loss (redirected from losses)

acceptable damage and acceptable losses

Euph. casualties or destruction inflicted by an enemy that is considered minor or tolerable. At present, the enemy's first-strike capability would produce acceptable damage. The general indicated that the fifty thousand casualties were within the range of acceptable losses.

See also: damage

at a loss (for words)

Fig. unable to speak; speechless or befuddled. I was so surprised that I was at a loss for words. Tom was terribly confused—really at a loss.

cut one's losses

to do something to stop a loss of something. I knew I had to do something to cut my losses, but it was almost too late. Sell some of the high-priced stuff to cut your losses.

See also: cut

dead loss

a total loss. My investment was a dead loss. This car is a dead loss after the accident.

See also: dead

One man's loss is another man's gain.

Prov. When one person loses something, another person gets it. (You can substitute appropriate names or pronouns for the phrases one man's and another man's, as in the second example.) Mike found a five-dollar bill on the sidewalk. "One man's loss is another man's gain," he thought to himself, as he took the money. Jane: Andy just got fired. Jill: I know. And Andy's loss is my gain; I'm getting promoted to his job!

See also: another, gain, one

throw someone for a loss

to cause someone to be uncertain or confused. (Often passive.) The stress of being in front of so many people threw Ann for a loss. She forgot her speech. It was a difficult problem. I was thrown for a loss for an answer.

See also: throw

---

be a dead loss 

1. (informal) if something or someone is a dead loss, they disappoint you because they are of bad quality or because they are not able to do what you want them to do The meeting was a dead loss. We didn't come to a single decision. He may have been a great poet, but he was a dead loss as a husband.

2. (informal) to be very bad at a particular activity or subject (sometimes + at ) I was an absolute dead loss at sport when I was at school.

See also: dead

be at a loss

to not know what to do or say (usually + to do sth) He won't accept financial help from me so I'm at a loss to know what to do. For once I found myself completely at a loss for words. (= I did not know what to say)

cut your losses

to stop doing something that is already failing in order to reduce the amount of time or money that is being wasted on it I wasn't benefiting from the course and it was costing so much that I thought I'd better cut my losses.

See also: cut

---

at a loss

unable to know how to act or what to do He felt totally at a loss about how to proceed with the making of a dictionary.

at a loss for words

unable to think of something to say lost for words If I was alone with her, I'd feel at a loss for words.

Usage notes: usually this happens because you are surprised

See also: word

cut your losses

to stop wasting time or money on something by ending your connection to it When a project is failing, you've got to learn to cut your losses and move on.

See also: cut