Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[fork over] or [fork out] also [fork up] To pay; pay out. * /He had to fork over fifty dollars to have the car repaired./ Compare: HAND OVER.

[for laughs] For pleasure; for fun; as a joke. * /The college boys climbed up into the girls' dorms and stole some of their dresses just for laughs, but they were punished all the same./

[for love or money] For anything; for any price. Used in negative sentences. * /I wouldn't give him my dog for love or money./ Compare: FOR ALL THE WORLD(1).

[form] See: RAN TRUE TO FORM.

[for no man] See: TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN.

[for one] As the first of several possible examples; as one example. * /Manv people do not like certain foods. I for one do not like cabbage./ - Also used with similar words instead of "one". * /Several materials can be used to make the box: plywood, for one; masonite, for another; sheet metal, for a third./

[for one's money] Regarding one's endorsement or support; as far as one is concerned. * /For my money, the best candidate for Congress is Ms. Smith./

[for one's part] also [on one's part] As far as you are concerned; the way you feel or think. * /I don't know about you, but for my part I don't want to go to that place./ Compare: AS FOR.

[for one thing] As one thing of several; as one in a list of things. * /The teacher said, "You get a low mark, for one thing, because you did not do your homework."/ * /The house was poorly built; for one thing, the roof leaked./ Compare: FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE FIRST PLACE.

[for real(1)] , Not practice or play; earnest, real, serious. * /The war games were over now. This battle was for real./

[for real(2)] , Not for practice; really; seriously. * /Let's do our work for real./

[for one's sake] , Used with different possessive nouns to show surprise, crossness, or impatience. * /For heaven's sake, where did you come from?/ * /For Pete's sake, look who's here!/ * /Well, for pity's sake, I wish you'd told me sooner./ * /Oh, for gosh sake, let me do it./

[for shame] Shame on you; you should be ashamed of yourself. - An exclamation no longer in common use, having been largely replaced by "shame on you". * /"For shame, John, taking the toy from your baby brother!"/

[for short] So as to make shorter; as an abbreviation or nickname. * /The boy's name was Humperdink, or "Dink" for short./ * /The National Broadcasting Company is called NBC for short./

[for sure] or [for certain] 1. Without doubt; certainly; surely. * /He couldn't tell for sure from a distance whether it was George or Tom./ * /He didn't know for certain which bus to take./ * /I know for certain that he has a car./ 2. Certain. * /"That car is smashed so badly it's no good any more." "That's for sure!"/ Compare: SURE THING.

[fort] See: HOLD THE FORT.

[forth] See: AND SO FORTH, BACK AND FORTH, CALL FORTH, HOLD FORTH, SET FORTH.

[for that matter] With regard to that; about that. * /I don't know, and for that matter, I don't care./ * /Alice didn't come, and for that matter, she didn't even telephone./ Compare: MATTER OP FACT,

[for the asking] By asking; by asking for it; on request. * /John said I could borrow his bike any time. It was mine for the asking./ * /Teacher said her advice was free for the asking./

[for the best] or good or best; not bad as thought; lucky; well, happily. * /Maybe it's for the best that your team lost; now you know how the other boys felt./ * /John's parents thought it would be for the best if he stayed out of school for the rest of the year./ Often used in the phrase "turn out for the best". * /You feel unhappy now because you got sick and couldn't go with your friends, but it will all turn out for the best./ Compare: TURN OUT(6). Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.

[for the better] or With a better result; for something that is better. * /The doctor felt that moving Father to a dry climate would be for the better./ * /The new large print in the book is a change for the better./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.

[for the birds] , Not interesting; dull; silly; foolish; stupid. * /I think history is for the birds./ * /I saw that movie. It's for the birds./

[for the books] See: ONE FOR THE BOOKS.

[for the devil] or [heck] or [the hell of it] For no specific reason; just for sport and fun. * /We poured salt into Uncle Tom's coffee, just for the heck of it./ See: DEVIL OF IT.

[for the hills] See: HEAD FOR THE HILLS.

[for the life of one] , No matter how hard you try. - Used for emphasis with negative statements. * /I can't for the life of me remember his name./

[for the moon] See: ASK FOR THE MOON or CRY FOR THE MOON.

[for the most part] In general; mostly; most of the time; commonly; generally. * /European countries are, for the most part, tired of war./ Syn.: BY AND LARGE, ON THE WHOLE.

[for the nonce] See: FOR THE TIME BEING.

[for the ride] See: ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

[for the sake of] or [for one's sake] On behalf of; for the benefit of. * /For the sake of truth and freedom, Dr. Sakharov, the Soviet dissident, was willing to be banished from Moscow./ * /"Do it for my sake, please!" Tom begged./

[for the time being] also [for the nonce] For now; for a while; temporarily. * /I haven't any note paper, but this envelope will do for the time being./ * /She hasn't found an apartment yet; she's staying with her aunt for the time being./

[for the world] See: NOT FOR THE WORLD.

[for the worse] or For something that is worse or not as good, with a worse result. * /He bought a new car but it turned out to be for the worse./ * /The sick man's condition changed for the worse./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE BETTER.

[for to] , So that you can; to. * /Simple Simon went a-fishing for to catch a whale./ Syn.: IN ORDER TO.

[forty winks] , A short period of sleep; a nap. * /When the truck driver felt sleepy, he stopped by the side of the road to catch forty winks./ Compare: SHUT-EYE.

[forward] See: BACKWARD AND FORWARD, LOOK FORWARD TO, PUT ONE'S BEST FOOT FORWARD.

[forward wall] The line of a football team. * /Princeton 's line outplayed the Rutgers forward wall./

[for you] See: THAT'S --- FOR YOU.

[foul ball] A batted baseball that lands outside the foul line. * /Mickey hit a long foul ball that landed on the roof./

[foul line] 1. Either of two lines separating fair from foul ground in baseball. * /Willie hit the ball just inside the foul line for a double./ 2. A line across the upper end of a bowling alley across which a bowler must not step. * /John bowled a strike but it didn't count because he stepped over the foul line./ 3. A line on the floor in front of the basket in basketball, from which foul shots are made. * /Tony scored eight points from the foul line./

[foul out] 1. To make an out in baseball by hitting a foul fly ball that is caught. * /He fouled out to the catcher./ 2. To be forced to leave a basketball game because of getting more than the limit number of personal fouls. * /A professional basketball player is allowed six personal fouls before fouling out./

[foul play] Treachery; a criminal act (such as murder). * /After they discovered the dead body, the police suspected foul play./ * /"She must have met with foul play," the chief inspector said when they couldn't find the 12-year-old girl who had disappeared./

[foul shot] A free throw given in basketball to a player who has been fouled. * /Tony was given two foul shots when he was fouled while trying to shoot./ Compare: FIELD GOAL 2, FREE THROW.

[foul up] , 1. To make dirty. * /The birds fouled up his newly washed car./ 2. To tangle up. * /He tried to throw a lasso but he got the rope all fouled up./ 3. To ruin or spoil by stupid mistakes; botch. * /He fouled the whole play up by forgetting his part./ 4. To make a mistake; to blunder. * /Blue suit and brown socks! He had fouled up again./ 5. To go wrong. * /Why do some people foul up and become criminals?/

[foul-up] (stress on "foul") 1. A confused situation; confusion; mistake. * /The luncheon was handled with only one or two foul-ups./ 2. A breakdown. * /There was a foul-up in his car's steering mechanism./ 3. A person who fouls up or mixes things. * /He had gotten a reputation as a foul-up./

[foundation garment] A close-fitting garment designed for women to wear underneath their clothes to make them look slim; a piece of woman's underwear. * /Jane wears a foundation garment under her evening dress./

[four] See: HIT ON ALL FOUR, ON ALL FOURS.

[four bits] , Fifty cents. * /Tickets to the play are four bits," said Bill./ Compare: TWO BITS.

[four corners] All parts of a place. * /People came from the four corners of the world to see him./ * /He has been to the four corners of the country./ Compare: ALL OVER.

[four-eyes] , A person who wears glasses. - A rude expression, * /Hey, four-eyes, come over here./

[four-leaf clover] A small green plant with four leaves which many people think means good luck because clover plants usually have three leaves. * /John has a four-leaf clover in his pocket. He thinks he will have good luck now./

[fourth class] A class of mail that is not sealed and weighs a pound or more, that includes things that are bought and sold and sent in the mail, and printed things that are not second or third class mail. * /Bill sent away 98 cereal box tops and a dollar and got back a sheriff's badge and gun in the mail by fourth class./

[fourth-class(1)] Belonging to the fourth class of mail. * /The package weighed a pound and a half, so it had to be sent by fourth-class mail./

[fourth-class(2)] By fourth-class mail. * /How did the company mail the package? Fourth-class./

[fourth world] , The poor nations of the world, as distinguished from the oil-rich nations of the third world. * /Sri Lanka will never join OPEC, since it is a fourth world nation./

[fowl] See: NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL.

[fox and geese] A tag game in which the player representing the fox tries to catch one of the players representing geese as they run around the outside of a circle.

[fraidy-cat] or [fraid-cat] or [scaredy-cat] or [scared cat] , A shy person; someone who is easily frightened. - Usually used by or to children. * /Tom was a fraidy-cat and wouldn't go in the water./

[frame of mind] One's mental outlook; the state of one's psychological condition, * /There is no use trying to talk to him while he is in such a negative frame of mind./

[freak] , 1. A good, or well-liked person, the opposite of a square, someone with long hair and who is likely (or known) to be a marijuana smoker or a drug user. Also said of homosexuals. * /Is Joe a square, establishment type? - Oh no, he's a regular freak./ 2. [--freak] An enthusiast, a person who does or cultivates something in excess. * /Ellen is a film-freak./

[freak-out(1)] , An act of losing control; a situation that is bizarre or unusual. * /The party last night was a regular freak-out./

[freak out(2)] , To lose control over one's conscious self due to the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. * /Joe freaked out last night./

[free] See: FOR FREE, MAKE FREE, MAKE FREE WITH, OF ONE'S OWN ACCORD or OF ONE'S OWN FREE WILL.

[free agent] A professional player who does not have a contract with a team. * /The Giants signed two free agents who had been released by the Cardinals./

[free and easy] Not strict; relaxed or careless. * /The teacher was free and easy with his students./ * /He had a free and easy way of acting that attracted many friends./ * /They were free and easy with their money and it was soon gone./

[free ball] A ball in football that is in play, that is not in the possession of anyone, that is not a legally thrown forward pass, and that belongs to the first team which can grab it. * /A Notre Dame player fell on a free ball and recovered it for his team./