brown study (plural brown studies) (idiomatic, dated) A melancholy mood accompanied by deep thought; a moody daydream.
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What is the meaning of the term brown study?
a mood in which you are very involved in your own thoughts and not paying attention to anything else: I could see she was in a brown study. He sank back on his pillow and fell into a brown study. Thinking and contemplating. agonize.
Where did the term brown study come from?
E. Lomont, An Alchemist, 1890. Here’s a phrase you don’t read much nowadays: brown study. First cited in the sixteenth century (specifically in a book called Dice-Play), the expression—which describes a state of intense, sometimes melancholy reverie—really seems to have hit its stride in the nineteenth.
What does the idiom a close shave mean?
Definition of close shave
noun Informal. a narrow escape from serious danger or trouble: We weren’t hit when the truck swerved at us, but it was a close shave.
Should I take to task?
take to task Add to list Share. To take to task is to chew someone out for something they’ve done wrong. If you don’t do your homework for a week, your teacher will take you to task, and you better straighten up! A task is a job, and if someone takes you to task, they’re letting you know you did a bad job.
What is the meaning of blue blood in idioms?
phrase. If you say that someone has blue blood, you mean that they are from a family that has a high social rank.
What is the meaning of idiom cry for the moon?
Definition of cry for the moon
: to ask for something that is very difficult or impossible to get The striking workers say they just want to be paid what they’re worth.
What is meant by browned off?
adjective. Britannica Dictionary definition of BROWNED OFF. [more browned off; most browned off] British, informal. : annoyed and unhappy about something. feeling thoroughly browned off.
What is the meaning of idiom to smell a rat?
Suspect something is wrong
smell a rat. Suspect something is wrong, especially a betrayal of some kind. For example, When I didn’t hear any more from my prospective employer, I began to smell a rat. This expression alludes to a cat sniffing out a rat. [
What is laud synonym?
extol. (also extoll), glorify, magnify, sing.
What is the meaning of hard nut to crack?
Definition of a hard/tough nut (to crack)
: a person or thing that is difficult to deal with, understand, or influence The team’s defense is a tough nut to crack. The problem is a hard nut to crack. He’s a tough nut, but I think I can get him to agree to the contract.
What does the phrase white elephant mean?
white elephant WYTE-EL-uh-funt noun. 1 : a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit. 2 : an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others. 3 : something of little or no value.
What is meant by the idiom a snake in the grass?
: a secretly faithless friend.
What is the meaning of the idiom turn over a new leaf?
Meaning. to alter your behavior in a positive way. to start fresh. to change course. to start afresh.
What is the meaning of far and wide in idioms?
to a great extent or area
to a great extent or area.
What is the meaning of the idiom to face the music?
To accept unpleasant consequences: “After several years of cheating his employer, the embezzler finally had to face the music.”
What is the idiom of crocodile tears?
crocodile tears. An insincere display of grief, as in When the play’s star broke her leg, her understudy wept crocodile tears. This term comes from the mistaken notion that crocodiles weep while eating their prey, one held in ancient Roman times.
What does crocodile tears mean idiom?
Definition of crocodile tears
: false or affected tears also : hypocritical sorrow.
What does the idiom a bed of roses mean?
situation of agreeable ease
Definition of bed of roses
: a place or situation of agreeable ease.
What is the meaning of the idiom a man of straw?
man of straw. noun. a person of little substance. Also called: straw man mainly US a person used as a cover for some dubious plan or enterprise; front man. a man who cannot be relied upon to honour his financial commitments, esp because of his limited resources.
What does the idiom a stone’s throw mean?
a short distance
Definition of a stone’s throw
: a short distance The high school is just a stone’s throw from his house. She lives just a stone’s throw away from the beach.