Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц) - неизвестен Автор

[ten] See: DIME STORE or FIVE-AND-TEN, COUNT TO TEN.

[ten-four?] <v. phr.>, <interrog.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> Do you understand? * /Is that a ten-four?/

[ten gallon hat] <n.>, <informal> A tall felt hat with a wide, rolled brim worn by men in the western part of the U.S. * /Men from the southwest usually wear ten gallon hats./

[ten roger] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> I acknowledge. * /That's a ten roger./

[ten to one] or [two to one] <adv.> or <adj. phr.>, <informal> Almost certainly, nearly sure to be true; very likely to happen. * /Ten to one it will rain tomorrow./ * /It is ten; to one that Bill will be late./

[term] See: BRING TO TERMS, COME TO TERMS, IN SO MANY WORDS(2) or IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, IN TERMS OF.

[terror] See: HOLY TERROR.

[test] See: ROAD TEST, SCREEN TEST.

[tether] See: END OF ONE'S ROPE or END OF ONE'S TETHER.

[than] See: LESS THAN, LESS THAN NO TIME, MORE THAN.

[thank one's lucky stars] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be thankful for good luck; think oneself lucky. * /You can thank your lucky stars you didn't fall in the hole./

[thanks to] <prep.> 1. With the help of. * /Thanks to a good teacher, John passed the examination./ * /I finally finished washing the dishes, no thanks to you./ 2. Owing to; because of. * /Thanks to a sudden rain, the children came home with wet clothes./

[that is] or [that is to say] I mean; that means; in other words. * /John is a New Yorker; that is, he lives in New York./ * /Susan is a good student; that is to say, she gets good grades in school./

[that is that] or [that's that] <informal> The matter is decided; there is nothing more to be said; it is done. * /Jim, you will go to school this morning, and that is that./

[that'll be the day] <informal> That will never happen. * /Joe wanted me to lend him money to take my girl to the movies. That'll be the day!/ * /"Wouldn't it be nice if we had to go to school only one day a week?" "That'll be the day!"/

[That makes two of us!] Informal way to say, "I am in agreement with what you arc saying or doing." * /So you voted for Senator Aldridge? So did I - that makes two of us./

[That takes care of that!] Informal way to say, "That concludes our business." * /I paid my ex-wife the last alimony check and that takes care of that!/

[That will do!] Informal expression of impatience meaning "stop," "no more." * /"That will do, Tommy," his mother cried. "I've had just about enough of your drumming on the table."/

[that's --- for you] That's the way (someone or something) is; (someone or something) is like that. * /John tried hard, but he lost the game. That's life for you./ * /Mary changed her mind about going. That's a girl for you./

[That's about the size of it!] Informal way to say, "What you said is true; the rumor or the news is true." * /"I am told you're leaving our firm for Japan," Fred said to Tom. "That's about the size of it," Tom replied with a grin./

[That's the story of my life...] Usually spoken when something goes wrong. * /I spent seven years writing a novel, but no publisher wants to accept it. That's the story of my life./

[That's the ticket!] Informal way to say, "excellent; correct." * /"First we'll go up the Sears Tower, and then we'll take a night sightseeing tour on the lake," Fran said. "That's the ticket!" Stan, an old inhabitant of Chicago, replied./

[That's the way the ball bounces] or [the cookie crumbles!] Nothing unusual about that. - Said of unpleasant things. * /"Susan left me for a heavyweight boxer, and then I got drunk and wrecked my car," Bob bitterly complained. "Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles," Pam answered philosophically./

[theater] See: LITTLE THEATER.

[the business] <n.>, <slang> - Usually used with "give" or "get". 1. All that you are able to do; greatest effort. * /Johnny gave the tryouts the business but he failed to make the team./ 2. The most harm possible; the greatest damage or hurt. * /Fred got the business when Tom caught him with his bicycle./ 3. A harsh scolding. * /The teacher gave Walter the business when he came to school late again./ * /Mike thought he was the star of the team until he got the business from the coach./ Compare: THE WORKS.

[The cat did it!] A humorous and convenient way to pass the blame. * /"My vase is broken!" Mother shrieked in horror. "Well," Dad smirked cynically, "I guess the cat did it!"/

[the creeps] <n.>, <informal> 1. An uncomfortable tightening of the skin caused by fear or shock. * /Reading the story of a ghost gave Joe the creeps./ * /The queer noises in the old house gave Mary the creeps./ 2. A strong feeling of fear or disgust. * /The cold, damp, lonely swamp gave John the creeps./ * /The dog was so ugly it gave Mary the creeps./

[the devil to pay] <n. phr.> A severe penalty. * /If we don't finish the work by next Monday, there will be the devil to pay./

[the edge] <n.>, <informal> The advantage. - Usually used in the phrases "get the edge on", "have the edge on". * /In the last quarter of the game, our team got the edge on the other team and kept it./ * /Mary has the edge on Jane in the beauty contest./

[the fickle finger of fate] See: ACT OF GOD.

