In-positive / Hope url
Before they announce the winner of the lottery
- I think this is it.
- It’s the chance of a lifetime.
- You know anything’s possible!
- We’re banking on it.
- Even if we don’t win, there’s always next year.
- One could only hope.
- This is the moment that we’ve all been waiting for.
- Maybe it will be different this time.
- Keep your fingers crossed.
- We’re hoping there’s a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow.
- The price is right.
- I hope and pray that the money will now just start rolling in.
- This could be our ticket to freedom.
- Hope springs eternal.
- I have high hopes for it.
- I have a lot riding on it.
- A big change for the better might be just around the corner.
- It would be the answer to my prayers.
Before they announce the winner of the lottery
In-positive / Determination url
Manager with a new employee
- The early bird catches the worm.
- I won’t take no for an answer.
- Let’s skip the formalities, and cut to the chase.
- I'm going to get right down to brass tacks.
- Let’s get a move on it.
- A word to the wise is sufficient.
- It’s just not done that way around here.
- Do whatever it is you have to do.
Manager with a new employee
In-positive / Relief url
Getting a bonus from work to pay off loans
- We nipped it in the bud.
- It happened just in the nick of time.
- That takes a big load off of my mind.
- Thank goodness for little things.
- It’s just what the doctor ordered.
- We were saved just by the skin on our teeth.
- Things will finally get back to normal.
- When I heard the news, I breathed a sigh of relief.
- Our ship has finally come in.
Getting a bonus from work to pay off loans
Out-negative / Annoyed url
Don’t act innocent
- Don’t get cute.
- Don’t give me that look.
- Stop clowning around.
- Stop looking so smug.
- Laugh if you like.
- Don’t toy with me.
- Don’t play dumb with me.
- Oh it’s little miss goody two shoes.
- Wipe that smirk off your face.
- Don’t be a wise guy.
- Don’t you think that’s a bit much?
Don’t act innocent
Out-neutral / Advice url
Protect yourself
- My advice to you is just try to save your own skin.
- Look out for number one.
- Don’t do this to yourself.
- Run for your life.
- Your luck can’t hold out forever.
- If you don’t watch out for yourself, who will?
- It’s a dog eat dog world, and your first obligation is to protect yourself.
- Make sure you take your medicine religiously.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
- Don’t let them stab you in the back.
Protect yourself
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Just missing the train
- That’s not so terrible.
- That’s how it is sometimes.
- So be it.
- There’s more where that came from.
- That’s the way it goes.
- What can you do?
Just missing the train
In-positive / Confidence url
Using a new recipe for a meal
- I heard it directly from the horse’s mouth.
- Trust me I know what I’m doing.
- It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
- Maybe that’s all I have to do to make it work.
- That’s the way I like it.
- It’s as easy as pie.
- I’ve done it before, I’m totally capable of doing it again.
- I can handle it myself.
- It’s as easy as that.
- It’s a piece of cake!
- I can do it with one hand tied behind my back.
- The proof is in the pudding.
Using a new recipe for a meal
In-negative / Explaining url
Coming late for an appointment
- I just plum forgot.
- It slipped my mind.
- Forgive me, I just didn’t remember.
- I didn’t do it on purpose.
- I hope you understand.
- Please don’t take it personally.
- I knew I forgot something.
- I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.
- I’ve been crazy busy lately.
- I have a lot on my plate.
- The time just slipped through my fingers.
- I just have no sense of time.
Coming late for an appointment
Out-negative / Push away url
Stay away from me
- You give me the creeps.
- Keep your claws off me.
- You make my skin crawl.
- That’s none of your business.
- That’s not for you to judge.
- Keep your hands to yourself.
- Don’t rain on my parade.
- Don’t come barging in here.
- I’ve had enough of this, I want out.
- Good riddance!
- Oh, get lost.
- Don’t overstay your welcome.
Stay away from me
Out-neutral / Advice url
Be open-minded about other people
- He’s a cut above.
- I’m sure he’d be glad to do what you want.
- He has a mind of his own.
- She’s a tough cookie, but if you have patience, she’s something worth waiting for.
- I must admit, that even though it may not appear that way at first glance, that there’s a certain logic to what he’s saying.
- Don’t pass judgement.
- Two heads are better than one.
- If you can’t beat them, join them.
- She’s giving you every chance under the sun.
- I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.
Be open-minded about other people
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Remembering the night the car broke down
- I would just as soon forget the whole thing.
- That’s ancient history.
- That’s the way the story goes.
- It’s water under the bridge.
- That’s water over the dam.
- You learn from experience.
- The best that I can say is that it could have ended up much worse.
- I’m thinking about it a lot.
- How soon we forget.
- How time flies
Remembering the night the car broke down
In-positive / Realizing url
The day after a stock market crash
- I may not understand all the details, but I get the general idea and see the big picture.
- I could see it coming a mile away.
- It stands to reason.
- By process of elimination it’s the only answer that makes sense.
- So there you have it.
- I had a hunch we were getting very close to the end.
- We’ve been all through this before, and it’s deja-vu all over again.
- By the time it dawned on us, it was too late.
- It looks like we’re going to have to start from scratch.
- These things just sneak up on you.
- I see this as a wakeup call.
- This really taught me a lesson that I won’t quickly forget.
- I'm going to have to re-examine and think through all of my assumptions.
- It's very sobering.
- It happened when I least suspected it.
- I wonder why I didn't see that coming.
- I turned a blind eye to all the warning signals.
The day after a stock market crash