your company. The "Sic Semper Tyrannis" of the ever-to-be-execrated Booth, uttered as he rushed from the scene of the great crime of the age conveys no greater insult to the memory of Abraham Lincoln, nor runs no more directly counter to the feelings and sentiments of his countrymen than does this utterance of the late so-called Democratic Convention.

One of the best known and most frequently quoted Latin expression, veni, vidi, vici may be found hundreds of times throughout the centuries used as an expression of triumph. The words are said to have been used by Caesar as he was enjoying a triumph. By the way, before triumph meant "a notable success" in English it had the meaning of "a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a decisive victory over a foreign enemy.

I saie, Quod nemo didicit, nemo docere potest: more peremptorie than Caesar, Veni, vidi, vici. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. In Vino Veritas. Definition - "there is truth in wine" The classy thing to say when you've had too much to drink and have just said something that is decidedly not classy, in vino veritas has been employed as a mea culpa of sorts for thousands of years.

Amor Vincit Omnia. Definition - "love conquers all things" Shortly before the start of the first millennium, the Roman poet Virgil wrote "love conquers all things; let us too surrender to Love. Carpe Diem. Definition - "enjoy the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future" literally, "pluck the day" During the 1st century BC, the Roman poet Horace wrote, "Seize the day; put no trust in the morrow.

Utile Dulci. Definition - "the useful with the agreeable" One of our lesser-known Latin expressions, utile dulci shares etymological space with a number of pleasing English words, including addulce "to mollify" , dulcet "luscious, melodious" , and the criminally underused dulcitude "sweetness".

Utile dulci comes from the poet Horace, who in Ars Poetica , offered the following advice: "He who joins the useful with the agreeable, wins every vote, by delighting and at the same time instructing the reader.