Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[streak of luck]See: RUN OF LUCK.

[stream]See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM, SWIM AGAINST THE CURRENT or SWIM AGAINST THE STREAM.

[street]See: BACK STREET, CROSS STREET, MAN IN THE STREET, ON EASY STREET, SIDE STREET, STOP STREET, THROUGH STREET.

[strength]See: ON THE STRENGTH OF.

[stretch a point]or [strain a point] {v. phr.} To permit something different or more than usual; not tell the exact truth or make an exception. •/ Mother stretched a point because it was Christmas time and let the children stay up later than usual. / •/ It’s straining a point to call Joe a hero just because he saved the kitten from drowning in the bathtub. /

[stretch of the imagination] {n. phr.} Imaginative attempt or effort. •/ By no stretch of the imagination can I see Al as a successful lawyer. /

[stride]See: HIT ONE’S STRIDE, TAKE IN STRIDE.

[strike]See: CALLED STRIKE, HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE, LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE, TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE.

[strike a bargain] {v. phr.} To arrive at a price satisfactory to both the buyer and the seller. •/ After a great deal of haggling, they managed to strike a bargain. /

[strike a happy medium] {v. phr.} To find an answer to a problem that is halfway between two unsatisfactory answers. •/ Mary said the dress was blue. Jane said it was green. They finally struck a happy medium and decided it was blue-green. / •/ Two teaspoons of sugar made the cup of coffee too sweet, and one not sweet enough. One heaping teaspoon struck a happy medium. /

[strike all of a heap]See: ALL OF A HEAP.

[strikebreaker] {n.} One who takes the place of workers on strike or one who recruits such people. •/ The striking workers threw rotten eggs at the strikebreakers. /

[strike gold] {v. phr.} 1. To find gold. •/ Ted struck gold near an abandoned mine in California. / 2. To find suddenly the answer to an old puzzle. •/ Professor Brown’s assistant struck gold when he came up with an equation that explained the irregular motions of a double star. / See: PAY DIRT.

[strike home]See: HIT HOME.

[strike it rich] {v. phr.} , {informal} 1. To discover oil, or a large vein of minerals to be mined, or a buried treasure. •/ The old prospector panned gold for years before he struck it rich. / 2. To become rich or successful suddenly or without expecting to. •/ Everyone wanted to buy one of the new gadgets, and their inventor struck it rich. / •/ John did not know that he had a rich Uncle John in Australia. John struck it rich when his uncle left his money to John. / Compare: PAY DIRT(2).

[strike one funny] {v. phr.} To appear or seem laughable, curious, ironic, or entertaining. •/ "It strikes me funny," he said, "that you should refuse my invitation to visit my chateau in France. After all, you love both red wine and old castles. " /

[strike one’s colors]See: HAUL DOWN ONE’S COLORS.

[strike one’s fancy] {v. phr.} To please one’s predilections; appeal to one. •/ The red tie with the yellow dragon on it happened to strike my fancy, so I bought it. /

[strike]or [hit a sour note] {v. phr.} To spoil the mood at a gathering by hearing some bad news. •/ The news of Mr. Brown’s sudden illness struck a sour note during our New Year’s Eve party. / Compare: SPIT INTO THE WEDDING CAKE.

[strike out] {v.} 1. To destroy something that has been written or drawn by drawing a line or cross through it or by erasing it. •/ John misspelled "corollary. " He struck it out and wrote it correctly. / 2. To begin to follow a new path or a course of action that you have never tried. •/ The boy scouts struck out at daybreak over the mountain pass. / •/ John quit his job and struck out on his own as a traveling salesman. / 3. To put (a batter) out of play by making him miss the ball three times; also: To be put out of play by missing the ball three times. •/ The pitcher struck out three men in the game. / •/ The batter struck out twice. / 4. To push out an arm suddenly in a hitting motion. •/ The boxer saw his chance and struck out at his opponent’s jaw. /

[strike out at] {v. phr.} To attack someone verbally or physically. •/ She was so angry that she struck out at him every occasion she got. /

[strike the hour] {v. phr.} To mark or toll the hour (said of clocks or bells). •/ We heard the church clock strike the hour of two. /

[strike up] {v.} 1a. To start to sing or play. •/ We were sitting around the camp fire. Someone struck up a song, and we all joined in. / •/ The President took his place on the platform, and the band struck up the national anthem. / 1b. To give a signal to start (a band) playing. •/ When the team ran on the field, the band director struck up the band. / 2. To bring about; begin; start. •/ The policeman struck up a conversation with John while they were waiting for the bus. / •/ It did not take Mary long to strike up acquaintances in her new school. /

[strike while the iron is hot]See: MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.

