Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[abide by] {v.} To accept and obey; be willing to follow. •/ A basketball player may know he did not foul, but he must abide by the referee’s decision. / •/ The members agree to abide by the rules of the club. /

[a bit] {n., informal} A small amount; some. •/ There’s no sugar in the sugar bowl, but you may find a bit in the bag. / •/ If the ball had hit the window a bit harder, it would have broken it. / — Often used like an adverb. •/ This sweater scratches a bit. / — Also used like an adjective before "less", "more". •/ Janet thought she could lose weight by eating a bit less. / •/ "Have some more cake?" "Thanks. A bit more won’t hurt me." / — Often used adverbially after verbs in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, sometimes in the form "one bit". •/ "Won’t your father be angry?" "No, he won’t care a bit." / •/ Helen feels like crying, but I’ll be surprised if she shows it one bit. / — Sometimes used with "little" for emphasis, also in the emphatic form "the least bit". •/ "Wasn’t Bob even a little bit sorry he forgot his date?" "No, Bob wasn’t the least bit sorry." / Syn.: A LITTLE. Compare: A FEW. Contrast: A LOT.

[about face] {n.} A sudden change of course or a decision opposite to what was decided earlier. •/ Her decision to become an actress instead of a dentist was an about face from her original plans. /

[about one’s ears]or [around one’s ears] {adv. phr.} To or into complete collapse, defeat, or ruin; to the destruction of a person’s plans, hopes, or happiness. •/ They planned to have factories all over the world but the war brought their plans down about their ears. / •/ John hoped to go to college and become a great scientist some day, but when his father died he had to get a job, and John’s dreams came crashing around his ears. / Compare: ON ONE’S HEAD.

[about time] {n. phr.} Finally, but later than it should have been; at last. •/ Mother said, "It’s about time you got up, Mary." / •/ The basketball team won last night. About time. /

[about to]1. Close to; ready to. — Used with an infinitive. •/ We were about to leave when the snow began. / •/ I haven’t gone yet, but I’m about to. / Compare: GOING TO, ON THE POINT OF. 2. {informal} Having a wish or plan to. — Used with an infinitive in negative sentences. •/ Freddy wasn’t about to give me any of his ice-cream cone. / •/ "Will she come with us?" asked Bill. "She’s not about to," answered Mary. /

[above all] {adv. phr.} Of first or highest importance; most especially. •/ Children need many things, but above all they need love. / Syn.: FIRST AND LAST.

[above suspicion] {adj. phr.} Too good to be suspected; not likely to do wrong. •/ The umpire in the game must be above suspicion of supporting one side over the other. /

[absent without leave (AWOL)] {adj.} Absent without permission; used mostly in the military. •/ Jack left Fort Sheridan without asking his commanding officer, and was punished for going AWOL. /

[absentia]See: IN ABSENTIA.

[Acapulco gold] {n., slang} Marijuana of an exceptionally high quality. •/ Jack doesn’t just smoke pot, he smokes Acapulco gold. /

[accord]See: OF ONE’S OWN ACCORD or OF ONE’S OWN FREE WILL.

[according as] {conj.} 1. Depending on which; whichever. •/ You may take an oral or written exam according as you prefer. / 1. Depending on whether; if. •/ We will play golf or stay home according as the weather is good or bad. /

[according to] {prep.} 1. So as to match or agree with; so as to be alike in. •/ Many words are pronounced according to the spelling but some are not. / •/ The boys were placed in three groups according to height. / 2. On the word or authority of. •/ According to the Bible, Adam was the first man. /

[according to one’s own lights] {adv. phr.} In accordance with one’s conscience or inclinations. •/ Citizens should vote according to their own lights. /

[account]See: CALL TO ACCOUNT, CHARGE ACCOUNT, LEAVE OUT OF ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT OF, ON ONE’S ACCOUNT, ON ONE’S OWN ACCOUNT, SAVINGS ACCOUNT, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

[ace]See: WITHIN AN ACE OF.

[ace in the hole] {n. phr.} 1. An ace given to a player face down so that other players in a card game cannot see it. •/ When the cowboy bet all his money in the poker game he did not know that the gambler had an ace in the hole and would win it from him. / 2. {informal} Someone or something important that is kept as a surprise until the right time so as to bring victory or success. •/ The football team has a new play that they are keeping as an ace in the hole for the big game. / •/ The lawyer’s ace in the hole was a secret witness who saw the accident. / Compare: CARD UP ONE’S SLEEVE.

[Achilles' heel] {n. phr.} , {literary} A physical or psychological weakness named after the Greek hero Achilles who was invulnerable except for a spot on his heel. •/ John’s Achilles' heel is his lack of talent with numbers and math. /

[acid head] {n.} , {slang} A regular user of LSD on whom the hallucinogenic drug has left a visible effect. •/ The reason John acts so funny is that he is a regular acid head. /

[acid rock] {n.} , {slang} A characteristic kind of rock in which loudness and beat predominate over melody; especially such music as influenced by drug experiences. •/ John is a regular acid rock freak. /

[acorn]See: GREAT OAKS PROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.

