Страница:
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./
[up-to-date] {adj.} Modern; contemporary; the latest that technology
can offer. * /"I want an up-to-date dictionary of American idioms,"
Mr. Lee said, "that has all the latest Americanisms in it."/ Contrast:
STATE-OF-THE-ART.
[up to no good] {adv. phr.} Intending to do something bad;
perpetrating an illicit act. * /We could tell from the look on Dennis
the Menace's face that he was once again up to no good./
[up to one's ears] {adv. phr.} Immersed in; covered with. *
/"Around final examination time," Professor Brown explained, "I am
always up to my ears in work."/
[up to one's neck] {adv. phr.} Overwhelmed with; submerged in. *
/"During the summer season in our cottage by the lake," the Allens
complained, "we are usually up to our necks in uninvited guests."/
Compare: UP TO ONE'S EARS.
[up to par] or {informal} [up to scratch] or {informal} [up to
snuff] 1. In good or normal health or physical condition. * /I have a
cold and don't feel up to par./ * /The boxer is training for the fight
but he isn't up to scratch yet./ 2. or [up to the mark] As good as
usual; up to the usual level or quality. * /The TV program was not up
to par tonight./ * /John will have to work hard to bring his grades up
to snuff./ Compare: MEASURE UP.
[up to scratch] See: UP TO FAR.
[up to snuff] See: UP TO PAR.
[up to the chin in] or [in --- up to the chin] {adj. phr.},
{informal} Used also with "ears", "elbows", "eyes" or "knees" instead
of "chin", and with a possessive instead of "the". 1. Having a big or
important part in; guilty of; not innocent of; deeply in. * /Was Tom
mixed up in that trouble last night? He was up to his ears in it./ *
/Mr. Johnson is up to the eyes in debt./ * /Mrs. Smith is in debt up
to her chin./ Compare: TO THE HILT. 2. Very busy with; working hard
at. * /Bob is up to his neck in homework./ * /They are up to their
elbows in business before Christmas./ 3. Having very much or many of;
flooded with. * /Mary was up to her knees in invitations to go to
parties./ Compare: KNEE-DEEP.
[up to the hilt] See: TO THE HILT.
[up to the last minute] {adv. phr.} Until the last possible moment;
until the very end. * /When I try to send in an important eyewitness
report from the scene of a major accident, I must keep working up to
the last minute./ Compare: TO THE BITTER END, UNDER THE WIRE.
[up to the mark] See: UP TO PAR(2).
[up-to-the-minute] See: UP-TO-DATE.
[urban homesteading] {n.}, {informal} Renovation and occupation
through cooperative ownership by tenants of previously abandoned city
apartment buildings. * /Urban homesteading is on the rise in many big
American cities these days./
[use] See: NO USE, PUT TO USE.
[used to(1)] {adj. phr.} In the habit of or familiar with. *
/People get used to smoking and it is hard for them to stop./ *
/Farmers are used to working outdoors in the winter./ * /After my eyes
became used to the dim light in the cave, I saw an old shovel on the
ground./ * /On the hike Bob soon got tired, but Dick did not because
he was used to walking./
[used to(2)] or [did use to] {v. phr.} Did formerly; did in the
past. - Usually used with an infinitive to tell about something past.
* /Uncle Henry used to have a beard, but he shaved it off./ * /Did
your father use to work at the bank?/ * /People used to say that
tomatoes were poison./ - Sometimes used without the infinitive. * /I
don't go to that school any more, but I used to./ * /We don't visit
Helen as much as we used to./ * /I used to go to the movies often. Did
you use to?/
[used to be] or [did use to be] {v. phr.} Formerly or once was. *
/Mary used to be small; but she has grown up./ * /Dick used to be the
best pitcher on the team last year; now two other pitchers are better
than he is./
[use every trick in the book] {v. phr.}, {informal} To avail
oneself of any means at all in order to achieve one's goal, not
exclusive of possibly immoral or illegal acts. * /Algernon used every
trick in the book to get Maxine to go out with him, but she kept
refusing./
[use one's head] or {slang} [use one's bean] or {slang} [use one's
noodle] or {slang} use [one's noggin] {v. phr.} To use your brain or
mind; think; have common sense. - Often used as a command. * /If you
used your bean you wouldn't be in trouble now./ * /Never point a gun
at anybody, John. Use your head!/
[use up] {v. phr.} 1. To use until nothing is left; spend or
consume completely. * /Don't use up all the soap. Leave me some to
wash with./ * /Jack used up his last dollar to see the movies./
Compare: GIVE OUT(5). 2. {informal} To tire completely; make very
tired; exhaust; leave no strength or force in. - Usually used in the
passive. * /After rowing the boat across the lake, Robert was used
up./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), WEAR OUT.
[utility room] {n.} A room in a house or building for machinery and
other things important in the daily use of the building and the work
of the people in it. * /There is a utility room upstairs where Mother
does the laundry./ * /The oil burner is kept in the utility room in
the basement./
[vain] See: IN VAIN, TAKE ONE'S NAME IN VAIN.
[valor] See: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.
[value] See: FACE VALUE.
[vanish into thin air] See: DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR.
[vanishing cream] {n.} A cosmetic cream for the skin that is used
chiefly before face powder. * /Mrs. Jones spread vanishing cream on
her face before applying her face powder./
[vanity case] {n.} 1. A small case containing face powder,
lipstick, and other things and usually carried in a woman's handbag; a
compact. * /She took out her vanity case and put lipstick on./ 2. A
handbag or a small bag carried by a woman and holding various toilet
articles. * /She had the porter carry her big bags and she herself
carried her vanity case./
[variety show] {n.} A program that includes several different kinds
of entertainment (as songs, dances, comic skits and little dramas). *
/Jane's father was the master of ceremonies of a variety show on TV./
[variety store] {n.} A store that sells many different kinds of
things, especially items that are fairly small and in everyday use. *
/I went into a variety store and bought some paint./ * /Five-and-ten
cent stores are a kind of variety store./
[vein] See: FREEZE ONE'S BLOOD or FREEZE THE BLOOD IN ONE'S VEINS,
FREEZE ONE'S VEINS.
[verbal diarrhea] {n. phr.} The inability to keep silent;
over-talkativeness. * /Archibald is a nice guy but he's got verbal
diarrhea and he can't shut up for a single minute./
[very] See: ALL VERY WELL.
[very well] {interj.}, {formal} Agreed; all right. - Used to show
agreement or approval. * /Very well. You may go./ * /Very well, I will
do as you say./ Compare: ALL RIGHT(2).
[vibrations] or [vibes] {n.} Psychic emanations radiating from an
object, situation, or person. * /I don't think this relationship will
work out - this guy has given me bad vibes./
[vicious circle] {n. phr.} A kind of circular or chain reaction in
which one negative thing leads to another. * /Some people take so many
different kinds of medicine to cure an illness that they develop other
illnesses from the medicine and are thus caught in a vicious circle./
[Vietnam syndrome] {n.}, {informal} An attitude in government
circles that diplomacy may be more effective in solving local
political problems in other countries than the use of military force,
stemming from the failure of the U.S. military intervention in
Vietnam. * /The pundits of Foggy Bottom display the Vietnam syndrome
these days when it comes to Iran./
[view] See: IN VIEW, IN VIEW OF, TAKE A DIM VIEW OF.
[vine] See: DIE ON THE VINE or WITHER ON THE VINE, CLINGING VINE.
[virtue] See: BY VIRTUE OF, MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY.
[visiting nurse] {n.} A nurse who goes from home to home taking
care of sick people or giving help with other health problems. *
/After John returned home from the hospital, the visiting nurse came
each day to change his bandages./
[voice] See: AT THE TOP OF ONE'S VOICE, GIVE VOICE.
[voice box] {n.} The part of the throat where the sound of your
voice is made; the larynx. * /Mr. Smith's voice box was taken out in
an operation, and he could not talk after that./
[voiceprint] {n.}, {technological}, {colloquial} The graphic
pattern derived from converting an individual's voice into a visible
graph used by the police for identification purposes, much as
fingerprints. * /They have succeeded in identifying the murderer by
using a voiceprint./
[volcano] See: SIT ON A VOLCANO.
