laundry list
19
4.3
- noun
- /ˈlɔːndri lɪst/
- Informal
:
lista larga
- I mean, she gave me a laundry list of things not to do.
- provide a laundry list
They have had a whole laundry list of reforms.
- They have had a whole laundry list of reforms.
- I mean, she gave me a laundry list of things not to do.
- Another mistake I see a lot is giving a laundry list of characters.
- And so that laundry list of stuff becomes our sense of self.
- Is there something that's next on the laundry list for a new piece of technology to tap into?
- So that first felony kind of set in motion a whole laundry list of stories and a whole laundry list of of things.
- So let's just say you gave this man this whole laundry list of what you're looking for in a relationship, all right?
- I actually hope you may also be having other emotions that are evoked by that whole long laundry list of things that narcissists do.
- The difference is, is that initially, most clients being harmed by narcissistic folks aren't coming in with a laundry list of complaints.
- I used to think of addiction just in terms of like drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, like the kind of typical laundry list.
- So again, if it's a laundry list of things that you don't recognize, like that kind of is a no go.
- And I started to realise that even though I can go down a whole laundry list of things that made him an absolutely, like nightmare, right?
- And when you look at the laundry list of things that he's invented, I think the answer is an unequivocable yes.
Examples
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Usually, however, mission statements are a kind of laundry list of activities in which the hospital will engage.
Academic text (2002) -
When I was a kid, I had a laundry list of chores.
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Another mistake I see a lot is giving a laundry list of characters.
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I could go down a laundry list, but you get the idea.
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It's a laundry list of charges.
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Look at this laundry list of complaints.
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I just sent him my laundry list of objections to his position.
Blog text (29) -
He's got a laundry list of things to do around here.
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There's a laundry list of code violations.
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She handed me a long laundry list of chores to complete before the party.
Synonyms
24
7.7
A long list of complaints or problems
A long boring list of tasks you must do that people often complain about
A long, often repeated list of reasons used to explain or complain
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'laundry' and 'list' are individually transparent, the idiomatic sense 'a long or tedious list' is not directly derivable from the literal combination (learners would more likely infer a list of laundry items). The metaphorical extension (perhaps from the idea of many laundry tasks) is language- and culture-specific and unlikely to be predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Laundry list may come from old laundry receipts that wrote down every shirt, sock, and sheet to be washed, making a long, boring list. So, calling something a laundry list means 'a long, detailed list'.