GET/GIVE (SOMEONE) THE SHORT END OF THE STICK, GET/GIVE (SOMEONE) THE THIRD DEGREE, GET/HAVE (SOMETHING) DOWN PAT: American English Idioms #91

GET/GIVE (SOMEONE) THE SHORT END OF THE STICK

The idiom “give someone the short end of the stick” is to disadvantage someone. For example, you could refer to how your boss gave you the short end of the stick by not giving you a raise.

The short end of the stick is a phrase that has been used for centuries to describe being given a disadvantageous outcome from a situation.  In literal terms, this phrase references the way in which the longer sticks were cut with a splitter so that one end was shorter than the other; this would be done because it was cheaper to produce goods if only one side of the stick needed to be made.

The expression “giving someone the short end of the stick” means giving someone unfavorable terms. It may also refer to an unfair distribution of resources. The expression may come from the act of sharing sugar sticks, where one person grabs the longer end and another gets the shorter end. The expression is often used in the sense that one should not give “short shrift” to something (i.e., neglect it). One should also not “give someone a short straw” (i.

The term “short end of the stick” refers to a situation where one person is getting the undesirable portion of an action, while the other person is getting the more desired portion. It is typically used when two people are vying for attention from a third person and one person gets the “short end of the stick”.

GET/GIVE (SOMEONE) THE THIRD DEGREE

To give someone the third degree means to interrogate or question someone in an aggressive manner. This is usually done when the person being interrogated is a suspect of a crime.

The third degree is a term that refers to police interrogation techniques. It means intensive investigation and questioning into someone’s past and their activities. The officer who interrogates the suspect is called a ‘third degree cop’.

The third degree is the act of interrogating someone using intense cross-examination, widely seen as torture by today’s standards.  This can typically be used in law enforcement when investigating a crime, but it can also apply to an individual questioning another person. This is often done in order to get information or to coerce someone into giving up information that they may not want to give up.

To give someone the third degree means to interrogate someone in a very systematic and vigorous manner; for example, when a detective is attempting to get information from a suspected criminal.

GET/HAVE (SOMETHING) DOWN PAT

The expression to get something down pat idiom means to learn, understand and remember it well. To get something down pat idiom is commonly used in the English language with learners of English as a second language. This expression is often used in the context of learning or figuring out how to do something. A teacher may tell their students that they’re going to test them on this material and would like them to get it down pat before the test takes place.

The idiom “to get something down pat” means to learn an idea or skill so well that one can reproduce it without error. This is more of a general-purpose idiom, and there are no published sources specifically about this idiom.

The idiom “to get something down pat” refers to learning a concept or skill such that one can produce it on demand without error.

A common idiom, to get something down pat refers to a person “getting it” in a very thorough way. In this sense, the term can refer to people learning how to do new things, such as ice skating. Assuming one is not already familiar with ice skating, they would not be able to perform the sport at a higher level of proficiency without getting some instruction and practicing the new skill.

This idiom means to know something thoroughly and completely, and is most often used in the context of learning a new skill. To get something down pat can be accomplished by repetition and practice; for example, one may need to repeat a lesson multiple times before they feel as though they know it well.

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