Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[free enterprise] A system in which private business is controlled by as few government rules as possible. * /The United States is proud of its free enterprise./

[free hand] Great freedom. * /The teacher had a free hand in her classroom./ * /Bob put paint on the fence with a free hand./ Compare: FREE REIN.

[freeload] To have oneself supported in terms of food and housing at someone else's expense. * /When are you guys going to stop freeloading and do some work?/

[free rein] Freedom to do what you want. * /The king had free rein in his country./ * /Father is strict with the children, but Mother gives them free rein./ Compare: FREE HAND.

[free throw] A shot at the basket in basketball without interference from opponents. * /Mike scored the winning point on a free throw./ Compare: FIELD GOAL(2), FOUL SHOT.

[free-for-all] 1. Unlimited, free access to something everybody wants. * /The Smith's party was a lavish free-for-all; everybody could eat and drink as much as they wanted./ 2. A barroom, tavern, or street fight in which everybody participates. * /The celebration after the soccer game victory turned into an uncontrollable free-for-all./

[freeze] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD or BLOOD FREEZES.

[freeze one's blood] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.

[freeze out] , To force out or keep from a share or part in something by unfriendly or dishonest treatment. * /The other boys froze John out of the club./

[freeze over] To become covered with ice. * /The children wanted the lake to freeze over so they could ice-skate./

[French fried potato] or [French fry] A narrow strip of potato fried in deep fat. - Usually used in the plural. * /Sue ordered a hamburger and french fries./

[French leave] The act of slipping away from a place secretly and without saying good-bye to anyone. * /"It's getting late," Rob whispered to Janet. "Let's take French leave and get out of here."/

[fresh from] Recently returned from; experienced in. * /Tom was fresh from two years in Paris and was very condescending in matters pertaining to cuisine and wines./

[friction tape] Black cloth tape with one sticky side used around electric wires. * /The boy fixed his cracked baseball bat with some friction tape./

[Friday] See: GIRL FRIDAY.

[friend] See: BOY FRIEND, FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND, GIRL FRIEND, LADY FRIEND, MAKE FRIENDS.

[friends with] Friendly to; a friend of. * /Alice found several girls to be friends with on the first day of school./ * /At first I didn't like John, but now I am friends with him./

[frightened out of one's wits] See: OUT OF ONE'S WITS.

[frightened to death] See: TO DEATH.

[fritter away] See: FOOL AWAY.

[fro] See: TO AND FRO.

[frog] See: BIG FROG IN A SMALL POND, LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.

[from bad to worse] See: GO FROM BAD TO WORSE.

[from grace] See: FALL FROM GRACE.

[from hand to hand] From one person to another and another. * /The box of candy was passed from hand to hand./ * /Jane brought her engagement ring, and it passed from hand to hand until all the girls had admired it./

[from hand to mouth] See: LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH.

[from little acorns] See: GREAT OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.

[from Missouri] , Doubtful; suspicious. * /Don't try to fool me. I'm from Missouri./

[from mouth to mouth] See: BY WORD OF MOUTH.

[from pillar to post] From one place to another many times. * /Sarah's father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post./

[from rags to riches] Suddenly making a fortune; becoming rich overnight. * /The Smiths went from rags to riches when they unexpectedly won the lottery./

[from scratch] , With no help from anything done before; from the beginning; from nothing. * /Dick built a radio from scratch./ * /In sewing class, Mary already knew how to sew a little, but Jane had to start from scratch./ Compare: FROM THE GROUND UP.

[from the bottom of one's heart] or [with all one's heart] With great feeling; sincerely. * /A mother loves a baby from the bottom of her heart./ * /John thanked his rescuer from the bottom of his heart./ * /The people welcomed the returning soldiers from the bottom of their hearts./

[from the door] See: KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR.

[from the ground up] From the beginning; entirely; completely. * /After the fire they had to rebuild their cabin from the ground up./ * /Sam knows about baseball from the ground up./ * /The new cars have been changed from the ground up./

[from the heart] Sincerely; honestly. * /John always speaks from the heart./

[from the word "go"] From start to finish; completely. * /He may look French but he is a New Yorker from the word "go."/

[from time to time] Not often; not regularly; sometimes; occasionally; at one time and then again at another time. * /Even though the Smiths have moved, we still see them from time to time./ * /Mother tries new recipes from time to time, but the children never like them./ Syn.: NOW AND THEN, AT TIMES, ONCE IN A WHILE. Compare: BY FITS AND STARTS, OFF AND ON.

[from --- to ---] 1. Used with a repeated word to show that something keeps on. Without ending. * /The world grows wiser from age to age./ * /He goes from day to day without changing his necktie./ Also used in a short form like an adjective. * /The superintendent spends more time on plans for the future, and the principal handles the day-to-day problems of the school./ 2. Used with a repeated word to show that something happens again and again. * /She sells face cream from door to door./ * /The artist goes from place to place painting pictures./ - Also used in a short form like an adjective. * /Mr. Roberts began as a door-to-door salesman, and now is president of the company./ 3. Used with words showing opposite or extreme limits, often to emphasize that something is very large or complete. * /The eagle's wings measured six feet from tip to tip./ * /Sarah read the book from cover to cover./ * /Mrs. Miller's dinner included everything from soup to nuts./ * /That book is a bestseller from Maine to California./ * /The captain looked the boy over from head to foot./ * /The dog sniffed the yard from end to end in search of a bone./ * /This new car has been redesigned from top to bottom./ * /That bookstore has books on everything from archery to zoology./ * /The television show was broadcast from coast to coast./ * /He knows mathematics from A to Z./ - Sometimes used in a short form like an adjective. * /The airplane made a non-stop coast-to-coast flight./

[from under] See: OUT FROM UNDER, PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER.

