Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц - Adam Makkai

[and so forth] or [and so on] And more of the same kind; and further amounts or things like the ones already mentioned. •/The costumes were red, pink, blue, purple, yellow, and so forth./ Compare: WHAT HAVE YOU.

[and the like]{n. phr.} Things of a similar nature. •/I like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the like./ •/When I go out to the beach flake towels, a mat, suntan lotion, and the like./

[and then some] And a lot more; and more too. •/It would cost all the money he had and then some./ •/Talking his way out of this trouble was going to take all his wits and then some./

[and what not] See: WHAT NOT.

[angel dust]{n.}, {slang} Phencyclidine, an addictive hallucinatory narcotic drug extremely dangerous to the users' health, also called PCP. •/Mike has gone from grass to angel dust; he will end up in the morgue./

[another] See: DANCE TO ANOTHER TUNE.

[answer back] See: TALK BACK.

[answer for]{v.} 1. To take responsibility for; assume charge or supervision of. •/The secret service has to answer for the safety of the President and his family./ 2. To say you are sure that (someone) has good character or ability; guarantee: sponsor. •/When people thought Ray had stolen the money, the principal said, "Ray is no thief. I’ll answer for him."/ 3. Take the blame or punishment for. •/When Mother found out who ate the cake, Tom had to answer for his mischief./

[answer one’s calling]{v. phr.} To fulfill one’s destiny in terms of work or profession by doing what one has a talent for. •/Don answered his calling when he became a chiropractor. Susy answered her calling when she became a violinist./

[answer the call of nature] or [obey the call of nature] {v. phr.}, {slang} To go to the bathroom to relieve oneself by urinating or defecating. •/Ted was hiking in the mountains when suddenly he had to answer the call of nature but since there was no bathroom in the woods, he excused himself and disappeared behind the bushes./

[answer to]{v.} To be named; go by a certain name or designation; be accountable. •/When you walk my dog, please remember that he answers to the name "Caesar."/ •/As head of the company she does not have to answer to anyone./

[ante up]{v.}, {informal} To produce the required amount of money in order to close a transaction; to pay what one owes. •/"I guess I’d better ante up if I want to stay an active member of the Association", Max said./

[ants in one’s pants]{n. phr.}, {slang} Nervous over-activity; restlessness. •/Jane can not sit still; she has ants in her pants./ •/You have ants in your pants today. Is something wrong?/

[a number]{n.} A rather large number; numbers. — Used when there arc more than several and fewer than many. •/The parents were invited to see the program, and a number came./ •/We knew the Smiths rattier well; we had visited them a number of times./ — Used like an adjective before "less", "more". •/We have not set up enough folding chairs; we need a number more./ Compare: QUITE A FEW.

[any] See: HARDLY ANY or SCARCELY ANY.

[any number]{n.}, {informal} A large number; many. •/There are any number of reasons for eating good food./ •/Don’t ask George what his excuse is. He can invent any number./ Compare: A LOT, A NUMBER, GOOD MANY.

[any old how] / [any old way] {adv. phr.}, {informal} Doing something in a casual, haphazard, or careless way. •/"John," the teacher said, "you can’t just do your homework any old way; you must pay attention to my instructions!"/

[any port in a storm] Any help is welcome in an emergency. — A proverb. •/The motel we stopped in was nothing to brag about, but we were so exhausted that it was a clear case of any port in a storm./

[anything] See: HAVE NOTHING ON or NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON, IF ANYTHING.

[anything but]{adv. phr.} Quite the opposite of; far from being. •/I don’t mean he’s lazy — anything but!/ •/The boys knew they had broken the rules, and they were anything but happy when they were called to the office./

[anything like] or [anywhere near] {adv.} Nearly. — Used in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, often in the negative forms "nothing like" or "nowhere near". •/It’s not anything like as hot today as it was yesterday./ •/Do you think that gold ring is worth anywhere near a hundred dollars?/ •/Today’s game was nowhere near as exciting as yesterday’s game./ •/Studying that lesson should take nothing like two hours./

[anywhere near] See: ANYTHING LIKE or ANYWHERE NEAR.

[any which way] See: EVERY WHICH WAY.

[apart] See: JOKING ASIDE or JOKING APART, POLES APART, TELL APART.

[apart from] or [aside from] {prep. phr.} Beside or besides; in addition to. •/The children hardly see anyone, apart from their parents./ •/Aside from being fun and good exercise, swimming is a very useful skill./ Syn.: EXCEPT FOR, OUTSIDE OF.

[ape] See: GO APE.

[appear] See: SPEAK OF THE DEVIL AND HE APPEARS.

[appearance] See: PUT IN AN APPEARANCE also MAKE AN APPEARANCE.

[apple] See: POLISH THE APPLE.

[applecart] See: UPSET THE APPLECART or UPSET ONE’S APPLECART.

[apple of one’s eye]{n. phr.} Something or someone that is adored; a cherished person or object. •/Charles is the apple of his mother’s eye./ •/John’s first car was the apple of his eye. He was always polishing it./

[apple-pie order]{n. phr.}, {informal} Exact orderly arrangement, neatness; tidy arrangement. •/The house was in apple-pie order./ •/Like a good secretary, she kept the boss’s desk in apple-pie order./

[apple polisher]; [apple polishing] See: POLISH THE APPLE.

[approval] See: ON APPROVAL.

[a pretty pass]{n. phr.} An unfortunate condition; a critical state. •/While the boss was away, things at the company had come to a pretty pass./

[apron] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.

