to pour oil on (the) troubled waters
1pour oil on troubled waters — verb To calm something or someone who is tenacious or misbehaving. I better go pour oil on those troubled waters the children are making over there …
2pour oil on troubled waters — {v. phr.} To quiet a quarrel; say something to lessen anger and bring peace. * /The troops were nearing a bitter quarrel until the leader poured oil on the troubled waters./ …
3pour oil on troubled waters — {v. phr.} To quiet a quarrel; say something to lessen anger and bring peace. * /The troops were nearing a bitter quarrel until the leader poured oil on the troubled waters./ …
4pour\ oil\ on\ troubled\ waters — v. phr. To quiet a quarrel; say something to lessen anger and bring peace. The troops were nearing a bitter quarrel until the leader poured oil on the troubled waters …
5pour oil on troubled waters — see under ↑water • • • Main Entry: ↑pour pour oil on troubled waters To take measures to calm down a stormy state of affairs, from the effect of pouring oil on rough water • • • Main Entry: ↑water * * * pour oil on troubled waters phrase to try… …
6troubled waters — Digest 20/2002 emotionally rough times or an unsettled situation The boy has been arrested repeatedly and has been in and out of jail for months. He s deep in troubled waters. The expression uses the metaphor of rough (troubled) water. See: pour… …
7troubled waters — /trʌbəld ˈwɔtəz/ (say trubuhld wawtuhz) plural noun 1. a confused or disordered state of affairs; a state of unrest. –phrase 2. pour oil on troubled waters, to reconcile people who might otherwise have had a clash of interests, points of view,… …
8pour oil on troubled waters — calm down a quarrel, say something to lessen anger and bring peace to a situation They tried to pour oil on troubled waters after they noticed the argument among the students …
9pour oil on troubled waters — Meaning Attempt to calm a problematic situation. Origin From the property of oil of flattening out the ripples on water when it spreads over it very thinly …
10troubled — troub|led [ˈtrʌbəld] adj 1.) worried or anxious troubled face/eyes/look ▪ Benson looked troubled when he heard the news. 2.) having many problems ▪ These are troubled times for the coal industry. ▪ the troubled electronics company troubled… …
