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weed
(deep) in the weeds
1. Of a restaurant worker, completely overwhelmed with diners' orders and unable to keep up with the pace. I was all alone waiting tables during Sunday brunch, so I got in the weeds almost immediately. Even with a full staff, Friday was so busy that we were deep in the weeds for most of the night.
2. Overwhelmed with problems, troubles, or difficulties. We were starting to get deep in the weeds on the lead up to the software's unveiling, but we managed to make up some lost ground in the last couple of weeks. My relationship with Joanna has been in the weeds lately.
3. Totally immersed in or preoccupied with the details or complexities (of something). I'd like to come out tonight, but I'm deep in the weeds with my thesis.
(deep) into the weeds
1. Of a restaurant worker, completely overwhelmed with diners' orders and unable to keep up with the pace. I was all alone waiting tables during Sunday brunch, so I got into the weeds almost immediately. Even with a full staff, Friday was so busy that we were deep into the weeds for most of the night.
2. Overwhelmed with problems, troubles, or difficulties. We were starting to fall deep into the weeds on the lead up to the software's unveiling, but we managed to make up some lost ground in the last couple of weeks. My relationship with Joanna has been getting into the weeds lately.
3. Totally immersed or preoccupied with the details or complexities (of something). I'd like to come out tonight, but I'm deep into the weeds with my thesis.
weed someone or something out
Fig. to remove someone or something unwanted or undesirable from a group or collection. (Fig. on removing weeds from the soil.) We had to weed the less productive workers out one by one. The auditions were held to weed out the actors with the least ability. I'm going through my books to weed out those that I don't need anymore.
weed out somebody/something
also weed somebody/something out to remove someone or something not wanted The school needs to weed out wasteful spending. You need to be able to weed people out if they can't do a good job.
weed out
Eliminate as inferior, unsuited, or unwanted, as in She was asked to weed out the unqualified applicants. This expression transfers removing weeds from a garden to removing unwanted elements from other enterprises. [First half of 1500s]
weed out
v.1. To remove some weeds: We weeded out the clover. The gardener weeded the dandelions out.
2. To separate or get rid of some unfit or undesirable part; eliminate someone or something: The interviewers weeded out most of the applicants. The coach weeded the weaker players out.
crying weed
n. marijuana. I must have got hold of some crying weed. This stuff leaves me cold.
killer weed
1. n. very potent marijuana. (Drugs.) Wow, this stuff is killer weed!
2. n. phencyclidine (PCP), an animal tranquilizer. (Drugs.) Killer weed seems to be a favorite around here just now.
monster weed
n. cannabis; powerful marijuana. (Drugs.) This is what they call monster weed. Stay away from it. It may have angel dust on it.
weed
1. n. tobacco; a cigarette or cigar. This weed is gonna be the death of me.
2. n. marijuana; a marijuana cigarette. (Drugs.) This is good weed, man.
weedhead
and weed-eater n. a smoker of marijuana. The weedheads are taking over this neighborhood.
weed-eater
verbweeds
n. clothing. Good-looking weeds you’re wearing.
the weed of crime bears bitter fruit
No good will come from criminal schemes. The Shadow was a very popular radio detective series that began in the early 1930s. Its hero, playboy Lamont Cranston, had “the power to cloud men's minds,” a form of hypnosis by which he appeared off to the side of where people thought he stood (contrary to popular belief, the Shadow did not make himself invisible). After the credits at the end of every episode, the Shadow intoned, “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow knows,” and then utter a sardonic laugh. Another famous Shadow-ism was “Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men?—The Shadow knows!”
widow's weeds
Female mourning costume. The word “weed” comes from an Old English word for “garment.” As a phrase to wear widow's weeds simply means to be in mourning. Many cultures have had or still have a custom of wearing distinctive clothing to mark a husband's death. In Victorian England, for example, a widow wore black for the first year and a day, then moved through dark purple and other somber colors to lighter shades. However, the queen who gave her name to the era wore no other color than black after the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert. Many widows in many Mediterranean countries, most notable Greece and southern Italy, wear black for the rest of their lives.