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cradle
cat's cradle
Something intricately or overly complex and/or elaborate. Likened to the children's game of the same name in which string is wound around and between one's fingers to create intricate patterns. The new healthcare legislation is a baffling cat's cradle of regulations, requirements, and loopholes.
cradle-to-grave
(used as a modifier before a noun) Lasting the full spectrum of life, existence, or a given process; that is, from the first point to the very last. Derived from the phrase "from the cradle to the grave" (or "from cradle to grave"). Our cradle-to-grave assessment of material processing ensures that our products remain environmentally sustainable at all levels of development. This cradle-to-grave study will monitor the effects of the drug from patients' infancy until their death, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of its benefits and potential side effects.
cradle-robber
A jocular term for someone who is romantically involved with a much younger person. I wouldn't have pegged Jeff as a cradle-robber, but I just saw him around town with a girl who looks like she's barely out of high school.
cradle-snatcher
A jocular term for someone who is romantically involved with a much younger person. Dating sites seem to be filled with nothing but cradle-snatchers looking for women who are 20 years younger than them.
from the cradle to the grave
Fig. from birth to death. The government promised to take care of us from the cradle to the grave. You can feel secure and well-protected from the cradle to the grave.
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Prov. Mothers are the most powerful people, because they shape their children's personalities. When Lena got pregnant, Lena's mother told her to take her responsibility seriously, because the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
rob the cradle
Fig. to marry or date someone who is much younger than oneself. I hear that Bill is dating Ann. Isn't that sort of robbing the cradle? She's much younger than he is. Uncle Bill—who is nearly eighty—married a thirty-year-old woman. That is really robbing the cradle.
from the cradle to the grave
also from cradle to grave during the whole period of your life Free medical care might not be with us from the cradle to the grave, as we once hoped.
Etymology: based on the idea that the cradle (small bed for a baby) represents the beginning of a life, the grave (burying place) represents the end of a life
from the cradle to the grave
during the whole of your life Free medical care might not be with us from the cradle to the grave, as we once hoped.
a cradle-robber
(American humorous) someone who has a romantic or sexual relationship with a much younger partner He's a cradle-robber. He married a 16-year-old and he's nearly 30! (American Humorous)
a cradle-snatcher
(British & Australian humorous) someone who has a romantic or sexual relationship with a much younger partner He's three years younger than you? You cradle-snatcher! (British & Australian humorous)
The hand that rocks the cradle (rules the world).
something that you say which means women are very powerful because they have most influence over the way in which children develop into adults The article claimed that most of the world's dictators had very domineering mothers. You know what they say, the hand that rocks the cradle.
See could do with one arm tied behind back, hand over the baton, bite the hand that feeds, force hand, hold hand, keep hand in, lay a hand on, lend a hand, live hand to mouth, overplay hand, raise hand against, show hand, throw in hand, tip hand, try hand at, turn hand to, wait on hand and foot, on the one hand...on the other hand, give to on a plate, give to on a platter, have fingers in the tillfrom the cradle to the grave
From birth to death, throughout life, as in This health plan will cover you from cradle to grave. Richard Steele used the term in The Tatler (1709): "A modest fellow never has a doubt from his cradle to his grave." [c. 1700]
rob the cradle
Have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone much younger than oneself, as in The old editor was notorious for robbing the cradle, always trying to date some young reporter . [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
rob the cradle
Informal To have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone significantly younger than oneself.
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Euripides | | yoo-RIP-i-deez (English) | Ancient Greek |
| Willoughby | | WIL-ə-bee | English (Rare) |
| JosemarÍA | | - | Spanish |
| Maximilian | | mahk-see-MEE-lee-ahn (German), mak-si-MIL-ee-ən (English), mak-si-MIL-yən (English) | German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish |
| Vilma | | VEEL-mah (Finnish) | Spanish, Hungarian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Croatian |
| Kruno | | - | Croatian |