Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[loaf] See: HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE or HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NO BREAD.

[loan shark] A money lender who charges excessive interest. * /Why go to a loan shark when you can borrow from the bank at the legal rate?/

[local yokel] , , City police officer, as opposed to state police or highway patrol. * /There's a local yokel westbound on the move./

[lock] See: SCALP LOCK.

[lock, stock, and barrel] Everything; completely. * /The robbers emptied the whole house - lock, stock, and barrel./ Compare: HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER.

[lock the barn door after the horse is stolen] To be careful or try to make something safe when it is too late. - A proverb. * /After Mary failed the examination, she said she would study hard after that. She wanted to lock the barn door after the horse was stolen./

[lock up] , To be assured of success. * /How did your math test go? - I locked it up, I think./

[lodge a complaint] To make a complaint; complain. * /If our neighbors don't stop this constant noise, I will have to lodge a complaint with the management./

[loggerhead] See: AT LOGGERHEADS.

[loin] See: GIRD UP ONE'S LOINS.

[lone wolf] A man who likes to work or live alone. * /The man who paints a picture or establishes a business is often a lone wolf; so is the criminal outlaw./ * /Jones is a good pitcher, but he is a lone wolf./

[long] See: AT LAST or AT LONG LAST, BEFORE LONG, COME A LONG WAY, IN THE LONG RUN, NO LONGER, SO LONG, THE LONG AND THE SHORT.

[long and short of it] The essence; the whole story in a nutshell. * /The long and short of it is that he is lazy and doesn't really want to find a job./

[long ball] A baseball hit far enough to be a home run. * /The White Sox need a player who can hit the long ball./

[long face] A sad look; disappointed look. * /He told the story with a long face./ - Often used in the phrase "pull a long face". * /Don't pull a long face when I tell you to go to bed./

[longhair(1)] 1. , A male hippie. * /Who's that longhair? - It's Joe./ 2. An intellectual who prefers classical music to jazz or acid rock. * /Catwallender is a regular longhair; he never listens to modern jazz./

[longhair(2)] , Pertaining to classical art forms, primarily in dancing and music. * /Cut out that longhair Mozart Symphony and put on a decent pop record!/

[long haul] or [long pull] , 1. A long distance or trip. * /It is a long haul to drive across the country./ Contrast SHORT HAUL. 2. A long length of time during which work continues or something is done; a long time of trying. * /A boy crippled by polio may learn to walk again, but it may be a long haul./ - Often used in the phrase "over the long haul". * /Over the long haul, an expensive pair of shoes may save you money./ Contrast: SHORT HAUL.

[long pull] See: LONG HAUL.

[long shot] 1. A bet or other risk taken though not likely to succeed. * /The horse was a long shot, but it came in and paid well./ * /Jones was a long shot for mayor./ * /The business long shot that succeeds often pays extremely well./ 2. See: BY A LONG SHOT.

[long-winded] Tedious; overlong; given to too much talking. * /Everyone was bored by the old man's long-winded stories./

[look] See: DIRTY LOOK.

[look after] also [see after] To watch over; attend to. * /John's mother told him to look after his younger brother./ * /When he went to Europe, Mr. Jenkins left his son to see after the business./ Syn.: TAKE CARE OF(1). Compare: LOOK OUT(3).

[look a gift horse in the mouth] To complain if a gift is not perfect. - A proverb. Usually used with a negative. * /John gave Joe a baseball but Joe complained that the ball was old. His father told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth./

[look alive] Act lively; be quick; wake up and work; be busy; hurry. - Often used as a command. * /"Look alive there," the boss called./

[look as if butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth] See: BUTTER WOULDN'T MELT IN ONE'S MOUTH.

[look as if one has come out of a bandbox] , To look very clean and fresh; look as if you had just had a bath and put on all-new clothing. * /In spite of the long, hot train ride, Jody arrived looking as if she had come out of a bandbox./ * /After a day at the rodeo we were all dusty and tired except for Hope, who looked as if she'd come out of a bandbox./

[look at] To have a way of thinking or feeling toward; think about something in a certain way. * /Is he a hero or a villain? That depends on how you look at it./ * /Depending on how you looked at it, the tea party could be called a pleasure or a bore./

[look at the world through rose-colored glasses] or [see with rose-colored glasses] To see everything as good and pleasant; not see anything hard or bad. * /When Jean graduated from high school, she looked at the world through rose-colored glasses./ * /If you see everything through rose-colored glasses, you will often be disappointed./

[look back] To review the past; think of what has happened. * /As John looked back, his life seemed good to him./ * /Murphy looked back on his early struggles as having made him feel especially alive./ * /When Ed applied for a job and asked the school to recommend him, the principal looked back over his records./

[look bleak] To indicate misfortune; appear threatening or ruinous. * /As prices dropped lower and lower, things looked bleak for Henry's company./ * /Many witnesses gave testimony against Jerry and his case looked bleak./ * /The future looked bleak when Father got hurt and could not work./

[look daggers] To show anger with a look; express hate or enmity by a look or stare; look fiercely. * /The other driver looked daggers at Morris for turning in before him./ * /Mary did not dare talk back to her father, but she looked daggers./

