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take the starch out of
Idioms and Phrases
Deflate or ridicule someone, as in That practical joke at the office party really took the starch out of Nick . This expression, first recorded in 1840, alludes to the starch used to stiffen a shirt.Example Sentences
The guys give off the impression, both online and in person, that they just want to take the starch out of this stuffed-shirt town.
One is to be utterly honest, which isn鈥檛 easy because it can hurt feelings and take the starch out of a friendship that is otherwise good.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 long and that lead was gone and that can certainly take the starch out of you a little bit when you鈥檝e got your ace out there and you know he鈥檚 struggling.鈥
Garnett鈥檚 ouster seemed to take the starch out of the crowd, and the Grizzlies threatened to pull away with a 10-2 run that gave them a 67-52 lead midway through the third.
鈥淗ere,鈥 she said, 鈥渢his鈥檒l make you feel better. It鈥檒l take the starch out of those straight lines. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 bugging you. Everything is too neat and straight and you鈥檙e all boxed in. Like Algernon in his sculpture there.鈥
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Definitions and idiom definitions from 亚洲网紅露点 Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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