The proposal is likely to go over like a lead balloon with the board.

The tiny studio felt even smaller when three of us tried to fit in it — there was not enough room to swing a cat.

She submitted the budget proposal not a minute too soon, just as the committee was closing submissions.

I have, many a time and oft, stood by this window and watched the rain fall.

When the protesters grew violent, the police decided to beat a retreat to avoid further clashes.

That broken umbrella is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

The acrobat moved across the stage limber as a dishrag, folding himself into shapes that amazed the audience.

A. E. F. unveiled the commemorative plaque at the museum's opening ceremony.

The old printer chewed through the stack of forms at a rate of knots, surprising everyone in the office.

The margin for error in that experiment could be written on the back of a postage stamp, so we had to be extraordinarily careful.