Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[under the hammer] Up for sale at auction. * /The Brights auctioned off the entire contents of their home. Mrs. Bright cried when her pewter collection went under the hammer./ * /The picture I wanted to bid on came under the hammer soon after I arrived./

[under the nose of] See: UNDER ONE'S NOSE.

[under the sun] or On earth; in the world. Used for emphasis. * /The President's assassination shocked everyone under the sun./ * /Where under the sun could I have put my purse?/

[under the table] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.

[under the thumb of] See: UNDER ONE'S THUMB.

[under the weather] In bad health or low spirits. * /Mary called in today asking for a sick day as she is under the weather./

[under the wire] With a narrow time limit; in the last minute. * /The journalist's new lead article on Russia was due in press at 5 P.M., and he got it in at 4:57, just under the wire./

[underway] In progress; in motion. * /The yearly fund-raising campaign for the renovation of our university campus is already underway./

[under wraps] or Not allowed to be seen until the right time; not allowed to act or speak freely; in secrecy; hidden. - Usually used with "keep". * /We have a new player, hut we are keeping him under wraps until the game./ * /What the President is planning will be kept under wraps until tomorrow./ * /The spy was kept under wraps and not allowed to talk to newspapermen./ Compare: UNDER COVER.

[unknown quantity] Someone or something whose value and importance are not known, especially in a certain situation, time or place; a new and untested person or thing. * /What we would find if we could fly to the moon is an unknown quantity./ * /The new player is still an unknown quantity. We'll find out how good he is in the game./

[unseen] See: SIGHT UNSEEN.

[until all hours] Until very late at night. * /He is so anxious to pass his exams with flying colors that he stays up studying until all hours./

[until hell freezes over] , Forever, for an eternity. * /He can argue until hell freezes over; nobody will believe him./ Contrast: WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER.

[until the last gun is fired] See: TILL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED.

[unturned] See: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

[up against] Blocked or threatened by. * /When she applied to medical school, the black woman wondered whether she was up against barriers of sex and race prejudice./

[up against it] , Faced with a great difficulty or problem; badly in need. * /The Smith family is up against it because Mr. Smith cannot find a job./ * /You will be up against it if you don't pass the test. You will probably fail arithmetic./ Compare: HARD UP, END OF ONE'S ROPE, BACK TO THE WALL(2).

[up and about] or [around] Recovered and able to move about; once again in good health after an illness. * /My sister was ill for several weeks, but is now up and about again./

[up and at them] 1. Actively engaged in a task as if doing combat. * /"You want to know whether he will make a diligent worker?" Dick asked. "Well, I can tell you that most of the time he is up and at them like no one else I know."/ 2. To become aggressively engaged in doing something; (useable as a command). * /Come on, up and at them, you guys. We still have a lot of work to get done./

[up-and-coming] Bound toward success; upwardly mobile; progressive; ambitious. * /The newly elected state senator is an up-and-coming young politician who is expected to be highly successful in national politics in the future./

[up a stump] , Stumped; blocked; mixed up or confused in what you are trying to do. * /Jimmy knows how to add and subtract but fractions have him up a stump./

[up a tree] or 1. Hunted or chased into a tree; treed. * /The dog drove the coon up a tree so the hunter could shoot him./ 2. in trouble; having problems; in a difficulty that it is hard to escape or think of a way out of. * /John's father has him up a tree in the checker game./ Compare: UP THE CREEK.

[up for grabs] , Available for anyone to try to get; ready to be competed for; there for the taking. * /When the captain of the football team moved out of town, his place was up for grabs./

[up front(1)] , , The managerial section of a corporation or firm. * /Joe Catwallender finally made it (with the) up front./

[up front(2)] , , Open, sincere, hiding nothing. * /Sue was completely up front about why she didn't want to see him anymore./

[up in arms] 1. Equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight. * /All of the colonies were up in arms against the Redcoats./ Syn.: IN ARMS. 2. Very angry and wanting to fight. * /Robert is up in arms because John said he was stupid./ * /The students were up in arms over the new rule against food in the dormitory./

[up in the air] or 1. In great anger or excitement. * /My father went straight up in the air when he heard I damaged the car./ * /The Jones family are all up in the air because they are taking a trip around the world./ Compare: HIT THE CEILING, BLOW A FUSE. 2. also [in midair] Not settled; uncertain; undecided. * /Plans for the next meeting have been left up in the air until Jane gets better./ * /The result of the game was left hanging in midair because it rained before the finish./ Compare: LEAVE HANGING.

[up one's alley] See: DOWN ONE'S ALLEY.

[up one's sleeve] or [in one's sleeve] 1. Hidden in the sleeve of one's shirt or coat and ready for secret or wrongful use. * /The crooked gambler hid aces up his sleeve during the card game so that he would win./ 2. Kept secretly ready for the right time or for a time when needed. * /Jimmy knew that his father had some trick up his sleeve because he was smiling to himself during the checker game./ Compare: CARD UP ONE'S SLEEVE. 3. See: LAUGH UP ONE'S SLEEVE.

[upon oneself] See: TAKE ON ONESELF also TAKE UPON ONESELF.

[upon one's head] See: ON ONE'S HEAD.

[upon the spot] See: ON THE SPOT(1).

[upper] See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, ON ONE'S UPPERS.

[upper crust] , The richest, most famous, or important people in a certain place; the highest class. * /It is a school that only the children of the upper crust can afford./

[upper hand] or [whip hand] Controlling power; advantage. * /In the third round the champion got the upper hand over his opponent and knocked him out./ * /The cowboy trained the wild horse so that he finally got the whip hand and tamed the horse./

[upper story] 1. A floor or level of a building above the first floor. * /The apartment house where Gene lives is five stories high and he lives in one of the upper stories./ 2. A person's head or brain. * /Lulu has nobody home in the upper story./ * /Bill's sister says he is weak in the upper story./

[Upsadaisy!] or [Upsee-daisy!] or [Upsy-daisy!] - A popular exclamation used when just about anything is lifted, particularly a small child raised to his or her highchair or bed. * /"Upsee-daisy!" the nurse said with a smile on her face, as she lifted the baby from its bed./

[ups and downs] Vicissitudes; alternating periods between good and bad times; changes in fortune. * /He is now a wealthy stock trader, but at the beginning of his career he, too, had many ups and downs./

[upset the applecart] or [upset one's applecart] , To ruin a plan or what is being done, often by surprise or accident; change how things are or are being done, often unexpectedly; ruin or mix up another person's success or plan for success. * /John upset the other team's applecart by hitting a home run in the last inning and we won the game./ * /We are planning a surprise party for Bill, so don't let Mary upset the applecart by telling him before the party./ * /Frank thinks he is going to be the boss, but I'll upset his applecart the first chance I get./ Compare: ROCK THE BOAT.

[upside down] Overturned so that the bottom is up and the top is down. * /The ladybug lay upside down in the sand and was unable to take off./ * /The problem with this company is that everything is upside down; we need a new C.E.O./

[upstairs] See: NOBODY HOME UPSTAIRS.

[up the creek] or [up the creek without a paddle] , In trouble or difficulty and unable to do anything about it; stuck. * /Father said that if the car ran out of gas in the middle of the desert, we would be up the creek without a paddle./ * /I'll be up the creek if I don't pass this history test./ Compare: DEEP WATER, IN THE SOUP, UP A TREE, OUT OF LUCK.

[up tight] or [uptight] , , Worried, irritated, excessively eager or anxious. * /Why are you so uptight about getting that job? The more you worry, the less you'll succeed./

[up to] 1. As far, as deep, or as high as. * /The water in the pond was only up to John's knees./ * /Mary is small and just comes up to Bill's chest./ * /The shovel sank in the soft mud all the way up to the handle./ 2. Close to; approaching. * /The team did not play up to its best today./ * /Because of the rain, the number of people at the party didn't come up to the number we expected./ 3. As high as; not more than; as much or as many as. * /Pick any number up to ten./ * /There were up to eight fire engines at the fire./ 4. or [up till] or [up until] - Until; till. * /Up to her fourth birthday, the baby slept in a crib./ * /Up to now I always thought John was honest./ * /We went swimming up till breakfast time./ * /Up until last summer we always went to the beach for our vacation./ 5. Capable of; fit for; equal to; strong or well enough for. * /We chose Harry to be captain because we thought he was up to the job./ * /Mother is sick and not up to going out to the store./ 6. Doing or planning secretly; ready for mischief. * /What are you up to with the matches, John?/ * /Mrs. Watson was sure that the boys were up to no good, because they ran when they saw her coming./ 7. Facing as a duty; to be chosen or decided by; depending on. * /It's up to you to get to school on time./ * /I don't care when you cut the grass. When you do it is up to you./

[up-to-date] Modem; contemporary; the latest that technology can 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.

[up to no good] Intending to do something bad; perpetrating an illicit act. * /We could tell from the look on Dennis the Menace's face that he was once again up to no good./

[up to one's ears] Immersed in; covered with. * /"Around final examination time," Professor Brown explained, "I am always up to my ears in work."/

[up to one's neck] Overwhelmed with; submerged in. * /"During the summer season in our cottage by the lake," the Allens complained, "we are usually up to our necks in uninvited guests."/ Compare: UP TO ONE'S EARS.

[up to par] or [up to scratch] or [up to snuff] 1. In good or normal health or physical condition. * /I have a cold and don't feel up to par./ * /The boxer is training for the fight but he isn't up to scratch yet./ 2. or [up to the mark] As good as usual; up to the usual level or quality. * /The TV program was not up to par tonight./ * /John will have to work hard to bring his grades up to snuff./ Compare: MEASURE UP.

[up to scratch] See: UP TO FAR.

[up to snuff] See: UP TO PAR.

[up to the chin in] or [in --- up to the chin] , Used also with "ears", "elbows", "eyes" or "knees" instead of "chin", and with a possessive instead of "the". 1. Having a big or important part in; guilty of; not innocent of; deeply in. * /Was Tom mixed up in that trouble last night? He was up to his ears in it./ * /Mr. Johnson is up to the eyes in debt./ * /Mrs. Smith is in debt up to her chin./ Compare: TO THE HILT. 2. Very busy with; working hard at. * /Bob is up to his neck in homework./ * /They are up to their elbows in business before Christmas./ 3. Having very much or many of; flooded with. * /Mary was up to her knees in invitations to go to parties./ Compare: KNEE-DEEP.