[volume] See: SPEAK VOLUMES.
[vote a straight ticket] {v. phr.} To not differentiate one's
ballot according to individual names and posts, but to vote for all
candidates for all positions of the same party. * /"I never have
time.to study the ballot in detail," Marie said, "and so I tend to
vote a straight Republican ticket."/
[vote in] {v. phr.} To elevate to the status of "Law of the Land"
by special or general ballot. * /Congress has finally voted in the
Brady Law that requires that prospective gun owners wait a special
period of time before making their purchase./
[vote one out] {v. phr.} To terminate one's elected office by
casting a negative vote about that person (judge, congressman, etc.),
mostly so that someone else might occupy the same position. *
/Congressman Smith was voted out last November in favor of
Congresswoman Bradley./
[wade in] or [wade into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To go busily to work.
* /The house was a mess after the party, but Mother waded in and soon
had it clean again./ 2. To attack. * /When Bill had heard Jim's
argument, he waded in and took it apart./ * /Jack waded into the boys
with his fists flying./
[wade through] {v. phr.} To read through something long and
laborious. * /It took John six months to wade through Tolstoy's War
and Peace in the original Russian./
[wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG or TONGUES WAG.
[wagon] See: FIX SOMEONE'S WAGON, HITCH ONE'S WAGON TO A STAR, JUMP
ON THE BAND WAGON, OFF THE WAGON, ON THE WAGON.
[wag one's chin] See: BEAT ONE'S GUMS, CHEW THE FAT, CHEW THE RAG,
SHOOT THE BREEZE.
[wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.
[wait at table] or [wait on table] or [wait table] {v. phr.} To
serve food. * /Mrs. Lake had to teach her new maid to wait on table
properly./ * /The girls earn spending money by waiting at table in the
school dining rooms./
[waiting list] {n.} A list of persons waiting to get into something
(as a school). * /The nursery school enrollment was complete, so the
director put our child's name on the waiting list./ * /The landlord
said there were no vacant apartments available, but that he would put
the Rogers' name on the waiting list./
[waiting room] {n. phr.} The sitting area in a doctor's, lawyer's,
accountant's, etc. office, or in a hospital, or other workplace, where
people wait their turn. * /Some doctor's offices have elegantly
furnished waiting rooms with magazines, newspapers, and coffee for the
patients./
[wait on] or [wait upon] {v.} 1. To serve. * /Sue has a summer job
waiting on an invalid./ * /The clerk in the store asked if we had been
waited upon./ 2. {formal} To visit as a courtesy or for business. *
/We waited upon the widow out of respect for her husband./ * /John
waited upon the President with a letter of introduction./ 3. To
follow. * /Success waits on hard work./
[wait on hand and foot] {v. phr.} To serve in every possible way;
do everything for (someone). * /Sally is spoiled because her mother
waits on her hand and foot./ * /The gentlemen had a valet to wait on
him hand and foot./ Compare: HAND AND FOOT.
[wait on table] See: WAIT AT TABLE.
[wait up] {v. phr.} To not go to bed until a person one is worried
about comes home (said by parents and marriage partners). * /My mother
always waited up for me when I went out as a young student./ * /She
always waits up for her husband when he's out late./
[wait upon] See: WAIT ON.
[wake] See: IN THE WAKE OF.
[walk] See: WIN IN A WALK.
[walk all over] See: WALK OVER.
[walk a tightrope] {v. phr.} To be in a dangerous or awkward
situation where one cannot afford to make a single mistake. * /"When
we landed on the moon in 1969," Armstrong explained, "we were walking
a tightrope till the very end."/
[walk away with] or [walk off with] {v.} 1. To take and go away
with; take away; often: steal. * /When Father went to work, he
accidentally walked off with Mother's umbrella./ * /How can a thief
walk off with a safe in broad daylight?/ 2. To take, get, or win
easily. * /Jim walked away with all the honors on Class Night./ * /Our
team walked off with the championship./
[walking dictionary] {n. phr.} A person highly knowledgeable in
matters of language use. * /If you want to know what "serendipity"
means, ask my Uncle Fred. He is a professor of English and is also a
walking dictionary./
[walking encyclopedia] {n. phr.} A polymath; a person very well
versed in a number of different disciplines. * /My uncle is a
veritable walking encyclopedia when it comes to the history of World
War II./ Contrast: WALKING DICTIONARY.
[walking papers] or [walking orders] also [walking ticket] {n.},
{informal} A statement that you are fired from your job; dismissal. *
/The boss was not satisfied with Paul's work and gave him his walking
papers./ * /George is out of work. He picked up his walking ticket
last Friday./
[walk off with] See: WALK AWAY WITH.
[walk of life] {n. phr.} Way of living; manner in which people
live. * /Many rich people have yachts; people in their walk of life
can afford them./ * /The banker did not want his son to marry a girl
in a different walk of life./ * /People from every walk of life enjoy
television./ Compare: THE TRACKS.
[walk on air] {v. phr.}, {informal} To feel happy and excited. *
/Sue has been walking on air since she won the prize./ * /His father's
compliment left Jed walking on air./ Compare: ON CLOUD NINE, ON TOP OF
THE WORLD.
[walk on eggs] {v. phr.} To act with utmost caution due to being in
a precarious position. * /Tom has been walking on eggs ever since he
started working for a new boss in Cincinnati./
[walk out] {v.} 1. To go on strike. * /When the company would not
give them higher pay, the workers walked out./ 2. To leave suddenly;
especially to desert. * /He didn't say he wasn't coming back; he just
walked out./ - Often used informally with "on". * /The man walked out
on his wife and children./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, LEAVE IN THE LURCH.
[walk over] or [walk all over] or [step all over] {v. phr.}
{informal} To make (someone) do whatever you wish; make selfish use
of; treat like a slave; impose upon. * /Jill is so friendly and
helpful that people walk all over her./ * /We wanted the man's
business, so we let him step all over us./ Compare: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark]
To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. * /That
new teacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ * /In some
classes the students play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the
chalk./ * /That theater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if
boys and girls don't walk the chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact
that sailors used to be asked to walk a chalk line along the deck of
the ship to prove they were not drunk.) Compare: TOE THE MARK.
[walk the floor] {v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the other
across the floor, again and again; pace. * /Mr. Black walked the
floor, trying to reach a decision./ * /The sick baby had his mother
walking the floor all night./ * /Mrs. Black's toothache hurt so much
that she got up and walked the floor./
[walk the plank] {v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over the
side of a ship and be drowned. * /The pirates captured the ship and
forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job
because someone makes you do it. * /When a new owner bought the store,
the manager had to walk the plank./
[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE'S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB
THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL,
STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.
[wallflower] {n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody
is asking her to dance. * /"I used to be a wallflower during my high
school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once
I got into college."/
[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.
[walls have ears] Sometimes one's most confidential conversations
are overheard. * /"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember
that walls have ears."/
[want ad] {n.} A small advertisement on a special page in a
newspaper that offers employment opportunities and merchandise. *
/"You want a temporary job?" he asked the recent arrival in town. "Go
and look at the want ads!"/
[war] See: COLD WAR, TUG OF WAR.
[war baby] {n.}, {informal} A person born during a war. * /War
babies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ *
/The war babies forced many towns to build new schools./
[ward off] {v. phr.} To deflect; avert. * /Vitamin C is known to
ward off the common cold./
[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.
