door must be either shut or open.

door must be either shut or open.
A door must be either shut or open.
Prov. If you have only two alternatives, you must choose one or the other; you cannot have both. •

Either you're going to marry that girl, or you're not. A door must be either shut or open.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • a door must either be shut or open — Said of two mutually exclusive alternatives. Cf. Fr. il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée, it is necessary that a door be open or shut. 1762 GOLDSMITH Citizen of World I. xlix. There are but the two ways; the door must either be shut, or… …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • door — see a door must either be shut or open a creaking door hangs longest a golden key can open any door when one door shuts, another opens opportunity never knocks twice at any man’s door a postern door makes a thief …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • shut — see a shut mouth catches no flies a door must either be shut or open when one door shuts, another opens it is too late to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • open — adjective see a door must either be shut or open verb see a golden key can open any door when one door shuts, another opens …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • Door breaching — Reproduction medieval battering ram at Château des Baux, France Door breaching is a process used by military, police, or emergency services to force open closed and/or locked doors. A wide range of methods are available, one or more of which may… …   Wikipedia

  • ingress — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Act of entering Nouns 1. ingress; entrance, entry, entrée, introgression; influx; intrusion, inroad, incursion, invasion, irruption; penetration, interpenetration; import, infiltration; access, admission …   English dictionary for students

  • Fire door — A fire door is a type of door, or barrier used as a passive fire protection item within buildings to prevent the spread of fire or smoke which may consist of dangerous chemicals. It is usually the only means of allowing people to pass through a… …   Wikipedia

  • Mull Little Theatre — began as the Thursday Theatre, an entertainment for the paying guests of the Druimard Guest House on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Scottish Hebrides. Built from the shell of an old byre (cowshed) in 1963 by Barrie and Marianne Hesketh, it grew in …   Wikipedia

  • List of Saw characters — Actors who have portrayed central characters of the series. Top, left to right: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Cary Elwes. Bottom, left to right: Costas Mandylor, Danny Glover, Betsy Russell. The Saw series of horror films features a large cast of… …   Wikipedia

  • MythBusters (2007 season) — Country of origin Australia United States No. of episodes 25 (includes 4 specials) Broadcast Original channel Discovery Channel …   Wikipedia

  • Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index — absence absence makes the heart grow fonder he who is absent is always in the wrong the best of friends must part blue are the hills that are far away distance lends enchantment to the view out of sight, out of mind …   Proverbs new dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”