Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[thanks to] {prep.} 1. With the help of. •/ Thanks to a good teacher, John passed the examination. / •/ I finally finished washing the dishes, no thanks to you. / 2. Owing to; because of. •/ Thanks to a sudden rain, the children came home with wet clothes. /

[that is]or [that is to say]I mean; that means; in other words. •/ John is a New Yorker; that is, he lives in New York. / •/ Susan is a good student; that is to say, she gets good grades in school. /

[that is that]or [that’s that] {informal} The matter is decided; there is nothing more to be said; it is done. •/ Jim, you will go to school this morning, and that is that. /

[that’ll be the day] {informal} That will never happen. •/ Joe wanted me to lend him money to take my girl to the movies. That’ll be the day! / •/ "Wouldn’t it be nice if we had to go to school only one day a week?" "That’ll be the day!" /

[That makes two of us!]Informal way to say, "I am in agreement with what you arc saying or doing." •/ So you voted for Senator Aldridge? So did I — that makes two of us. /

[That takes care of that!]Informal way to say, "That concludes our business." •/ I paid my ex-wife the last alimony check and that takes care of that! /

[That will do!]Informal expression of impatience meaning "stop," "no more." •/ "That will do, Tommy," his mother cried. "I’ve had just about enough of your drumming on the table." /

[that’s --- for you]That’s the way (someone or something) is; (someone or something) is like that. •/ John tried hard, but he lost the game. That’s life for you. / •/ Mary changed her mind about going. That’s a girl for you. /

[That’s about the size of it!]Informal way to say, "What you said is true; the rumor or the news is true." •/ "I am told you’re leaving our firm for Japan," Fred said to Tom. "That’s about the size of it," Tom replied with a grin. /

[That’s the story of my life…]Usually spoken when something goes wrong. •/ I spent seven years writing a novel, but no publisher wants to accept it. That’s the story of my life. /

[That’s the ticket!]Informal way to say, "excellent; correct." •/ "First we’ll go up the Sears Tower, and then we’ll take a night sightseeing tour on the lake," Fran said. "That’s the ticket!" Stan, an old inhabitant of Chicago, replied. /

[That’s the way the ball bounces]or [the cookie crumbles!]Nothing unusual about that. — Said of unpleasant things. •/ "Susan left me for a heavyweight boxer, and then I got drunk and wrecked my car," Bob bitterly complained. "Well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles," Pam answered philosophically. /

[theater]See: LITTLE THEATER.

[the business] {n.} , {slang}  — Usually used with "give" or "get". 1. All that you are able to do; greatest effort. •/ Johnny gave the tryouts the business but he failed to make the team. / 2. The most harm possible; the greatest damage or hurt. •/ Fred got the business when Tom caught him with his bicycle. / 3. A harsh scolding. •/ The teacher gave Walter the business when he came to school late again. / •/ Mike thought he was the star of the team until he got the business from the coach. / Compare: THE WORKS.

[The cat did it!]A humorous and convenient way to pass the blame. •/ "My vase is broken!" Mother shrieked in horror. "Well," Dad smirked cynically, "I guess the cat did it!" /

[the creeps] {n.} , {informal} 1. An uncomfortable tightening of the skin caused by fear or shock. •/ Reading the story of a ghost gave Joe the creeps. / •/ The queer noises in the old house gave Mary the creeps. / 2. A strong feeling of fear or disgust. •/ The cold, damp, lonely swamp gave John the creeps. / •/ The dog was so ugly it gave Mary the creeps. /

[the devil to pay] {n. phr.} A severe penalty. •/ If we don’t finish the work by next Monday, there will be the devil to pay. /

[the edge] {n.} , {informal} The advantage. — Usually used in the phrases "get the edge on", "have the edge on". •/ In the last quarter of the game, our team got the edge on the other team and kept it. / •/ Mary has the edge on Jane in the beauty contest. /

[the fickle finger of fate]See: ACT OF GOD.

[the idea]or [the very idea] {n. phr.}  — Used in exclamations to show that you do not like something. •/ The idea! Thinking Mother was my sister! / •/ The very idea of Tom bringing that dirty dog into my clean house! /

[the lid] {n.} , {slang} Something that holds back or holds out of sight. •/ The police blew the lid off the gambling operations. / •/ John kept the lid on his plans until he was ready to run for class president. / •/ The chief of police placed the lid on gambling in the town. /

[the likes of] {informal} Something like or similar to; something of the same kind as. •/ I have never seen the likes of John. / •/ It was a chocolate sundae the likes of which Mary would never see again. /

