Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[take someone for a ride] , 1. To cheat or swindle someone. * /Poor Joe Catwallender was taken for a ride./ 2. To kill someone after kidnapping. * /The criminals took the man for a ride./

[take steps] To begin to make plans or arrangements; make preparations; give orders. - Usually used with "to" and an infinitive. * /The city is taking steps to replace its streetcars with busses./

[take stock] 1. To count exactly the items of merchandise or supplies in stock; take inventory. * /The grocery store took stock every week on Monday mornings./ 2. To study carefully a situation, or a number of possibilities or opportunities. * /During the battle the commander paused to take stock of the situation./ Compare: SIZE UP.

[take stock in] , To have faith in; trust; believe. - Usually used in the negative. * /He took no stock in the idea that women were better cooks than men./ * /They took little or no stock in the boy's story that he had lost the money./ * /Do you take any stock in the gossip about Joan?/

[take the bit in one's mouth] also [take the bit in one's teeth] To have your own way; take charge of things; take control of something. * /When Mary wanted something, she was likely to take the bit in her teeth and her parents could do nothing with her./ Compare: TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[take the bread out of one's mouth] To take away or not give your rightful support, especially through selfish pleasure. * /She accused her husband of drinking and gambling - taking bread out of his children's mouths./

[take the bull by the horns] , To take definite action and not care about risks; act bravely in a difficulty. * /He decided to take the bull by the horns and demand a raise in salary even though it might cost him his job./ Compare: TAKE THE BIT IN ONE'S MOUTH, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[take the cake] , 1. To take the first prize; be the best; rank first. * /Mr. Jones takes the cake as a storyteller./ 2. To be the limit; to be the worst; have a lot of nerve; be a very rude, bold, or surprising action. * /I let Jack borrow my baseball and he never gave it back. Doesn't that take the cake?/ * /For being absent-minded, Mr. Smith takes the cake./ Compare: BEAT ALL.

[take the day off] See: DAY OFF.

[take the defensive] Contrast: TAKE THE OFFENSIVE.

[take the edge off] also [take off the edge] To lessen, weaken, soften or make dull. * /Eating a candy bar before dinner has taken the edge off Becky's appetite./ * /Bob was sorry for hurting Tom and that took the edge off Tom's anger./ * /A headache took the edge off Dick's pleasure in the movie./

[take the fifth] , 1. Taking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial. * /Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked whether he was a member of the Communist Party./ 2. Not to answer any question in an informal setting. * /Have you been married before? - I take the Fifth./

[take the floor] To get up and make a speech in a meeting. * /The audience became very attentive the moment the president took the floor./

[take the law into one's own hands] To protect one's supposed rights or punish a suspected wrongdoer without reference to a court. - An overused expression. * /When the men of the settlement caught the suspected murderer, they took the law into their own hands and hanged him to a tree./ * /His farm was going to be sold for taxes, but he took the law into his own hands and drove the sheriff away with a shotgun./ Compare: LAW UNTO ONESELF, TAKE THE BIT IN ONE'S MOUTH.

[take the lid off] 1. To let out in the open; divulge. * /It's about time to take the lid off the question of how many prisoners of war are still in enemy hands./ 2. To start to face an issue. * /"The best way to deal with your divorce," the doctor said to Fran, "is to take the lid off of it."/ Compare: BLOW THE LID OFF, LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG.

[take the measure of] See: TAKE ONE'S MEASURE.

[take the offensive] To make oneself the attacking party. * /After many months of preparation, the freedom fighters were ready to take the offensive./ Contrast TAKE THE DEFENSIVE.

[take the pledge] To swear to give up drinking, smoking, or using drugs. * /Gary finally took the pledge and he has kept it thus far./

[take the plunge] To take a fatal or decisive step; venture. * /When I asked Don when he and Melissa were going to get married, he answered that they'll take the plunge in September./

[take the rap] , To receive punishment; to be accused and punished. * /All of the boys took apples, but only John took the rap./ * /Joe took the burglary rap for his brother and went to prison for two years./

[take the stand] To assume one's position in the witness box during a trial. * /The judge asked the defendant to take the stand./

[take the starch out of] , 1. To make (someone) feel weak or tired. * /The hot weather took the starch out of Mrs. Jones, and she didn't feel like doing a thing./ * /The cross-country run took all the starch out of the boys./ 2. See: TAKE THE WIND OUT OF ONE'S SAILS.

[take the stump] or [take to the stump] To travel around to different places making political speeches. * /The men running for president took to the stump to attract votes./

[take the trouble] See: GO TO THE TROUBLE.

[take the wind out of one's sails] To surprise someone by doing better or by catching him in an error. * /John came home boasting about the fish he had caught; it took the wind out of his sails when he found his little sister had caught a bigger one./ * /Dick took the wind out of Bob's sails by showing him where he was wrong./ Compare: TAKE THE STARCH OUT OF(2).

[take the words out of one's mouth] To say what another is just going to say; to put another's thought into words. * /"Let's go to the beach tomorrow." "You took the words right out of my mouth; I was thinking of that."/ * /I was going to suggest a movie, but she took the words out of my mouth and said she would like to see one./

[take things easy] See: TAKE IT EASY(2).

[take time off] See: TIME OFF; Compare: DAY OFF.

