crumble
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crumble away
To come apart in pieces. We need to get this wall repaired—the drywall is just crumbling away.
crumble into (something)
To come apart into pieces or a particular material or substance. We need to get this wall repaired—the drywall is just crumbling into pieces.
See also: crumble
crumble up
1. To come apart into pieces. We need to get this wall repaired—the drywall is just crumbling up.
2. To break something into smaller pieces. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "crumble" and "up." I crumble up some cookies and add them to the icing—that's my secret recipe.
that's how the ball bounces
There is nothing we can do about the way things have unfolded, especially bad things, so there is no reason to be upset about it. I'm pretty gutted about not getting into the grad school program I wanted, but hey, that's how the ball bounces.
that's how the cookie crumbles
There is nothing we can do about the way things have unfolded, especially bad ones, so there is no reason to be upset about it. (A variant of the more common "That's the way the cookie crumbles.") I'm pretty gutted about not getting into the grad school program I wanted, but hey, that's just how the cookie crumbles.
that's the way the ball bounces
There is nothing we can do about the way things have unfolded, especially bad things, so there is no reason to be upset about it. I'm pretty gutted about not getting into the grad school program I wanted, but hey, that's the way the ball bounces.
that's the way the cookie crumbles
There is nothing we can do about the way things have unfolded, especially bad ones, so there is no reason to be upset about it. I'm pretty gutted about not getting into the grad school program I wanted, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
crumble away
to break away in little pieces. The marble pillar was crumbling away because of the acidic rain. One of my teeth is just crumbling away.
crumble into something
to break apart and fall down into bits and pieces. The base of the pillar suddenly crumbled into dust. The bones crumbled into dust as the body was lifted from the box.
See also: crumble
crumble something up (into something)
to crunch up or break up something into pieces. Now, crumble the dried bread up into crumbs. Crumble up the bread into crumbs.
crumble up
to break up into little pieces. The cake, which was very dry, crumbled up when I tried to cut it. The paper of the old book crumbled up when I turned the pages.
That's the way the ball bounces.
and That's the way the cookie crumbles.; That's the way the mop flops.Prov. You cannot control everything that happens to you.; You should accept the bad things that happen. Bill: I bought a hundred lottery tickets this week, but I still didn't win! Alan: That's the way the ball bounces. I was planning to have fun on my vacation, but I've been sick the whole time. I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. That's tough, but that's the way the mop flops.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
that's how the ball bounces
Also, that's the way the ball bounces or the cookie crumbles . That is the way matters have worked out and nothing can be done about it. For example, I'm sorry you got fired but that's how the ball bounces, or They wanted a baby girl but got a third boy-that's the way the cookie crumbles. These phrases allude to an odd bounce or a crumbled cookie that cannot be put back together. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
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.
that's the way the cookie crumbles
orthat's how the cookie crumbles
If you say that's the way the cookie crumbles or that's how the cookie crumbles you mean that you have to accept the way things happen or develop, even if it is not what you wanted. You're not always on peak performance, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. I had some bad luck with injuries — that's how the cookie crumbles.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
the way (or how) the cookie crumbles
how things turn out (often used of an undesirable but unalterable situation). informal, chiefly North AmericanFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
that’s the way the cookie ˈcrumbles
(also that’s the way it ˈgoes) (informal) that is the situation and we cannot change it, so we must accept it: She met somebody else and left me. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
That’s the way the ball bounces
sent. That is life.; That is the random way things happen. It’s tough, I know, but that’s the way the ball bounces.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles
sent. That is life.; That is typical of the unequal share of things you are likely to get in life. I lost my job. Oh, well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
that's how (the way) the ball bounces/cookie crumbles
This is the way things have turned out and nothing can be done about it; that’s fate. These expressions became current in America in the mid-twentieth century and quickly spread to the rest of the English-speaking world. Both are enhanced by alliteration, and neither has a totally clear meaning. The bounce of a ball on an uneven surface can affect the outcome of a game, and a cookie disintegrating into crumbs is difficult to consume neatly. Edward Albee used the latter in his play, The Zoo Story (1960): “‘Well . . . naturally every man wants a son, but . . .’—‘But that’s the way the cookie crumbles?’”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer