[jump bail] or [skip bail] {v. phr.}, {informal} To run away andfail to come to trial, and so to give up a certain amount of moneyalready given to a court of law to hold with the promise that youwould come. The robber paid $2000 bail so he wouldn’t be put injail before his trial, but … Читать далее
[busy work] {n.} Work that is done not to do or finish anything important, but just to keep busy. When the teacher finished all she had to say it was still a half hour before school was over. So she gave the class a test for busy work.
[flip-flop ] {v.}, {informal} To alternate the positions of;exchange the places of; switch. The football coach had one play inwhich he flip-flopped his left halfback and fullback.
[let loose] {v.} 1a. or [set loose] or [turn loose] To set free;loosen or give up your hold on. The farmer opened the gate and letthe bull loose in the pasture. They turned the balloon loose tolet it rise in the air. 1b. or [turn loose] To give freedom to do something; to allow to … Читать далее
[tickle pink] {v. phr.}, {informal} To please very much; thrill;delight. Usually used in the passive participle. Nancy was tickledpink with her new dress.
[eat one’s words] also [swallow one’s words] {v. phr.} To take backsomething you have said; admit something is not true. John hadcalled Harry a coward, but the boys made him eat his words after Harrybravely fought a big bully. Compare: EAT CROW.
[up-to-date] {adj.} Modern; contemporary; the latest that technologycan offer. «I want an up-to-date dictionary of American idioms,»Mr. Lee said, «that has all the latest Americanisms in it.» Contrast:STATE-OF-THE-ART.
[set back on one’s heels] or [knock back on one’s heels] {v. phr.},{informal} To give an unpleasant surprise; upset suddenly; stop orturn back progress. Jack brags too much and it set himback on his heels when the coach told him he wasn’t as good a playeras he thought he was. Jean was doing very well … Читать далее
[spit] or [piss into the wedding cake] {v. phr.}, {vulgar},{avoidable} To spoil someone’s pleasure or celebration by doing orsaying something harsh or unseemly in an otherwise happy gathering;bring up depressing or unhappy subjects at a supposedly happy time. Stuart really spit into the wedding cake when he told Burt in abragging fashion that Lucy, Burl’s … Читать далее
[pinch-hit] {v.} 1. To substitute for another player at bat in abaseball game. Smith was sent in to pinch-hit for Jones. 2.{informal} To act for a while, or in an emergency, for another person;take someone’s place for a while. I asked him to pinch-hit for mewhile I was away. The president of the City Council … Читать далее
[freak] {n.}, {slang} 1. A good, or well-liked person, the oppositeof a square, someone with long hair and who is likely to bea marijuana smoker or a drug user. Also said of homosexuals. Is Joea square, establishment type? — Oh no, he’s a regular freak. 2. [—freak] An enthusiast, a person who does or cultivates … Читать далее
[airbus] n. A trade name, also used informally for a wide-bodied airplane used chiefly as a domestic passenger carrier. Airbuses don’t fly overseas, but mainly from coast to coast.
[in stock] {adj. phr.} Having something ready to sell dr use; inpresent possession or supply; to be sold. The store had no more redshoes in stock, so Mary chose brown ones instead. Compare: IN STORE, ON HAND. Contrast: OUT OF STOCK.
[cool customer] {n.} Someone who is calm and in total control of himself; someone showing little emotion. Jim never gets too excited about anything; he is a cool customer.
[in question] {adj. phr.} 1. In doubt; in dispute; being arguedabout or examined. I know Bill would he a good captain for theteam. That is not in question. But does he want to be captain? Contrast: BEYOND QUESTION. 2. Under discussion; being talked orthought about. The girls in question are not in school today. On … Читать далее
[play one false] {v. phr.}, {literary} To act disloyally toward ; betray; cheat; deceive. Good faith was not in him: heplayed anyone false who trusted him. His hopes had played himfalse.
[wise up to] {v. phr.}, {slang} To finally understand what isreally going on after a period of ignorance. Joe immediately quithis job when he wised up to what was really going on.
[ball up] {v.}, {slang} To make a mess of; confuse. Don’t ball me up. Hal balled up the business with his errors. — Often used in the passive. He was so balled up that he did not know if he was coming or going. Compare: MIXED UP.
[have two strikes against one] or [have two strikes on one] {v. phr.}, {informal} To have things working against you; be hindered inseveral ways; be in a difficult situation; be unlikely to succeed. Children from the poorest parts of a city often have two strikesagainst them before they enter school. George has two strikesagainst him … Читать далее
[on one’s good side] or [on the good side of one] {adj. phr.},{informal} Friendly with someone; liked by a person. John thoughtthat he would get a good grade if he got on the good side of theteacher. Successful workers stay on the good side of theirbosses. Contrast: ON ONE’S BAD SIDE.
[will not hear of] {v. phr.} Will not allow or consider, refuseattention to or permission for. I want to go to the show tonight, but I know my mother will not hear of it. Mary needs another dayto finish her book report, but the teacher won’t hear of any delay. John’s father told him he … Читать далее
[rotten to the core] {adj. phr.} 1. Thoroughly decayed or spoiled. This apple is inedible; it is brown and soft and rotten to thecore. 2. In total moral collapse. The Communist government of Cubais rotten to the core.
[bonest-to-goodness] or [honest-to-God] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Real; genuine. — Used for emphasis. She served him honest-to-goodness deep dish apple pie. It was the first honest-to-goodness baseball game he’d seen since going abroad.
[think nothing of it] {v. phr.}, {informal} Used as a courteousphrase in replying to thanks. «Thank you very much for your help.»»Think nothing of it.» Compare: YOU’RE WELCOME.
