[fine feathers do not make fine birds] {literary} A person who wears fine clothes may not be as good as he looks. - A proverb. * /Mary is pretty and […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

tar and feather

[tar and feather] {v.} To pour heated tar on and cover with feathers as a punishment. * /In the Old West bad men were sometimes tarred and feathered and driven […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

ruffle feathers

[ruffle feathers] or [ruffle one's feathers] {v. phr.} Insult or disturb slightly; offend. * /The author ruffled some feathers by his portrait of his hometown./ A Dictionary of American Idioms

birds of a feather flock together

[birds of a feather flock together] People who are alike often become friends or are together; if you are often with certain people, you may be their friends or like […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

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Chinese proverb

Beat your child once a day. If you don't know why, the child does.

to foul one's own nest

[to foul one's own nest] {v. phr.} To compromise unintentionally one's own interests by sharing private information […]

slap-head

[slap-head] {n.} {adj.} A bald man.

Generica

[Generica] Fast food joints, strip malls, sub-divisions as in "we were so lost in generica that I couldn't remember what city […]

[GJ] "Good job", often sarcastic

from rags to riches

[from rags to riches] {adv. phr.} Suddenly making a fortune; becoming rich overnight. * /The Smiths went from rags to riches […]

off the wall

[off the wall] {adj. phr.} Strange; out of the ordinary; stupid. * /He has been making off-the-wall remarks all day; […]

Derek Bok, president of Harvard University

If you think education is expensive--try ignorance.