Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[murder]See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.

[muscle]See: MOVE A MUSCLE.

[muscle-bound] {adj.} Having your muscles large, hard, and tight from too much exercising; having muscles so developed that you can hardly move. •/ Bob was big and strong, but he was muscle-bound, and Bill could beat him. / •/ An athlete must train properly so as not to become muscle-hound. /

[muscle in on] {v. phr.} To intrude; penetrate; force oneself into another’s business or territory. •/ The eastern Mafia muscled in on the western Mafia’s turf and a shooting war was started. /

[music]See: FACE THE MUSIC.

[musical chairs] {n. phr.} (Originally the name of a children’s game.) The transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs, especially each other’s jobs. •/ The boss regularly played musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh on the job. /

[music to one’s ears] {n. phr.} Something one likes to hear. •/ When the manager phoned to say I got the job, it was music to my ears. /

[mustard]See: CUT THE MUSTARD.

[muster]See: PASS MUSTER.

[my God]or [my goodness] {interj.} Used to express surprise, shock, or dismay. •/ My God! What happened to the car? /

[my lips are sealed] {informal sentence} A promise that one will not give away a secret. •/ "You can tell me what happened, " Helen said. "My lips are sealed." /

[nail]See: HARD AS NAILS, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, TOOTH AND NAIL.

[nail down] {v. phr.} , {informal} To make certain; make sure; settle. •/ Joe had a hard time selling his car, but he finally nailed the sale down when he got his friend Sam to give him $300. / •/ The New York Yankees nailed down the American League Championship when they beat the Red Sox 3 to 0 on September 15. /

[nail one’s colors to the mast] {literary} To let everyone know what you think is right and refuse to change. •/ During the election campaign the candidate nailed his colors to the mast on the question of civil rights. /

[name]See: CALL NAMES, HANDLE TO ONE’S NAME, IN NAME, TAKE ONE’S NAME IN VAIN, TO ONE’S NAME.

[name calling]See: CALL NAMES.

[named after] {adj. phr.} Given the same name as someone. •/ Archibald was named after his father. /

[name day] {n.} The day of the saint for whom a person is named. •/ Lawrence’s name day is August 10, the feast of St. Lawrence. /

[namedropper] {n. phr.} A person who is always mentioning well-known names. •/ Since her move to Hollywood she has become a regular namedropper. /

[name is mud] {informal} (You) are in trouble; a person is blamed or no longer liked. — Used in the possessive. •/ If you tell your mother I spilled ink on her rug my name will be mud. / •/ Your name will be mud if you tell the teacher about the bad thing we did. / Compare: IN THE DOG HOUSE.

[name of the game] {n.} , {informal} The crux of the matter; that which actually occurs under the disguise of something else. •/ Getting medium income families to support the rest of society — that’s the name of the game! /

[narrow down] {v. phr.} To limit within very strict margins. •/ Of the numerous applicants, the list has been narrowed down to just a few. /

[narrow escape] {n. phr.} An escape by a very small margin; a near miss. •/ If the truck that hit his car had been coming faster, it would have killed him; it was certainly a narrow escape that he only had a broken arm! /

[narrow-minded] {adj. phr.} Limited in outlook; resistant to new ideas; bigoted. •/ He is generally very open about everything, but when it comes to politics, he is terribly narrow-minded. /

[nary a] {informal} Not a single; not one; never a. •/ One afternoon a large dark cloud came in the sky. John thought it would rain so he took his raincoat — but nary a drop fell. / •/ John went fishing but he caught nary a one. /

[nasty-nice] {adj.} Unkind in a polite way; disagreeable while pretending to be gracious. •/ The bus driver has a nasty-nice way of showing his dislike. /

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

[natural-born] {adj.} 1. Being a (citizen) because you were born in the country. •/ Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt came to the United States from Germany and are naturalized citizens but their children are natural-born citizens. / 2. Born with great ability to become (something); having great ability (as in a sport or art) almost from the start. •/ Joe had never played baseball before trying out for the team but he showed that he was a natural-born pitcher and he became the best in the league. / •/ Mozart was a natural-born musician. He could play the piano well when he was only six years old. /

[nature]See: SECOND NATURE.

[naught]See: GO FOR NOTHING also GO FOR NAUGHT.

[near]See: FAR AND NEAR.

[near at hand]See: AT HAND.

[necessity]See: MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY, OF NECESSITY.

[neck]See: BREATHE DOWN ONE’S NECK, BREAK ONE’S NECK, CATCH IT IN THE NECK or GET IT IN THE NECK, PAIN IN THE NECK, SAVE ONE’S NECK, STICK ONE’S NECK OUT.