[the idea] or [the very idea] <n. phr.> - Used in exclamations to show that you do not like something. * /The idea! Thinking Mother was my sister!/ * /The very idea of Tom bringing that dirty dog into my clean house!/

[the lid] <n.>, <slang> Something that holds back or holds out of sight. * /The police blew the lid off the gambling operations./ * /John kept the lid on his plans until he was ready to run for class president./ * /The chief of police placed the lid on gambling in the town./

[the likes of] <informal> Something like or similar to; something of the same kind as. * /I have never seen the likes of John./ * /It was a chocolate sundae the likes of which Mary would never see again./

[the long and the short] or [the long and short] <n. phr.> All that needs to be said; the basic fact; point. * /The long and the short of the matter is that the man is no actor./ * /The money isn't there, and that's the long and short of it./

[the matter] <adj.> Not as it should be; wrong. - Used in questions or with negatives or "if". * /Why don't you answer me? What's the matter?/ * /John may be slow in arithmetic, but nothing's the matter with his pitching arm./ * /If anything is the matter, please tell me./

[the more --- the more ---] or [the ---er the ---er] - Used in two halves of a sentence to show that when there is more of the first, there is more of the second too. * /The more you eat. the fatter you will get./ * /Get your report in when you can; the sooner, the better./ * /The bigger they are, the harder they fall./ * /The more Bill worked on the arithmetic problem, the more confused he became./

[then] See: AND THEN SOME, EVERY NOW AND THEN, NOW AND THEN.

[then again] <adv.> As an opposite possibility; another thing. * /He may be here tomorrow. Then again, he may not come until next week./ * /I thought you told me about the fire, but then again it could have been Bill./

[then and there] <adv. phr.> At that very time and place in the past; right then. * /He said he wanted his dime back then and there, so I had to give it to him./ Compare: IN ONE'S TRACKS, ON THE SPOT, HERE AND NOW.

[the other day] <adv. phr.> In the recent past. * /I saw an incredible parade of elephants along Michigan Avenue the other day on my way to work./

[the other way around] <adv. phr.> See: JUST THE OTHER WAY.

[the picture] <n.> The way things are or were; the facts about something; the situation; what happened or happens. * /Where does Susan come into the picture./ * /When you are looking for a job your education enters into the picture./ * /Old Mr. Brown is out of the picture now and his son runs the store./ * /After the fight on the playground, the principal talked to the boys who were watching, until he got the whole picture./ Compare: GET THE MESSAGE.

[the pits] <n.>, <slang> 1. A low class, blighted and ill-maintained place, motel room or apartment. * /Max, this motel is the pits, I will not sleep here!/ 2. The end of the road, the point of no return, the point of total ruin of one's health (from the drug anticulture referring to the arm-pits as the only place that had veins for injections). * /John flunked high school this year for the third time; he will never get to college; it's the pits for him./ 3. A very depressed state of mind. * /Poor Marcy is down in the pits over her recent divorce./

[the powers that be] <n. phr.> Constituted authority; those in power. * /I have done all I can; the rest is up to the powers that be./

[there] See: ALL THERE, HERE AND THERE, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, THEN AND THERE.

[There] or [here you are!] 1. Informal way to say, "Here is what you wanted." * /The doorman politely opened the door of the taxi and said, "There you are, sir!"/ * /The clerk wrapped up the package and handed it to the customer saying, "Here you are, ma'am!"/ 2. You have found the correct answer; you are correct. * /"The reason for the violent crime rate is the all too easy availability of handguns," he said. "Yeah, there you are!" Officer Maloney replied./

[there is more than one way to get a pig to market] or [flay a fox] or [skin a cat] There are always new and different ways to accomplish a difficult task. - A proverb. * /"'How did you get Tommy to study so hard?" Eleanor asked. "I simply disconnected the television set," Tommy's mother answered. "There's more than one way to get a pig to market."/

[there is nothing to it] Informal way to say, "It is easy." * /Cooking stir-fried Chinese food is really not difficult at all; in fact, there's nothing to it./

[There you go!] 1. Informal way to say, "You are doing it already and you are doing it well." * /"Is roller skating hard?" Freddie asked. "No," Beth replied, "let me show you how to do it. There you go!"/ 2. See: THERE or HERE YOU ARE(2).