[from way back] From a previous time; from a long time ago. * /They have known one another from way back when they went to the same elementary school./

[front] See: IN FRONT OF.

[front and center] , Used as a command to a person to go to someone who wants him. * /Front and center, Smith. The boss wants to see you./

[front court] The half of a basketball court that is a basketball team's offensive zone. * /The guard brought the ball up to the front court./

[front office] , The group of persons who manage a business; the officers. * /The front office decides how much the workers are paid./

[frown upon] To look with disfavor upon somebody or something. * /Everybody in her family frowns upon her attachment to him./

[fruitcake] See: NUTTY AS A FRUITCAKE.

[fry] See: OTHER FISH TO FRY, OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE, SMALL FRY.

[fuck around] , , 1. To be promiscuous. * /John fucks around with the secretaries./ 2. To play at something without purpose, to mess around. * /He doesn't accomplish anything, because he fucks around so much./

[fuck off] , , 1. Go away! * /Can't you see you're bothering me? Fuck off!/ 2. To be lazy. * /John said "I don't feel like working, so I'll fuck off today."/ Compare: BEAT IT, GOOF OFF.

[fuck up] , , To make a mess of something or oneself. * /Because he was totally unprepared, he fucked up his exam./ * /He is so fucked up he doesn't know whether he is coming or going./

[fuck-up] , , A mess; a badly botched situation. * /What a fuck-up the dissolution of the USSR created!/

[fuddy-duddy] A person whose ideas and habits are old-fashioned. * /His students think Professor Jones is an old fuddy-duddy./

[fuel] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME.

[full] See: HAVE ONE'S HANDS FULL, IN FULL SWING, TO THE FULL.

[full blast] At full capacity. * /With all the research money at their disposal, the new computer firm was going ahead full blast./

[full-bodied] Mature; of maximum quality. * /The wines from that region in California have a rich, full-bodied flavor./

[full-fledged] Having everything that is needed to be something; complete. * /A girl needs three years of training to be a full-fledged nurse./ * /The book was a full-fledged study of American history./

[full of beans] , 1. Full of pep; feeling good; in high spirits. * /The football team was full of beans after winning the tournament./ * /The children were full of beans as they got ready for a picnic./ 2. also [full of prunes] Being foolish and talking nonsense. * /You are full of prunes; that man's not 120 years old./

[full of it] See: FULL OF THE OLD NICK.

[full of oneself] , Interested only in yourself. * /Joe would be a nice boy if he would stop being so full of himself./ Compare: BIG HEAD.

[full of prunes] See: FULL OF BEANS(2).

[full of the moon] , The moon when it is seen as a full circle; the time of a full moon. * /The robbers waited for a dark night when the full of the moon was past./ Contrast: DARK OF THE MOON.

[full of the Old Nick] or [full of the devil] or [full of it] , Always making trouble; naughty; bad. * /That boy is full of the Old Nick./

[full tilt] At full speed; at high speed. * /He ran full tilt into the door and broke his arm./

[fun] See: MAKE FUN OF.

[fun and games] , , 1. A party or other entertaining event. 2. Something trivially easy. 3. Petting, or sexual intercourse. 4. (Ironically) An extraordinary difficult task. * /How was your math exam? (With a dismayed expression): - Yeah, it was all fun and games, man./

[fun house] A place where people see many funny things and have tricks played on them to make them laugh or have a good time. * /The boys and girls had a good time looking at themselves in mirrors in the fun house./

[funny bone] 1. The place at the back of the elbow that hurts like electricity when accidentally hit. * /He hit his funny bone on the arm of the chair./ 2. or [crazy bone] Sense of humor; understanding jokes. * /Her way of telling the story tickled his funny bone./

[fur] See: MAKE THE FUR FLY.

[furious] See: FAST AND FURIOUS.

[fuse] See: BLOW A FUSE.

[fuss] See: KICK UP A FUSS.

[fuss and feathers] , Unnecessary bother and excitement. * /She is full of fuss and feathers this morning./

G

[gab] See: GIFT OF GAB or GIFT OF THE GAB.

[gaff] See: STAND THE GAFF.

[gain ground] 1. To go forward; move ahead. * /The soldiers fought hard and began to gain ground./ 2. To become stronger; make progress; improve. * /The sick man gained ground after being near death./ * /Under Lincoln, the Republican Party gained ground./ Contrast: LOSE GROUND.

[gallery] See: PLAY TO THE GALLERY.

[gallon] See: TEN-GALLON HAT.

[gallows' humor] Bitter joke(s) that make fun of a very serious matter, e.g. death, imprisonment, etc. * /When the criminal was led to the electric chair on Monday morning, he said, "Nice way to start the week, eh?"/

[game] See: AHEAD OF THE GAME, LOVE GAME, NAME OF THE GAME, PLAY THE GAME, AT --- STAGE OF THE GAME.

[game at which two can play] A plan, trick, or way of acting that both sides may use. * /Rough football is a game two can play./ * /Politics is a game at which two can play./