Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[turn over in one's grave] See: TURN IN ONE'S GRAVE.

[turn over in one's mind] To carefully consider. * /I will have to turn it over in my mind whether to accept the new job offer from Japan./

[turn tail] , To run away from trouble or danger. * /When the bully saw my big brother, he turned tail and ran./

[turn the clock back] To return to an earlier period. * /Mother wished she could turn the clock back to the days before the children grew up and left home./ * /Will repealing the minimum wage for workers under age eighteen turn the clock back to the abuses of the last century?/

[turn the other cheek] To let someone do something to you and not to do it in return; not hit back when hit; be patient when injured or insulted by someone; not try to get even. * /Joe turned the other cheek when he was hit with a snowball./

[turn the scales] To affect the balance in favor of one party or group against the other. * /It could well be that the speech he made turned the scales in their favor./

[turn the tables] To make something happen just the opposite of how it is supposed to happen. * /The boys turned the tables on John when they took his squirt gun away and squirted him./

[turn the tide] To change what looks like defeat into victory. * /We were losing the game until Jack got there. His coming turned the tide for us, and we won./ Compare: TIP THE SCALES.

[turn the trick] , To bring about the result you want; succeed in what you plan to do. * /Jerry wanted to win both the swimming and diving contests, but he couldn't quite turn the trick./ Compare: DO THE TRICK.

[turn thumbs down] To disapprove or reject; say no. Usually used with "on". * /The company turned thumbs down on Mr. Smith's sales plan./ * /The men turned thumbs down on a strike at that time./

[turn to] To begin working with much energy. * /All the boys turned to and cleaned the cabin in a few minutes./ * /Mary turned to and studied for the test./ Syn.: FALL TO.

[turn turtle] To turn upside down. * /The car skidded on the ice and turned turtle./

[turn up] 1. To find; discover. * /The police searched the house hoping to turn up more clues./ 2. To appear or be found suddenly or unexpectedly. * /The missing boy turned up an hour later./ * /A man without training works at whatever jobs turn up./ Compare: SHOW UP(3).

[turn up one's nose at] To refuse as not being good enough for you. * /He thinks he should only get steak, and he turns up his nose at hamburger./

[turn up one's toes] , To die. * /One morning the children found that their pet mouse had turned up his toes, so they had a funeral for him./ Compare: PUSH UP THE DAISIES.

[turtle] See: TURN TURTLE.

[tut-tut] , Used to express mild disapproval. * /"Tut-tut," said the teacher. "You shouldn't cross the street without looking."/ * /Tut-tut, put that piece of candy back. You've already had three pieces./

[twice] See: BIG AS LIFE(2), LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE, THINK TWICE, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY and BURNT CHILD DREADS THE FIRE.

[twice as natural] See: BIG AS LIFE or BIG AS LIFE AND TWICE AS NATURAL.

[twiddle one's thumbs] To do nothing; be idle. * /I'd rather work than stand around here twiddling my thumbs./

[twist one around one's little finger] also [turn one around one's little finger] or [wrap one around one's finger] To have complete control over; to be able to make (someone) do anything you want. * /Sue can twist any of the boys around her little finger./ Compare: JUMP THROUGH A HOOP.

[twist one's arm] , To force someone; threaten someone to make him do something. - Usually used jokingly. * /Will you dance with the prettiest girl in school? Stop, you're twisting my arm!/ * /I had to twist Tom's arm to make him eat the candy!/

[two] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA or BETWEEN TWO FIRES, TWO CENTS, BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE, IN TWO, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER, STAND ON ONE'S OWN FEET or STAND ON ONE'S OWN TWO FEET, TELL A THING OR TWO, THING OR TWO.

[two bits] , Twenty-five cents; a quarter of a dollar. * /A haircut only cost two bits when Grandfather was young./ Compare: FOUR BITS, SIX BITS.

[two cents] 1. Something not important or very small; almost nothing. * /Paul was so angry that he said for two cents he would quit the team./ * /When John saw that the girl he was scolding was lame, he felt like two cents./ 2. or [two cents worth] Something you want to say; opinion. - Used with a possessive. * /The boys were talking about baseball, and Harry put in his two cents worth, even though he didn't know much about baseball./ * /If we want your two cents, we'll ask for it./

[two-faced] Insincere; disloyal; deceitful. * /Don't confide too much in him as he has the reputation of being two-faced./ Compare: SPEAK WITH A FORKED TONGUE.

[two's company; three's a crowd] An informal way to express a situation when two people desire privacy and a third one is present. A proverb. * /Beth and Carl wanted to be alone so when Maggie joined them they said, "Two's company; three's a crowd."/

[two strikes against one] -From baseball. Two opportunities wasted in some undertaking, so that only one chance is left. * /Poor John has two strikes against him when it comes to his love for Frances: first, he is too fat, and, second, he is bald./

[two-time] , To go out with a second boy or girlfriend and keep it a secret from the first. * /Joan was two-timing Jim with Fred./ * /Mary cried when she found that Joe was two-timing her./ Compare: DOUBLE-CROSS.

[two to one] See: TEN TO ONE.

[two ways about it] See: NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT.

