you can't have your cake and eat it too

phrase of cake

proverb

you can't enjoy both of two desirable but mutually exclusive alternatives.

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un·cer·e·mo·ni·ous·ly

/??nser??mōnē?slē/

adverb

adverb: unceremoniously

with a lack of courtesy; roughly or abruptly.

"he was unceremoniously dumped by the record company"

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bat·ter

/?bad?r/

strike repeatedly with hard blows.

"he was battered and falsely imprisoned by the officers"

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har·row·ing

/?herōiNG/

adjective

acutely distressing.

"a harrowing film about racism and violence"

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bear down

phrasal verb of bear

move directly toward someone or something in a purposeful or intimidating manner.

"at a canter they bore down on the mass of men ahead"

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If you say that something happened for the best part or the better part of a period of time, you mean that it happened for most of that time. He had been in Israel for the best part of twenty-four hours. We spent the better part of an hour searching for her.

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What does crank up mean slang?

to increase

he cranked up his pace.

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bird-dog

(verb) To engage in the relentless pursuit of an objective or goal, often involving the accomplishment of tasks through other, less expedient people. This includes obsessive follow-up, nagging, and harrassment of individuals holding up the accomplishment of the goal. Comes from a reference to pointer dog breeds that serve as loyal hunting dogs, leading the way to the fallen fowl.

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wire fraud

/?wī(?)r fr?d,fr?d/

noun

US

noun: wire fraud

financial fraud involving the use of telecommunications or information technology.

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What's the catch meaning slang?

We use it when something sounds good, but we are worried about any hidden problems. We are asking what are the drawbacks. When something is too good to be true we ask what's the catch? "OK, I've seen all the benefits, but what's the catch?"

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What does call quits mean?

to stop doing something

to stop doing something. (US call it even) to agree with someone that a debt has been paid and that no one owes anything more: I paid for last week's shopping and you paid for this week's, so let's call it quits.

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