Not born yesterday


More experienced and less naive than one appears to be, as in Don’t think you can fool me; I wasn’t born yesterday. This term gained currency from the title of Garson Kanin’s popular Broadway play, Born Yesterday, which was made into an even more popular film. In both, Judy Holliday played a stereotypical dumb blonde who shows more common sense than her sophisticated acquaintances. [ Early 1800s ]

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  • Not built that way

    Not so disposed or inclined, as in I can’t apologize for something I didn’t do—I’m just not built that way. [ Late 1800s ]

  • Not buttoned up too tightly

    adjective phrase Feebleminded; eccentric; not all there, not wrapped tight: a nice old gentleman, but not buttoned-up too tightly, as you’ve noticed (1980s+)

  • Not by a long shot

    adverb phrase Not at all; emphatically not: It’s not my best work, not by a long shot (1861+) see: long shot

  • Not by any means

    see: by no means

  • Not carved in stone

    adjective phrase (also not cast in concrete) Not having ultimate and permanent authority; able to be altered: It’s a good policy, but it’s neither carved in stone nor set in concrete [1970s+; fr the carved stone tablets of the Decalogue]


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