[warm one's blood] {v. phr.} To make you feel warm or excited. *
/When the Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered
them a drink to warm their blood./
[warm the bench] {v. phr.}, {informal} To act as a substitute on an
athletic team. * /Bill has been warming the bench for three football
seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year./ -
[bench warmer] {n.}, {informal} A substitute player. * /Last year Ted
was only a bench warmer, but this year he is the team's star pitcher./
[warm up] {v.} 1. To reheat cooked food. * /Mr. Jones was so late
that his dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ * /When the
children had left for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast
coffee./ 2. To become friendly or interested. * /It takes an hour or
so for some children to warm up to strangers./ * /As he warmed up to
his subject, Tom forgot his bashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game
or other event by exercising or practicing. * /The dancers began to
warm up fifteen minutes before the performance./ * /The coach told us
to warm up before entering the pool./
[warm-up] {n.} A period of exercise or practice in preparation for
a game or other event. * /During the warm-up the baseball players were
throwing the ball around and running up and down the side of the
field./ * /Before the television quiz program, there was a warm-up to
prepare the contestants./
[warpath] See: ON THE WARPATH.
[warrant] See: SIGN ONE'S OWN DEATH WARRANT.
[wash and wear] {adj.} Not needing to be ironed. - Refers
especially to synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. * /Dick bought
three wash and wear shirts to take on his trip./ * /Sally's dress is
made of a wash and wear fabric./
[washed out] {adj.} Listless in appearance; pale, wan. * /Small
wonder Harry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major
surgery./
[washed up] {adj.} Ruined; finished; a failure. * /Harry is looking
awfully sad. I hear his business has collapsed and he is all washed
up./
[wash one's dirty linen in public] See: AIR ONE'S DIRTY LINEN IN
PUBLIC.
[wash one's hands of] {v. phr.} To withdraw from or refuse to be
responsible for. * /We washed our hands of politics long ago./ * /The
school washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring
recess./
[washout] {n.} A dismal failure. * /As far as investments were
concerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total
washout./
[wash out] {v. phr.} To disappear; vanish. * /Do you think this
stain will wash out?/
[waste] See: GO TO WASTE, LAY WASTE.
[waste away] {v.} To become more thin and weak every day. * /Jane
is wasting away with tuberculosis./ * /After Mrs. Barnes died, her
husband wasted away with grief./
[waste one's breath] {v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result;
do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her
breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want.
You're wasting your breath./
[watch] See: BIRD WATCHER, BEAR WATCHING, ON THE WATCH.
[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get
done or to happen, it seems to take forever. - A proverb. * /Jane was
nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said,
"You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never
boils, you know!"/
[watcher] See: CLOCK WATCHER.
[watch every penny] See: PINCH PENNIES.
[watch it] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be careful. - Usually used as a
command. * /You'd better watch it. If you get into trouble again,
you'll be expelled./ * /Watch it - the bottom stair is loose!/
[watch one's dust] or [watch one's smoke] {v. phr.}, {slang} To
notice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. * /Offer
Bill a dollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ * /"We'll
have your yard cleaned in a jiffy," the Boy Scouts told Mr. Truitt.
"Watch our smoke!"/ * /"I can go to the store and be back in five
minutes," bragged Tom. "Just watch my dust."/
[watch one's language] {v. phr.} To be careful of how one speaks;
avoid saying impolite or vulgar things. * /"You boys watch your
language," Mother said, "or you won't be watching television for a
whole week!"/
[watch one's step] {v. phr.} To mend one's ways; exercise prudence,
tact, and care. * /I have to watch my step with the new boss as he is
a very proud and sensitive individual./
[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.
[watch over] {v. phr.} To guard; take care of. * /The museum guards
carefully watch over the world-famous paintings./
[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER,
DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD
ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER,
LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK, MAKE ONE'S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST
WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS, THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.
[water down] {v.} To change and make weaker; weaken. * /The Senator
argued that the House should water down the bill before passing it./ *
/The African American did not accept watered down Civil Rights
legislation./ * /After talking with the management about their
demands, the workers agreed to water them down./ * /The teacher had to
water down the course for a slow-learning class./
[watered down] {adj.} Weakened; diluted. * /The play was a
disappointing, watered down version of Shakespeare's Othello./
[waterfront] See: COVER THE WATERFRONT.
[watering hole] or [place] {n. phr.} A bar, pub, or nightclub where
people gather to drink and socialize. * /I like "The Silver Dollar" -
it is my favorite watering hole in all of Sidney, Nebraska./
[Waterloo] See: MEET ONE'S WATERLOO.
[water over the dam] or [water under the bridge] {n. phr.}
Something that happened in the past and cannot be changed. * /Since
the sweater is too small already, don't worry about its shrinking;
that's water over the dam./ Compare: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.
[water under the bridge] See: WATER OVER THE DAM.
[water wagon] See: ON THE WAGON.
[way] See: ALL THE WAY or THE WHOLE WAY, BY THE WAY, BY WAY OF,
COME A LONG WAY, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, EVERY WHICH WAY, FROM
WAY BACK, GO OUT OF ONE'S WAY, HARD WAY, HAVE A WAY WITH, IN A BAD
WAY, IN A BIG WAY, IN A FAMILY WAY, IN A WAY, IN ONE'S WAY or IN THE
WAY, KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND or KNOW ONE'S WAY ABOUT, LEAD THE WAY, MAKE
ONE'S WAY, MAKE WAY, NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT,
ON THE WAY or ON ONE'S WAY, PARTING OF THE WAYS, PUT IN THE WAY OF or
PUT IN ONE'S WAY, PUT OUT OF THE WAY, RUB THE WRONG WAY, SEE ONE'S WAY
CLEAR.
[way off] {adj. phr.} At a great distance from a particular point
(said of a discrepancy). * /We were way off on our calculations; the
house cost us twice as much as we had thought./
[wayside] See: FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.
[way the wind blows] or [how the wind blows] {n. phr.} The
direction or course something may go; how things are; what may happen.
* /Most senators find put which way the wind blows in their home state
before voting on bills in Congress./
[ways and means] {n. plural} Methods of getting something done or
getting money; how something can be done and paid for. * /The boys
were trying to think of ways and means to go camping for the weekend./
* /The United States Senate has a committee on ways and means./
[wear] See: IF THE SHOE FITS - WEAR IT, WASH AND WEAR, WORSE FOR
WEAR.
[wear and tear] {n. phr.} Deterioration through use. * /After
75,000 miles there is usually a lot of wear and tear on any car./
[wear away] See: WEAR DOWN.
[wear blinders] or [blinkers] {v. phr.} To refuse or be unable to
consider alternative ways of thinking or acting. * /Anybody who
disputes the importance of learning languages is wearing blinders./
[wear down], [wear off] or [wear away] {v.} 1. To remove or
disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of
weather. * /Time and weather have worn off the name on the
gravestone./ * /The eraser has worn off my pencil./ * /The grass has
worn away from the path near the house./ 2. To lessen; become less
little by little. * /The people went home as the excitement of the
fire wore off./ * /John could feel the pain again as the dentist's
medicine wore away./ 3. To exhaust; tire out, win over or persuade by
making tired. * /Mary wore her mother down by begging so that she let
Mary go to the movies./ Compare: DIE OUT.
[wear on] {v.} 1. To anger or annoy; tire. * /Having to stay
indoors all day long is tiresome for the children and wears on their
mother's nerves./ 2. To drag on; pass gradually or slowly; continue in
the same old way. * /Johnny tried to wait up for Santa Claus but as
the night wore on, he couldn't keep his eyes open./ * /As the years
wore on, the man in prison grew old./ * /The boys' quarrel wore on all
afternoon./
[wear one's heart on one's sleeve] also [pin one's heart on one's
sleeve] {v. phr.} To show your feelings openly; show everyone how you
feel; not hide your feelings. * /She wears her heart on her sleeve.
It's easy to see if she is sad or happy./ * /Sometimes it is better
not to pin your heart on your sleeve./ Compare: OPEN ONE'S HEART.
[wear out] {v.} 1a. To use or wear until useless. * /Bobby got a
toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he
soon wore it out./ * /The stockings are so worn out that they can't be
mended any more./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), USE UP. 1b. To become useless
from use or wear. * /The old clock finally wore out./ * /One shoe wore
out before the other./ 2. or [tire out] To make very tired; weaken. *
/The children played inside when it rained, and they soon wore out
their mother./ * /When Dick got home from the long walk, he was all
worn out./ - Often used with "oneself". * /Don't wear yourself out by
playing too hard./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4). 3. To make by rubbing,
scraping, or washing. * /The waterfall has worn out a hole in the
stone beneath it./
[wear out one's welcome] {v. phr.}, {informal} To visit somewhere
too long or come back too often so that you are not welcome any more.