[look down on] also [look down upon] To think of (a person or thing) as less good or important; feel that (someone) is not as good as you are, or that (something) is not worth having or doing; consider inferior. * /Mary looked down on her classmates because she was better dressed than they were./ * /Jack looked down on Al for his poor manners./ * /Miss Tracy likes tennis but she looks down on football as too rough./

[look down one's nose at] , To think of as worthless; feel scorn for. * /The banker's wife has beautiful china cups, and she looked down her nose at the plastic cups that Mrs. Brown used./ * /Harry has never had to work, and he looks down his nose at people in business./ * /Jerry was the athlete who looked down his nose at the weak student./

[look for] 1. To think likely; expect. * /We look for John to arrive any day now./ * /The frost killed many oranges, and housewives can look for an increase in their price./ * /Bob wouldn't go for a ride with the boys because he was looking for a phone call from Julie./ 2. To try to find; search for; hunt. * /Fred spent all day looking for a job./ * /Mary and Joe looked for the Smiths at the play./ 3. To do things that cause (your own trouble); make (trouble) for yourself; provoke. * /Joe often gets into fights because he is always looking for trouble./ * /If you say the opposite of everything that others say, you are looking for a quarrel./

[look for a needle in a haystack] See: NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK.

[look forward to] 1. To expect. * /At breakfast, John looked forward to a difficult day./ 2. To expect with hope or pleasure. * /Frank was looking forward to that evening's date./

[look high and low for] To look everywhere; search all over. * /Everyone has been looking high and low for the lost key but no one could find it./

[look-in] , A chance or hope. - Usually used with a negative. * /It wasn't much of a look-in, but it was the only chance they let him have./ * /Charlie didn't realize it, but he never had a look-in with Bonnie./

[look in on] To go to see; make a short visit with; make a call on. * /On his way downtown, Jim looked in on his aunt./ * /The doctor looked in on Mary each day when he went by./

[look in the eye] or [look in the face] To meet with a steady look; to face bravely or without shame. * /Mary looked the gangster in the eye, and he turned away without hurting her./ * /John had looked death in the face many times./ * /We often believe a person who looks us in the eye, but it does not prove he is truthful./ * /U promised Harry to write to him while I was on vacation, and if I don't do it, I won't be able to look him in the eye./

[look into] To find out the facts about; examine; study; inspect. * /The mayor felt he should look into the decrease of income from parking meters./ * /Mr. Jones said he was looking into the possibility of buying a house./ Compare: GO INTO(4), SEE ABOUT.

[look like a million dollars] , To look well and prosperous; appear healthy and happy and lucky; look pretty and attractive. * /John came back from Florida driving a fine new car, tanned and glowing with health. He looked like a million dollars./ * /Dressed in the new formal and in a new hairdo, Betty looked like a million dollars./ Compare: FEEL LIKE A MILLION.

[look like the cat that ate the canary] or [look like the cat that swallowed the canary] To seem very self-satisfied; look as if you had just had a great success. * /Peter bet on the poorest horse in the race and when it won, he looked like the cat that ate the canary./ * /When she won the prize, she went home looking like the cat that swallowed the canary./

[look on] or [look upon] 1. To regard; consider; think of. * /The stuff had always been looked on as a worthless factory waste./ * /Until the day Bob made the touchdown, the other boys had looked upon him as rather a sissy./ 2. To be an observer; watch without taking part. * /Fred had never been able to do more than look on at athletic sports./ * /The children played in the park while their mother looked on./ Compare: SIT IN.

[look oneself] To appear self-possessed and well; look or seem in full possession of your abilities and in good health; to appear all right or normal. * /Mary had had a long illness, but now she looked quite herself again./ * /It had been a big night, and Uncle John had been drinking freely, but he looked entirely himself after a night's sleep./ - Often used in the negative. * /What's wrong with Larry? He doesn't look himself./

[lookout] See: ON THE LOOKOUT.

[look out] or [watch out] 1. To take care; be careful; be on guard. - Usually used as a command or warning. * /"Look out!" John called, as the car came toward me./ * /"Look out for the train," the sign at the railroad crossing warns./ 2. To be alert or watchful; keep watching. * /A collector of antique cars asked Frank to look out for a 1906 gas head lamp./ Compare: EYE OUT, ON THE WATCH. 3. To watch or keep (a person or thing) and do what is needed; provide protection and care. - Used with "for". * /Lillian looked out for her sister's children one afternoon a week./ * /Uncle Fred looked out for his brother's orphan son until the boy was through college./ Compare: LOOK AFTER.

[look out for] To watch out for; be on the alert. * /There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look out for deer crossing./

[look over] To look at and try to learn something about; look at every part or piece of or at every one of; examine; inspect; study. * /I looked hurriedly over the apples in the basket and took one that looked good./ * /Mrs. Jones spent the evening looking over the month's bills and writing checks./ * /When a new boy comes to school, the others usually look him over rather carefully./ * /We looked over several kinds of new cars before deciding./ Compare: ONCE-OVER, SIZE UP.

[look sharp] To be alert; be very attentive; keep a close watch. * /It pays to look sharp in traffic./ * /The guide told us to look sharp because there were rattlesnakes around./

[look small] See: FEEL SMALL.