U

[U.F.O.] Unidentified Flying Object. * /Some people think that the U.F.O.s are extraterrestrial beings of higher than human development who pay periodic visits to Earth to warn us of our self-destructive tendencies./

[ugly duckling] An ugly or plain child who grows up to be pretty and attractive. * /Mary was the ugly duckling in her family, until she grew up./

[uh-huh] or [um-hum] , Yes. - Used only in speech or when recording dialogue. * /Are you going to the Fair? Uh-huh./ * /We were in Alaska, um-hum, but that was long before the earthquakes./ * /When I asked for an appointment, the nurse said, "Um-hum, I have an opening at four o'clock on Friday."/ Contrast: HUH-UH.

[um-hum] See: UH-HUH.

[unbosom oneself] To confess one's personal thoughts or feelings; disclose private information to a confidante. * /Once she was at home with her mother, she unbosomed herself of all her troubles./

[uncertain] See: IN SO MANY WORDS(2). or IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS.

[uncle] See: SAY UNCLE also CRY UNCLE.

[under] See: CUT THE GROUND FROM UNDER, GO UNDER, OUT FROM UNDER, SNOW UNDER.

[under a bushel] See: HIDE ONE'S LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL.

[under a cloud] 1. Under suspicion; not trusted. * /Joyce has been under a cloud since her roommate's bracelet disappeared./ * /The butcher is under a cloud because the inspectors found his scales were not honest./ 2. Depressed, sad, discouraged. * /Joe has been under a cloud since his dog died./

[under age] Too young; not old enough; below legal age. * /He could not enlist in the army because he was under age./ * /Rose was not allowed to enroll in the Life Saving Course because she was under age./ Contrast: OF AGE(1).

[under arrest] Held by the police. * /The man believed to have robbed the bank was placed under arrest./ * /The three boys were seen breaking into the school building and soon found themselves under arrest./

[under construction] In the process of being built or repaired. * /It is a good idea to take the train to work while the expressway is under construction./

[under cover] or Hidden; concealed. * /The prisoners escaped under cover of darkness./ * /He kept his invention under cover until it was patented./ Compare: UNDER WRAPS.

[under false colors] See: SAIL UNDER FALSE COLORS.

[under fire] Being shot at or being attacked; hit by attacks or accusations; under attack. * /The soldiers stood firm under fire of the enemy./ * /The principal was under fire for not sending the boys home who stole the car./

[under lock and key] Secured; locked up; well protected. * /Dad keeps all his valuables under lock and key./

[under one's belt] , 1. In your stomach; eaten; or absorbed. * /Once he had a good meal under his belt, the man loosened his tie and fell asleep./ * /Jones is talkative when he has a few drinks under his belt./ 2. In your experience, memory or possession; learned or gotten successfully; gained by effort and skill. * /Jim has to get a lot of algebra under his belt before the examination./ * /With three straight victories under their belts, the team went on to win the championship./

[under one's breath] In a whisper; with a low voice. * /The teacher heard the boy say something under his breath and she asked him to repeat it aloud./ * /I told Lucy the news under my breath, but Joyce overheard me./

[under one's hat] See: KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT.

[under one's heel] In one's power or control. * /If one marriage partner always wants to keep the other person under his or her heel, it is not a happy or democratic arrangement and may lead to a divorce./

[under one's nose] or [under the nose of] , In sight of; in an easily seen or noticeable place. * /The thief walked out of the museum with the painting, right under the nose of the guards./ * /When Jim gave up trying to find a pen, he saw three right under his nose on the desk./

[under one's own steam] , By one's own efforts; without help. * /The boys got to Boston under their own steam and took a bus the rest of the way./ * /We didn't think he could do it, but Bobby finished his homework under his own steam./

[under one's skin] See: GET UNDER ONE'S SKIN.

[under one's spell] Unable to resist one's influence. * /From the first moment they saw each other, Peter was under Nancy's spell./

[under one's thumb] or [under the thumb] or Obedient to you; controlled by you; under your power. * /The Jones family is under the thumb of the mother./ * /Jack is a bully. He keeps all the younger children under his thumb./ * /The mayor is so popular that he has the whole town under his thumb./ Compare: JUMP THROUGH THE HOOP.

[under one's wing] Under the care or protection of. * /Helen took the new puppy under her wing./ * /The boys stopped teasing the new student when Bill took him under his wing./ Compare: IN TOW.

[under orders] Not out of one's own desire or one's own free will; obligatorily; not freely. * /"So you were a Nazi prison guard? " the judge asked. "Yes, your Honor," the man answered, "but I was acting under orders and not because I wished to harm anyone."/

[under pain of] See: ON PAIN OF also UNDER PAIN OF.

[under protest] Against one's wish; unwillingly. * /"I'll go with you all right," she said to the kidnapper, "but I want it clearly understood that I do so under protest."/

[understand] See: GIVE ONE TO UNDERSTAND.

[under the circumstances] also [in the circumstances] In the existing situation; in the present condition; as things are. * /In the circumstances, Father couldn't risk giving up his job./ * /Under the circumstances, the stagecoach passengers had to give the robbers their money./

[under the collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR.

[under the counter] , Secretly (bought or sold). * /That book has been banned, but there is one place you can get it under the counter./ * /The liquor dealer was arrested for selling beer under the counter to teenagers./ - Also used like an adjective, with hyphens. * /During World War II, some stores kept scarce things hidden for under-the-counter-sales to good customers./