[apropos of]{prep.}, {formal} In connection with; on the subject of, about; concerning. •/Apropos of higher tuition, Mr. Black told the boy about the educational loans that banks are offering./ •/Mr. White went to see Mr. Richards apropos of buying a car./

[arm] See: GIVE ONE’S RIGHT ARM, KEEP AT A DISTANCE Or KEEP AT ARM’S LENGTH, SHOT IN THE ARM, TAKE UP ARMS, TWIST ONE’S ARM, UP IN ARMS, WITH OPEN ARMS, COST AN ARM AND A LEG.

[arm and a leg]{n.}, {slang} An exorbitantly high price that must be paid for something that isn’t really worth it. •/It’s true that to get a decent apartment these days in New York you have to pay an arm and a leg./

[armed to the teeth]{adj. phr.} Having all needed weapons; fully armed. •/The paratroopers were armed to the teeth./

[arm in arm]{adv. phr.} With your arm under or around another person’s arm, especially in close comradeship or friendship. •/Sally and Joan were laughing and joking together as they walked arm in arm down the street./ •/When they arrived at the party, the partners walked arm in arm to meet the hosts./ Compare: HAND IN HAND.

[around one’s ears] See: ABOUT ONE’S EARS.

[around the clock] also [the clock around] {adv. phr.} For 24 hours a day continuously all day and all night. •/The factory operated around the clock until the order was filled./ •/He studied around the clock for his history exam./ — [round-the-clock] {adj.} •/That filling station has round-the-clock service./

[around the corner]{adv. phr.} Soon to come or happen; close by; near at hand. •/The fortuneteller told Jane that there was an adventure for her just around the corner./

[arrest] See: UNDER ARREST.

[as] See: FOR AS MUCH AS, IN AS MUCH AS.

[as a last resort]{adv. phr.} In lieu of better things; lacking better solutions. •/"We’ll sleep in our sleeping bags as a last resort," John said, "since all the motels are full."/

[as a matter of fact]{adv. phr.} Actually; really; in addition to what has been said; in reference to what was said. — Often used as an interjection. •/It’s not true that I cannot swim; as a matter of fact, I used to work as a lifeguard in Hawaii./ •/Do you think this costs too much? As a matter of fact, I think it is rather cheap./

[as an aside]{adv. phr.} Said as a remark in a low tone of voice; used in theaters where the actor turns toward the audience as if to "think out loud." •/During the concert Tim said to his wife as an aside, "The conductor has no idea how to conduct Beethoven."/

[as a rule]{adv. phr.} Generally; customarily. •/As a rule, the boss arrives at the office about 10 A.M./

[as an old shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE.

[as --- as ---] — Used with an adjective or adverb in a comparison or with the effect of a superlative. •/John is as tall as his father now./ •/I didn’t do as badly today as I did yesterday./ •/John’s father gave him a hard job and told him to do as well as possible./ •/The sick girl was not hungry, but her mother told her to eat as much as she could./ — Also used in the form "so --- as" in some sentences, especially negative sentences. •/This hill isn’t nearly so high as the last one we climbed./ — Often used in similes (comparisons that are figures of speech). •/The baby mouse looked as big as a minute./ •/Jim’s face was red as a beet after he made the foolish mistake./ — Most similes in conventional use are cliches, avoided by careful speakers and writers.

[as best one can]{adv. phr.} As well as you can; by whatever means are available; in the best way you can. •/The car broke down in the middle of the night, and he had to get home as best he could./ •/George’s foot hurt, but he played the game as best he could./ •/The girl’s mother was sick, so the girl got dinner as best she could./

[as catch can] See: CATCH AS CATCH CAN.

[as far as] or [so far as] {adv. phr.} 1. To the degree or amount that; according to what, how much, or how far. •/John did a good job as far as he went, but he did not finish it./ •/So far as the weather is concerned, I do not think it matters./ •/As far as he was concerned, things were going well./ 2. To the extent that; within the limit that. •/He has no brothers so far as I know./ Compare: FOR ALL(2).

[as far as that goes] or [as far as that is concerned] or [so far as that is concerned] also [so far as that goes] {adv. phr.} While we are talking about it; also; actually. •/You don’t have to worry about the girls. Mary can take care of herself, and as far as that goes, Susan is pretty independent, too./ •/I didn’t enjoy the movie, and so far as that is concerned, I never like horror movies./ Syn.: FOR THAT MATTER, IN FACT. Compare: COME TO THINK OF IT.

[as follows] A list of things that come next; what is listed next. — Followed by a colon. •/My grocery list is as follows: bread, butter, meat, eggs, sugar./ •/The names of the members are as follows: John Smith, Mary Webb, Linda Long, Ralph Harper./ •/The route is as follows: From City Hall go south on Main Street to Elm Street, east on Elm to 5th Street, and south on 5th two blocks to the school./

[as for]{prep.} 1. In regard to; speaking of; concerning. •/We have plenty of bread, and as for butter, we have more than enough./ 2. Speaking for. •/Most people like the summer but as for me, I like winter much better./ Compare: FOR ONE’S PART.

[as good as]{adv. phr.} Nearly the same as; almost. •/She claimed that he as good as promised to marry her./ •/He as good as called me a liar./ •/We’ll get to school on time, we’re as good as there now./ •/The man who had been shot was as good as dead./ — Often used without the first "as" before adjectives. •/When the car was repaired, it looked good as new./