[wear out] {v.} 1a. To use or wear until useless. * /Bobby got a toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

tell on

[tell on] {v.} 1. To tire; wear out; make weak. * /The ten-mile hike told on Bill./ 2. {informal} To tell someone about another's wrong or naughty acts. - Used […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

wear on

[wear on] {v.} 1. To anger or annoy; tire. * /Having to stay indoors all day long is tiresome for the children and wears on their mother's nerves./ 2. To […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

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Kingsley Amis

(1922-1995) English author It is no wonder that people are so horrible when they start life as children.

hell and high water

[hell and high water] {n. phr.} Troubles or difficulties of any kind. * /After John's father died he went through hell and […]

put someone on

[put someone on] {v.} To play a joke on someone by saying or doing things that are only pretense; kid. * /When the voice on […]

Napoleon Bonaparte

You can stop while you are raising, but not when you are falling.

many hands make light work

[many hands make light work] If many people work together, even a hard job becomes easier. - A proverb. * /Come on boys, […]

up and at them

[up and at them] 1. {adv. phr.} Actively engaged in a task as if doing combat. * /"You want to know whether he will make a […]