Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[put-on] {n.} An act of teasing; the playing of a practical joke on someone. •/ Eric didn’t realize that it was a put-on when his friends phoned him that he won the lottery. /

[put on airs] {v. phr.} To show conceit; act in a superior or condescending manner. •/ The fact that her parents own a villa in Capri is no reason for Amanda to keep putting on airs. /

[put on an act] {v. phr.} 1. To perform a play. •/ The seventh grade put on a lovely act for Christmas for the parents. / 2. To pretend. •/ "If you always put on an act," her father said, "people will never know who you really are." /

[put on ice]See: ON ICE(2).

[put one in one’s place]See: CUT DOWN TO SIZE.

[put one in the picture] {v. phr.} To inform someone of all the facts about a given situation. •/ Once you’re back from your overseas trip, we’ll put you in the picture about recent developments at home. /

[put one on a pedestal] {v. phr.} To exaggeratedly worship or admire a person. •/ Daniel puts Elaine on a pedestal and caters to her every whim. /

[put one on one’s feet]See: ON ONE’S FEET(2).

[put one out of the way]See: OUT OF THE WAY(3).

[put one through one’s paces] {v. phr.} To train and discipline someone; test one’s abilities. •/ The new recruits were certainly put through their paces by the drill sergeant. /

[put one wise] {v. phr.} To bring one up-to-date; inform someone; explain. •/ Our old friend David put us wise as to where the best used cars could be found in Chicago. /

[put one’s back to it] {v. phr.} To make a real effort; to try. •/ You can finish the job by noon if you put your back to it. / •/ I’m sure you can make the football team if you put your back to it. /

[put one’s best foot forward] {v. phr.} , {informal} To try to make a good impression; try to make a good appearance; do one’s best. •/ During courtship, it is natural to put your best foot forward. / •/ When Ted applied for the job he put his best foot forward. /

[put one’s cards on the table]See: LAY ONE’S CARDS ON THE TABLE.

[put oneself in another’s place]or [put oneself in another’s shoes] {v. phr.} To understand another person’s feeling imaginatively; try to know his feelings and reasons with understanding; enter into his trouble. •/ It seemed like a dreadful thing for Bob to do, but I tried to put myself in his place. / •/ If you will put yourself in the customer’s shoes you may realize why the thing isn’t selling. /

[put one’s finger on]also [lay one’s finger on] {v. phr.} To find exactly. •/ The engineers couldn’t put their fingers on the reason for the rocket’s failure to orbit. / •/ We called in an electrician hoping he could put a finger on the cause of the short circuit. /

[put one’s foot down] {v. phr.} , {informal} To take a decided stand; be stubborn in decision. •/ John didn’t want to practice his piano lesson, but his teacher put his foot down. / •/ When it came to smoking pot at parties, our parents put their foot down. /

[put one’s foot in it]or [put one’s foot in one’s mouth] {v. phr.} , {informal} To speak carelessly and rudely; hurt another’s feelings without intending to; make a rude mistake. •/ He put his foot in it with his remark about self-made men because Jones was one of them. / •/ She put her foot in her mouth with her joke about that church, not knowing that one of the guests belonged to it. /

[put one’s hand on]See: LAY ONE’S HANDS ON(3).

[put one’s hand to]or [set one’s hand to]or [turn one’s hand to] {v. phr.} To start working at; try to do. •/ Hal does a good job at everything mat he turns his hand to. / •/ After Mr. Sullivan found farming unprofitable, he moved to town and turned his hand to carpentry. /

[put one’s hand to the plow]or [set one’s hand to the plow] {v. phr.} To start doing something of importance; give yourself to a big job. •/ We felt that he had put his hand to the plow, and we didn’t like it when he quit. /

[put one’s head in the sand]See: HIDE ONE’S HEAD IN THE SAND.

[put one’s heart on one’s sleeve]See: HEART ON ONE’S SLEEVE.

[put one’s money on a scratched horse] {v. phr.} , {informal} To bet on a certain failure; to gamble without a chance of winning. •/ You bet on the New York Mets to win the World Series? Why put your money on a scratched horse? / Compare: STACK THE CARDS.

[put one’s nose out of joint] {v. phr.} , {informal} 1. To make you jealous; leave you out of favor. •/ When Jane accepted Tom’s invitation it put Jack’s nose out of joint. / 2. To ruin your plans; cause you disappointment. •/ Joe’s mother put his nose out of joint by not letting him go to the movie. /

[put one’s house in order]or [set one’s house in order] {v. phr.} To arrange your affairs in good order. •/ Grandfather knew he would not live long and set his house in order. / •/ When Mr. Black died, his lawyer helped the widow put her house in order. /

[put one’s shoulder to the wheel] {v. phr.} To make a great effort yourself or with others; try hard; cooperate. •/ The effort to get a new high school succeeded because everyone put his shoulder to the wheel. / •/ The company was failing in business until a new manager put his shoulder to the wheel. /

[put on one’s thinking cap] {v. phr.} To think hard and long about some problem or question. •/ Miss Stone told her pupils to put on their thinking caps before answering the question. /

[put on paper]See: BLACK AND WHITE.