[cut off] {v.} 1. To separate or block. The flood cut the townspeople off from the rest of the world. The woods cut off the view. His rudeness cuts him off from friends he might have. 2. To interrupt or stop. The television show was cut off by a special news report. We were told … Читать далее
[spin off] {v. phr.} To bring something into existence as abyproduct of something that already exists. When Dr. Catwallenderopened his medical practice, he also spun off a small dispensarybeside it where patients could get their prescriptions filled.
[Johnny-on-the-spot] {adj. phr.} At the right place when needed;present and ready to help; very prompt; on time. A good waterboy isalways Johnny-on-the-spot. The firemen were Johnny-on-the-spot andput out the fire in the house soon after it started. Compare: ON THEJOB.
[cry before one is hurt] or [holler before one is hurt] {v. phr.}, {informal} To complain when there is no reason for it; become upset because you are worried or afraid. — Used in negative sentences. When Billy went to the barber, he began to cry before the barber cut his hair and his father … Читать далее
[lay down] {v.} 1. To let be taken; give up orsurrender. The general told the troops to lay downtheir arms. He was willing to lay down his life for his country. Compare: GIVE UP. 2. To ask people to follow; tell someone to obey;make. The committee laid down rules about thesize of tennis courts. 3. … Читать далее
[sound out] {v.} To try to find out how a person feels aboutsomething usually by careful questions. Alfred sounded out his bossabout a day off from his job. When you see the coach, sound himout about my chances of getting on the basketball team. Syn.: FEELOUT.
[crack the whip] {v. phr.}, {informal} To get obedience or cooperation by threats of punishment. If the children won’t behave when I reason with them, I have to crack the whip.
[culture vulture] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} A person who is an avid cultural sightseer, one who seeks out cultural opportunities ostentatiously, such as going to the opera or seeing every museum in a town visited, and brags about it. Aunt Mathilda is a regular culture vulture; she spends every summer in a different European capital going … Читать далее
[dig out] {v.} 1. To find by searching; bring out that was put away. Jack dug his sled out of the cellar. The newspaper printed an old story dug out of their records. Compare: DIG UP. 2. {informal} To escape. — Usually used with «of». Often used in the phrase «dig oneself out of a … Читать далее
[bless one’s heart] {v. phr.} To thank someone; consider one the cause of something good that has happened. Aunt Jane, bless her heart, left me half a million dollars!
[square up] {v. phr.} To liquidate debts and other obligations. I want to square up my medical bills before I accept my new teachingassignment in Africa.
[put-up] {adj.} Artificially arranged; plotted; phony; illegal. The FBI was sure that the bank robbers worked together with aninsider and that the whole affair was a put-up job.
[angel dust] {n.}, {slang} Phencyclidine, an addictive hallucinatory narcotic drug extremely dangerous to the users’ health, also called PCP. Mike has gone from grass to angel dust; he will end up in the morgue.
[freeload] {v.} To have oneself supported in terms of food andhousing at someone else’s expense. When are you guys going to stopfreeloading and do some work?
[pick over] {v.} To select the best of; look at and take what isgood from; choose from. She picked the apples over and threw outthe bad ones. We hurried to the big sale, but we were late andeverything had already been picked over.
[dare say] {v. phr.} To think probable; suppose; believe. — Used in first person. Mary is unhappy now but I dare say she will be laughing about this tomorrow. There is no more ice cream on the table, but I dare say we can find some in the kitchen.
[hot water] {n.} {informal} Trouble. — Used with «in», «into»,»out», «of». John’s thoughtless remark about religion got John intoa lot of hot water. It was the kind of trouble where it takes afriend to get you out of hot water.
[drag on] or [drag out] {v.} 1. To pass very slowly. The cold winter months dragged on until we thought spring would never come. 2. To prolong; make longer. The meeting would have been over quickly if the members had not dragged out the argument about dues.
[off the beam] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Not in theradio beam that marks the path to follow between airports; flying inthe wrong direction. A radio signal tells the pilot of an airplanewhen his plane is off the beam. 2. {slang} Wrong; mistaken. Maudwas off the beam when she said that the girls didn’t like … Читать далее
[get one’s dander up] or [get one’s Irish up] {v. phr.} To becomeor make angry. The boy got his dander up because he couldn’t go tothe store. The children get the teacher’s dander up when they makea lot of noise. Compare: BLOW A FUSE.
[raise the roof] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To make a lot of noise;be happy and noisy. The gang raised the roof with their singing. 2. To scold loudly. Mother raised the roof when she saw the dog’smuddy footprints on her new bedspread. Compare: KICK UP A FUSS, RAISECAIN.
[help oneself] {v. phr.} To take what you want; take rather thanask or wail to be given. Help yourself to another piece of pie. John helped himself to some candy without asking.
[round robin] {n. phr.} 1. Something written, especially a requestor protest that is signed by a group of people. — Often used like anadjective. The people in our neighborhood are sending a round robinto the Air Force to protest the noise the jet planes make flying overour houses. 2. A letter written by a group … Читать далее
[close in] {v.} To come in nearer from all sides. We wanted the boat to reach shore before the fog closed in. — Often used with «on». The troops were closing in on the enemy.
[string out] {v.} To make extend over a great distanceor a long stretch of time. The telephone poles were strung outalong the road as far as we could see. Mary and Ann did not havemuch to say but they did not want to go home. They strung out theirgossip for a long time.
[hang over] {v.} 1. To be going to happen to; threaten. Greattrouble hangs over the little town because its only factory has closeddown. 2. To remain to be finished or settled. The committee tookup the business that hung over from its last meeting.