mice

(as) poor as a church mouse

Very poor; having little or no money. My father was as poor as a church mouse growing up, so his sole focus was to give his kids every opportunity in life that he missed out on. We've become poor as church mice ever since the bank raised the interest rates on our mortgage.

See also: church, mouse, poor

(as) quiet as a mouse

Silent, meek, and gentle. I just can't believe that Kate actually yelled at Mike—she's usually as quiet as a mouse! We remained as quiet as mice to avoid being detected by the guards.

a cat in gloves catches no mice

proverb One might have to incorporate blunt or aggressive action in order to obtain results that cannot be achieved with passivity or restraint. I think you'll get that promotion if you pursue it more assertively. A cat in gloves catches no mice, after all.

bald-headed mouse

vulgar slang A penis. Hey, I don't want to see your bald-headed mouse—pull up your pants!

be as poor as church mice

To have little or no money. Now that we're paying a mortgage, we're as poor as church mice.

dust mouse

A small accumulation of dust and lint, as found behind or under furniture. Also called a "dust bunny" or "dust ball." I was appalled by the amount of dust mice that were behind the sofa when we moved it from the corner of the room.

keep no more cats than can catch mice

Be minimalistic. I don't know why he has four cars. Personally, I always try to keep no more cats than can catch mice.

See also: can, cat, catch, keep, mice, more, no

one-eyed pants mouse

vulgar slang A penis. They said there's a guy going around flashing his one-eyed pants mouse to people in Central Park.

one-eyed trouser mouse

vulgar slang A penis. They said there's a guy going around flashing his one-eyed trouser mouse to people in Central Park.

the best-laid plans of mice and men

proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the full proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans of mice and men, I suppose."

the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray

Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. The phrase is likely an adaptation of a line from 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns. I always thought our business would last forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray, I suppose."

See also: and, astray, go, men, mice, of, oft, plan

the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley

proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." ("Gang aft a-gley" means "go oft astray" in Scottish vernacular.) I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though—the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley, I suppose."

the best-laid schemes of mice and men

proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the line, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley" (go astray), from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid schemes of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes of mice and men, I suppose."

when the cat's away, the mice will play

When someone in authority is not present, those subordinate to that authority do whatever they want. A: "If I leave my classroom for even a moment, I come back to find the place in chaos." B: "When the cat's away, the mice will play."

See also: mice, play, will

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray,

and best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.

Prov. Things often go wrong even though you have carefully planned what you are going to do. (The gang aft a-gley version is Scots dialect, and comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse.") Jill: I reserved a hotel room for us three weeks ago, but now the clerk says he has no record of our reservation. So much for our fun weekend in the city. Jane: Well, these things happen. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. I had all the arrangements made for my party, and then the guest of honor got sick and I had to call the whole thing off. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley. If a little rain can ruin the best-laid plans of mice and men, think what an earthquake might do!

See also: and, astray, go, men, mice, of, oft, plan

cat in gloves catches no mice

Prov. Sometimes you cannot get what you want by being careful and polite. Jill: I've hinted to Mary several times that I need her to pay me the money she owes, but she just ignores me. Jane: A cat in gloves catches no mice, Jill. Tell her bluntly that you need the money.

*poor as a church mouse

and *poor as church mice

very poor. (*Also: as ~.) My aunt is as poor as a church mouse. The Browns are poor as church mice.

See also: church, mouse, poor

When the cat's away, the mice will play.

Prov. When no one in authority is present, the subordinates can do as they please. When the teacher left for a few minutes, the children nearly wrecked the classroom. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Jill: You shouldn't be reading a novel at your desk. Jane: But the boss isn't here. And when the cat's away, the mice will play.

See also: mice, play, will

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

when the cat's away, the mice will play

Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over-when the cat's away, you know . This expression has been a proverb since about 1600 and is so well known it is often shortened, as in the example.

See also: mice, play, will

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

poor as a church mouse

OLD-FASHIONED

If someone is as poor as a church mouse, they have very little money. I was as poor as a church mouse, but I bought that wreck of a car. I suspect we'll continue to be poor as church mice. Note: Mice living in a church are unlikely to find much to eat as there is no kitchen or food cupboard.

See also: church, mouse, poor

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

when the cat's away, the mice will play

people will naturally take advantage of the absence of someone in authority to do as they like. proverb

See also: mice, play, will

poor as a church mouse (or as church mice)

extremely poor.

Church mice may be considered to be particularly poor or deprived in that they do not have the opportunity to find pickings from a kitchen or larder.

