straw boat borrows arrows

The act of using someone's strength against them.

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The term is said to have originated from the Chinese strategist, Zhuge Liang, during the Battle of Red Cliff against the army of Cao Cao.

Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang went to visit the Wu camp to assist Wu strategist Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu saw Zhuge Liang as a threat to Eastern Wu and was also jealous of Zhuge Liang's talent. Therefore, he assigned Zhuge Liang the task to make 100,000 arrows in ten days or face execution. Zhuge Liang, however, swore he would finish this seemingly impossible task in three days. He requested 20 large boats, each manned with many straw men and a few soldiers. Before dawn, Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to beat war drums and shout orders, to imitate the noise of an attack.

Zhuge Liang sat with Lu Su inside one of the boats drinking wine. The Wei soldiers, unable to see in the fog, fired many volleys of arrows at the sound of the drums. The straw men were soon filled with arrows, and Zhuge Liang returned to Wu having fulfilled his promise.

(Jin blocks Mike's punch to the face, and in seconds brings his friend to the ground)

Jin: Straw boat borrows arrows, eh?
Mike: That's not one of those Chinese proverbs, is it?
Jin: >:)

by seizure_salad January 8, 2010

I borrowed your back brush

A joke. When overnighting at a friend/girlfriend's place and you bathe or shower the next morning,you inform your host that you took the liberty of using their back brush.In most cases,the host will advise you that they don't own a back brush. You then ask,"Well,what is that loop-shaped brush in the container on the bathroom floor?" After they quit laughing,they'll say,"That's the fuckin' toilet brush,dumbass!" Guaranteed giggles every time.

Hey darlin',I hope you don't mind,but,I borrowed your back brush. It was a slice of heaven.

by wolfbait51 May 8, 2011

Bacon Borrowed

When you "borrow" something edible/consumable without someone's permission, that probably, won't be missed, with no intention of ever, ever, giving it back.

Where did you guys get all these jello shots?

We bacon borrowed them from Hogtown last weekend when we visited them.

by AssTek November 27, 2012

borrowed time

If you survive some situation where you would have otherwise did were it not for some miracle of God then your entire life after that point is said to be borrowed time.

A man walks across a street without looking both ways when he accidently steps on a bottle, that happened to be rolling by, and falls straight down. Exactly half a speeding truck passes in front of him, only missing by inches. This man is living on borrowed time because if it hadn't been for the bottle rolling by at that exact moment he would have been smashed like a caterpillar eating your grandmas favorite rose bush.

by a dude who has hair September 27, 2004

Borrowed Ladder

Taken from the movie "Gattaca". The term is associated with a detested segment of society; one of those who refuses to play the hand that he was dealt. Most commonly known as a borrowed ladder, or a de-gene-erate.

We have a borrowed ladder who has infiltrated Gattaca and has been mascarading as one of it employees.

by T-DawG November 23, 2004

borrow

To take from another with or without permission.

"Can I borrow your wallet?"

by Emily Kimble May 4, 2006

borrowed light

If you are in a room with no windows or other direct sources of light, and if light enters from an adjoining lighted room, the indirect illumination is borrowed light.

We worked in the library and had only the borrowed light from the adjacent room to work with that night.

by Luddz July 12, 2015