Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[under the nose of]See: UNDER ONE’S NOSE.

[under the sun] {adj.} or {adv. phr.} On earth; in the world. — Used for emphasis. •/ The President’s assassination shocked everyone under the sun. / •/ Where under the sun could I have put my purse? /

[under the table]See: UNDER THE COUNTER.

[under the thumb of]See: UNDER ONE’S THUMB.

[under the weather] {adv. phr.} In bad health or low spirits. •/ Mary called in today asking for a sick day as she is under the weather. /

[under the wire] {adv. phr.} With a narrow time limit; in the last minute. •/ The journalist’s new lead article on Russia was due in press at 5 P.M., and he got it in at 4:57, just under the wire. /

[underway] {adv. phr.} In progress; in motion. •/ The yearly fund-raising campaign for the renovation of our university campus is already underway. /

[under wraps] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} Not allowed to be seen until the right time; not allowed to act or speak freely; in secrecy; hidden. — Usually used with "keep". •/ We have a new player, hut we are keeping him under wraps until the game. / •/ What the President is planning will be kept under wraps until tomorrow. / •/ The spy was kept under wraps and not allowed to talk to newspapermen. / Compare: UNDER COVER.

[unknown quantity] {n.} Someone or something whose value and importance are not known, especially in a certain situation, time or place; a new and untested person or thing. •/ What we would find if we could fly to the moon is an unknown quantity. / •/ The new player is still an unknown quantity. We’ll find out how good he is in the game. /

[unseen]See: SIGHT UNSEEN.

[until all hours] {adv. phr.} Until very late at night. •/ He is so anxious to pass his exams with flying colors that he stays up studying until all hours. /

[until hell freezes over] {adv. phr.} , {slang} Forever, for an eternity. •/ He can argue until hell freezes over; nobody will believe him. / Contrast: WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER.

[until the last gun is fired]See: TILL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED.

[unturned]See: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

[up against] {prep. phr.} Blocked or threatened by. •/ When she applied to medical school, the black woman wondered whether she was up against barriers of sex and race prejudice. /

[up against it] {adj. phr.} , {informal} Faced with a great difficulty or problem; badly in need. •/ The Smith family is up against it because Mr. Smith cannot find a job. / •/ You will be up against it if you don’t pass the test. You will probably fail arithmetic. / Compare: HARD UP, END OF ONE’S ROPE, BACK TO THE WALL(2).

[up and about]or [around] {adv. phr.} Recovered and able to move about; once again in good health after an illness. •/ My sister was ill for several weeks, but is now up and about again. /

[up and at them]1. {adv. phr.} Actively engaged in a task as if doing combat. •/ "You want to know whether he will make a diligent worker?" Dick asked. "Well, I can tell you that most of the time he is up and at them like no one else I know." / 2. {v. phr.} To become aggressively engaged in doing something; (useable as a command). •/ Come on, up and at them, you guys. We still have a lot of work to get done. /

[up-and-coming] {adj. phr.} Bound toward success; upwardly mobile; progressive; ambitious. •/ The newly elected state senator is an up-and-coming young politician who is expected to be highly successful in national politics in the future. /

[up a stump] {adj. phr.} , {slang} Stumped; blocked; mixed up or confused in what you are trying to do. •/ Jimmy knows how to add and subtract but fractions have him up a stump. /

[up a tree] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Hunted or chased into a tree; treed. •/ The dog drove the coon up a tree so the hunter could shoot him. / 2. {informal} in trouble; having problems; in a difficulty that it is hard to escape or think of a way out of. •/ John’s father has him up a tree in the checker game. / Compare: UP THE CREEK.

[up for grabs] {adj. phr.} , {informal} Available for anyone to try to get; ready to be competed for; there for the taking. •/ When the captain of the football team moved out of town, his place was up for grabs. /

[up front(1)] {n.} , {slang} , {informal} The managerial section of a corporation or firm. •/ Joe Catwallender finally made it (with the) up front. /

[up front(2)] {adj.} , {slang} , {informal} Open, sincere, hiding nothing. •/ Sue was completely up front about why she didn’t want to see him anymore. /

[up in arms] {adj. phr.} 1. Equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight. •/ All of the colonies were up in arms against the Redcoats. / Syn.: IN ARMS. 2. Very angry and wanting to fight. •/ Robert is up in arms because John said he was stupid. / •/ The students were up in arms over the new rule against food in the dormitory. /

[up in the air] {adj.} or {adv. phr.} 1. {informal} In great anger or excitement. •/ My father went straight up in the air when he heard I damaged the car. / •/ The Jones family are all up in the air because they are taking a trip around the world. / Compare: HIT THE CEILING, BLOW A FUSE. 2. also [in midair]Not settled; uncertain; undecided. •/ Plans for the next meeting have been left up in the air until Jane gets better. / •/ The result of the game was left hanging in midair because it rained before the finish. / Compare: LEAVE HANGING.

