back-flip                                               reversal of position politically (also “flip-flop)

 

backside covering                                 protect from repercussions (also CYA: cover your ass)

 

book                                                    (1) to reserve a seat (theatre or airplane)

                                                            (2) to depart in a hurry

                                                            (3) to be written “in the book” by referee

                                                            (4) to be arrested (in the log book at the police station)

 

bottom feeder                                       getting food at the bottom of the fish tank (or ocean)

                                                            getting unsavory news items (fig.)

 

brouhaha                                              noisy mess

 

bumper crop                                         extra generous harvest

 

bust(ed)                                                (1) break/broken (colloq.)

                                                            (2) arrested     

                                                            (3) bosom (feminine)

 

canned                                                 (1) to be fired from a job

                                                            (2) to be put in jail

                                                            (3) taped or pre-recorded or memorized (speech or program)

 

chinwag                                                intimate chat (Br.)

 

cojones                                                testicles (Spanish)

 

cut no ice                                              make no difference (or impression)

 

cut to the chase                                     get to the main point or objective

 

damage control                         emergency plan to avoid disaster

                                                            try to minimize a mistake\s results

 

dead in the water                                  not moving, no longer viable

 

doozy                                                   spectacular

 

down the pike                                       come/arrive or go on/leave  (literal)

                                                            in the distance or future (figurative)

 

A few shells short of a volley                 of limited mental capacity (see others)

           cards short of a deck

            only one oar in the water

            lights are on but noone is home

 

fat cat                                                   rich person

 

factotum                                               high ranking official

 

forked tongue                                       lying, untrustworthy (says one thing, does another OR says different things to two people on the same subject/question

 

foursquare                                            honest

 

give a hand                                           (1) to assist

                                                            (2) to applaud

(give)head        perform fellatio

 

glitterati                                                celebrities

 

goose                                                   grab in a way to cause to jump or start moving

 

gazillion                                                uncountably large number (i.e. million, billion, trillion….)

 

hissy fits                                                hysteric reactions (cf. “tizzie”)

 

hoi polloi                                              common mob/people

 

hoosegow                                             jail

 

hootch                                                  (1) alcoholic beverage (especially illegal or homemade)

(2) primitive living quarters (from “hut”)

 

in stir                                                    in prison

 

a pop                                                   per each instance

 

“John Hancock”                                   signature (from U.S. Declaration of Independence)

 

jumpstart                                              (1) start a car by pushing it while in gear (literal)

(2) to do the above by connecting an alternate battery    (jumper cables – used to connect the batteries)

(3) to start anything quickly usually NOT by the normal manner

 

jiggle epic                                             film whose main point is nude women or without bra

 

klavernous konfines                              play on the KluKluxKlan usage of “k”  (klavern is a unit within that organization)

 

knick knack (nik nak)                           small inexpensive miscellaneous items

 

make it to 1st base                                be initially successful (maybe in a small or partial way)

 

mea culpa                                             admission of fault          (I am guilty: Latin)

 

Miranda rights                                      5th Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination

                                                            and coerced confessions

 

monkeyshines                                       foolishness

 

muckrakers                                          Newsmen “scraping the bottom” in search of unsavory items

 

navel fluff                                              belly button lint,  i.e., worthless lightweight item(s)

 

nip(ping) at the heels                             continuously attacking/annoying (as a dog at a person)

 

nudnik                                                  (from Yiddish?) common person

 

on a roll                                                on a winning streak or string of good luck

 

pachydermatous                                   elephant sized

 

perp                                                     short for perpetrator (one who did the act in question)

 

pre-verted                                            intentional mis-spelling of perverted. Matches common mispronunciation

 

pilfer                                                     steal

 

primordial waters                                  (biblical reference to creation)

 

put (it) in your pipe and smoke it           consider it as decided!

 

rad-lib                                                  Radical – Liberal

 

raise(d) eyebrows                                 make or be suspicious

 

sans                                                      without (French)

 

scofflaw                                                one who intentionally ignores the law

 

shoo-in                                     almost a sure thing to win (maybe with influence)

                                                            (from the v. “shoo”  to move or go away.  e.g. a fly)

 

shill                                                       one who gives favorable notice or opinion (for pay)

 

slap-around                                          any similar ability to give physical punishment

 

smoking gun                                         strong evidence

 

spin, spin control                                   effort to adjust an erroneous public statement

 

spruced up                                           dressed up or cleaned/fixed up

 

stand tall (for)                                       support

 

Stepin Fetchit                                       parody name for negro servant stereotype

 

sugar daddies                                       rich sponsors (usually old men and young girls)

 

sweating bullets                                     very nervous

 

 

stiff upper lip                                         unemotional visage esp. in disaster (orig.Br.)

 

 

tack close to                                         be near or in the same direction as (sailing term.)

                                                            close to the edge of legality or safety

 

trixie                                                     (slang) prostitute  (from “tricks”)

 

turn-off                                     (n.) something one dislikes

(v.) to create a negative attitude towards

 

uppity                                                   taking liberties above one’s class or station in life

 

wacko                                                  crazy

 

weasel(ing)                                           to hedge your statement  OR to sneak around some obstacle

                                                           

well heeled                                           rich

 

ziltch                                                     nada, nothing