kick over the traces

kick over the traces

To ignore rules and/or tradition; to rebel or break free. Refers to a horse that has stepped over the straps harnessing it to what it is pulling, therefore allowing it move more freely.

Many people desire to kick over the traces in youth, and then begin to cherish the very traditions they flouted earlier in their life.

Fig. to do what one is meant not to do; to rebel against authority. (Alludes to a horse that steps on the wrong side of the straps that link it to whatever it is pulling.) At the age of sixty, Walter kicked over the traces and ran away to Brazil. All these young kids seem to want to kick over the traces.

Break loose from restraint, misbehave. For example, There's always one child who'll kick over the traces as soon as the bell rings. This metaphoric expression alludes to the straps attaching a horse to a vehicle, which the animal sometimes gets a leg over in order to kick more freely and thereby refuse to move forward. [Mid-1800s]

If someone kicks over the traces, they pay no attention to rules and traditions and behave exactly as they want to. Harry had kicked over the traces when his father died, and quit going to church. He found that most of his students had the desire to kick over the traces, the refusal to accept old values without question. Note: When a horse pulling a cart or carriage kicks over the traces, it steps over the side straps attached to its harness, so it can no longer be controlled effectively by the driver.

kick over the traces become insubordinate or reckless.

Traces are the straps by which a draught horse is attached to the vehicle it is pulling. If the animal kicked out over these straps, the driver would no longer be able to control it.

ˌkick over the ˈtraces (old-fashioned, British English) start to behave badly and refuse to accept any discipline or control: She smokes and she drinks. She’s really kicking over the traces, and her parents don’t know what to do with her.This phrase refers to a horse that has managed to lift its leg(s) over the long thin strips of leather (the traces) that attach it to a carriage or wagon so that it can kick more easily. The driver then cannot control it.

kick over the traces

To act in a way that contravenes social expectations or propriety: "As soon as the opportunity presented itself, [he] kicked over the traces and threw himself into a life of pleasure" (K.D. Reynolds).

 

kick over the traces, to

To break loose, away from control. The traces referred to are a pair of ropes or straps attaching a harnessed horse to a wagon or other vehicle. A horse can kick over these attachments when refusing to run or pull the vehicle. The term was transferred to anyone breaking free from restraint in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It appeared in Henry Kingsley’s Ravenshoe (1861): “I’ll go about with the rogue. He is inclined to kick over the traces.”

put on

Did you see Mike? He's put on so much weight that I didn't recognize him.
I need to go on a diet. I've been putting on a lot of weight lately.
5. put ...on p.v. When you organize or perform something for other people's entertainment, such as a play or a concert, you put it on.
The club put on a show to raise money for the party.
That opera hasn't been put on in more than 200 years.
6. put.. .on p.v. [informal] When you put people on, you kid or tease them.
You won the lottery? You're putting me on!
Don't put me on — tell me the truth.
put-on n. Something done with the intention of fooling or deceiving people is a


He didn't really win the lottery. It was all a big put-on to impress his girlfriend.

put on

Did you see Mike? He's put on so much weight that I didn't recognize him.
I need to go on a diet. I've been putting on a lot of weight lately.
5. put ...on p.v. When you organize or perform something for other people's entertainment, such as a play or a concert, you put it on.
The club put on a show to raise money for the party.
That opera hasn't been put on in more than 200 years.
6. put.. .on p.v. [informal] When you put people on, you kid or tease them.
You won the lottery? You're putting me on!
Don't put me on — tell me the truth.
put-on n. Something done with the intention of fooling or deceiving people is a


He didn't really win the lottery. It was all a big put-on to impress his girlfriend.

put on

1. put... on p.v. When you place something on or apply something to your body, you put it on.

He put on his new dress before going to the wedding party.
jeeja forgot to put suntan lotion on, and now she's as red as a lobster.
2. put... on p.v. When you place something on or apply something to another surface, you put it on.

I asked him to put the book on the table.