[put on the back burner]See: ON ICE.

[put on the dog] {v. phr.} To behave ostentatiously in terms of dress and manner. •/ "Stop putting on the dog with me," Sue cried at Roy. "I knew the real you from way hack!" /

[put on the line]See: LAY ON THE LINE.

[put on the map] {v. phr.} To make (a place) well known. •/ The first successful climb of Mount Matterhorn put Zermatt, Switzerland, on the map. / •/ Shakespeare put his hometown of Stratford-on-Avon on the map. /

[put out] {v.} 1. To make a flame or light stop burning; extinguish; turn off. •/ Please put the light out when you leave the room. / •/ The firemen put out the blaze. / 2. To prepare for the public; produce; make. •/ For years he had put out a weekly newspaper. / •/ It is a small restaurant, which puts out an excellent dinner. / 3. To invest or loan money. •/ He put out all his spare money at 4 percent or better. / 4. To make angry; irritate; annoy. •/ It puts the teacher out to be lied to. / •/ Father was put out when Jane spilled grape juice on his new suit. / 5. {informal} To cause inconvenience to; bother. •/ He put himself out to make things pleasant for us. / •/ Will it put you out if I borrow your pen? / Compare: GO OUT OF ONE’S WAY. 6. To retire from play in baseball. •/ The runner was put out at first base. / 7. To go from shore; leave. •/ A Coast Guard boat put out through the waves. / 8. {vulgar} , {avoidable} Said of women easy and ready to engage in sexual intercourse. •/ It is rumored that Hermione gets her promotions as fast as she does because she puts out. /

[put out of action]See: OUT OF ACTION.

[put out of the way] {v. phr.} To kill. •/ When people spoke against the dictator, he had them put out of the way. / •/ The old dog was very sick, and Father had the animal doctor put him out of the way. /

[put over] {v.} 1. To wait to a later time; postpone. •/ They put over the meeting to the following Tuesday. / Syn.: PUT OFF. 2. {informal} To make a success of; complete. •/ He put over a complex and difficult business deal. / Syn.: BRING OFF, PUT ACROSS, SLIP OVER. 3. {informal} To practice deception; trick; fool. — Used with "on". •/ George thought he was putting something over on the teacher when he said he was absent the day before because his mother was sick and needed him. / •/ Tom really slipped one over on us when he came to the Halloween party dressed as a witch. /

[put someone on] {v.} To play a joke on someone by saying or doing things that are only pretense; kid. •/ When the voice on the phone told Mrs. Jones she had won a $10,000 prize, she thought someone was putting her on. /

[put that in your pipe and smoke it] {v. phr.} , {informal} To understand something told you; accept something as fact or reality; not try to change it. — Usually used as a command, normally only in speech, and often considered rude. •/ People don’t vote against Santa Claus, and you might as well put that in your pipe and smoke it. / •/ I am not going to do that and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it. /

[put the bite on] {v. phr.} , {slang} To ask (for money, favors, etc.) •/ John put the bite on his friend for several tickets to the dance. / •/ Willie Mays put the bite on the Giants for a large raise. /

[put the cart before the horse]See: CART BEFORE THE HORSE.

[put their heads together]or [lay their heads together] {v. phr.} , {informal} To plan or consider things together; discuss something as a group; talk it over. •/ They put their heads together and decided on a gift. / •/ We laid our heads together and decided to have a picnic. /

[put through] {v. phr.} 1. To carry out; arrange. •/ If Jim can put through one more financial transaction like this one, we will be rich. / 2. To connect (said of telephone calls). •/ The telephone operator had to put me through to Zambia as there is no direct dialing there yet. /

[put through one’s paces] {v. phr.} , {informal} To test the different abilities and skills of a person or a thing; call for a show of what one can do. •/ He put his new car through its paces. / •/ Many different problems put the new mayor through his paces in the first months of his term. /

[put to bed] {v. phr.} 1. To put to rest for the night. •/ Father put the three children to bed. / •/ The boy seemed ill, so the nurse put him to bed. / 2. {informal} To complete preparations and print. •/ The newspaper was put to bed at 1:15 A.M. / •/ The pressroom was late in putting the sports section to bed. /