[take time out] See: TIME OUT.

[take to] 1. To go to or into; get yourself quickly to. Often used in the imperative. * /Take to the hills! The bandits are coming!/ * /We took to the woods during the day so no one would see us./ * /Take to the boats! The ship is sinking./ * /We stopped at a hotel for the night but took to the road again the next morning./ 2. To begin the work or job of; make a habit of. * /He took to repairing watches in his spare time./ * /She took to knitting when she got older./ * /Grandfather took to smoking cigars when he was young and he still smokes them./ * /Uncle Willie took to drink while he was a sailor./ * /The cat took to jumping on the table at mealtime./ 3. To learn easily; do well at. * /Father tried to teach John to swim, but John didn't take to it./ * /Mary takes to mathematics like a duck takes to water./ 4. To like at first meeting; be pleased by or attracted to; accept quickly. * /Our dog always takes to children quickly./ * /Mary didn't take kindly to the new rule that her mother made of being home at 6 o'clock./

[take to heart] also [lay to heart] To be seriously affected by; to feel deeply. * /He took his brother's death very much to heart./ * /He took his friend's advice to heart./

[take to one's heels] also [show a clean pair of heels] To begin to run or run away. * /When he heard the police coming, the thief took to his heels./

[take to task] To reprove or scold for a fault or error. * /He took his wife to task for her foolish wastefulness./ * /The principal took Bill to task for breaking the window./

[take to the cleaners] , 1. To win all the money another person has (as in poker). * /Watch out if you play poker with Joe; he'll take you to the cleaners./ 2. To cheat a person out of his money and possessions by means of a crooked business transaction or other means of dishonest conduct. * /I'll never forgive myself for becoming associated with Joe; he took me to the cleaners./

[take to the woods] , To run away and hide. * /When John saw the girls coming, he took to the woods./ * /Bob took to the woods so he would not have to mow the grass./ Compare: HEAD FOR THE HILLS.

[take turns] To do something one after another instead of doing it all at the same time. * /In class we should not talk all at the same time; we should take turns./ * /Jean and Beth took turns on the swing./ * /The two boys took turns at digging the hole./ * /The three men took turns driving so one would not be too tired./

[take under one's wing] See: UNDER ONE'S WING.

[take up] 1. To remove by taking in. * /Use a blotter to take up the spilled ink./ * /When the vacuum cleaner bag is full, it will not take up dirt from the rug./ 2. To fill or to occupy. * /All his evenings were taken up with study./ * /The oceans take up the greater part of the earth's surface./ * /The mayor has taken up residence on State Street./ 3. To gather together; collect. * /We are taking up a collection to buy flowers for John because he is in the hospital./ 4. To take away. * /John had his driver's license taken up for speeding./ 5a. To begin; start. * /The teacher took up the lesson where she left off yesterday./ 5b. To begin to do or learn; go into as a job or hobby. * /He recently took up gardening./ * /He took up the carpenter's trade as a boy./ Compare: GO INTO(3), GO IN FOR, TAKE TO. 6. To pull and make tight or shorter; shorten. * /The tailor took up the legs of the trousers./ * /Take up the slack on the rope!/ Compare: TAKE IN(3). 7. To take or accept something that is offered. * /The boss offered me a $5 raise and I took him up./ * /I took John up on his bet./ Compare: JUMP AT.

[take up arms] , . To get ready to fight; fight or make war. * /The people were quick to take up arms to defend their freedom./ * /The President called on people to take up arms against poverty./ Contrast: LAY DOWN ONE'S ARMS.

[take upon oneself] See: TAKE ON ONESELF.

[take up the cudgels for] , To come to the defense of; to support or fight for. * /He was the first to take up the cudgels for his friend./ Compare: STAND UP FOR.

[take up with] To begin to go around with (someone); see a lot of. * /Frank has taken up with Lucy lately./

[take with a grain of salt] also [take with a pinch of salt] To accept or believe only in part; not accept too much. * /A man who says he is not a candidate for President should usually have his statement taken with a grain of salt./ * /We took Uncle George's stories of the war with a pinch of salt./

[taking pictures] , , To use a radar-operated speed indicator in order to enforce the 55 MPH speed limit. * /The Smokeys are taking pictures!/

[tale] See: TELL TALES OUT OF SCHOOL.

[talent scout] A person employed by a large organization to seek out promising and gifted individuals. * /Gordon has been working as a talent scout for a television program./ Compare: HEAD HUNTING(2).

[talent show] An entertainment in which new entertainers try to win a prize. * /Mary won the talent show by her dancing./ * /The people liked Bill's singing in the talent show./

[talk] See: DOUBLE-TALK, PEP TALK, SALES TALK, SWEET TALK.

[talk a blue streak] , To talk on and on, usually very fast. * /Sue is a nice girl but after one drink she talks a blue streak and won't stop./

[talk back] also [answer back] To answer rudely; reply in a disrespectful way; be fresh. * /When the teacher told the boy to sit down, he talked back to her and said she couldn't make him./ * /Mary talked back when her mother told her to stop watching television; she said, "I don't have to if I don't want to."/ * /Russell was going somewhere with some bad boys, when his father told him it was wrong, Russell answered him back, "Mind your own business."/