Auxiliary verbs,Present perfect and present perfect continuous:

Auxiliary verbs are conjugated depending on the subject of a sentence. Here are a few examples of auxiliary verbs:
Tom has lived in Boston for twenty years.
They didn't come to the party last night.
I was cooking dinner when you telephoned.
What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?
Knowing correct auxiliary verb usage is key to tense usage. Every tense takes an auxiliary form of the verb. There are three exceptions to this rule:
1. Simple present positive: She works at a bank.
2. Simple past positive: He bought a new TV last week.
3. Positive imperative statements: Hurry up!
There are also a number of short forms that take ONLY the auxiliary form of the verb:
• Yes / No answer short forms:
Do you live in England? - No, I don't.
Has she been to Paris? - Yes, she has.
• Question tags:
They enjoy learning English, don't they?
He won't agree with me, will he?
• Positive agreement / inclusion:
I went to the beach last weekend. - So did I.
I'm working very hard at the moment. - So is she.
• Negative agreement / inclusion:
They haven't worked here long. - Neither have I.
We won't be able to come next week. - Neither will I.
Here is a quick overview of auxiliary verb usage:
DO / DOES
Used simple present question and negative forms:
What time does he get up?
They don't drive to work. They take the bus.
DID
Used in simple past question and negative forms:
When did they arrive yesterday?
He didn't finish his homework last week.
IS / ARE / AM
Used in present continuous and for the future with 'going to':
They are working hard at the moment.
She is going to study medicine at university.
WAS / WERE
Past continuous:
I was watching TV when you arrived.
What were they doing while you were cooking dinner?
HAVE / HAS
Present perfect and present perfect continuous:
How long have you lived here?
I've been working since seven this morning.
HAD
Past perfect and past perfect continuous:
He had eaten by the time I arrived.
She had been studying for two hours when he finally telephoned.
WILL / WON'T
Future with 'will':
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
He won't understand.
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Verb Formation Chart
By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide
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• grammar guide
• comparative and superlative forms
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The following chart shows the positive, negative and question forms of the main tenses in English with a brief description of each tense's usage. Please note that for a better understanding of the tense forms you should follow the links to pages focusing on the specific tense. This chart is principally for comparison purposes. You may also find the visual guide to tenses useful for help in understanding tense usage.
TENSE Simple Past
FORMS:
She went to Paris last week.
They didn't (did not) drive to work.
Where did she get that hat?
USES:
Actions happening at a defined moment in the past. More
TENSE Simple Future
FORMS:
I'll (will) meet you at the airport tomorrow.
He won't (will not) be able to come.
Will they visit us soon?
USES:
Decisions made at the moment about the future, future predictions, future promises More
TENSE Present Continuous
FORMS:
He's (is) working at the moment.
They aren't (are not) coming this evening.
What are you doing?
USES:
Actions happening at the present moment. Near future intention and scheduling. More
TENSE Past Continuous
FORMS:
I was watching TV when you called.
He wasn't (was not) working when she arrived.
What were you doing when I called?
USES:
Interrupted past action, action happening at a specific moment in time in the past. More
TENSE Future Continuous
FORMS:
I'll (will) be cooking dinner when you arrive.
They won't (will not) be living in Paris this time next year.
What will you be doing next week at this time?
USES:
Future action at a specific moment in the future. More
TENSE Future with Going to
FORMS:
He's (is) going to fly to Boston next week.
They're (are) not going to invite the Browns.
Where are you going to stay?
USES:
Future intent or planned action More
TENSE Present Perfect
FORMS:
I've (have) seen Mick three times this week.
She hasn't (has not) been to New York.
How long have you worked at Smith's?
USES:
1)To express an action that was begun in the past and continues into the present. 2) To express an action that happened in the UNspecified past. 3) To express a recent action that has a present effect. More
TENSE Past Perfect
FORMS:
I'd (had) already eaten before they came.
She hadn't (had not) been to Rome before that trip.
Had you ever seen such a crazy lady before that?
USES:
To express an action that happens before another action in the past. More
TENSE Future Perfect
FORMS:
We'll (will) have lived here for twenty years by 2005.
She won't (will not) have finished her homework by the time we arrive.
How long will you have lived in France by the end of next year?
USES:
To express what will have happened or how long something will have happened up to a certain point in the future. More
TENSE Present Perfect Continuous
FORMS:
She's (has) been waiting for over three hours.
They haven't (have not) been studying for long.
How long have you been working on that problem?
USES:
To express the duration of a continuous activity begun in the past and continuing into the present. More
TENSE Past Perfect Continuous
FORMS:
She'd (had) been waiting for three hours when he finally arrived.
I hadn't (had not) been sleeping for long when I heard the doorbell ring.
How long had you been playing tennis when she arrived?
USES:
To express the duration of a continuous activity begun before another activity in the past. More
TENSE Future Perfect Continuous
FORMS:
He'll (will) have been sleeping for a few hours by the time we arrive.
She won't (will not) have been working for long by 5 o'clock.
How long will you have been driving by 6 o'clock?
USES:
To express the duration of an activity up to a point of time in the future.

