either
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a door must be either shut or open
proverb One must choose between two options that cannot both be true or both happen at the same time. (Just as a door cannot simultaneously be open and closed.) You're never going to feel rested if you keep staying up so late. A door must be either shut or open—you can't have it both ways. Well, do you love him or not? A door must be either shut or open. I know you love ice cream, but you can't eat it every day and lose weight—a door must be either shut or open, as they say.
be (either) feast or famine
To be characterized by either an excess or a dearth of something. The team won their first six games handily, and now they've lost seven in a row. I swear, it's either feast or famine with these guys! Freelance work always seems to be feast or famine, unfortunately—either you have too many projects to stay on top of, or barely enough to get by. The economies of these coastal towns are feast or famine, propped up entirely by tourists who only come in the warmer months of the year.
be for all the marbles
To be the deciding factor in determining who wins total victory or the entirety of a prize or reward. Typically said when one is on the verge of victory. He is just barely holding on to first place, so this final putt is for all the marbles! The remaining poker players have gone all in, so this last hand is for all the marbles—nearly $250,000 in prize money.
either feast or famine
Describing a situation in which there is either an excess or a dearth of something. Freelance work always seems to be either feast or famine, unfortunately—either you have too many projects to stay on top of, or barely enough to get by. The team won their first six games handily, and now they've lost seven in a row. I swear, it's either feast or famine with these guys! These coastal towns have economies that are propped up entirely by tourists, making things either feast or famine depending on the time of year.
either way
A phrase used in reference to two possible outcomes or actions. A: "What if I don't get the job?" B: "They haven't called you yet either way, so try not to worry too much."
feast or famine
Describing a situation in which there is either an excess or a dearth of something. Freelance work always seems to be feast or famine, unfortunately—either you have too many projects to stay on top of, or barely enough to get by. The team won their first six games handily, and now they've lost seven in a row. I swear, it's always a case of feast or famine with these guys! These coastal towns have feast-or-famine economies that are propped up entirely by tourism in the warmer months of the year.
if you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one
proverb If you try to accomplish or pursue two different things at once, you will fail at both. You can't look for that file and dictate a message at the same time. Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one? The government is trying to cut taxes while simultaneously expanding public amenities. But if you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.
me either
I also would not or do not. A: "I really don't care for strawberry ice cream." B: "Ugh, me either!" A: "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a dress like that." B: "Me either."
See also: either
on either hand
On either or both sides. It was quite breathtaking walking at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, with colossal, ancient cliff faces towering over you on either hand. He strolled into the room with a beautiful woman on either hand.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*(either) feast or famine
Fig. either too much (of something) or not enough (of something). (*Typically: be ~; have ~.) This month is very dry, and last month it rained almost every day. Our weather is either feast or famine. Sometimes we are busy, and sometimes we have nothing to do. It's feast or famine.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
feast or famine
Also, either feast or famine. Either too much or too little, too many or too few. For example, Free-lancers generally find it's feast or famine-too many assignments or too few, or Yesterday two hundred showed up at the fair, today two dozen-it's either feast or famine . This expression, which transfers an overabundance or shortage of food to numerous other undertakings, was first recorded in 1732 as feast or fast, the noun famine being substituted in the early 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.
feast or famine
If someone describes a situation as feast or famine, they mean that there is always either too much or too little of something. Money is a problem. `It's feast or famine with me,' she says. Note: People often vary this expression. This new series is a feast in what is otherwise a famine of intelligent television. After a long famine, a mini-feast: investors are once again providing banks with the capital they need.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
feast or famine
either too much of something or too little.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on either/every ˈhand
(literary) on both/all sides; in every direction: We were surrounded on every hand by dancing couples.ˈeither way
,ˌone way or the ˈother
used to say that it does not matter which one of two possibilities happens, is chosen or is true: Was it his fault or not? Either way, an explanation is due. ♢ We could meet today or tomorrow — I don’t mind one way or the other.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
feast or famine
Either an overabundance or a shortage. This expression originated as either feast or fast, which is how it appeared in Thomas Fuller’s Gnomologia (1732) and still survived in 1912 (“Dock labour has been graphically described as ‘either a feast or a fast,’” London Daily Telegraph). In America, famine was substituted sometime during the twentieth century. The term is still frequently applied to alternating overabundance and shortages of work, as is often the case for freelancers, seasonal laborers, and the like.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer