mine (redirected from mined)

(a) gold mine of information

Fig. someone or something that is full of information. Grandfather is a gold mine of information about World War I. The new encyclopedia is a positive gold mine of useful information.

See also: gold, information

back to the salt mines

Cliché time to return to work, school, or something else that might be unpleasant. (The phrase implies that the speaker is a slave who works in the salt mines.) It's one o'clock and lunch break is over. Back to the salt mines. School starts in the fall, so then it's back to the salt mines again.

See also: back, salt

go back to the salt mines

Fig. to return to one's work. (Jocular; fig. on the image of menial labor working in salt mines.) It's late. I have to go back to the salt mines. What time do you have to go back to the salt mines Monday morning?

See also: back, salt

Make mine something.

I wish to have the thing named. (The something can be a particular food or drink, a flavor of a food, a size of a garment, or a type of almost anything. Most typically used for food or drink.) Bill: I want some pie. Yes, I'd like apple. Tom: Make mine cherry. Waiter: Would you care for some dessert? The ice cream is homemade. Tom: Yes, indeed. Make mine chocolate.

See also: make

mine for something

to dig into the ground in search of a mineral, a metal, or an ore. The prospectors ended up mining for coal. What are they mining for in those hills?

mine of information

Fig. someone or something that is full of information. Grandfather is a mine of information about World War II. The new search engine is a positive mine of useful information.

See also: information

sitting on a gold mine

Fig. in control of something very valuable; in control of something potentially very valuable. When I found out how much the old book was worth, I realized that I was sitting on a gold mine. Mary's land is valuable. She is sitting on a gold mine.

See also: gold, sitting

What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine.

Prov. A humorous way of saying, "Everything belongs to me."; (A jocular variant of "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours," an expression of generosity.) I know you won't mind lending me your radio. After all, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine. The thief took his confederate's share of the money they had stolen, saying, "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine."

See also: and

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Fig. You do a favor for me and I'll do a favor for you.; If you do something for me that I cannot do for myself, I will do something for you that you cannot do for yourself. I'll grab the box on the top shelf if you will creep under the table and pick up my pen. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

See also: and, back, scratch

Your guess is as good as mine.

Inf. I do not know. Jane: Are there any good movies playing tonight? Alan: Your guess is as good as mine. Jill: How long should we bake this pie? Jane: Your guess is as good as mine.

See also: good, guess

Your place or mine?

Inf. an expression asking someone about whose dwelling should be the site of a rendezvous. (Often associated with a sudden or spontaneous sexual encounter.) Bill: So, do you want to go somewhere? Mary: Your place or mine? Bill: I was thinking of watching a movie at home. You're place or mine? Mary: Okay, I'll rent the movie and we'll watch it at your place.

See also: place

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a mine of information

a person or a book with a lot of information (often + about ) He's a mine of information about the cinema.

See also: information

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.  also I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine.

something that you say to tell someone that you will help them if they will help you I do have some information you might be interested in, but what can you offer me in return? You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

See also: and, back, scratch

Your guess is as good as mine.  (informal)

something that you say when you do not know the answer to a question 'How long do you think this job will take?' 'Your guess is as good as mine.'

See be anybody's guess

See also: good, guess

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your guess is as good as mine (spoken)

I do not know the answer to that question If you want to know why she left me, well, your guess is as good as mine.

See also: good, guess