Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

(Amelia) #1
able to help you, thank you very much. 
You’ve been quite annoying, thank you
very much!

that 1. mod. <a stylistic replacement for
the.> (Especially in citizens band radio
jargon and much daily colloquial speech.
It is the pervasive overuse of this form
that makes it notable as colloquial.) 
Can you tell me where that next rest stop
is? Put that can of stuff on that shelf and
sweep that f loor. 2. mod. <a stylistic mod-
ifier of personal and place names and
some other nouns that do not normally
take modifiers.> (Citizens band radio.)
How do I get to that Kansas City? 
That Mr. Silverf lash is making good time.


That-a-boy!exclam. That is the way to do
it! (Said to a boy or man.) Come on,
Chuck. That-a-boy! That-a-boy, Chuck.
You can do it!


That ain’t hay!exclam. That’s money, not
something worthless. That car cost
$40,000, and that ain’t hay!


That’ll be the day!exclam. That will never
happen! You win a medal? That’ll be the
day! When he gets his own car—that’ll
be the day!


That’ll teach someone.sent. That is what
someone deserves. That’ll teach you to
pull out in front of me. I hit him on the
head. That’ll teach him.


That’s about the size of it.sent. That is
the way things are.; That’s all there is to
tell. Well, that’s about the size of it. See
you tomorrow. That’s about the size of
it. You’ve understood it perfectly.


That’s all she wrote. and That’s what
she wrote.sent. That is all of it. Here’s
the last one we have to fix. There, that’s all
she wrote. That’s what she wrote. There
ain’t no more.


That’s all someone needs.sent. That is
too much.; That is the last straw. Now
the sewer’s backing up. That’s all I need. 
A new mouth to feed. That’s all we need!


That’s a new one on me.sent. That is
truly amazing.; I did not know that. A
machine that copies in four colors. That’s


a new one on me. A talking camera?
That’s a new one on me.
That’s my boy.sent. That is my son of
whom I am proud.; I’m proud of this
young man. After the game, Tom’s dad
said, “That’s my boy!” That’s my boy!
Always a winner!
That’s show business (for you).sent.
That is the way that life really is. (Also
with bizand show biz.) And now the
car won’t start. That’s show business for
you. Too bad about the bad investment.
That’s show biz.
That’s so suck!phr. That’s so awful. Eat
sweet potatoes? That’s so suck!
That’s that!exclam. That is final!; That is
the end of it! I said no, and that’s that!
I won’t go, and that’s that!
That’s the stuff!exclam. That is good
work! Good shot, Wally! That’s the
stuff! That’s the stuff! Way to go!
That’s the ticket!exclam. That is exactly
what is needed! Good! That’s the ticket!
Now you’re cooking with gas. That’s the
ticket! Perfect!
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 ball bounces. It could be worse.
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. Oh, gee!
Too bad. That’s the way the cookie
crumbles.
That’s the way the mop flops.sent. This
is the way things happen.; This is typi-
cal of a random pattern of events. (Con-
trived.) Sorry to hear about that, but
that’s the way the mop f lops. That’s
tough, but that’s the way the mop f lops.
(That’s the) way to go!exclam. Nicely
done! Way to go, Charlie! That’s the
way to go! You did it!
That’s what I say.sent. I agree with you.
Of course, Mary. That’s what I say. 

that

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