See also: church, mouse, poor

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

when the cat’s aˈway the mice will ˈplay

(saying) people enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge of them is not there

(as) poor as a church ˈmouse

very poor: She was as poor as a church mouse, living on a tiny pension. OPPOSITE: (as) rich as Croesus

See also: church, mouse, poor

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bald-headed mouse

verb

See bald-headed hermit

one-eyed pants mouse

verb

See bald-headed hermit

when the cat's away (the mice will play)

When the authorities are absent, people will break rules and do as they please. This proverb, which exists in numerous languages, appeared in several different forms in English in the seventeenth century. Thomas Heywood used it in A Woman Kill’d with Kindness (1607): “There’s an old proverb—when the cat’s away, the mouse may play.” Today it is often shortened.

keep no more cats than can catch mice

Use the bare minimum. A old expression that cautioned against maintaining any more people or things than can accomplish a purpose. as

See also: can, cat, catch, keep, mice, more, no

Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price

See also:

(as) poor as a church mouse
church
churchmouse
poor as a church mouse
poor as a churchmouse
make a better, good, poor, etc. fist of something
make a poor fist of (something)
poor
poor taste, in
in poor taste

References in periodicals archive

At 8 weeks old, the mice had lost function at many brain synapses, the junctions where messages are transmitted between neurons.

Early fix: prion disease remedied in mice

Ten 6- to 8-week-old NIH Swiss mice were infected by either 1 mosquito or intradermal injection into the ear with either 0.9 or 3.4 [log.sub.10] PFU, which represented the range of titers injected by mosquitoes (see below).

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus transmission and effect on pathogenesis

First, mice could be used to produce antibodies that would become crucial in research and diagnosis.

Not so generic mice: Japanese companies venture into the transgenic mouse trade

The blood of mice was collected from the inferior vena cava under ethyl ether anesthesia, drawn using venipuncture into serum separation tubes, allowed to clot for 10 min at room temperature, and then centrifuged (1,000g, 10 min, 4[degrees]C).

Lead increases lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury through tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] overexpression by monocytes/macrophages: role of protein kinase C and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase

Genetically-altered mice consistently outperformed normal mice in six tests of learning and memory; their brain cells showed increased sensitivity to new stimuli.

THE SMART GENE

The low-temperature mice lived about 15 percent longer than normal mice did, the team reports in the Nov.

Low body heat lengthens mouse lives

The best protection was reported for mice vaccinated by the intranasal route with an M2e-hepatitis B core fusion protein construct and detoxified heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin adjuvant; almost none of these mice died after a virus challenge that killed 90% of control mice (21).

Prospects for universal influenza virus vaccine

In this article we show that the exposure of adult mice to BPA, at doses about 1,000-fold less than the LOAEL established by the U.S.

The estrogenic effect of bisphenol a disrupts pancreatic [beta]-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance

After the first batch of mice was born, Tony Perry, a researcher in the study, and his colleagues tested to see what would happen if they cloned a clone.

Send in the clones

The mice on the standard diet remained slim, and both groups on the high-fat diet quickly packed on the grams.

L'Chaim: wine compound lengthens mouse lives

In the latest study, Ghosh and graduate student So-Yon Lim injected four types of mice, including NZB mice, with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP.

Phthalate linked to lupus in mice

Previous studies in suckling mice inoculated intracranially or intraporitoneally suggest that mice are not permissive to SARS-CoV (1,8).

Mice susceptible to SARS coronavirus

Scientists create such mice by inserting mutations in one of two important tumor-suppressing genes that mice and people share.

The cancer of Dorian Gray: is growing old an inescapable cost of averting malignancy?

Beginning in 1910, these mouse models "crossed the threshold of laboratories to replace human bodies," where they were investigated not as mice but as "living instruments" for the study of the human diseases (Lowy and Gaudilliere 1998).

Of mice and molecules: research with genetically modified mouse models

Trapping and removing deer mice from ranch buildings resulted in an increased number of mice, including Sin Nombre virus antibody-positive mice, entering ranch buildings.