TAG QUESTIONS

Tag question is a statement which has been transformed into a question by putting a question tag at the end.
Rule: Use a question tag based on the subject-verb of the sentence. In the basic tag question formation, the rules below apply.
SUBJECT+ VERB (POSITIVE) .... .., (NEGATIVE) VERB+SUBJECT ?
eg: She came, didn't she? OR She did come, didn't she?
They are happy to be here, aren't they?

SUBJECT+ VERB (NEGATIVE) .... , (POSITIVE) VERB+SUBJECT ?
eg: She doesn't like chores, does she?
They haven't been informed, have they?

However, this section will explain to you the exceptions of tag question formation. Not all sentence types follow the general rules above. The exceptions are as listed below.

1)
negative adverbs





Sentences with negative adverbs such as hardly,never,barely, rarely,scarcely,seldom do not have a negative question tag at the end.

They seldom come, do they? He is never available, is he?






2) quantifiers with negative meaning
Sentences with quantifiers denoting negative meaning such as no,none of, not one,neither of, not any, few, little, hardly any, scarcely any, not many do not require a negative question tag at the end.

Note:
The question tag for "few/not many/not one+NOUN" is .....they?
The question tag for "little+NOUN" is .....it?
The question tag for "no/scarcely any/hardly any/barely any/none of+ Countable NOUN" is .....they?
The question tag for "no/scarcely any/hardly any/barely any/none of+ Uncountable NOUN" is .....it?
The question tag for "few/not many/not one/none/scarcely any/hardly any/barely any+of+us" is .....we?
The question tag for "few/not many/not one/none/scarcely any/hardly any/barely any+of+you" is .....you?
Few men have the proper values to live through this age, do they? Little money was invested in this scheme, was it?






3) Pronouns with negative meanings
The subject of the sentence with negative meaning (none, nothing,neither, nobody,not many, few, little, hardly any, scarcely any) does not require a negative question tag at the end
Note:
The question tag for "none/nothing/not many/few/nobody/neither" is .....they?
The question tag for "nothing" is .....it?
The question tag for "little+NOUN" is .....it?
None would survive the next world war, would they? Nothing is free these days, is it?






4) Let's and Let
When you use the word "let's", the question tag at the end must be "shall+we?"
Let's visit the Archeological Museum, shall we?




When you use the word "let", the question tag at the end must be "will/won't+you?"
Let the prisoners go, will you? Let the prisoners go, won't you?





5) Imperative sentences
When the sentence is imperative, the question tag at the end must be "will/won't+you?"

Come over for tea today, will you? Come over for tea today, won't you?





Do try these lovely scones, will you? Do try these lovely scones, won't you?





6) Short observations
When you are making short observations about something non-living, the question tag at the end must be "isn't/aren't+it?"

Nice day, ain't it? Nice day, isn't it? (It is a nice day,isn't it?)





When you are making short observations about something living, the question tag at the end must be "isn't/aren't+she/he/they?" >

Lovely girl, isn't she? (She is a lovely girl, isn't she?)





Beautiful creatures, aren't they? (They are beautiful creatures, aren't they?)





7) Stating intentions
When you wish to do something, the question tag at the end must be "may+I?"

I wish to leave now, may I?

A drop in the bucket /a drop in the ocean

A drop in the bucket
Meaning
A very small proportion of the whole.
A drop in the bucket' is the predecessor of 'a drop in the ocean', which means the same thing. This is first found in a piece from The Edinburgh Weekly Journal, July 1802:
The votes for the appointment of Bonaparte to be Chief Consul for life are like a drop in the ocean compared with the aggregate of the population of France."

As you sow so shall you reap,A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

As you sow so shall you reap
Meaning
Your deeds, good or bad, will repay you in kind.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Meaning

It's better to have a small real advantage than the possibility of a greater one.

vamoose

vamoose [vəˈmuːs]

vb

(intr) Slang chiefly US to leave a place hurriedly; decamp

[from Spanish vamos let us go, from Latin vādere to go, walk rapidly]

ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Verb

1.

vamoose - leave suddenly; "She persuaded him to decamp"; "skip town" decamp, skip go forth, leave, go away - go away from a place; "At what time does your train leave?"; "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at midnight"

vamoosed
vamooses
vamoosing

kick over the traces

kick over the traces
to do what one is meant not to do; to rebel against authority. (Alludes to a horse that steps on the wrong side of the straps that link it to whatever it is pulling.) At the age of sixty, Walter kicked over the traces and ran away to Brazil. All these young kids seem to want to kick over the traces.