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nobody
a nobody
Someone who is entirely unimportant, unsuccessful, or without power or influence. He's a nobody at the office; no one even knows he exists.
it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
Even the most negative or harmful situations usually benefit someone. Thus a situation that benefits no one must be truly bad (and rare). The rain caused flooding, but it may help the farmers. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
A phrase that highlights the anonymous nature of online correspondence. It originally appeared in a cartoon by Peter Steiner. A: "I can't say something that mean, even to a stranger." B: "Oh, sure you can! On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog."
be no fool
To be worldly and difficult to trick or deceive. Your teacher is no fool—she'll never believe that your homework blew away on your walk home from school.
It's an ill wind that blows nobody (any) good.
Prov. Even misfortune can benefit someone or something.; A calamity for one person usually benefits somebody else. The tremendous hailstorm left gaping holes in most of the roofs in town, so many families were homeless. The roofing companies, however, made plenty of money fixing those holes. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
like crazy
and like madFig. furiously; very much, fast, many, or actively. People are coming in here like crazy. There isn't enough room for them all. We sold ice cream like crazy. It was a very hot day.
like nobody's business
Inf. very well; very much. She can sing like nobody's business. What a set of pipes! My mom can cook chocolate chip cookies like nobody's business.
nobody's fool
Fig. a sensible and wise person who is not easily deceived. Mary is nobody's fool. She watches out for people who might try to cheat her. Anne may seem as though she's not very bright, but she's nobody's fool.
none of someone's business
not of someone's concern. (A gentle rebuke.) Q: When are you going to leave for home? A: None of your business. How I managed to afford all this is none of your business.
There's nobody home.
There are no brains in someone's head. There's lots of goodwill in that head, but there's nobody home. What a fool! There's nobody home—that's for sure.
like nobody's business
very quickly, very easily, or very well Kids can work the Internet like nobody's business.
none of your business
also nobody's business do not interest yourself in matters that do not involve you a€?Those children should never be left alone.a€? a€?Don't tell me what to do - it's none of your business.a€?
like crazy
1. a lot like mad She itched like crazy.
2. very quickly like mad The cucumbers here grow like crazy.
like crazy
(informal) if you do something like crazy, you do it a lot or very quickly We'll have to work like crazy to finish the decorating by the weekend.
be no/nobody's fool
to be intelligent John's no fool. He's never going to believe that excuse.
The lights are on but nobody's/no-one's home.
(humorous) something that you say when you think someone is stupid, or when someone does not react because they are thinking about something else It's no good expecting John to say anything. The lights are on but no-one's home.
See punch lights outlike nobody's business
(informal) very quickly or very well We get through butter in our house like nobody's business. She cooks like nobody's business. (= she cooks very well)
See be no's foollike crazy
Also, like mad; like nobody's business. With exceeding enthusiasm or speed, without restraint. For example, We shopped like crazy and bought all our furniture in one day, or Once he's out of the town limits he drives like mad, or The choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus like nobody's business. The first terms employ crazy and mad in the sense of "lunatic" as a hyperbole for lack of restraint; the third implies that no business could be conducted in such an extraordinary fashion. The first and third date from the 1920s, the second from the mid-1600s.
nobody home
1. No one is paying attention, as in She threw the ball right past him, yelling "Nobody home!"
2. The person being discussed is mentally impaired and so cannot understand, as in When the woman did not answer, he concluded it was a case of nobody home. Both usages transfer the absence of someone in a dwelling to absent-mindedness or mental deficiency, and are thought to have been invented by cartoonist and journalist Thomas Aloysius Dorgan ("TAD") around 1900. He often embellished his column with such punning amplifications as "Nobody home but the telephone and that's in the hands of the receiver," or "Nobody home but the oyster and that's in the stew."
nobody's fool
A person who cannot be duped or taken advantage of, as in You can't put anything over on Ryan-he's nobody's fool. [Early 1900s]
like crazy
and like mad mod. furiously; very much, fast, many, or actively. Look at those people on the bank. They’re catching fish like mad! I’m running like mad and still can’t catch up.
like nobody’s business
mod. very well; very much; very fast. She can sing like nobody’s business. What a set of pipes!
a nobody
n. an insignificant person. (Compare this with somebody.) Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just a nobody.
There’s nobody home
sent. There are no brains in someone’s head. You twit! There’s nobody home—that’s for sure.
like crazy
Informal To an exceeding degree: They were running around like crazy.