Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[spitting image] or [spit and image] An exact likeness; a duplicate. * /John is the spitting image of his grandfather./ * /That vase is the spitting image of one I wanted to buy in Boston./ Compare: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON.

[spit up] To vomit a little. * /The baby always spits up when he is burped./ * /Put a bib on the baby. I don't want him to spit up on his clean clothes./

[split end] An end in football who plays five to ten yards out from the tackle in the line. * /The split end is one of the quarterback's most important targets for passes./ Contrast: TIGHT END.

[split hairs] To find and argue about small and unimportant differences as if the differences are important. * /John is always splitting hairs; he often starts an argument about something small and unimportant./ * /Don't split hairs about whose turn it is to wash the dishes and make the beds; let's work together and finish sooner./

[split second] A very short time; less than a second. * /The lightning flash lasted a split second, and then disappeared./

[split the difference] , To settle a money disagreement by dividing the difference, each person giving up half. * /Bob offered $25 for Bill's bicycle and Bill wanted $35; they split the difference./

[split ticket] A vote for candidates from more than one party. * /Mr. Jones voted a split ticket./ * /An independent voter likes a split ticket./ Contrast: STRAIGHT TICKET.

[split up] 1. To separate; get a divorce. * /After three years of marriage, the unhappy couple finally split up./ 2. To separate something; divide into portions. * /The brothers split up their father's fortune among themselves after his death./

[split-up] A separation or division into two or many smaller parts. * /The split-up of our company was due to the founder's untimely death./

[spoil for] To want something very badly; be belligerent or pugnacious about something. * /After a few drinks it became embarrassingly evident that Hal was spoiling for a fight./ Compare: HANKER AFTER, LUST FOR.

[spoken for] Occupied; reserved; taken; already engaged or married. * /"Sorry, my boy," Mr. Jones said condescendingly, "but my daughter is already spoken for. She will marry Fred Wilcox next month."/

[sponge] See: THROW IN THE SPONGE.

[sponge bath] A bath with a cloth or sponge and a little water. * /During the drought the family had only sponge baths./ * /The family took sponge baths because they had no bathtub./

[sponge on] or [off] To exploit parasitically; depend upon for support. * /He is already forty years old, but he refuses to go to work and sponges off his retired parents./

[spoon] See: BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN ONE'S MOUTH.

[spoon-feed] 1. To feed with a spoon. * /Mothers spoon-feed their babies./ 2a. To make something too easy for (a person). * /Bill's mother spoon-fed him and never let him think for himself./ * /Alice depended on her mother for all decisions because she had been spoon-fed./ 2b. To make (something) too easy for someone. * /Some students want the teacher to spoon-feed the lessons./

[sporting blood] Willingness to take risks; spirit of adventure. * /The cowboy's sporting blood tempted him to try to ride the wild horse./ * /The boy's sporting blood caused him to run away with a circus./

[spot] See: HIT THE HIGH SPOTS, HIT THE SPOT, JOHNNY-ON-THE-SPOT, ON THE SPOT or UPON THE SPOT also IN A SPOT, SORE SPOT.

[spot check] A sample check or investigation. * /Internal Revenue Service employees often conduct a spot check of individual returns when the figures don't add up./

[spotlight] See: STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT.

[spread it on thick] See: LAY IT ON or LAY IT ON THICK.

[spread like wildfire] To spread uncontrollably and rapidly. * /Bad news has a tendency to spread like wildfire./

[spread oneself too thin] To try to do too many things at one time. * /As the owner, chef, waiter, and dishwasher of his restaurant, Pierre was spreading himself too thin./

[spring a leak] 1. To develop a hole (said of boats) through which water can enter, threatening the boat to sink. * /When our small boat sprang a leak, we rapidly returned to shore to fix it./ 2. To be threatened by some oncoming danger. * /Our firm sprang a leak when the vice president suddenly died of a heart attack./

[spring chicken] , A young person. - Usually used with "no". * /Mr. Brown is no spring chicken, but he can still play tennis well./ * /The coach is no spring chicken, but he can show the players what to do./

[spring on one] To approach someone unexpectedly with an unpleasant idea or project. * /Our firm was merely six weeks old when they sprang the news on me that I had to go to Algiers to open a new branch there./

[spring up] To arise suddenly. * /Small purple flowers were springing up all over our backyard./

[sprout wings] 1. To enter the stage after a period of development when wings appear (said of larvae that turn into butterflies). * /The dragonflies suddenly sprouted wings and are flying all about in the park./ 2. To become good and virtuous (as if airborne). * /Joe has helped many colleagues in need; he seems to have sprouted wings./

[spruce up] , To make clean or neat. * /Mary spruced up the house before her company came./ * /John spruced himself up before he went out on his date./

[spur] See: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, WIN ONE'S SPURS.

[squad] See: FIRING SQUAD.

[square] See: FAIR AND SQUARE, SHOOT STRAIGHT or SHOOT SQUARE.

[square away] 1. To arrange the sails of a ship so that the wind blows from behind. * /The captain ordered the crew to square away and sail before the wind./ 2. To put right for use or action. - Often used in the passive or participle. * /The living room was squared away for the guests./ * /Harry got into trouble, but his scoutmaster talked with him and got him squared away./ Syn.: STRAIGHTEN OUT. 3. To stand ready to fight; put up your fists. * /Jack and Lee squared away./ Syn.: SQUARE OFF.

