[beat the --- out of] or [lick the --- out of] or [whale the --- out of] {v. phr.}, {informal} To beat hard; give a bad beating to. - Used […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

whale the --- out of

[whale the --- out of] See: [BEAT THE --- OUT OF]. A Dictionary of American Idioms

pound away at

[pound away at] {v. phr.} 1. To attack; criticize. * /In his campaign speeches the candidate kept pounding away at the administration's foreign policy./ 2. To work industriously. * /Mike […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

strike the hour

[strike the hour] {v. phr.} To mark or toll the hour (said of clocks or bells). * /We heard the church clock strike the hour of two./ 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 […]