I'd like to warn somebody of one of their harmful managers, or even a so-called fake friend, so I say it like this:     Don't trust him! He is nothing but a cunning person who is trying to harm you/put you down, with his special ability , so gradually, *smoothly,softly, wisely, and, secretly* via a pre-planned plot that you won't even notice or suspect his intentions.   What idiom, phrase, term, ... could be used for describing this wise person/ fake friend/whatever you name it, -or his ability-*while focusing on using his wisdom for doing his hidden harmful actions smoothly!  P.S 1: I have found "back-stabber"; "two-faced"; "a snake in the grass"; "a wolf in sheep's clothing"; but none of them cover all those attributes as a whole.     -(there is an idiom in my country which says" Don't trust him! He cuts off the throats/ heads with cotton!)   -( these people are potentially good politicians!, so you can use this idiom even for countries or politicians who achieve their goals by acting in this way!)   Note: my question has been marked as "duplicate", but the answer I'm looking for, has nothing to do with answer which user87131 is looking for, he/she is focusing on a liar fake friend, and me, on some other attributes and actually maybe this person is not necessarily a friend, maybe he is someone whom I am obliged to deal with,!!. Please reopen my question, if possible! -(Sorry, Everybody! I had to edit my question!)     P.S2: I just found these political terms: "Soft War", "soft power"! And both can totally convey the meaning I am looking for, so Can I use them In non-political cases, too? , Like: , "Don't trust him, he is good at soft war!/ he is good at applying soft power"?
43767
What do you call someone who pretends to be your friend but is actually your enemy?  A friend suggested spy for me, but that does not nearly describe the word I need for an English project. The character is very good at manipulating how people see him. He's a good liar. And pretends to be your friend but actually is your enemy.
91914
First, I'd like to apologize for the awkwardly-phrased title.   Instead of trying to explain the structure I'm thinking of, I'd like to give some context and then an example or two. I've used and seen this construction used conversationally, and if my memory and intuition serve, conversationally only. I'm curious to know if there is a formal term for it.  Ex 1  "If you don't like what I'm offering, the door is that way."  A purely logical interpretation would make little sense with this example. In this context, the inference is that the speaker is indicating to whomever he is speaking that they should leave, which suggests that there might be an elision, e.g.  "If you don't like what I'm offering, ... [then you may leave. T]...he door is that way."  Ex 2  "If you're hungry, I have food."  This is a similar context. The implication is that the speaker will offer food to whom she is speaking if they are hungry. A (strictly) logical interpretation would, again, make little sense (if you are hungry, then I have food doesn't convey any intent to provide it, nor does it make sense; the speaker always has food, she just will offer it if her guest is hungry).  I recognize that this might be too specific to have a term associated with it. I'm just curious to know what it is if it does exist.
114242
In the Bengali language there is an idiom, "sobjanta gamchawala" (wise towelsman), meaning a man whose occupation is  merely to sell towels, but claims to know everything and gives valuable advice on any and every topic.  As you can imagine, wise and valuable are used here as sarcasm. In Bengali, the phrase is used to point out a person who always makes a comment on every topic without knowing the context.   Is there is an English idiom or phrase for that?  I'm not looking for . A jack of all trades is able to do a lot of things fairly well, but sobjanta gamchawala isn't.
79445
I found an interesting article that I wanted to email to my boss, but they may or may not already be of aware of such information. It got me thinking if there are any idioms that mean discovering something that is old news or is already known by many?  Anyone know? Thanks!
105588
Take the following statement:     I hate the ease with which X makes disparaging remarks about their rivals without the least concern as to whether they are truthful or fair.   Now I would like a word expressing this lack of concern, so that I could just plug it in the blank below and keep the meaning of the sentence above:     I hate the _________ with which X makes disparaging remarks about their rivals.   This is an all too common attitude and I think it deserves a name of its own. The word that came to my mind was levity, but I haven’t come across this word very often and I’m not sure of its particular tones and shades of meaning.      Simple definition   : a lack of seriousness   : an amusing quality   Full definition   1 : excessive or unseemly frivolity   2 : lack of steadiness: changeableness     The attitude I’m trying to name certainly displays lack of seriousness as to the truthfulness and fairness of the remarks, but I do not want to imply they are made in jest or that X is being silly or thoughtless. X could be very serious about their aims: “I’m going to say this; don’t give a dam whether that’s true or not; even if it’s not true I’ll get away with it.” This excludes, I think, all the words Merriam-Webster lists as related to levity, which probably means it excludes levity too:     facetiousness, flightiness, flippancy, frivolousness, frothiness, frivolity, light-headedness, light-mindedness, lightness, silliness   So I’ll accept an answer that despite my reservations shows that one of these words is indeed the one that works best in the sentence above; or gives a more fitting word; or shows that no word really fits (I am of course aware of the difficulties of proving a negative).  I prefer a single word but I’m willing to trade singleness for meaning: so I would take a short phrase it fits better than any single word.  Update  I’m spoilt for choice. But I wonder whether the various suggestions implying lack of concern would in my sentence imply lack of concern specifically for truth, which is what I’m after, or could instead be interpreted as lack of regard for norms of polite behaviour, rival’s feelings, or consequences (say, libel lawsuits, rivals reacting with violence, people feeling encouraged to attack the rivals, etc.)  Tweak the example sentence if it helps (say, I hate the ____ of X’s remarks).