* /The Smith children have worn out their welcome at our house because
they never want to go home./ * /This hot weather has worn out its
welcome with us./
[wear the trousers] or [wear the pants] {v. phr.}, {informal} To
have a man's authority; be the boss of a family or household. * /Mr.
Wilson is henpecked by his wife; she wears the trousers in that
family./ * /Mrs. Jones talks a lot but Mr. Jones wears the pants in
their house./ Compare: RULE THE ROOST.
[wear thin] {v.} 1. To become thin from use, wearing, or the
passing of time. * /My old pair of pants has worn thin at the knees./
* /This old dime has worn very thin./ 2. To grow less, or less
interesting; decrease. * /The joke began to wear thin when you heard
it too many times./ * /The teacher's patience began to wear thin when
he saw that no one knew the lesson./
[wear well] {v.} 1. To continue to be satisfactory, useful, or
liked for a long time. * /My old overcoat has worn very well./ *
/Their marriage has worn well./ * /That author wears well./ Compare:
STAND UP(2). 2. To carry, accept, or treat properly or well. *
/Grandfather wears his years well./ * /Tommy has won many honors but
he wears them well./
[weasel out] {v. phr.} To renege on a previous promise; not keep an
obligation for some not always straight reason. * /I'm so tired I
think I am going to weasel my way out of going to that meeting this
afternoon./
[weasel word] {n.}, {informal} A word which has more than one
meaning and may be used to deceive others. * /When the thief was being
questioned by the police, he tried to fool them with weasel words./
[weather] See: FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND.
[weather eye] {n.} 1. Eyes that can tell what the weather will be.
* /Grandfather's weather eye always tells him when it will rain./ 2.
Eyes ready or quick to see; careful watch. - Usually used in phrases
like "keep a weather eye on", "open", or "out for". * /Mrs. Brown kept
a weather eye on the children so they wouldn't hurt each other./ *
/Keep a weather eye out for Uncle George at the store./ * /Keep a
weather eye open for deer./ * /The police have a weather eye out for
the robbers./ Compare: LOOK OUT.
[weather the storm] {v. phr.} To survive some disaster. * /When
Peter and Sue started their business they had very little money, but
in a year they weathered the storm./
[wedge] See: FLYING WEDGE.
[wedlock] See: BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK.
[wee hours] The crack of dawn, or just before it, usually between 1
A.M. and 4 A.M. or 2 A.M. and 5 A.M. * /He stayed up all night when
they were expecting their first child; finally, a boy was born in the
wee hours of the morning./ Compare: SMALL HOURS.
[weeper] See: FINDERS KEEPERS or FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS.
[weed out] {v.} 1. To remove what is unwanted, harmful, or not good
enough from. * /Mother weeded out the library because there were too
many books./ * /Many colleges and universities weed out their freshman
classes to make room for better students./ 2. To take (what is not
wanted) from a collection or group; remove (a part) for the purpose of
improving a collection or group; get rid of. * /The coach is weeding
out the weak players this week./ * /The teacher told Elizabeth to read
over her English composition and weed out every sentence that was not
about the subject./
[wee folk] or [little folk] or [little people] {n. phr.} Fairy
people; brownies; elves; fairies; or goblins. * /Mother read me a
story about the wee folk who lived in the forest and came out at
night./ * /There are many stories about little people dancing in the
moonlight./
[week in, week out] See: DAY IN, AND DAY OUT.
[week of Sundays] {n. phr.} A long time; seven weeks. * /I haven't
seen them in a week of Sundays./
[weigh anchor] {v. phr.} To set sail; get going. * /After a week in
Hawaii, we weighed anchor and sailed south toward Tahiti./
[weigh down] also [weight down] 1. To make heavy; cause to go down
or bend with weight; overload. * /The evergreens are weighed down by
the deep snow./ - Often used with "with" or "by". * /There are so many
children in the back seat that they are weighing down the back of the
car./ 2a. To overload with care or worry; make sad or low in spirits.
- Usually used in the passive. * /The family is weighed down by
sorrow./ * /The company is weighed down by debt./ 2b. To make heavy,
hard, or slow; make dull or uninteresting. - Often in the passive used
with "by" or "with". * /The book is weighted down with footnotes./ *
/The TV program is weighed down by commercials./
[weigh in] {v.} 1a. To take the weight of; weigh. * /The man at the
airport counter weighed in our bags and took our plane tickets./ * /A
doctor weighed in the wrestlers./ 1b. To have yourself or something
that you own weighed. - Often used with "at". * /I weighed in at 100
pounds on the scale today./ * /We took our bags to the airport counter
to weigh in./ 1c. To have yourself weighed as a boxer or wrestler by a
doctor before a match. - Often used with "at". * /The champion didn't
want to weigh in at more than 160 pounds./ 2. {slang} To join or
interfere in a fight, argument, or discussion. * /We told Jack that if
we wanted him to weigh in with his opinion we would ask him./ Compare:
TAKE PART.
[weigh on] or [weigh upon] {v.} 1. To be a weight or pressure on;
be heavy on. * /The pack weighed heavily on the soldier's back./ 2. To
make sad or worried; trouble; disturb; upset. * /Sadness weighed on
Mary's heart when her kitten died./ * /John's wrongdoing weighed upon
his conscience./ * /The teacher's advice weighed upon Tom's mind./ 3.
To be a burden to. * /His guilt weighed heavily upon him./
[weigh on one's mind] See: WEIGH ON(2).
[weigh one's words] {v. phr.} To choose your words carefully; be
careful to use the right words. * /When a teacher explains about
religion, he must weigh his words because his pupils may be of several
different faiths./ * /When old Mr. Jones talked to the students about
becoming teachers, he spoke slowly, weighing his words./ * /In a
debate, a political candidate has little time to weigh his words, and
may say something foolish./
[weight] See: PULL ONE'S WEIGHT, SWING ONE'S WEIGHT, THROW ONE'S
WEIGHT AROUND.
[weight down] See: WEIGH DOWN.
[weight of the world on one's shoulders] or [world on one's
shoulders] or [world on one's back] {n. phr.} A very heavy load of
worry or responsibility; very tired or worried behavior, as if
carrying the world; behavior as if you are very important. * /Don't
look as if you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, Henry,
just because you have to mow the lawn./ * /John acts as if he were
carrying the world on his back because he has a paper route./
[weigh upon] See: WEIGH ON.
[welcome] See: WEAR OUT ONE'S WELCOME.
[welcome mat] {n.} 1. A mat for wiping your shoes on, often with
the word "welcome" on it, that is placed in front of a door. * /Mother
bought a welcome mat for our new house./ 2. {informal} A warm welcome;
a friendly greeting. - Used in such phrases as "the welcome mat is
out" and "put out the welcome mat". * /Our welcome mat is always out
to our friends./ * /Spread out the welcome mat, children, because
Uncle Bill is visiting us tonight./ Syn.: LATCH STRING(2). Compare:
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET, WITH OPEN ARMS.
[welcome with open arms] See: WITH OPEN ARMS.
[well] See: ALL VERY WELL, AS WELL, AS WELL AS, HAIL FELLOW WELL
MET, LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE, PLAY ONE'S CARDS RIGHT or PLAY ONE'S CARDS
WELL, VERY WELL, WEAR WELL.
[well and good] {adj. phr.} Good; satisfactory. * /If my daughter
finishes high school, I will call that well and good./ - Often used
without a verb to show agreement or understanding. * /Well and good; I
will come to your house tomorrow./ Compare: ALL RIGHT, ALL VERY WELL,
VERY WELL.