[up one’s alley]See: DOWN ONE’S ALLEY.

[up one’s sleeve]or [in one’s sleeve] {adv. phr.} 1. Hidden in the sleeve of one’s shirt or coat and ready for secret or wrongful use. •/ The crooked gambler hid aces up his sleeve during the card game so that he would win. / 2. {informal} Kept secretly ready for the right time or for a time when needed. •/ Jimmy knew that his father had some trick up his sleeve because he was smiling to himself during the checker game. / Compare: CARD UP ONE’S SLEEVE. 3. See: LAUGH UP ONE’S SLEEVE.

[upon oneself]See: TAKE ON ONESELF also TAKE UPON ONESELF.

[upon one’s head]See: ON ONE’S HEAD.

[upon the spot]See: ON THE SPOT(1).

[upper]See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, ON ONE’S UPPERS.

[upper crust] {n.} , {informal} The richest, most famous, or important people in a certain place; the highest class. •/ It is a school that only the children of the upper crust can afford. /

[upper hand]or [whip hand] {n.} Controlling power; advantage. •/ In the third round the champion got the upper hand over his opponent and knocked him out. / •/ The cowboy trained the wild horse so that he finally got the whip hand and tamed the horse. /

[upper story] {n.} 1. A floor or level of a building above the first floor. •/ The apartment house where Gene lives is five stories high and he lives in one of the upper stories. / 2. {slang} A person’s head or brain. •/ Lulu has nobody home in the upper story. / •/ Bill’s sister says he is weak in the upper story. /

[Upsadaisy!]or [Upsee-daisy!]or [Upsy-daisy!] {adv. phr.}  — A popular exclamation used when just about anything is lifted, particularly a small child raised to his or her highchair or bed. •/ "Upsee-daisy!" the nurse said with a smile on her face, as she lifted the baby from its bed. /

[ups and downs] {n. phr.} Vicissitudes; alternating periods between good and bad times; changes in fortune. •/ He is now a wealthy stock trader, but at the beginning of his career he, too, had many ups and downs. /

[upset the applecart]or [upset one’s applecart] {v. phr.} , {informal} To ruin a plan or what is being done, often by surprise or accident; change how things are or are being done, often unexpectedly; ruin or mix up another person’s success or plan for success. •/ John upset the other team’s applecart by hitting a home run in the last inning and we won the game. / •/ We are planning a surprise party for Bill, so don’t let Mary upset the applecart by telling him before the party. / •/ Frank thinks he is going to be the boss, but I’ll upset his applecart the first chance I get. / Compare: ROCK THE BOAT.

[upside down] {adv. phr.} Overturned so that the bottom is up and the top is down. •/ The ladybug lay upside down in the sand and was unable to take off. / •/ The problem with this company is that everything is upside down; we need a new C.E.O. /

[upstairs]See: NOBODY HOME UPSTAIRS.

[up the creek]or [up the creek without a paddle] {adj. phr.} , {informal} In trouble or difficulty and unable to do anything about it; stuck. •/ Father said that if the car ran out of gas in the middle of the desert, we would be up the creek without a paddle. / •/ I’ll be up the creek if I don’t pass this history test. / Compare: DEEP WATER, IN THE SOUP, UP A TREE, OUT OF LUCK.

[up tight]or [uptight] {adj.} , {slang} , {informal} Worried, irritated, excessively eager or anxious. •/ Why are you so uptight about getting that job? The more you worry, the less you’ll succeed. /

[up to] {prep.} 1. As far, as deep, or as high as. •/ The water in the pond was only up to John’s knees. / •/ Mary is small and just comes up to Bill’s chest. / •/ The shovel sank in the soft mud all the way up to the handle. / 2. Close to; approaching. •/ The team did not play up to its best today. / •/ Because of the rain, the number of people at the party didn’t come up to the number we expected. / 3. As high as; not more than; as much or as many as. •/ Pick any number up to ten. / •/ There were up to eight fire engines at the fire. / 4. or [up till]or [up until] — Until; till. •/ Up to her fourth birthday, the baby slept in a crib. / •/ Up to now I always thought John was honest. / •/ We went swimming up till breakfast time. / •/ Up until last summer we always went to the beach for our vacation. / 5. Capable of; fit for; equal to; strong or well enough for. •/ We chose Harry to be captain because we thought he was up to the job. / •/ Mother is sick and not up to going out to the store. / 6. Doing or planning secretly; ready for mischief. •/ What are you up to with the matches, John? / •/ Mrs. Watson was sure that the boys were up to no good, because they ran when they saw her coming. / 7. Facing as a duty; to be chosen or decided by; depending on. •/ It’s up to you to get to school on time. / •/ I don’t care when you cut the grass. When you do it is up to you. /