[the long and the short]or [the long and short] {n. phr.} All that needs to be said; the basic fact; point. •/ The long and the short of the matter is that the man is no actor. / •/ The money isn’t there, and that’s the long and short of it. /

[the matter] {adj.} Not as it should be; wrong. — Used in questions or with negatives or "if". •/ Why don’t you answer me? What’s the matter? / •/ John may be slow in arithmetic, but nothing’s the matter with his pitching arm. / •/ If anything is the matter, please tell me. /

[the more --- the more ---]or [the ---er the ---er] — Used in two halves of a sentence to show that when there is more of the first, there is more of the second too. •/ The more you eat. the fatter you will get. / •/ Get your report in when you can; the sooner, the better. / •/ The bigger they are, the harder they fall. / •/ The more Bill worked on the arithmetic problem, the more confused he became. /

[then]See: AND THEN SOME, EVERY NOW AND THEN, NOW AND THEN.

[then again] {adv.} As an opposite possibility; another thing. •/ He may be here tomorrow. Then again, he may not come until next week. / •/ I thought you told me about the fire, but then again it could have been Bill. /

[then and there] {adv. phr.} At that very time and place in the past; right then. •/ He said he wanted his dime back then and there, so I had to give it to him. / Compare: IN ONE’S TRACKS, ON THE SPOT, HERE AND NOW.

[the other day] {adv. phr.} In the recent past. •/ I saw an incredible parade of elephants along Michigan Avenue the other day on my way to work. /

[the other way around] {adv. phr.} See: JUST THE OTHER WAY.

[the picture] {n.} The way things are or were; the facts about something; the situation; what happened or happens. •/ Where does Susan come into the picture. / •/ When you are looking for a job your education enters into the picture. / •/ Old Mr. Brown is out of the picture now and his son runs the store. / •/ After the fight on the playground, the principal talked to the boys who were watching, until he got the whole picture. / Compare: GET THE MESSAGE.

[the pits] {n.} , {slang} 1. A low class, blighted and ill-maintained place, motel room or apartment. •/ Max, this motel is the pits, I will not sleep here! / 2. The end of the road, the point of no return, the point of total ruin of one’s health (from the drug anticulture referring to the arm-pits as the only place that had veins for injections). •/ John flunked high school this year for the third time; he will never get to college; it’s the pits for him. / 3. A very depressed state of mind. •/ Poor Marcy is down in the pits over her recent divorce. /

[the powers that be] {n. phr.} Constituted authority; those in power. •/ I have done all I can; the rest is up to the powers that be. /

[there]See: ALL THERE, HERE AND THERE, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, THEN AND THERE.

[There]or [here you are!]1. Informal way to say, "Here is what you wanted." •/ The doorman politely opened the door of the taxi and said, "There you are, sir!" / •/ The clerk wrapped up the package and handed it to the customer saying, "Here you are, ma’am!" / 2. You have found the correct answer; you are correct. •/ "The reason for the violent crime rate is the all too easy availability of handguns," he said. "Yeah, there you are!" Officer Maloney replied. /

[there is more than one way to get a pig to market]or [flay a fox]or [skin a cat]There are always new and different ways to accomplish a difficult task. — A proverb. •/ "'How did you get Tommy to study so hard?" Eleanor asked. "I simply disconnected the television set," Tommy’s mother answered. "There’s more than one way to get a pig to market." /

[there is nothing to it]Informal way to say, "It is easy." •/ Cooking stir-fried Chinese food is really not difficult at all; in fact, there’s nothing to it. /

[There you go!]1. Informal way to say, "You are doing it already and you are doing it well." •/ "Is roller skating hard?" Freddie asked. "No," Beth replied, "let me show you how to do it. There you go!" / 2. See: THERE or HERE YOU ARE(2).

[the ropes] {n. plural} , {informal} Thorough or special knowledge of a job; how to do something; the ways of people or the world. •/ On a newspaper a cub reporter learns his job from an older reporter who knows the ropes. / •/ When you go to a new school it takes a while to learn the ropes. / •/ Betty showed Jane the ropes when she was learning to make a dress. / •/ Mr. Jones was an orphan and he had to learn the ropes when he was young to make his way in the world. / Compare: BE AROUND, INS AND OUTS, TRICK OF THE TRADE.

[the score] {n.} , {slang} The truth; the real story or information; what is really happening; the way people and the world really are. •/ Very few people know the score in politics. / •/ You are too young to know the score yet. / •/ What’s the score anyhow? When will the program begin? / Compare: KNOW ONE’S STUFF, KNOW ONE’S WAY AROUND, THE ROPES.

[these]See: ONE OF THESE DAYS or SOME OF THESE DAYS.