separate (redirected from separated the sheep from the goats)

segregate (someone) from (someone else) and segregate (something) from (something else)

to separate someone from someone else or something from something else. I was asked to segregate the swimmers from the nonswimmers. Let's segregate the larger fish from the smaller ones.

See also: segregate

separate someone or something into something

to divide people or things into subdivisions. We had to separate the kids into smaller groups. Jane separated the apples into three groups by size.

separate someone from (someone else) and separate something from something else

to segregate people or things. The nurse separated the infected people from the healthy ones. Please separate the spoiled apples from the good ones.

separate something off from something and separate something off

to remove something from something. Frank separated the cream off from the milk. Separate off the hens from the rooster.

separate something out of something and separate something out

to remove something out from something. She used a filter to separate the dirt particles out of the water. A filter separated out the impurities.

See also: out

separate but equal

segregated but of equal value or quality. (A doctrine once sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding racial segregation.) The separate but equal doctrine was abandoned years ago. They were provided with facilities that were said to be separate but equal—but were really of a lower standard.

See also: but, equal

separate off (from something)

to move or head away from something. The road to the cabin separates off from the main road and goes along for a mile or two. It separates off about a mile from here.

separate the men from the boys and separate the sheep from the goats

Fig. to separate the competent from those who are less competent. (Not necessarily just about males.) This is the kind of task that separates the men from the boys. Working in a challenging place like this really separates the sheep from the goats.

See also: boy, men

separate the wheat from the chaff

Prov. to separate what is useful or valuable from what is worthless. When it comes to books, time will separate the wheat from the chaff. Good books will have lasting appeal, and the rest will be forgotten. The managers hoped that the new procedure for evaluating employees would separate the wheat from the chaff.

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separate the sheep from the goats  (British, American & Australian) also sort (out) the sheep from the goats (British & Australian)

to choose the people or things of high quality from a group of mixed quality I'll look through the application forms and separate the sheep from the goats.

See also: goat, sheep

separate the wheat from the chaff

to choose the things or people that are of high quality from a group of mixed quality A preliminary look through the applications will help you to separate the wheat from the chaff.

See separate out the men from the boys, separate the sheep from the goats

separate/sort out the men from the boys

if a difficult situation or activity separates the men from the boys, it shows which people in a group are brave and strong and which are not You have to survive outdoors for three days and three nights. That should separate the men from the boys.

See also: boy, men, out

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go your separate ways

to end your relationship We were good friends in college, but after graduation we went our separate ways. The two firms went their separate ways about 18 months ago.

See also: ways

separate the men from the boys

to show which people in a group can do something difficult and which people cannot The five-day camping trip next month should separate the men from the boys!

See also: boy, men

separate the wheat from the chaff

to choose what is of high quality over what is of lower quality As we learn more about computer programs for the classroom, we are able to separate the wheat from the chaff and get the right software for our kids.