[well-heeled] {adj.}, {slang} Wealthy; having plenty of money. *
/Bob's father, who is well-heeled, gave him a sports car./ Compare: IN
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./
[up-to-date] {adj.} Modern; contemporary; the latest that technology
can offer. * /"I want an up-to-date dictionary of American idioms,"
Mr. Lee said, "that has all the latest Americanisms in it."/ Contrast:
STATE-OF-THE-ART.
[up to no good] {adv. phr.} Intending to do something bad;
perpetrating an illicit act. * /We could tell from the look on Dennis
the Menace's face that he was once again up to no good./
[up to one's ears] {adv. phr.} Immersed in; covered with. *
/"Around final examination time," Professor Brown explained, "I am
always up to my ears in work."/
[up to one's neck] {adv. phr.} Overwhelmed with; submerged in. *
/"During the summer season in our cottage by the lake," the Allens
complained, "we are usually up to our necks in uninvited guests."/
Compare: UP TO ONE'S EARS.
[up to par] or {informal} [up to scratch] or {informal} [up to
snuff] 1. In good or normal health or physical condition. * /I have a
cold and don't feel up to par./ * /The boxer is training for the fight
but he isn't up to scratch yet./ 2. or [up to the mark] As good as
usual; up to the usual level or quality. * /The TV program was not up
to par tonight./ * /John will have to work hard to bring his grades up
to snuff./ Compare: MEASURE UP.
[up to scratch] See: UP TO FAR.
[up to snuff] See: UP TO PAR.
[up to the chin in] or [in --- up to the chin] {adj. phr.},
{informal} Used also with "ears", "elbows", "eyes" or "knees" instead
of "chin", and with a possessive instead of "the". 1. Having a big or
important part in; guilty of; not innocent of; deeply in. * /Was Tom
mixed up in that trouble last night? He was up to his ears in it./ *
/Mr. Johnson is up to the eyes in debt./ * /Mrs. Smith is in debt up
to her chin./ Compare: TO THE HILT. 2. Very busy with; working hard
at. * /Bob is up to his neck in homework./ * /They are up to their
elbows in business before Christmas./ 3. Having very much or many of;
flooded with. * /Mary was up to her knees in invitations to go to
parties./ Compare: KNEE-DEEP.
[up to the hilt] See: TO THE HILT.
[up to the last minute] {adv. phr.} Until the last possible moment;
until the very end. * /When I try to send in an important eyewitness
report from the scene of a major accident, I must keep working up to
the last minute./ Compare: TO THE BITTER END, UNDER THE WIRE.
[up to the mark] See: UP TO PAR(2).
[up-to-the-minute] See: UP-TO-DATE.
[urban homesteading] {n.}, {informal} Renovation and occupation
through cooperative ownership by tenants of previously abandoned city
apartment buildings. * /Urban homesteading is on the rise in many big
American cities these days./
[use] See: NO USE, PUT TO USE.
[used to(1)] {adj. phr.} In the habit of or familiar with. *
/People get used to smoking and it is hard for them to stop./ *
/Farmers are used to working outdoors in the winter./ * /After my eyes
became used to the dim light in the cave, I saw an old shovel on the
ground./ * /On the hike Bob soon got tired, but Dick did not because
he was used to walking./
[used to(2)] or [did use to] {v. phr.} Did formerly; did in the
past. - Usually used with an infinitive to tell about something past.
* /Uncle Henry used to have a beard, but he shaved it off./ * /Did
your father use to work at the bank?/ * /People used to say that
tomatoes were poison./ - Sometimes used without the infinitive. * /I
don't go to that school any more, but I used to./ * /We don't visit
Helen as much as we used to./ * /I used to go to the movies often. Did
you use to?/
[used to be] or [did use to be] {v. phr.} Formerly or once was. *
/Mary used to be small; but she has grown up./ * /Dick used to be the
best pitcher on the team last year; now two other pitchers are better
than he is./
[use every trick in the book] {v. phr.}, {informal} To avail
oneself of any means at all in order to achieve one's goal, not
exclusive of possibly immoral or illegal acts. * /Algernon used every
trick in the book to get Maxine to go out with him, but she kept
refusing./
[use one's head] or {slang} [use one's bean] or {slang} [use one's
noodle] or {slang} use [one's noggin] {v. phr.} To use your brain or
mind; think; have common sense. - Often used as a command. * /If you
used your bean you wouldn't be in trouble now./ * /Never point a gun
at anybody, John. Use your head!/
[use up] {v. phr.} 1. To use until nothing is left; spend or
consume completely. * /Don't use up all the soap. Leave me some to
wash with./ * /Jack used up his last dollar to see the movies./
Compare: GIVE OUT(5). 2. {informal} To tire completely; make very
tired; exhaust; leave no strength or force in. - Usually used in the
passive. * /After rowing the boat across the lake, Robert was used
up./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), WEAR OUT.
[utility room] {n.} A room in a house or building for machinery and
other things important in the daily use of the building and the work
of the people in it. * /There is a utility room upstairs where Mother
does the laundry./ * /The oil burner is kept in the utility room in
the basement./
[vain] See: IN VAIN, TAKE ONE'S NAME IN VAIN.
[valor] See: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.
[value] See: FACE VALUE.
[vanish into thin air] See: DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR.
[vanishing cream] {n.} A cosmetic cream for the skin that is used
chiefly before face powder. * /Mrs. Jones spread vanishing cream on
her face before applying her face powder./
[vanity case] {n.} 1. A small case containing face powder,
lipstick, and other things and usually carried in a woman's handbag; a
compact. * /She took out her vanity case and put lipstick on./ 2. A
handbag or a small bag carried by a woman and holding various toilet
articles. * /She had the porter carry her big bags and she herself
carried her vanity case./
[variety show] {n.} A program that includes several different kinds
of entertainment (as songs, dances, comic skits and little dramas). *
/Jane's father was the master of ceremonies of a variety show on TV./
[variety store] {n.} A store that sells many different kinds of
things, especially items that are fairly small and in everyday use. *
/I went into a variety store and bought some paint./ * /Five-and-ten
cent stores are a kind of variety store./
[vein] See: FREEZE ONE'S BLOOD or FREEZE THE BLOOD IN ONE'S VEINS,
FREEZE ONE'S VEINS.
[verbal diarrhea] {n. phr.} The inability to keep silent;
over-talkativeness. * /Archibald is a nice guy but he's got verbal
diarrhea and he can't shut up for a single minute./
[very] See: ALL VERY WELL.
[very well] {interj.}, {formal} Agreed; all right. - Used to show
agreement or approval. * /Very well. You may go./ * /Very well, I will
do as you say./ Compare: ALL RIGHT(2).
[vibrations] or [vibes] {n.} Psychic emanations radiating from an
object, situation, or person. * /I don't think this relationship will
work out - this guy has given me bad vibes./
[vicious circle] {n. phr.} A kind of circular or chain reaction in
which one negative thing leads to another. * /Some people take so many
different kinds of medicine to cure an illness that they develop other
illnesses from the medicine and are thus caught in a vicious circle./
[Vietnam syndrome] {n.}, {informal} An attitude in government
circles that diplomacy may be more effective in solving local
political problems in other countries than the use of military force,
stemming from the failure of the U.S. military intervention in
Vietnam. * /The pundits of Foggy Bottom display the Vietnam syndrome
these days when it comes to Iran./
[view] See: IN VIEW, IN VIEW OF, TAKE A DIM VIEW OF.
[vine] See: DIE ON THE VINE or WITHER ON THE VINE, CLINGING VINE.
[virtue] See: BY VIRTUE OF, MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY.
[visiting nurse] {n.} A nurse who goes from home to home taking
care of sick people or giving help with other health problems. *
/After John returned home from the hospital, the visiting nurse came
each day to change his bandages./
[voice] See: AT THE TOP OF ONE'S VOICE, GIVE VOICE.
[voice box] {n.} The part of the throat where the sound of your
voice is made; the larynx. * /Mr. Smith's voice box was taken out in
an operation, and he could not talk after that./
[voiceprint] {n.}, {technological}, {colloquial} The graphic
pattern derived from converting an individual's voice into a visible
graph used by the police for identification purposes, much as
fingerprints. * /They have succeeded in identifying the murderer by
using a voiceprint./
[volcano] See: SIT ON A VOLCANO.
[volume] See: SPEAK VOLUMES.
[vote a straight ticket] {v. phr.} To not differentiate one's
ballot according to individual names and posts, but to vote for all
candidates for all positions of the same party. * /"I never have
time.to study the ballot in detail," Marie said, "and so I tend to
vote a straight Republican ticket."/
[vote in] {v. phr.} To elevate to the status of "Law of the Land"
by special or general ballot. * /Congress has finally voted in the
Brady Law that requires that prospective gun owners wait a special
period of time before making their purchase./
[vote one out] {v. phr.} To terminate one's elected office by
casting a negative vote about that person (judge, congressman, etc.),
mostly so that someone else might occupy the same position. *
/Congressman Smith was voted out last November in favor of
Congresswoman Bradley./
[wade in] or [wade into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To go busily to work.
* /The house was a mess after the party, but Mother waded in and soon
had it clean again./ 2. To attack. * /When Bill had heard Jim's
argument, he waded in and took it apart./ * /Jack waded into the boys
with his fists flying./
[wade through] {v. phr.} To read through something long and
laborious. * /It took John six months to wade through Tolstoy's War
and Peace in the original Russian./
[wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG or TONGUES WAG.
[wagon] See: FIX SOMEONE'S WAGON, HITCH ONE'S WAGON TO A STAR, JUMP
ON THE BAND WAGON, OFF THE WAGON, ON THE WAGON.
[wag one's chin] See: BEAT ONE'S GUMS, CHEW THE FAT, CHEW THE RAG,
SHOOT THE BREEZE.
[wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.
[wait at table] or [wait on table] or [wait table] {v. phr.} To
serve food. * /Mrs. Lake had to teach her new maid to wait on table
properly./ * /The girls earn spending money by waiting at table in the
school dining rooms./
[waiting list] {n.} A list of persons waiting to get into something
(as a school). * /The nursery school enrollment was complete, so the
director put our child's name on the waiting list./ * /The landlord
said there were no vacant apartments available, but that he would put
the Rogers' name on the waiting list./
[waiting room] {n. phr.} The sitting area in a doctor's, lawyer's,
accountant's, etc. office, or in a hospital, or other workplace, where
people wait their turn. * /Some doctor's offices have elegantly
furnished waiting rooms with magazines, newspapers, and coffee for the
patients./
[wait on] or [wait upon] {v.} 1. To serve. * /Sue has a summer job
waiting on an invalid./ * /The clerk in the store asked if we had been
waited upon./ 2. {formal} To visit as a courtesy or for business. *
/We waited upon the widow out of respect for her husband./ * /John
waited upon the President with a letter of introduction./ 3. To
follow. * /Success waits on hard work./
[wait on hand and foot] {v. phr.} To serve in every possible way;
do everything for (someone). * /Sally is spoiled because her mother
waits on her hand and foot./ * /The gentlemen had a valet to wait on
him hand and foot./ Compare: HAND AND FOOT.
[wait on table] See: WAIT AT TABLE.
[wait up] {v. phr.} To not go to bed until a person one is worried
about comes home (said by parents and marriage partners). * /My mother
always waited up for me when I went out as a young student./ * /She
always waits up for her husband when he's out late./
[wait upon] See: WAIT ON.
[wake] See: IN THE WAKE OF.
[walk] See: WIN IN A WALK.
[walk all over] See: WALK OVER.
[walk a tightrope] {v. phr.} To be in a dangerous or awkward
situation where one cannot afford to make a single mistake. * /"When
we landed on the moon in 1969," Armstrong explained, "we were walking
a tightrope till the very end."/
[walk away with] or [walk off with] {v.} 1. To take and go away
with; take away; often: steal. * /When Father went to work, he
accidentally walked off with Mother's umbrella./ * /How can a thief
walk off with a safe in broad daylight?/ 2. To take, get, or win
easily. * /Jim walked away with all the honors on Class Night./ * /Our
team walked off with the championship./
[walking dictionary] {n. phr.} A person highly knowledgeable in
matters of language use. * /If you want to know what "serendipity"
means, ask my Uncle Fred. He is a professor of English and is also a
walking dictionary./
[walking encyclopedia] {n. phr.} A polymath; a person very well
versed in a number of different disciplines. * /My uncle is a
veritable walking encyclopedia when it comes to the history of World
War II./ Contrast: WALKING DICTIONARY.
[walking papers] or [walking orders] also [walking ticket] {n.},
{informal} A statement that you are fired from your job; dismissal. *
/The boss was not satisfied with Paul's work and gave him his walking
papers./ * /George is out of work. He picked up his walking ticket
last Friday./
[walk off with] See: WALK AWAY WITH.
[walk of life] {n. phr.} Way of living; manner in which people
live. * /Many rich people have yachts; people in their walk of life
can afford them./ * /The banker did not want his son to marry a girl
in a different walk of life./ * /People from every walk of life enjoy
television./ Compare: THE TRACKS.
[walk on air] {v. phr.}, {informal} To feel happy and excited. *
/Sue has been walking on air since she won the prize./ * /His father's
compliment left Jed walking on air./ Compare: ON CLOUD NINE, ON TOP OF
THE WORLD.
[walk on eggs] {v. phr.} To act with utmost caution due to being in
a precarious position. * /Tom has been walking on eggs ever since he
started working for a new boss in Cincinnati./
[walk out] {v.} 1. To go on strike. * /When the company would not
give them higher pay, the workers walked out./ 2. To leave suddenly;
especially to desert. * /He didn't say he wasn't coming back; he just
walked out./ - Often used informally with "on". * /The man walked out
on his wife and children./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, LEAVE IN THE LURCH.
[walk over] or [walk all over] or [step all over] {v. phr.}
{informal} To make (someone) do whatever you wish; make selfish use
of; treat like a slave; impose upon. * /Jill is so friendly and
helpful that people walk all over her./ * /We wanted the man's
business, so we let him step all over us./ Compare: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark]
To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. * /That
new teacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ * /In some
classes the students play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the
chalk./ * /That theater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if
boys and girls don't walk the chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact
that sailors used to be asked to walk a chalk line along the deck of
the ship to prove they were not drunk.) Compare: TOE THE MARK.
[walk the floor] {v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the other
across the floor, again and again; pace. * /Mr. Black walked the
floor, trying to reach a decision./ * /The sick baby had his mother
walking the floor all night./ * /Mrs. Black's toothache hurt so much
that she got up and walked the floor./
[walk the plank] {v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over the
side of a ship and be drowned. * /The pirates captured the ship and
forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job
because someone makes you do it. * /When a new owner bought the store,
the manager had to walk the plank./
[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE'S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB
THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL,
STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.
[wallflower] {n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody
is asking her to dance. * /"I used to be a wallflower during my high
school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once
I got into college."/
[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.
[walls have ears] Sometimes one's most confidential conversations
are overheard. * /"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember
that walls have ears."/
[want ad] {n.} A small advertisement on a special page in a
newspaper that offers employment opportunities and merchandise. *
/"You want a temporary job?" he asked the recent arrival in town. "Go
and look at the want ads!"/
[war] See: COLD WAR, TUG OF WAR.
[war baby] {n.}, {informal} A person born during a war. * /War
babies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ *
/The war babies forced many towns to build new schools./
[ward off] {v. phr.} To deflect; avert. * /Vitamin C is known to
ward off the common cold./
[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.
[warm one's blood] {v. phr.} To make you feel warm or excited. *
/When the Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered
them a drink to warm their blood./
[warm the bench] {v. phr.}, {informal} To act as a substitute on an
athletic team. * /Bill has been warming the bench for three football
seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year./ -
[bench warmer] {n.}, {informal} A substitute player. * /Last year Ted
was only a bench warmer, but this year he is the team's star pitcher./
[warm up] {v.} 1. To reheat cooked food. * /Mr. Jones was so late
that his dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ * /When the
children had left for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast
coffee./ 2. To become friendly or interested. * /It takes an hour or
so for some children to warm up to strangers./ * /As he warmed up to
his subject, Tom forgot his bashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game
or other event by exercising or practicing. * /The dancers began to
warm up fifteen minutes before the performance./ * /The coach told us
to warm up before entering the pool./
[warm-up] {n.} A period of exercise or practice in preparation for
a game or other event. * /During the warm-up the baseball players were
throwing the ball around and running up and down the side of the
field./ * /Before the television quiz program, there was a warm-up to
prepare the contestants./
[warpath] See: ON THE WARPATH.
[warrant] See: SIGN ONE'S OWN DEATH WARRANT.
[wash and wear] {adj.} Not needing to be ironed. - Refers
especially to synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. * /Dick bought
three wash and wear shirts to take on his trip./ * /Sally's dress is
made of a wash and wear fabric./
[washed out] {adj.} Listless in appearance; pale, wan. * /Small
wonder Harry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major
surgery./
[washed up] {adj.} Ruined; finished; a failure. * /Harry is looking
awfully sad. I hear his business has collapsed and he is all washed
up./
[wash one's dirty linen in public] See: AIR ONE'S DIRTY LINEN IN
PUBLIC.
[wash one's hands of] {v. phr.} To withdraw from or refuse to be
responsible for. * /We washed our hands of politics long ago./ * /The
school washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring
recess./
[washout] {n.} A dismal failure. * /As far as investments were
concerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total
washout./
[wash out] {v. phr.} To disappear; vanish. * /Do you think this
stain will wash out?/
[waste] See: GO TO WASTE, LAY WASTE.
[waste away] {v.} To become more thin and weak every day. * /Jane
is wasting away with tuberculosis./ * /After Mrs. Barnes died, her
husband wasted away with grief./
[waste one's breath] {v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result;
do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her
breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want.
You're wasting your breath./
[watch] See: BIRD WATCHER, BEAR WATCHING, ON THE WATCH.
[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get
done or to happen, it seems to take forever. - A proverb. * /Jane was
nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said,
"You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never
boils, you know!"/
[watcher] See: CLOCK WATCHER.
[watch every penny] See: PINCH PENNIES.
[watch it] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be careful. - Usually used as a
command. * /You'd better watch it. If you get into trouble again,
you'll be expelled./ * /Watch it - the bottom stair is loose!/
[watch one's dust] or [watch one's smoke] {v. phr.}, {slang} To
notice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. * /Offer
Bill a dollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ * /"We'll
have your yard cleaned in a jiffy," the Boy Scouts told Mr. Truitt.
"Watch our smoke!"/ * /"I can go to the store and be back in five
minutes," bragged Tom. "Just watch my dust."/
[watch one's language] {v. phr.} To be careful of how one speaks;
avoid saying impolite or vulgar things. * /"You boys watch your
language," Mother said, "or you won't be watching television for a
whole week!"/
[watch one's step] {v. phr.} To mend one's ways; exercise prudence,
tact, and care. * /I have to watch my step with the new boss as he is
a very proud and sensitive individual./
[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.
[watch over] {v. phr.} To guard; take care of. * /The museum guards
carefully watch over the world-famous paintings./
[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER,
DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD
ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER,
LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK, MAKE ONE'S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST
WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS, THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.
[water down] {v.} To change and make weaker; weaken. * /The Senator
argued that the House should water down the bill before passing it./ *
/The African American did not accept watered down Civil Rights
legislation./ * /After talking with the management about their
demands, the workers agreed to water them down./ * /The teacher had to
water down the course for a slow-learning class./
[watered down] {adj.} Weakened; diluted. * /The play was a
disappointing, watered down version of Shakespeare's Othello./
[waterfront] See: COVER THE WATERFRONT.
[watering hole] or [place] {n. phr.} A bar, pub, or nightclub where
people gather to drink and socialize. * /I like "The Silver Dollar" -
it is my favorite watering hole in all of Sidney, Nebraska./
[Waterloo] See: MEET ONE'S WATERLOO.
[water over the dam] or [water under the bridge] {n. phr.}
Something that happened in the past and cannot be changed. * /Since
the sweater is too small already, don't worry about its shrinking;
that's water over the dam./ Compare: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.
[water under the bridge] See: WATER OVER THE DAM.
[water wagon] See: ON THE WAGON.
[way] See: ALL THE WAY or THE WHOLE WAY, BY THE WAY, BY WAY OF,
COME A LONG WAY, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, EVERY WHICH WAY, FROM
WAY BACK, GO OUT OF ONE'S WAY, HARD WAY, HAVE A WAY WITH, IN A BAD
WAY, IN A BIG WAY, IN A FAMILY WAY, IN A WAY, IN ONE'S WAY or IN THE
WAY, KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND or KNOW ONE'S WAY ABOUT, LEAD THE WAY, MAKE
ONE'S WAY, MAKE WAY, NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT,
ON THE WAY or ON ONE'S WAY, PARTING OF THE WAYS, PUT IN THE WAY OF or
PUT IN ONE'S WAY, PUT OUT OF THE WAY, RUB THE WRONG WAY, SEE ONE'S WAY
CLEAR.
[way off] {adj. phr.} At a great distance from a particular point
(said of a discrepancy). * /We were way off on our calculations; the
house cost us twice as much as we had thought./
[wayside] See: FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.
[way the wind blows] or [how the wind blows] {n. phr.} The
direction or course something may go; how things are; what may happen.
* /Most senators find put which way the wind blows in their home state
before voting on bills in Congress./
[ways and means] {n. plural} Methods of getting something done or
getting money; how something can be done and paid for. * /The boys
were trying to think of ways and means to go camping for the weekend./
* /The United States Senate has a committee on ways and means./
[wear] See: IF THE SHOE FITS - WEAR IT, WASH AND WEAR, WORSE FOR
WEAR.
[wear and tear] {n. phr.} Deterioration through use. * /After
75,000 miles there is usually a lot of wear and tear on any car./
[wear away] See: WEAR DOWN.
[wear blinders] or [blinkers] {v. phr.} To refuse or be unable to
consider alternative ways of thinking or acting. * /Anybody who
disputes the importance of learning languages is wearing blinders./
[wear down], [wear off] or [wear away] {v.} 1. To remove or
disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of
weather. * /Time and weather have worn off the name on the
gravestone./ * /The eraser has worn off my pencil./ * /The grass has
worn away from the path near the house./ 2. To lessen; become less
little by little. * /The people went home as the excitement of the
fire wore off./ * /John could feel the pain again as the dentist's
medicine wore away./ 3. To exhaust; tire out, win over or persuade by
making tired. * /Mary wore her mother down by begging so that she let
Mary go to the movies./ Compare: DIE OUT.
[wear on] {v.} 1. To anger or annoy; tire. * /Having to stay
indoors all day long is tiresome for the children and wears on their
mother's nerves./ 2. To drag on; pass gradually or slowly; continue in
the same old way. * /Johnny tried to wait up for Santa Claus but as
the night wore on, he couldn't keep his eyes open./ * /As the years
wore on, the man in prison grew old./ * /The boys' quarrel wore on all
afternoon./
[wear one's heart on one's sleeve] also [pin one's heart on one's
sleeve] {v. phr.} To show your feelings openly; show everyone how you
feel; not hide your feelings. * /She wears her heart on her sleeve.
It's easy to see if she is sad or happy./ * /Sometimes it is better
not to pin your heart on your sleeve./ Compare: OPEN ONE'S HEART.
[wear out] {v.} 1a. To use or wear until useless. * /Bobby got a
toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he
soon wore it out./ * /The stockings are so worn out that they can't be
mended any more./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), USE UP. 1b. To become useless
from use or wear. * /The old clock finally wore out./ * /One shoe wore
out before the other./ 2. or [tire out] To make very tired; weaken. *
/The children played inside when it rained, and they soon wore out
their mother./ * /When Dick got home from the long walk, he was all
worn out./ - Often used with "oneself". * /Don't wear yourself out by
playing too hard./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4). 3. To make by rubbing,
scraping, or washing. * /The waterfall has worn out a hole in the
stone beneath it./
[wear out one's welcome] {v. phr.}, {informal} To visit somewhere
too long or come back too often so that you are not welcome any more.