Removing deer mice from buildings and the risk for human exposure to Sin Nombre virus. (Dispatches)

词组	mice
释义	mice (as) poor as a church mouse Very poor; having little or no money. My father was as poor as a church mouse growing up, so his sole focus was to give his kids every opportunity in life that he missed out on. We've become poor as church mice ever since the bank raised the interest rates on our mortgage. See also: church, mouse, poor (as) quiet as a mouse Silent, meek, and gentle. I just can't believe that Kate actually yelled at Mike—she's usually as quiet as a mouse! We remained as quiet as mice to avoid being detected by the guards. See also: mouse, quiet a cat in gloves catches no mice proverb One might have to incorporate blunt or aggressive action in order to obtain results that cannot be achieved with passivity or restraint. I think you'll get that promotion if you pursue it more assertively. A cat in gloves catches no mice, after all. See also: cat, catch, glove, mice, no bald-headed mouse vulgar slang A penis. Hey, I don't want to see your bald-headed mouse—pull up your pants! See also: mouse be as poor as church mice To have little or no money. Now that we're paying a mortgage, we're as poor as church mice. See also: church, mice, poor dust mouse A small accumulation of dust and lint, as found behind or under furniture. Also called a "dust bunny" or "dust ball." I was appalled by the amount of dust mice that were behind the sofa when we moved it from the corner of the room. See also: dust, mouse keep no more cats than can catch mice Be minimalistic. I don't know why he has four cars. Personally, I always try to keep no more cats than can catch mice. See also: can, cat, catch, keep, mice, more, no one-eyed pants mouse vulgar slang A penis. They said there's a guy going around flashing his one-eyed pants mouse to people in Central Park. See also: mouse, pant one-eyed trouser mouse vulgar slang A penis. They said there's a guy going around flashing his one-eyed trouser mouse to people in Central Park. See also: mouse, trouser the best-laid plans of mice and men proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the full proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans of mice and men, I suppose." See also: and, men, mice, of, plan the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. The phrase is likely an adaptation of a line from 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns. I always thought our business would last forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray, I suppose." See also: and, astray, go, men, mice, of, oft, plan the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." ("Gang aft a-gley" means "go oft astray" in Scottish vernacular.) I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though—the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley, I suppose." See also: aft, gang, men, mice, scheme the best-laid schemes of mice and men proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the line, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley" (go astray), from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid schemes of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes of mice and men, I suppose." See also: and, men, mice, of, scheme when the cat's away, the mice will play When someone in authority is not present, those subordinate to that authority do whatever they want. A: "If I leave my classroom for even a moment, I come back to find the place in chaos." B: "When the cat's away, the mice will play." See also: mice, play, will Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray, and best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley. Prov. Things often go wrong even though you have carefully planned what you are going to do. (The gang aft a-gley version is Scots dialect, and comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse.") Jill: I reserved a hotel room for us three weeks ago, but now the clerk says he has no record of our reservation. So much for our fun weekend in the city. Jane: Well, these things happen. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. I had all the arrangements made for my party, and then the guest of honor got sick and I had to call the whole thing off. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley. If a little rain can ruin the best-laid plans of mice and men, think what an earthquake might do! See also: and, astray, go, men, mice, of, oft, plan cat in gloves catches no mice Prov. Sometimes you cannot get what you want by being careful and polite. Jill: I've hinted to Mary several times that I need her to pay me the money she owes, but she just ignores me. Jane: A cat in gloves catches no mice, Jill. Tell her bluntly that you need the money. See also: cat, catch, glove, mice, no poor as a church mouse and poor as church mice very poor. (Also: as ~.) My aunt is as poor as a church mouse. The Browns are poor as church mice. See also: church, mouse, poor When the cat's away, the mice will play. Prov.* When no one in authority is present, the subordinates can do as they please. When the teacher left for a few minutes, the children nearly wrecked the classroom. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Jill: You shouldn't be reading a novel at your desk. Jane: But the boss isn't here. And when the cat's away, the mice will play. See also: mice, play, will McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. when the cat's away, the mice will play Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over-when the cat's away, you know . This expression has been a proverb since about 1600 and is so well known it is often shortened, as in the example. See also: mice, play, will The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. poor as a church mouse OLD-FASHIONED If someone is as poor as a church mouse, they have very little money. I was as poor as a church mouse, but I bought that wreck of a car. I suspect we'll continue to be poor as church mice. Note: Mice living in a church are unlikely to find much to eat as there is no kitchen or food cupboard. See also: church, mouse, poor Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. when the cat's away, the mice will play people will naturally take advantage of the absence of someone in authority to do as they like. proverb See also: mice, play, will poor as a church mouse (or as church mice) extremely poor. Church mice may be considered to be particularly poor or deprived in that they do not have the opportunity to find pickings from a kitchen or larder. See also: church, mouse, poor Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary when the cat’s aˈway the mice will ˈplay (saying) people enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge of them is not there See also: away, mice, play, will (as) poor as a church ˈmouse very poor: She was as poor as a church mouse, living on a tiny pension. OPPOSITE: (as) rich as Croesus See also: church, mouse, poor Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary bald-headed mouse verb See bald-headed hermit See also: mouse one-eyed pants mouse verb See bald-headed hermit See also: mouse, pant McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions when the cat's away (the mice will play) When the authorities are absent, people will break rules and do as they please. This proverb, which exists in numerous languages, appeared in several different forms in English in the seventeenth century. Thomas Heywood used it in A Woman Kill’d with Kindness (1607): “There’s an old proverb—when the cat’s away, the mouse may play.” Today it is often shortened. See also: away, mice, will The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer keep no more cats than can catch mice Use the bare minimum. A old expression that cautioned against maintaining any more people or things than can accomplish a purpose. as See also: can, cat, catch, keep, mice, more, no Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price See also: (as) poor as a church mouse church churchmouse poor as a church mouse poor as a churchmouse make a better, good, poor, etc. fist of something make a poor fist of (something) poor poor taste, in in poor taste References in periodicals archive At 8 weeks old, the mice had lost function at many brain synapses, the junctions where messages are transmitted between neurons. Early fix: prion disease remedied in mice Ten 6- to 8-week-old NIH Swiss mice were infected by either 1 mosquito or intradermal injection into the ear with either 0.9 or 3.4 [log.sub.10] PFU, which represented the range of titers injected by mosquitoes (see below). Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus transmission and effect on pathogenesis First, mice could be used to produce antibodies that would become crucial in research and diagnosis. Not so generic mice: Japanese companies venture into the transgenic mouse trade The blood of mice was collected from the inferior vena cava under ethyl ether anesthesia, drawn using venipuncture into serum separation tubes, allowed to clot for 10 min at room temperature, and then centrifuged (1,000g, 10 min, 4[degrees]C). Lead increases lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury through tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] overexpression by monocytes/macrophages: role of protein kinase C and p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase Genetically-altered mice consistently outperformed normal mice in six tests of learning and memory; their brain cells showed increased sensitivity to new stimuli. THE SMART GENE The low-temperature mice lived about 15 percent longer than normal mice did, the team reports in the Nov. Low body heat lengthens mouse lives The best protection was reported for mice vaccinated by the intranasal route with an M2e-hepatitis B core fusion protein construct and detoxified heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin adjuvant; almost none of these mice died after a virus challenge that killed 90% of control mice (21). Prospects for universal influenza virus vaccine In this article we show that the exposure of adult mice to BPA, at doses about 1,000-fold less than the LOAEL established by the U.S. The estrogenic effect of bisphenol a disrupts pancreatic [beta]-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance After the first batch of mice was born, Tony Perry, a researcher in the study, and his colleagues tested to see what would happen if they cloned a clone. Send in the clones The mice on the standard diet remained slim, and both groups on the high-fat diet quickly packed on the grams. L'Chaim: wine compound lengthens mouse lives In the latest study, Ghosh and graduate student So-Yon Lim injected four types of mice, including NZB mice, with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP. Phthalate linked to lupus in mice Previous studies in suckling mice inoculated intracranially or intraporitoneally suggest that mice are not permissive to SARS-CoV (1,8). Mice susceptible to SARS coronavirus Scientists create such mice by inserting mutations in one of two important tumor-suppressing genes that mice and people share. The cancer of Dorian Gray: is growing old an inescapable cost of averting malignancy? Beginning in 1910, these mouse models "crossed the threshold of laboratories to replace human bodies," where they were investigated not as mice but as "living instruments" for the study of the human diseases (Lowy and Gaudilliere 1998). Of mice and molecules: research with genetically modified mouse models Trapping and removing deer mice from ranch buildings resulted in an increased number of mice, including Sin Nombre virus antibody-positive mice, entering ranch buildings. Removing deer mice from buildings and the risk for human exposure to Sin Nombre virus. (Dispatches)
随便看	take the bull by its horns take the bull by the horns take the bull by the horns, to take the cake take the cake, to take the cash and let the credit go take the chance (to do something) take the checkered flag take the chequered flag take the chill off take the chill off (of) (something or some place) take the cloth take the count take the coward's way out take the cure take the easy way out take the edge off take the edge off (something) take the edge off something take the fall take the fall (for someone or something) take the field take the Fifth take the fifth (amendment) take the first crack at (something)