[squared away] Looked after properly; tucked away; arranged. * /My first two daughters are happily married, but my third one, Jennifer, isn't squared away yet./

[square deal] 1. Equitable or fair treatment. * /We are proud to say that at this firm every employee gets a square deal./ Contrast NEW DEAL, RAW DEAL.

[square meal] A full, nourishing well-balanced meal. * /The refugees looked as if they hadn't had a square meal in months./

[square off] , To stand ready for fighting with the fists. * /The two boxers squared off when the bell rang./

[square oneself with] To apologize; re-establish friendship with; make amends. * /"Mr. Alien is very angry with you for leaving the firm," Bob said. "It will take more than a few words and a drink to square yourself with him."/

[square one's shoulders] To stand strong and ready to give battle; be brave. * /Jack squared his shoulders and entered the game./ * /Graduates must square their shoulders and face the world./

[square peg in a round hole] , A person who does not fit into a job or position; someone who does not belong where he is. * /Arthur is a square peg in a round hole when he is playing ball./ * /George likes to work with his hands. When it comes to books, he's a square peg in a round hole./ - Sometimes used in a short form, [square peg].

[square shooter] See: SHOOT STRAIGHT.

[square up] To liquidate debts and other obligations. * /I want to square up my medical bills before I accept my new teaching assignment in Africa./

[squeak] See: PIP-SQUEAK.

[squeak by] 1. To barely succeed. * /He was so poorly prepared for his bar exam that he barely squeaked by./ 2. To clear with difficulty. * /The entrance to the corridor in the old Italian castle was so narrow that I barely managed to squeak by it./

[squeak through] , To be successful but almost fail; win by a small score. * /Susan squeaked through the history examination./ * /The football team squeaked through 7-6./ Compare: BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH.

[squeeze out of] To apply pressure to someone in order to obtain what one desires. * /The police were interrogating the suspect to squeeze information out of him./

[stab in the back(1)] , To say or do something unfair that harms (a friend or someone who trusts you). * /Owen stabbed his friend Max in the back by telling lies about him./

[stab in the back(2)] , An act or a lie that hurts a friend or trusting person; a promise not kept, especially to a friend. * /John stabbed his own friend in the back by stealing from his store./ * /My friend stabbed me in the back by telling the teacher I was playing hooky when I was home sick./

[stab in the dark] A random attempt or guess at something without previous experience or knowledge of the subject. * /"You're asking me who could have hidden grandpa's will," Fred said. "I really have no idea, but let me make a stab in the dark - I think my sister Hermione has it."/

[stack] See: BLOW A FUSE or BLOW ONE'S STACK.

[stack the cards] 1. To arrange cards secretly and dishonestly for the purpose of cheating. * /The gambler had stacked the cards against Bill./ 2. To arrange things unfairly for or against a person; have things so that a person has an unfair advantage or disadvantage; make sure in an unfair way that things will happen. Usually used in the passive with "in one's favor" or "against one." * /A tall basketball player has the cards stacked in his favor./ * /The cards are stacked against a poor boy who wants to go to college./

[stage] See: AT --- STAGE OF THE GAME, HOLD THE STAGE, ON THE STAGE, SET THE STAGE.

[stage fright] The fear one feels before appearing in front of an audience. * /Many famous actors and actresses admit that they often have stage fright before the curtain goes up./

[stagestruck] Desirous of becoming an actor or actress; enamored of the acting profession. * /Milly is so stagestruck that she waits for actresses at the stage door after each performance to get their signatures./

[stage whisper] A loud whisper intended to reach other ears than those of the person(s) addressed. * /Some jokes should be told in a stage whisper./

[stag party] See: GO STAG. Contrast: HEN PARTY.

[stake] See: AT STAKE, PULL UP STAKES.

[stake a claim] 1. To claim ownership of land by driving stakes to show boundaries. * /The gold hunters staked claims in the West./ 2. To claim a person or thing as your own by some sign. Usually used with "on". * /George staked a claim on Dianne by giving her his class ring./

[stamp] See: SAVINGS STAMP, TRADING STAMP.

[stamping ground] , A place where a person spends much of his time. * /Pete's soda fountain is an afterschool stamping ground./ * /When John returned to his hometown many years later, he visited all of his old stamping grounds./

[stamp out] To destroy completely and make disappear. * /In the last few years, we have nearly stamped out polio by using vaccine./ * /The police and judges are trying to stamp out crime./ Compare: WIPE OUT.

[stand] See: GOAL LINE STAND, HAIR STAND ON END, HEART STAND STILL, LEG TO STAND ON.

[stand a chance] or [stand a show] To have a possibility or opportunity; be likely to do or get something. * /Fred doesn't stand a chance of being elected./ * /We stand a good chance of seeing Mary at the party./

[standard time] also [slow time] Clock time that is set by law or agreement in a country or in part of a country; especially, in the United States: the clock time used between fall and spring, which is an hour slower than the time used in the summer. - Abbreviation ST. * /When we go to bed Saturday night, we will set our clocks back an hour, because Sunday we will be on standard time again./ * /Next week it will get dark an hour earlier, because we will be on standard time./ Contrast: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME.