In-neutral / Caution url
Telling someone a secret
- The less said about it the better.
- Don’t breathe a word of it.
- I was sworn to secrecy.
- Mum’s the word.
- This could be something that I might come to regret.
- This might be against my better judgement.
- I have to ask myself, why am I doing this?
Telling someone a secret
Out-neutral / Observation url
About Others – Positive-2
- She has a way with words.
- She stands out in a crowd.
- He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
- He’s out of the woods.
- She lights up the room.
- Those two stick together like glue.
- He’s cool, calm and collected.
- It’s a match made in heaven.
- She lends on air of dignity to wherever she goes.
- He’s one slick operation.
- He’s sharp as a tack.
- He’s the greatest.
- He went to bat for us.
- He’s taking it very well.
- He’s as straight as an arrow.
- He’s a mover and a shaker.
About Others – Positive-2
Out-neutral / Advice url
Let's help each other
- We're all in this together.
- One for all, and all for one.
- United we stand, divided we fall.
- We will either hang together, or hang separately.
- With teamwork we can accomplish anything.
- We will all benefit if we strive to see each other's point of view.
- We should approach this as a family, with one mind, and one heart.
- One good turn deserves another.
Let's help each other
In-negative / Explaining url
Apartment is a mess
- I can only do what I can do.
- I try not the pay attention to these things.
- What difference does it make anyway?
- There’s a method to the madness.
- I’m getting nowhere fast.
- I’m on a tight schedule, and it just doesn’t leave me time for these things.
- I’m strapped for time.
- You can understand, can’t you?
- In the large scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter, does it?
- I just have a different set of priorities than you do.
- I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
- Out of sight, out of mind.
- At least I know where everything is.
Apartment is a mess
Out-neutral / Observation url
General-3
- It’s as pure as the driven snow.
- Two wrongs don’t make a right.
- Some things never change.
- What you see is what you get.
- It takes one to know one.
- That’s par for the course.
- You see one, you’ve seen them all.
- What goes around, comes around.
- They’re a dime a dozen.
General-3
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
Try to negotiate correctly & fairly-3
- Don’t go back on your word.
- Let’s get back to basics.
- Give me a fair shake.
- I think you’re just trying to soften me up.
- Don’t jump to conclusions.
- Don’t put me on the spot.
- Be up front with me, and don’t go behind my back.
- I wouldn’t be too sure of yourself if I were you.
- You’d better be on the level.
- Don’t whittle away at me.
- It seems like everything I say falls on deaf ears.
- I’m a man of principle, and I’m not going to compromise my principles or standards to stoop and do something like that.
- I’m not made of money.
Try to negotiate correctly & fairly-3
Out-negative / Anger url
I’ve had enough
- I’ve had just about all I can take.
- Enough is enough.
- Now that’s the last straw.
- I think I’ve had just about enough.
- I’m fed up with it.
- I’ve had it up to here!
- I’ve had it.
- You’re getting on my nerves.
- You’ve been asking for it.
I’ve had enough
In-negative / Explaining url
After investing in worthless land
- I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
- I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
- I should have known.
- It seemed like the right to do thing at the time.
- It took me totally by surprise.
- I was talked into it.
- The thought that this would be such a bad decision never crossed my mind.
- There’s not a whole lot I can do about it at this point.
- That never would have dawned on me.
- I didn’t see it coming.
- In theory that was how it was supposed to play out, but in actuality that’s not what happened.
- How was I supposed to know that?
- It beats me how that could have happened.
- It was an honest mistake.
- It could happen to anyone.
- I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way I expected them to.
- I found out the hard way.
- The thought never even crossed my mind.
- That was something I wasn’t even aware of.
- Frankly, it’s just not something I could have anticipated.
- That’s something I just didn’t count on.
- They really took me to the cleaners.
- I must admit, from the beginning the whole thing wasn’t clear to me, and went way over my head.
- I was a sitting duck.
- I was being penny wise and pound foolish.
After investing in worthless land
In-positive / Realizing url
Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel
- I could see it right from the beginning.
- I suspected as much.
- It finally dawned on me.
- That explains everything!
- That’s it, in a nutshell.
- It was the missing link.
- Just put two and two together, and it all makes sense.
- I saw it coming, because though it didn’t seem so at first, in retrospect it was a dead give away.
- It will do it to you every time.
- It was on the tip of my tongue all along.
- That never would have occurred to me.
- I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me.
Finding out 'who did it' at the end of a mystery novel
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
- That’s the spirit.
- You’ve got it in the palm of your hand.
- You’ve got what it takes.
- You’ve got to come through, we’re all depending on you.
- We’re all rooting for you.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- You can do it.
- The ball is in your court.
- Give it your best shot.
- Give it the old college try.
- We’re all counting on you.
- It’s all up to you.
- Get a move on it, and strike the iron while it’s hot.
- It’s shaping up to be a moment of truth.
- This is your big chance, don’t blow it.
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
Out-neutral / Advice url
Improve
- Promise to do better.
- It should teach you a lesson.
- Act your age.
- Make a clean break with the past, with your old way of doing things.
- Act like a human being.
- Do what you do, but do it well.
- Don’t be such a nerd.
- Practice makes perfect.
- Stop playing around.
- Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
- Shape up or ship out.
Improve
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Raining on the day of the picnic
- Life has its ups and downs.
- It was a chance we had to take.
- It’s just one of those things.
- Life is full of surprises.
- Whatever happens it will be for the best.
- What does that matter?
- There’s not much we can do about it.
- Perhaps it’s really a blessing in disguise.
Raining on the day of the picnic