* /The Smith children have worn out their welcome at our house because
they never want to go home./ * /This hot weather has worn out its
welcome with us./
[wear the trousers] or [wear the pants] {v. phr.}, {informal} To
have a man's authority; be the boss of a family or household. * /Mr.
Wilson is henpecked by his wife; she wears the trousers in that
family./ * /Mrs. Jones talks a lot but Mr. Jones wears the pants in
their house./ Compare: RULE THE ROOST.
[wear thin] {v.} 1. To become thin from use, wearing, or the
passing of time. * /My old pair of pants has worn thin at the knees./
* /This old dime has worn very thin./ 2. To grow less, or less
interesting; decrease. * /The joke began to wear thin when you heard
it too many times./ * /The teacher's patience began to wear thin when
he saw that no one knew the lesson./
[wear well] {v.} 1. To continue to be satisfactory, useful, or
liked for a long time. * /My old overcoat has worn very well./ *
/Their marriage has worn well./ * /That author wears well./ Compare:
STAND UP(2). 2. To carry, accept, or treat properly or well. *
/Grandfather wears his years well./ * /Tommy has won many honors but
he wears them well./
[weasel out] {v. phr.} To renege on a previous promise; not keep an
obligation for some not always straight reason. * /I'm so tired I
think I am going to weasel my way out of going to that meeting this
afternoon./
[weasel word] {n.}, {informal} A word which has more than one
meaning and may be used to deceive others. * /When the thief was being
questioned by the police, he tried to fool them with weasel words./
[weather] See: FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND.
[weather eye] {n.} 1. Eyes that can tell what the weather will be.
* /Grandfather's weather eye always tells him when it will rain./ 2.
Eyes ready or quick to see; careful watch. - Usually used in phrases
like "keep a weather eye on", "open", or "out for". * /Mrs. Brown kept
a weather eye on the children so they wouldn't hurt each other./ *
/Keep a weather eye out for Uncle George at the store./ * /Keep a
weather eye open for deer./ * /The police have a weather eye out for
the robbers./ Compare: LOOK OUT.
[weather the storm] {v. phr.} To survive some disaster. * /When
Peter and Sue started their business they had very little money, but
in a year they weathered the storm./
[wedge] See: FLYING WEDGE.
[wedlock] See: BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK.
[wee hours] The crack of dawn, or just before it, usually between 1
A.M. and 4 A.M. or 2 A.M. and 5 A.M. * /He stayed up all night when
they were expecting their first child; finally, a boy was born in the
wee hours of the morning./ Compare: SMALL HOURS.
[weeper] See: FINDERS KEEPERS or FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS.
[weed out] {v.} 1. To remove what is unwanted, harmful, or not good
enough from. * /Mother weeded out the library because there were too
many books./ * /Many colleges and universities weed out their freshman
classes to make room for better students./ 2. To take (what is not
wanted) from a collection or group; remove (a part) for the purpose of
improving a collection or group; get rid of. * /The coach is weeding
out the weak players this week./ * /The teacher told Elizabeth to read
over her English composition and weed out every sentence that was not
about the subject./
[wee folk] or [little folk] or [little people] {n. phr.} Fairy
people; brownies; elves; fairies; or goblins. * /Mother read me a
story about the wee folk who lived in the forest and came out at
night./ * /There are many stories about little people dancing in the
moonlight./
[week in, week out] See: DAY IN, AND DAY OUT.
[week of Sundays] {n. phr.} A long time; seven weeks. * /I haven't
seen them in a week of Sundays./
[weigh anchor] {v. phr.} To set sail; get going. * /After a week in
Hawaii, we weighed anchor and sailed south toward Tahiti./
[weigh down] also [weight down] 1. To make heavy; cause to go down
or bend with weight; overload. * /The evergreens are weighed down by
the deep snow./ - Often used with "with" or "by". * /There are so many
children in the back seat that they are weighing down the back of the
car./ 2a. To overload with care or worry; make sad or low in spirits.
- Usually used in the passive. * /The family is weighed down by
sorrow./ * /The company is weighed down by debt./ 2b. To make heavy,
hard, or slow; make dull or uninteresting. - Often in the passive used
with "by" or "with". * /The book is weighted down with footnotes./ *
/The TV program is weighed down by commercials./
[weigh in] {v.} 1a. To take the weight of; weigh. * /The man at the
airport counter weighed in our bags and took our plane tickets./ * /A
doctor weighed in the wrestlers./ 1b. To have yourself or something
that you own weighed. - Often used with "at". * /I weighed in at 100
pounds on the scale today./ * /We took our bags to the airport counter
to weigh in./ 1c. To have yourself weighed as a boxer or wrestler by a
doctor before a match. - Often used with "at". * /The champion didn't
want to weigh in at more than 160 pounds./ 2. {slang} To join or
interfere in a fight, argument, or discussion. * /We told Jack that if
we wanted him to weigh in with his opinion we would ask him./ Compare:
TAKE PART.
[weigh on] or [weigh upon] {v.} 1. To be a weight or pressure on;
be heavy on. * /The pack weighed heavily on the soldier's back./ 2. To
make sad or worried; trouble; disturb; upset. * /Sadness weighed on
Mary's heart when her kitten died./ * /John's wrongdoing weighed upon
his conscience./ * /The teacher's advice weighed upon Tom's mind./ 3.
To be a burden to. * /His guilt weighed heavily upon him./
[weigh on one's mind] See: WEIGH ON(2).
[weigh one's words] {v. phr.} To choose your words carefully; be
careful to use the right words. * /When a teacher explains about
religion, he must weigh his words because his pupils may be of several
different faiths./ * /When old Mr. Jones talked to the students about
becoming teachers, he spoke slowly, weighing his words./ * /In a
debate, a political candidate has little time to weigh his words, and
may say something foolish./
[weight] See: PULL ONE'S WEIGHT, SWING ONE'S WEIGHT, THROW ONE'S
WEIGHT AROUND.
[weight down] See: WEIGH DOWN.
[weight of the world on one's shoulders] or [world on one's
shoulders] or [world on one's back] {n. phr.} A very heavy load of
worry or responsibility; very tired or worried behavior, as if
carrying the world; behavior as if you are very important. * /Don't
look as if you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, Henry,
just because you have to mow the lawn./ * /John acts as if he were
carrying the world on his back because he has a paper route./
[weigh upon] See: WEIGH ON.
[welcome] See: WEAR OUT ONE'S WELCOME.
[welcome mat] {n.} 1. A mat for wiping your shoes on, often with
the word "welcome" on it, that is placed in front of a door. * /Mother
bought a welcome mat for our new house./ 2. {informal} A warm welcome;
a friendly greeting. - Used in such phrases as "the welcome mat is
out" and "put out the welcome mat". * /Our welcome mat is always out
to our friends./ * /Spread out the welcome mat, children, because
Uncle Bill is visiting us tonight./ Syn.: LATCH STRING(2). Compare:
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET, WITH OPEN ARMS.
[welcome with open arms] See: WITH OPEN ARMS.
[well] See: ALL VERY WELL, AS WELL, AS WELL AS, HAIL FELLOW WELL
MET, LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE, PLAY ONE'S CARDS RIGHT or PLAY ONE'S CARDS
WELL, VERY WELL, WEAR WELL.
[well and good] {adj. phr.} Good; satisfactory. * /If my daughter
finishes high school, I will call that well and good./ - Often used
without a verb to show agreement or understanding. * /Well and good; I
will come to your house tomorrow./ Compare: ALL RIGHT, ALL VERY WELL,
VERY WELL.
[well-heeled] {adj.}, {slang} Wealthy; having plenty of money. *
/Bob's father, who is well-heeled, gave him a sports car./ Compare: IN