[acoustic perfume] {n.} , {slang} Sound for covering up unwanted noise, such as music over loudspeakers in a noisy construction area. •/ Let’s get out of here — this acoustic perfume is too much for my ears. /

[acquire a taste for] {v. phr.} To become fond of something; get to like something. •/ Jack acquired a taste for ripe cheeses when he went to France. /

[across the board] {adv. phr.} 1. So that equal amounts of money are bet on the same horse to win a race, to place second, or third. •/ I bet $6 on the white horse across the board. / — Often used with hyphens as an adjective. •/ I made an across-the-board bet on the white horse. / 2. {informal} Including everyone or all, so that all are included. •/ Thе President wanted taxes lowered across the board. / — Often used with hyphens as an adjective. •/ Thе workers at the store got an across-the-board pay raise. /

[across the tracks]See: THE TRACKS.

[act]See: READ THE RIOT ACT.

[act high and mighty] {v. phr.} To wield power; act overbearingly; order others around; look down on others. •/ Paul is an inexperienced teacher and he acts high and mighty with his students. /

[actions speak louder than words]What you do shows your character better and is more important than what you say. — A proverb. •/ John promised to help me, but he didn’t. Actions speak louder than words. / •/ Joe is very quiet, but actions speak louder than words. He is the best player on the team. /

[act of faith] {n. phr.} An act or a deed that shows unquestioning belief in someone or something. •/ It was a real act of faith on Mary’s part to entrust her jewelry to her younger sister’s care. /

[act of God] {n.} An occurrence (usually some sort of catastrophe) for which the people affected are not responsible; said of earthquakes, floods, etc. •/ Hurricane Andrew destroyed many houses in Florida, but some types of insurance did not compensate the victims, claiming that the hurricane was an act of God. / See: FICKLE FINGER OF FATE.

[act one’s age]or [be one’s age] {v. phr.} To do the things that people expect someone of your age to do, not act as if you were much younger than you are. •/ Mr. O’Brien was playing tag with the children at the party. Then Mrs. O’Brien said, "Henry! Act your age!" and he stopped. /

[actor]See: BAD ACTOR.

[act out] {v.} 1. To show an idea, story, or happening by your looks, talk, and movements. •/ He tried to act out a story that he had read. / 2. To put into action. •/ All his life he tried to act out his beliefs. /

[act up] {v.} , {informal} 1. To behave badly; act rudely or impolitely. •/ The dog acted up as the postman came to the door. / 2. To work or run poorly (as a after all machine); skip; miss. •/ Thе car acted up because the spark plugs were dirty. /

[add fuel to the flame] {v. phr.} To make a bad matter worse by adding to its cause; spread trouble, increase anger or other strong feelings by talk or action. •/ By criticizing his son’s girl, the father added fuel to the flame of his son’s love. / •/ Bob was angry with Ted and Ted added fuel to the flame by laughing at him. /

[add insult to injury] {v. phr.} 1. To hurt someone’s feelings after doing him harm. •/ He added insult to injury when he called the man a rat after he had already beaten him up. / 2. To make bad trouble worse. •/ We started on a picnic, and first it rained, then to add insult to injury, the car broke down. /

[addition]See: IN ADDITION.

[address]See: PUBLIC-ADDRESS SYSTEM.

[add the finishing touches] {v. phr.} To complete; finish. •/ Mary’s first novel promised to be excellent; however, her editor suggested that she should add some finishing touches before accepting it. /

[add up] {v.} 1. To come to the correct amount. •/ The numbers wouldn’t add up. / 2. {informal} To make sense; be understandable. •/ His story didn’t add up. /

[add up to] {v.} 1. To make a total of; amount to. •/ The bill added up to $12.95. / 2. {informal} To mean; result in. •/ The rain, the mosquitoes, and the heat added up to a spoiled vacation. /

[ad lib] {v. phr.} To improvise; interpolate during speech. •/ When the actress forgot her lines during the second act, she had to ad lib in order to keep the show going. /

[advance]See: IN ADVANCE or IN ADVANCE OF.

[advantage]See: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, TO ADVANTAGE.

[a few] {n.} or {adj.} A small number (of people or things); some. •/ The dry weather killed most of Mother’s flowers, but a few are left. / •/ In the store, Mary saw many pretty rings and bracelets, and she wanted to buy a few of them. / •/ After the party, we thought that no one would help clean up, but a few couples did. / •/ Alice wanted to read a few pages more before she stopped. / — Usually "a few" is different in meaning from "few", which emphasizes the negative; "a few" means "some", but "few" means "not many". •/ We thought no one would come to lunch, but a few came. / •/ We thought many people would come to lunch, but few came. / But sometimes "a few" is used with "only", and then it is negative. •/ We thought many people would come to lunch, but only a few came. / — Sometimes used like an adverb. •/ Three students have no seats; we need a few more chairs. / •/ If we can set up chairs faster than people come and sit in them, we will soon be a few ahead. / — Sometimes used with "very" for emphasis. •/ Uncle Ralph gave away almost all of his sea shells, but he still had a very few left. / Compare: A LITTLE. Contrast: A LOT, QUITE A FEW.