[neck and neck] {adj. or adv.} , {informal} Equal or nearly equal in a race or contest; abreast; tied. •/ At the end of the race the two horses were neck and neck. / •/ For months John and Harry seemed to be neck and neck in Alice’s favor. / Compare: NIP AND TUCK.

[neck of the woods] {n. phr.} , {informal} Part of the country; place; neighborhood; vicinity. •/ We visited Illinois and Iowa last summer; in that neck of the woods the corn really grows tall. / •/ We were down in your neck of the woods last week. /

[necktie party] {n.} , {slang} A hanging by a mob; lynching. •/ Cattle thieves were stealing the rancher’s cattle, but the cowboys caught them and had a necktie party. / Compare: STRING UP.

[ned]See: RAISE THE DEVIL.

[needle]See: ON PINS AND NEEDLES.

[needle in a haystack] {n. phr.} , {informal} Something that will be very hard to find. •/ "I lost my class ring somewhere in the front yard," said June. Jim answered, "Too bad. That will be like finding a needle in a haystack." /

[neither fish nor fowl]also [neither fish, flesh, nor fowl]Something or someone that does not belong to a definite group or known class; a strange person or thing; someone or something odd or hard to understand. •/ The man is neither fish nor fowl; he votes Democrat or Republican according to which will do him the most good. / •/ Mrs. Harris bought a piece of furniture that was both a table and a chair. Mr. Harris said it was neither fish nor fowl. / •/ The movie is neither fish nor fowl; it is a funny love story. /

[neither here nor there] {adj. phr.} Not important to the thing being discussed; off the subject; not mattering. •/ Perhaps you did stay up late finishing your homework. That’s neither here nor there. You still must come to school on time. / •/ The boys all like the coach but that’s neither here nor there; the question is, "Does he know how to teach football?" / Compare: BESIDE THE POINT. Contrast: HAVE TO DO WITH, COME TO THE POINT.

[neither hide nor hair]See: HIDE OR HAIR.

[neither rhyme nor reason] {n. phr.} No emotional or intellectual substance. •/ As far as I am concerned, his proposal makes no sense; it has neither rhyme nor reason. /

[Nellie]See: NICE NELLY or NICE NELLIE, NERVOUS NELLIE.

[Nelly]See: NICE NELLY or NICE NELLIE, NERVOUS NELLIE.

[nerve]See: GET ON ONE’S NERVES, GET UP THE NERVE.

[nervous breakdown] {n.} A mild or severe attack of mental illness; a collapse of a person’s ability to make decisions and solve problems because of overwork, great mental strain, or the like. •/ When the mother saw her baby run over, she suffered a nervous breakdown. /

[Nervous Nellie] {n.} , {informal} A timid person who lacks determination and courage. •/ I say we will never win if we don’t stop being Nervous Nellies! /

[nervous prostration] {n.} An illness of the mind that makes you feel very tired, worried, and bored, and that often causes headaches, upset stomach, and other sickness. •/ Aunt Jane said that taking care of us children all day was enough to give any woman nervous prostration. /

[nest]See: FEATHER ONE’S NEST, STIR UP A HORNET’S NEST.

[nest egg] {n.} Savings set aside to be used in the future. •/ Herb says he doesn’t have to worry about his old age because he has a nest egg in the bank. /

[never]See: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS, LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE.

[never mind] {v. phr.} Don’t trouble about it; don’t worry about it; forget it; skip it. — Usually used in speaking or when writing dialogue. •/ Never mind preparing a picnic lunch; we’ll find a lunchstand when we get to the beach. / •/ "What did you say?" "Oh, never mind." / •/ "What about money?" "Never mind that. I’ll take care of it." /

[never say die] {v. phr.} Don’t quit; don’t be discouraged. •/ "Never say die!" John said, as he got on his feet and tried to ice skate again. /

[new]See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.

[new blood] {n.} Something or someone that gives new life or vigor, fresh energy or power. •/ New blood was brought into the company through appointment of younger men to important positions. /

[new broom sweeps clean]A new person makes many changes. — A proverb. •/ The new superintendent has changed many of the school rules. A new broom sweeps clean. /

[Newcastle]See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE.

[new deal] {n.} , {informal} 1. A complete change; a fresh start. •/ People had been on the job too long; a new deal was needed to get things out of the old bad habits. / 2. Another chance. •/ The boy asked for a new deal after he had been punished for fighting in school. /

[newfangled] {adj.} Newly invented or contrived; excessively complex. •/ Dorothy felt that many newfangled gadgets in Kate’s all-electric kitchen weren’t really necessary. /