bloody hell
interjection Used to express shock or surprise coupled with an intense emotional reaction, whether positive or negative. Colloquially pronounced or written "bloody 'ell." Primarily heard in UK. Bloody hell, Jenny, don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the life out of me! A: "The boss wants us to work on Saturday." B: "Bloody hell, again? I'm getting pretty sick of this!" Wow, bloody hell, that's a delicious hamburger!
give (someone) an inch and (someone) (will) take an ell
proverb If one makes concessions for someone, that will embolden them to take further advantage of one, instead of being content with what they have been given. (An "ell" is a now-obsolete unit of measurement equal to roughly 45 inches.) If you let the kids stay up later on the weekends, they'll want to do it all the time. Give them an inch and they'll take an ell. I offered the unhappy customer a refund, and she demanded that I also send out a replacement unit, free of charge. I swear, you give some people an inch and they take an ell! I helped that guy with one thing, and now he thinks I'm, like, his personal assistant. Geez, give some people an inch and they'll take an ell.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.