china

A priceless amount or value; something of such great value that it cannot be quantified. Just a glimpse of your smile is worth all the tea in China to me.

A scenario in which a nuclear reactor meltdown in North America would theoretically melt a hole straight through the Earth to China (which is impossible). In more realistic usage, it describes such a meltdown reaching groundwater and forcing subsequent radioactive gases into the atmosphere. The latter scenario was used as the basis of a 1979 film of the same name starring Jack Lemmon and Jane Fonda. While many advocate nuclear power as clean and safe, the risk of catastrophes such as China syndrome make me very nervous about its use.

A rhetorical question calling attention to a non-sequitur or irrelevant statement or suggestion made by another person. Yes, I agree that health care is an important issue, but what's that got to do with the price of tea in China? We're discussing tax incentives for local businesses—not exactly a related topic!

A phrase printed on objects (or on the labels attached to objects) that have been produced in factories in China. The phrase is sometimes used derisively to highlight a lack of quality. I thought this piece was handcrafted by European artisans, but look—it says "made in China" on the bottom! I took up pottery because I was sick of using flimsy plastic cups that had been made in China!

A phrase used to highlight a political leader's unique ability to accomplish something particularly daunting or taboo. It refers to US President Richard Nixon's landmark 1972 visit to Communist China, which established diplomatic relations between the two nations. With all of your connections, I think you'll be the first mayor to get a train station built in our town—only Nixon could go to China, right?

A rhetorical question calling attention to a non-sequitur or irrelevant statement or suggestion made by another person. Yes, I agree that health care is an important issue, but what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? We're discussing tax incentives for local businesses—not exactly a related topic!

To be aggressive and clumsy in a situation that requires delicacy and care. My son is always like a bull in a china shop, so I'm worried about taking him to the museum. Surrounding him with valuables does not seem like a wise idea! This is a complex problem, and if you attack it like a bull in a china shop, you will alienate a lot of people.

Prov. a very clumsy creature in a delicate situation. (*Typically: as awkward as ~; like ~.) I never know what to say at a funeral. I feel like a bull in a china shop, trampling on feelings without even meaning to. Lester felt like a bull in a china shop; reaching for an orange, he made several elaborate pyramids of fruit tumble down.

Fig. not even if you rewarded me with all the tea in China; not for anything at all. No I won't do it—not for all the tea in China.

to often drop or break things because you move awkwardly or roughly Rob's like a bull in a china shop - don't let him near those plants. She's like a bull in a china shop when it comes to dealing with people's feelings. (= behaves in a way that offends people)

if you say that you would not do something for all the tea in China, you mean that nothing could persuade you to do it I wouldn't be a teacher for all the tea in China.

An extremely clumsy person, as in Her living room, with its delicate furniture and knickknacks, made him feel like a bull in a china shop . The precise origin for this term has been lost; it was first recorded in Frederick Marryat's novel, Jacob Faithful (1834).

Not at any price, never, as in I wouldn't give up my car, not for all the tea in China. This term originated in Australia and alludes to the presumed huge quantity of tea in China. [Late 1800s] Also see for all the world; not for love or money.

Clumsily destructive. An early written example of the expression appeared in Frederick Marryat's 1834 novel, Jacob Faithful , although the image of a bull wrecking havoc as he wandered among tables and shelves of fine porcelain can be traced a century earlier. The expression can also be found in several European languages, although the animal in question is an elephant. In 1940, an American press agent led a bull through a New York City china shop as a publicity stunt. The bull didn't break anything, but a bystander trying to avoid the bull backed into a table and caused the damage.

A very long time. A poker players' expression for a player who constantly lost was “I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China,” meaning that the others would have all the time in the world to win the guy's money. Composer Frank Loesser used the phrase as the title and the first line of a 1948 romantic ballad, and the expression started being used as a compliment.