[string]See: FIRST STRING, LATCH STRING, ON THE STRING or ON A STRING, PULL STRINGS, PURSE STRINGS, SHOE-STRING CATCH, TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.

[string along] {v.} , {informal} 1. To deceive; fool; lead on dishonestly. •/ Mary was stringing John along for years but she didn’t mean to marry him. / •/ George told the new boy that he must always call the teacher "Sir," but the new boy soon saw that George was stringing him along. / Compare: ON A STRING. 2. To follow someone’s leadership; join his group. •/ Those of you who want to learn about wild flowers, string along with Jake. /

[string out] {v.} To make (something) extend over a great distance or a long stretch of time. •/ The telephone poles were strung out along the road as far as we could see. / •/ Mary and Ann did not have much to say but they did not want to go home. They strung out their gossip for a long time. /

[string up] {v.} , {slang} To put a rope around the neck of a person and choke him to death; hang. •/ The posse strung up the rustler without a trial. / Compare: NECKTIE PARTY.

[strings attached] {adv. phr.} With some special proviso or condition that is a handicap. •/ John inherited a large fortune but with the string attached that he could not touch a penny of it before his 28th birthday. /

[strip]See: DRAG STRIP.

[stripe]See: MIDFIELD STRIPE.

[stroke]See: AT A STROKE or AT ONE’S STROKE.

[stroke of luck]See: RUN OF LUCK.

[strong language] {n. phr.} Cursing; swearing. •/ When Ned learned that he had been fired, he used some very strong language about his boss. /

[strung out] {adj.} , {slang} , {colloquial} 1. Nervous, jittery, jumpy; generally ill because of drug use or withdrawal symptoms. •/ The only explanation I can think of for Max’s behavior is that he must be strung out. / 2. To suffer because of a lack of something previously accustomed to, such as the love and affection of someone. •/ Sue is all strung out for Jim; they’ve just split up. / Compare: SPACED OUT.

[stuck on] {slang} Very much in love with; crazy about. •/ Judy thinks she is very pretty and very smart. She is stuck on herself. / •/ Lucy is stuck on the football captain. /

[stuck-up] {adj.} , {informal} Acting as if other people are not as good as you are; conceited; snobbish. •/ Mary is very stuck-up, and will not speak to the poor children in her class. /

[stuck with] {adj. phr.} Left in a predicament; left having to take care of a problem caused by another. •/ Our neighbors vanished without a trace and we got stuck with their cat and dog. /

[study]See: BROWN STUDY.

[stuff]See: KNOW ONE’S WAY AROUND(2).

[stuff and nonsense] {n.} Foolish or empty writing or talk; nonsense. •/ Fred told a long story about his adventures in Africa, but it was all stuff and nonsense. / Often used as an interjection. •/ When Jane said she was too sick to go to school, her mother answered, "Stuff and nonsense! I know there’s a test today." /

[stuff the ballot box] {v. phr.} To give more votes to a candidate in an election than there are people who actually voted for him. •/ It is a crime to stuff the ballot box. / —  [ballot-stuffing] {adj. phr.}

[stuffed shirt] {n. phr.} A pretentious bore; a pompous, empty person. •/ I think that Howard is a terrible stuffed shirt with no sense of humor. /

[stuffed up] {adj. phr.} Impeded; blocked. •/ Our kitchen sink is all stuffed up so I have to call the plumber. /

[stumble across] {v. phr.} To encounter a person or thing, mostly by accident. •/ I gave up looking for my old hat when I accidentally stumbled across it in a dark corner of the closet. /

[stump]See: TAKE THE STUMP or TAKE TO THE STUMP, UP A STUMP.

[style]See: CRAMP ONE’S STYLE, HIGH STYLE.

[subject to] {adj. phr.} 1. Under the government or control of; in the power of. •/ The English colonies in America were subject to the English king. / •/ The principal and the teachers of a school are subject to the school board. / 2. Likely to get or have; liable. •/ John is in rather poor health and is subject to colds. / •/ The western plains are subject to tornadoes. / 3. Depending on some change, happening, or need. •/ The company and the union agreed that the workers' wages should be subject to changes in the cost of living. / •/ Agreements made by the President with other countries are subject to the approval of the Senate. /

[substance]See: IN SUBSTANCE.

[succeed]See: HOWLING SUCCESS, NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS.

[such and such] {pronoun} Something whose name is not mentioned because it does not need to be mentioned. •/ George’s argument tries to prove such and such to be true, but it does not convince me. /

[such-and-such] {adj. phr.} Being one whose name has been forgotten or whose name does not need to be mentioned. •/ She told me to go to such-and-such a street and turn right. / •/ Suppose, now, that we have such-and-such a group coming to the school, and we don’t have enough chairs. What do we do then? /