[the ropes] <n. plural>, <informal> Thorough or special knowledge of a job; how to do something; the ways of people or the world. * /On a newspaper a cub reporter learns his job from an older reporter who knows the ropes./ * /When you go to a new school it takes a while to learn the ropes./ * /Betty showed Jane the ropes when she was learning to make a dress./ * /Mr. Jones was an orphan and he had to learn the ropes when he was young to make his way in the world./ Compare: BE AROUND, INS AND OUTS, TRICK OF THE TRADE.

[the score] <n.>, <slang> The truth; the real story or information; what is really happening; the way people and the world really are. * /Very few people know the score in politics./ * /You are too young to know the score yet./ * /What's the score anyhow? When will the program begin?/ Compare: KNOW ONE'S STUFF, KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND, THE ROPES.

[these] See: ONE OF THESE DAYS or SOME OF THESE DAYS.

[the three R's] <n. phr.> (W)riting, reading, and (a)rithmetic, the three basic skills of an elementary education. * /Barry has completed the three R's, but otherwise he has had little formal education./

[the ticket] <n.> Exactly what is needed. - Often used with "just". * /This airtight locker is just the ticket for storing your winter clothes./

[the tracks] <n.> The line between the rich or fashionable part of town and the poor or unfashionable part of town. * /The poor children knew they would not be welcome on the other side of the tracks./ * /Mary's mother did not want her to date Jack, because he came from across the tracks./ - Often used in the expression "the wrong side of the tracks". * /The mayor was born on the wrong side of the tracks, but he worked hard and became successful./

[the whole way] See: ALL THE WAY.

[the wiser] <adj.> Knowing about something which might be embarrassing of knowing. - Usually used with "nobody" or "no one". * /Mary took the teacher's book home by mistake, but early the next morning she returned it with nobody the wiser./

[the works] <n. plural>, <slang> 1. Everything that can be had or that you have; everything of this kind, all that goes with it. * /When the tramp found $100, he went into a fine restaurant and ordered the works with a steak dinner./ 1b. See: SHOOT THE WORKS. 2. Rough handling or treatment; a bad beating or scolding; killing; murder. Usually used with "get" or "give". * /The boy said that Joe was going to get the works if he ever came back to that neighborhood again./ * /The newspaper gave the police department the works when they let the burglars get away./ * /The gangster told his friend he would give him the works if he double-crossed him./ Compare: THE BUSINESS.

[they] See: LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.

[thick] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, LAY IT ON or LAY IT ON THICK, THROUGH THICK AND THIN.

[thicker] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

[thin] See: INTO THIN AIR, OUT OF THIN AIR, SIT ON THIN ICE, SPREAD ONESELF TOO THIN, THROUGH THICK AND THIN, WEAR THIN.

[thing] See: A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING, DO ONE'S THING or DO ONE'S OWN THING, FIRST THINGS COME FIRST, FOR ONE THING, SEE THINGS, SURE THING, TAKE IT EASY or TAKE THINGS EASY, TELL A THING OR TWO.

[thing or two] <n. phr.>, <informal> 1. Facts not generally known, or not known to the hearer or reader; unusual or important information. * /Mary told Joan a thing or two about Betty's real feelings./ 2. A lot; much. * /Bob knows a thing or two about sailing./ Compare: TELL A THING OR TWO.

[Things are looking up!] Informal way to say that conditions are improving. * /Things are looking up at our university as the governor promised a 5% salary raise./

[think] See: COME TO THINK OF IT.

[think a great deal of] or [think a lot of] also [think much of] <v. phr.> To consider to be very worthy, valuable, or important; to esteem highly. * /Mary thinks a great deal of Tim./ * /The teacher thought a lot of Joe's project./ - The phrase "think much of" is usually used in negative sentences. * /Father didn't think much of Paul's idea of buying a goat to save lawn mowing./ Contrast: THINK LITTLE OF.

[think a lot of] See: THINK A GREAT DEAL OF.

[think aloud] or [think out loud] <v.> To say what you are thinking. * /"I wish I had more money for Christmas presents," Father thought aloud. "What did you say?" said Mother. Father answered, "I'm sorry. I wasn't talking to you. I was thinking out loud."/

[think better of] <v.> To change your mind about; to consider again and make a better decision about. * /John told his mother he wanted to leave school, but later he thought better of it./ Compare: SECOND THOUGHT, THINK TWICE.

[Think big!] <v. phr.>, <informal> To believe in one's ability, purpose, or power to perform or succeed. * /Be confident; be positive; tell yourself you are the greatest; above all, think big!/

[think fit] See: FIT.

[thinking cap] See: PUT ON ONE'S THINKING CAP.