54037
I would use rope-a-dope, but it's got connotations of pretending to lose that I don't need. I'm trying to describe the behavior of someone who sends twenty detailed emails a day about various projects, and the recipient of his emails has finally gotten tired of trying to parse them, so the recipient just agrees to whatever he proposes. I'd like an expression that evokes both outward earnestness and hidden creepiness, like Uriah Heep, Dickens's "Humble servant" with veiled ambition, who overdoes it with professions of humility until he's in power. Water torture would work, but comes too close to a more racist expression that I'm not comfortable with.
15560
So I know I've heard this saying in American English before but I just can't quite find the original.  I have come up with several made up variations like:   I don't send the Navy (or whole army, or a battalion) when all you need is a diplomat. Don't buy the whole cow when all you need is milk.   What's the more commonly heard saying/phrase for this of expression?
48328
I'm looking for an appropriate word to describe someone who is a man of his word.   Trustworthy springs to mind but doesn't seem appropriate, as it doesn't imply an honorable connotation associated with a person who keeps their word.
45569
I was reading an online editorial a week or so ago in which its author employed an awesome word, the meaning of which was "to intentionally and deliberately withhold information [essential to the endeavor at hand, with the underlying purpose of misleading others by its omission]". Yeah, all of that in one word.  Alas, I can't seem to find the editorial online anymore, I've now I forgotten the word!
22245
Let’s suppose someone is behaving in a very impolite and perhaps rude way with you and you dislike his manners toward yourself. In such a condition, do the following sentences mean the same and can they be used under these circumstances?      Don’t seem too forward.    Don’t seem overly friendly.   I wonder if you clarify the meaning of each one.
50362
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke  Is there an idiom, phrase or preferably a single word that we can call people that could have helped but didn't? Bystanders don't necessarily have help to give. Cowards aren't particularly helpful either.    Addendum:  For example, once EMS has arrived on scene, bystanders are encouraged not to try to help, unless they're a nurse and therefore have the necessary skills to, and sometimes even then so. If in The Service, I would not want a coward (a liability) next me holding the line. Not to take anything away from these great answers, or to insist on a non-militaristic point of view, I would like to veer into the commercial or civilian realm in which I find this quote most often alluded to, E.G., "If we all gave 5 cents we could cure cancer tomorrow." Pretend most of us did give 5 cents and we did cure cancer, but you didn't give. You are now a(n) ____?... yes, I know what we call them, but what is their proper designation?
66725
Imagine that someone skips a step, with the hope that the audience will never know that it existed.  I was thinking extends or circumvents.  I'm not sure if these words are on the nose; I am looking for a word that really shows intent to conceal.    Here's a sample sentence:     Any plan of action that ______ preservation of human life is, at its core, flawed.
35610
I'm trying to find either a word or a phrase that describes a person who knows the answer to a problem or problems but is never believed, even though the person is actually correct. The nearest I can come up with is maybe the story of , but that is about knowing the future but never being believed. The word or a phrase may indicate they are simply ignored, but I am more interested in answers indicating the person suffers negative consequences such as being ridiculed or even persecuted for their correct solution. Maybe think of people such as  I stumbled across  of people whose ideas were rejected and were treated as pariahs for them but were later proven to be correct. These are exactly the kind of people I am looking for words or phrases to describe.
80306
Basically, when someone says something along the lines of      "I know he's not the smartest person in the world, but he should at least pass first grade math."     It's peculiar because they are using a form of hyperbole to say they are not the smartest person in the world, but what they are really implying is that they are not smart at all.  Edit This post was flagged a possible duplicate, I just wanted to clarify that what I am asking is not the nuance or meaning of the phrase, but the term for the idiom itself.  I do not believe this specific question has been asked.  Thanks.
113358
I have been in many scenarios where people try to obscure/reduce the intensity of a seemingly bad or immoral act using grammar. E.g. Assuming Thomas killed a dog, you could hear something like:     There's essentially nothing wrong about palliating the miserable life   of a despondent being. If there was any issue here, I'd say it's not   consulting a veterinary doctor first but I've come to understand that some people are just straightforward.   How does one react to the above mumbo jumbo? I think there are similar situations also found in law courts. What can this be referred to as? Grammatification, obscure tactics?
10545
I want to say "someone (or something) intends to help, but instead it makes things worse". Is there any succinct expression or phrase for this?  Thanks.
44754
I am trying to think of a word used to describe someone who is intentionally oversimplifying an argument by making a statement that is technically true, but ignores a lot of issues. Its an adjective similar to describing the person as being intentionally obtuse or too clever for their own good.