Idioms

stony

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fall on stony ground

To be ignored or disregarded. The phrase comes from biblical parable told by Jesus, in which seed planted in rocky soil does not grow. An email asking people to volunteer to work at the weekend conference is sure to fall on stony ground. The kids look bored to death, so it seems that today's lesson is falling on stony ground. Tragedy could have been prevented, but no, the scientists' warnings fell on stony ground.
See also: fall, ground, on, stony

flat broke

slang Having no money. Primarily heard in US. I get paid next week, so can we go out to dinner then? I'm just flat broke right now. I'm flat broke once again and don't know how I'm going to pay my rent. I've been flat broke since I got that huge medical bill.
See also: broke, flat

stone broke

slang Having no money. I get paid next week, so can we go out to dinner then? I'm just stone broke right now. I'm stone broke once again and don't know how I'm going to pay my rent.
See also: broke, stone

stony broke

slang Having no money. I get paid next week, so can we go out to dinner then? I'm just stony broke right now. I'm stony broke once again and don't know how I'm going to pay my rent.
See also: broke, stony

stony silence

Complete silence, often marked by tension and repressed emotion. After our argument, Stella and I sat in stony silence for the rest of the bus ride. The crowd's stony silence only added to my nervousness.
See also: silence, stony

stony-faced

Having or exhibiting no emotion or compassion; completely impassive, dispassionate, or expressionless. The judge sat stony-faced as the defendant pleaded with him to show mercy. She was so heartless, remaining totally stony-faced as she told me that our relationship was over.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

flat broke

 and flat busted
Fig. having no money at all. Sorry, I'm flat broke. Not a cent on me. You may be flat broke, but you will find a way to pay your electricity bill or you will live in the dark. Mary was flat busted, and it was two more weeks before she was due to get paid.
See also: broke, flat
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

flat broke

Also, stone or stony broke . Completely penniless. For example, I can't help you-I'm flat broke, or He's stone broke again. The first term dates from the mid-1800s and uses flat in the sense of "completely" or "downright." The variant dates from the late 1800s.
See also: broke, flat
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fall on stony ground

BRITISH
If a warning, request or piece of advice falls on stony ground, nobody listens to it or is influenced by it. Dire warnings about the effects on public services fell on stony ground. I repeatedly asked him not to behave in this way but all my pleas fell on stony ground. Note: This expression comes from Jesus's story in the Bible (Mark 4:5-6) about a man sowing seed which falls on different kinds of ground. The seed that falls on stony ground dies because the roots cannot grow properly. In the story, the seed represents Christ's teachings and the stony ground represents the people who soon forget or ignore what He has said.
See also: fall, ground, on, stony
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

fall on stony ground

(of words or a suggestion) be ignored or badly received.
The reference here is to the parable of the sower recounted in both St Mark's and St Matthew's Gospels, in which some of the seed scattered by the sower fell on stony places where it withered away.
See also: fall, ground, on, stony
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

fall on stony ˈground

fail to produce the result or the effect that you hope for; have little success: She tried to warn him, but her words fell on stony ground.
See also: fall, ground, on, stony
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

flat broke

mod. having no money at all. Sorry, I’m flat broke. Not a cent on me.
See also: broke, flat

stone broke

mod. completely broke. I’m sorry, I’m stone broke. Can I send you a check?
See also: broke, stone
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
Stony Lonesome Group is a boutique merchant bank that focuses on early stage seed capital investing encompassing Stony Lonesome Advisors and the Stony Lonesome Capital funds.
Stony Lonesome Group names venture partner
The priciest Stony Brook home sold in April was a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home on .42 acres at 4 Baron Court that sold for $709,000.
Priciest home sales in Stony Brook
Jack draws Stony into his fantasy of being a private detective, and the two boys start hanging around the county sheriff's office.
The Boys Who Woke Up Early
Dan Walsh, a principal with Hudson River Resources, made a presentation at the Stony Point Town Board about his company's plan to reclaim and restore the site by filling the massive area with crushed brick and concrete retrieved from construction sites, according to SPACE--Stony Point Action Committee for the Environment.
Former New York Quarry May Get New Life
When Xippolitos first joined the Stony Brook University faculty, she didn't arrive as a dean.
A Nurse Practitioner
A 2015 graduate in Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the university, speaking on the honour Momina said, 'I am supremely humbled to given the 40 Under Forty honour by Stony Brook University in the category of Civil Service and Activism.
Momina honoured at 40 Under Forty in NY
A small town in the American Southwest and its diverse denizens are the focal point of the three overlapping, intertwining stories of Chip Ward's sardonic, smart, and richly descriptive Stony Mesa Sagas.
Stony Mesa Sagas
"After completing the value-add renovation program and installing Paredim's more attentive management approach, Stony Brook has the potential to be a best in class asset within its submarket," said Herb Miller, a founding partner at LEM.
$21M East Haven apartment buy closes: Paredim Partners/LEM Capital
Stony Brook, NY, May 30, 2015 --(PR.com)-- In celebration of Bike Month, Brasco International recognizes Stony Brook University in New York for its ongoing bike-friendly improvements.
Bike Friendly University to Add More Brasco Bike Shelters to Campus
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will wait until April to figure out what will come next for Stony Point Conference Center--giving leaders of both the center and the denomination time to sift through possibilities.
Stony point to take another two months to explore future direction
Stony Brook University and part of the State University of New York (SUNY), has deployed Aruba Network's 802.11ac Wi- Fi solution in key areas of its campus.
STONY BROOK UNIV. DEPLOYS ARUBA 802.11AC WI-FI
(NASDAQ: ARUN) reported that Stony Brook University, a Top Public National University according to the 2014 edition of the US News and World Report survey, and part of the State University of New York (SUNY), has deployed Aruba's 802.11ac Wi-Fi solution in key areas of its campus.
Stony Brook University utilizes Aruba 802.11ac Wi-Fi Infrastructure to deal with usage increase
Beijing, June 14 (Xinhua-ANI): China's stony desert areas shrank to 12 million hectares by the end of 2011, down 7.4 percent from 2005, a senior forestry official said Thursday.
China's stony deserts fall to 12 mln hectares
13 October 2011 - US private equity company Stony Point Group said it had purchased Broadwing Air Repair, a provider of composite and sheet metal repair, for an undisclosed amount.
Stony Point unveils buy of Broadwing Air Repair
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