Make landfall
to reach land after a journey by sea or air
Example
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm around Tampa, Florida late Wednesday evening.
Blog
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Dippy
Dippy
Foolish
Examples
a movie about a slightly dippy young musician
Scary, he’s as dippy as she is.
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Hit a snag
Hit a snag
Have a problem with something
Examples
The King’s vision for an ideal town has hit a snag as residents of Poundbury, Dorset, have complained of overflowing bins, rat infestations, and foul odours.
The measure passed in the Senate, but hit a snag in the House over concerns the regulation would infringe on the free speech of young people, although the effort has been championed by child safety advocates.
— Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 Sep. 2024
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Spoilt toddler
Spoilt toddler
Toddlers and older preschool-age children are often called spoiled when they consistently scream and tantrum to get what they want, when they don’t get what they want, and when they hear the word “no.”
Example
The man is a spoilt toddler running around gathering sweeties.
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The world’s smallest violin
The world’s smallest violin
“The world’s smallest violin” is a sarcastic way to downplay someone’s complaint or overreaction.
Examples
So, you’re missing the one that got away? Let me play the world’s smallest violin for you.
GB News host Bev Turner has joked “let me play the world’s smallest violin” after it has been revealed that Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker’s wages could drop significantly from his current £1.35million deal.
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rubbish tip/dump; garbage tip/dump
rubbish tip/dump; garbage tip/dump
an area of land where people can dump things that are no longer useful or wanted and that are being thrown out
Examples
We are the garbage tip of the world.
Fifty years later, that swampy area — once a fishing village and rubbish dump — is now Dharavi, one of Asia’s biggest slums and a bustling hub of industry in India’s financial capital.
— Jessie Yeung, CNN, 29 June 2024
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Punch bag; punching bag
Punch bag; punching bag
one who is routinely abused or defeated by another
Example
Stop this hate march. Stop the division. UK is not the punch bag for the world.
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Grueling shift
Grueling shift
An extremely tiring and demanding work shift
Example
Grueling shift work? Good heavens, you have no idea how lucky you are only working a three hour shift.
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Triumph against
Triumph against
to get the better of someone or something in a competition or struggle
Examples
After months of hard work, the team finally triumphed against their rival in the championship match.
He triumphed against massive adversity. He’s still doing that with bullets flying by his head.
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Rank
Rank
offensively gross or coarse
Example
She’s rank. Her ugliness on the inside comes through on the outside.
English Journalistic Gems 