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24-letter words containing h, o, t

  • the proof of the pudding — If you say the proof of the pudding or the proof of the pudding is in the eating, you mean that something new can only be judged to be good or bad after it has been tried or used.
  • the ravages of something — the destructive effects of something
  • the realm of possibility — If you say that something is not beyond the realms of possibility, you mean that it is possible.
  • the red badge of courage — a novel (1895) by Stephen Crane.
  • the second international — an international association of socialist parties and trade unions that began in Paris in 1889 and collapsed during World War I. The right-wing elements reassembled at Berne in 1919
  • the suffragette movement — a movement advocating of the extension of the franchise to women, as in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century
  • the villain of the piece — If you say that someone is the villain of the piece, you are saying in a slightly humorous way that they are seen by some people as the cause of all the trouble in a particular situation.
  • the wars of the diadochi — a series of conflicts between 321 and 281 bc, fought by six Macedonian generals who, after the death of Alexander the Great, desired control of his empire
  • the way things are going — You can use the way things are going to indicate that you expect something to happen because of the way the present situation is developing.
  • the whole shooting match — everything; the whole lot
  • the world is your oyster — If you say that the world is someone's oyster, you mean that they can do anything or go anywhere that they want to.
  • thermal neutron analyzer — a baggage-screening device that detects explosives by using low-energy neutrons to sense gamma radiation.
  • think (all) the world of — to admire or love greatly
  • thompson sub-machine-gun — a .45 calibre sub-machine-gun
  • thorn in your side/flesh — If you describe someone or something as a thorn in your side or a thorn in your flesh, you mean that they are a continuous problem to you or annoy you.
  • thousand island dressing — a seasoned mayonnaise, often containing chopped pickles, pimientos, sweet peppers, hard-boiled eggs, etc.
  • three sheets to the wind — Nautical. a rope or chain for extending the clews of a square sail along a yard. a rope for trimming a fore-and-aft sail. a rope or chain for extending the lee clew of a course.
  • throw one's weight about — to act in an authoritarian or aggressive manner
  • to be in black and white — of an image, only using shades of black, white, and grey
  • to blow away the cobwebs — If something blows or clears away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more mentally alert and lively when you had previously been feeling tired.
  • to break someone's heart — If someone breaks your heart, they make you very sad and unhappy, usually because they end a love affair or close relationship with you.
  • to break the back of sth — If you break the back of a task or problem, you do the most difficult part of what is necessary to complete the task or solve the problem.
  • to burn the midnight oil — If someone is burning the midnight oil, they are staying up very late in order to study or do some other work.
  • to carry sth to extremes — to overdo something
  • to change for the better — If something changes for the better, it improves.
  • to fight a losing battle — If you are fighting a losing battle, you are trying to achieve something but are not going to be successful.
  • to get on the scoresheet — (of a player In football, rugby, and some other sports) to score one or more goals, tries, or points.
  • to get your act together — If you get your act together, you organize your life or your affairs so that you are able to achieve what you want or to deal with something effectively.
  • to go for the brass ring — to try to succeed in an area where there is a lot of competition
  • to go on a shopping trip — to go somewhere for the purpose of shopping
  • to have egg on your face — If someone has egg on their face or has egg all over their face, they have been made to look foolish.
  • to have it in mind to do — If you have it in mind to do something, you intend or want to do it.
  • to have not got a prayer — If you say that someone hasn't got a prayer, you mean that it is impossible for them to succeed in what they are trying to do.
  • to have seen better days — If you say that something has seen better days, you mean that it is old and in poor condition.
  • to have to hand it to sb — You say things such as 'You have to hand it to her' or 'You've got to hand it to them' when you admire someone for their skills or achievements and you think they deserve a lot of praise.
  • to join the retired list — to retire
  • to jump on the bandwagon — If someone, especially a politician, jumps or climbs on the bandwagon, they become involved in an activity or movement because it is fashionable or likely to succeed and not because they are really interested in it.
  • to keep something at bay — If you keep something or someone at bay, or hold them at bay, you prevent them from reaching, attacking, or affecting you.
  • to lay something to rest — If you lay something such as fears or rumours to rest or if you put them to rest, you succeed in proving that they are not true.
  • to light the touch paper — if someone lights the touch paper or lights the blue touch paper, they do something which causes anger or excitement
  • to make boundary changes — to change the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies, because of population shifts
  • to move heaven and earth — If you move heaven and earth to do something, you try as hard as you can to do it.
  • to one's heart's content — Anatomy. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that receives blood returning from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, a right ventricle that pumps the blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation, a left atrium that receives the oxygenated blood via the pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve, and a left ventricle that pumps the oxygenated blood, via the aorta, throughout the body.
  • to play your cards right — If you say that someone will achieve success if they play their cards right, you mean that they will achieve success if they act skilfully and use the advantages that they have.
  • to rise to the challenge — If someone rises to the challenge, they act in response to a difficult situation which is new to them and are successful.
  • to set fire to something — If you set fire to something or if you set it on fire, you start it burning in order to damage or destroy it.
  • to show someone the door — If someone shows you the door, they ask you to leave because they are angry with you.
  • to strike a blow for sth — If you strike a blow for a particular cause or principle, you do something that supports it or makes it more likely to succeed.
  • tools of one's/the trade — The tools of your trade or the tools of the trade are the skills, instruments, and other equipment that you need in order to do your job properly.
  • transpersonal psychology — a branch of psychology or psychotherapy that recognizes altered states of consciousness and transcendent experiences as a means to understand the human mind and treat psychological disordrs.
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