Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[toss one to the sharks]See: THROW ONE TO THE WOLVES.

[toss out]See: THROW OUT.

[total]See: SUM TOTAL.

[to task]See: TAKE TO TASK.

[to terms]See: BRING TO TERMS, COME TO TERMS.

[to that effect] {adj.} or {adv. phr.} With that meaning. •/ She said she hated spinach, or words to that effect. / •/ When I leave, I will write you to that effect so you will know. /

[to the best of one’s knowledge]As far as you know; to the extent of your knowledge. •/ He has never won a game, to the best of my knowledge. / •/ To the best of my knowledge he is a college man, but I may be mistaken. /

[to the bitter end] {adv. phr.} To the point of completion or conclusion. — Used especially of a very painful or unpleasant task or experience. •/ Although Mrs. Smith was bored by the lecture, she stayed to the bitter end. / •/ They knew the war would be lost, but the men fought to the bitter end. /

[to the bone] {adv.} , {slang} , {informal} Thoroughly, entirely, to the core, through all layers. •/ I am dreadfully tired; I’ve worked my fingers to the bone. / See: ALSO WORK ONE’S FINGERS TO THE BONE.

[to the bottom]See: GET TO THE BOTTOM OF.

[to the contrary] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} With an opposite result or effect; just the opposite; in disagreement; saying the opposite. •/ Although Bill was going to the movies, he told Joe to the contrary. / •/ We will expect you for dinner unless we get word to the contrary. / •/ School gossip to the contrary, Mary is not engaged to be married. / Compare: ON THE CONTRARY.

[to the effect that] {adj. phr.} With the meaning or purpose; to say that. •/ He made a speech to the effect that we would all keep our jobs even if the factory were sold. / •/ The new governor would do his best in the office to which he had been elected. /

[to the eye] {adv. phr.} As it is seen; as a person or thing first seems; apparently. •/ That girl looks to the eye like a nice girl to know, but she is really rather mean. / •/ That suit appears to the eye to be a good buy, but it may not be. / Compare: AT FIRST GLANCE.

[to the fore] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} Into leadership; out into notice or view; forward. •/ The hidden skill of the lawyer came to the fore during the trial. / •/ In the progress of the war some new leaders came to the fore. /

[to the full] {adv. phr.} Very much; fully. •/ The campers enjoyed their trip to the full. / •/ We appreciated to the full the teacher’s help. / Compare: TO THE HILT.

[to the gallery]See: PLAY TO THE GALLERY.

[to the good] {adv. phr.} On the side of profit or advantage; in one’s favor; to one’s benefit; ahead. •/ After I sold my stamp collection, I was ten dollars to the good. / •/ The teacher did not see him come in late, which was all to the good. /

[to the grindstone]See: KEEP ONE’S NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE.

[to the heart]See: GET TO THE HEART OF.

[to the hilt]or [up to the hilt] {adv. phr.} To the limit; as far as possible; completely. •/ The other boys on the team told Tom he couldn’t quit. They said, "You’re in this to the hilt." / •/ The Smith’s house is mortgaged up to the hilt. / Compare: HEART AND SOUL, TO THE FULL, UP TO THE --- IN.

[to the kings taste]or [to the queen’s taste] {adv. phr.} Perfectly; just as anyone could want it; very satisfactorily. •/ The rooms in her new home were painted and decorated to the queen’s taste. / •/ The soldiers dressed and marched to the king’s taste. /

[to the letter] {adv. phr.} With nothing done wrong or left undone; exactly; precisely. •/ He carried out his orders to the letter. / •/ When writing a test you should follow the instructions to the letter. / Compare: TO A T.

[to the manner born] {adj. phr.} At ease with something because of lifelong familiarity with it. •/ She says her English is the best because she is to the manner born. /

[to the nth degree] {adv. phr.} To the greatest degree possible; extremely; very much so. •/ Scales must be accurate to the nth degree. / •/ His choice of words was exactly to the nth degree. /

[to the point]See: COME TO THE POINT.

[to the punch]See: BEAT TO THE PUNCH.

[to the ribs]See: STICK TO ONE’S RIBS or STICK TO THE RIBS.

[to the salt mines]See: BACK TO THE SALT MINES.

[to the stump]See: TAKE THE STUMP or TAKE TO THE STUMP.

[to the sword]See: PUT TO THE SWORD.

[to the tune of] {adv. phr.} , {informal} To the amount or extent of; in the amount of. •/ He had to pay to the tune of fifty dollars for seeing how fast the car would go. / •/ When she left the race track she had profited to the tune of ten dollars. /

[to the wall] {adv. phr.} Into a place from which there is no escape; into a trap or corner. — Usually used after "drive" or a similar word. •/ John’s failing the last test drove him to the wall. / •/ The score was 12-12 in the last minute of play, but a touchdown forced the visitors to the wall. / •/ Bill had to sell his five Great Danes. The high cost of feeding them was driving him to the wall. /

[to the wolves]See: THROW TO THE WOLVES.

[to the woods]See: TAKE TO THE WOODS.

[to the world]See: DEAD TO THE WORLD.

[to think of it]See: COME TO THINK OF IT.

[toto]See: IN TOTO.

[touch]See: COMMON TOUCH, IN TOUCH, LOSE TOUCH, OUT OF TOUCH,

[touch and go] {adj. phr.} Very dangerous or uncertain in situation. •/ Our team won the game, all right, but it was touch and go for a while. / •/ At one time while they were climbing the cliff it was touch and go whether they could do it. /

[touch base with] {v. phr.} To confer or consult with one. •/ Before we make a decision, I’d like to touch base with our financial department. /

[touch bottom]See: HIT BOTTOM.

[touch off] {v.} 1. To cause to fire or explode by lighting the priming or the fuse. •/ The boy touched off a firecracker. / Compare: SET OFF. 2. To start something as if by lighting a fuse. •/ The coach’s resignation touched off a quarrel. / Compare: SET OFF.

[touch on]or [touch upon] {v.} To speak of or write of briefly. •/ The speaker touched on several other subjects in the course of his talk but mostly kept himself to the main topic. / Contrast: DWELL ON.

[touch to the quick] {v. phr.} To hurt someone’s feelings very deeply; offend. •/ His remark about her lack of education touched her to the quick. /

[touchup] {n.} 1. A small repair; a small amount of paint. •/ Just a small touchup here and there and your novel may be publishable. / 2. Redoing the color of one’s hair. •/ My roots are showing; I need a touchup. /

[touch up] {v.} 1. To paint over (small imperfections.) •/ I want to touch up that scratch on the fender. / •/ The woodwork is done, but there are a few places he has to touch up. / 2. To improve with small additions or changes. •/ He touched up the photographic negative to make a sharper print. / •/ It’s a good speech, but it needs a little touching up. / 3. {slang} To talk into lending; wheedle from. •/ He touched George up for five bucks. /

[tough act to follow] {n. phr.} A speech, performance, or activity of such superior quality that the person next in line feels and thinks that it would be very difficult to match it in quality. •/ Sir Lawrence Olivier’s performance of Hamlet was a tough act to follow in every sense. /

[tough break]See: TOUGH LUCK, TOUGH SHIT.

[tough cat] {n.} , {slang} A man who is very individualistic and, as a result, highly successful with women. •/ Joe is a real tough cat, man. /

[tough cookie] {n. phr.} An extremely determined, hardheaded person, or someone with whom it is unusually difficult to deal. •/ Marjorie is a very pretty girl, but when it comes to business she sure is one tough cookie. /

[tough it out] {v. phr.} To live through and endure a trying situation. •/ The tourists got lost in the desert without a compass, and they had to tough it out for three days on a single bottle of water. /

[tough luck] {n. phr.} An informal way to say that one had that coming; it serves one right. •/ So your date didn’t show up, eh? Tough luck, fellow. /

[tough nut to crack]See: HARD NUT TO CRACK.

[tough row to hoe]See: HARD ROW TO HOE.

[tough shit] {n. phr.} , {vulgar} , {avoidable} See: HARD CHEESE, TOUGH LUCK.

[tough sledding]See: HARD SLEDDING.

[tourist trap]See: CLIP JOINT.

[to use]See: PUT TO USE.

[tow]See: IN TOW.

[towel]See: THROW IN THE SPONGE or THROW IN THE TOWEL.

[tower of strength] {n. phr.} Someone who is strong, helpful, and sympathetic, and can always be relied on in times of trouble. •/ John was a veritable tower of strength to our family while my father was in the war and my mother lay ill in the hospital. /

[town]See: GO TO TOWN, ON THE TOWN, PAINT THE TOWN RED.

[town and gown] {n.} The residents of a college town and the students and teachers of the college. •/ The senator made a speech attended by both town and gown. / •/ There were fights between town and gown. /

[toy with an]or [the idea] {v. phr.} To consider an idea or an offer periodically without coming to a decision. •/ He was toying with the idea of accepting the company’s offer of the vice presidency in Tokyo, but he was unable to decide. /

[to your hat]See: HANG ON TO YOUR HAT or HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT.

[trace]See: KICK OVER THE TRACES also JUMP THE TRACES.

[track]See: COVER ONE’S TRACKS, IN ONE’S TRACKS, INSIDE TRACK, JUMP THE TRACK, KEEP TRACK, LOSE TRACK, MAKE TRACKS, OFF THE BEATEN TRACK, ON THE TRACK OF, THE TRACKS.

[track down] {v.} To find by or as if by following tracks or a trail. •/ The hunters tracked down game in the forest. / •/ She spent weeks in the library tracking the reference down in all their hooks on the subject. / Compare: HUNT DOWN.