Hầu hết các cụm từ có trong từ điển đều đang được sử dụng tích cực, làm cho thông tin về ý nghĩa và cách sử dụng của chúng trở nên cần thiết đối với người học ngôn ngữ ở mọi cấp độ thông thạo. Bao gồm hơn 10.000 thành ngữ và cụm từ được đặc trưng bởi sự tương đồng trong cách diễn đạt hoặc ý tưởng ẩn dụ không cho thấy sự giống nhau về ý nghĩa của chúng
A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases This page intentionally left blank A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations YURI DOLGOPOLOV McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Dolgopolov, Yuri A dictionary of confusable phrases : more than 10,000 idioms and collocations / Yuri Dolgopolov p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-0-7864-5855-4 softcover : 50# alkaline paper English language — Idioms — Dictionaries English language — Usage — Dictionaries I Title PE1464.D66 2010 423'.13 — dc22 2010026211 British Library cataloguing data are available © 2010 Yuri Dolgopolov All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher Cover design by Mark Durr Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com Contents Preface Introduction FALSE “FRIENDS” AND “ENEMIES” IN ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGY ARRANGEMENT OF THE ENTRIES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED DICTIONARY Bibliography 341 Phrase Index 343 Key Word Index 376 –v– This page intentionally left blank Preface To really know English one has to master, along with grammar and words, a reasonably large vocabulary of recurrent collocations, idioms, and metaphorical expressions that reflect the environment, history, and culture of the native speakers and form an essential part of their common language, adding color, dimension and vibrancy to the way they speak and write Familiarity with idioms and colloquial metaphors and ability to use them appropriately in context are distinguishing markers of a native-like command of English Learning a language is challenging enough while learning set expressions (a languagewithin-a-language) becomes really frustrating at times, not the least owing to the existence in English of a very vast number of what we call phraseological “false friends and enemies”— idiomatic and non-idiomatic expressions that, despite their outward similarity or contrast, have unrelated meanings Their confusion triggered by false analogy may result in misunderstanding and miscommunication so knowing or not knowing the difference between phraseological “false friends” can mean the difference between understanding or not understanding English This dictionary has been specifically designed to “diffuse” potentially confusable expressions The dictionary pairs more than 10,000 idioms and collocations characterized by similarity or contrast in their wording or metaphorical idea that not show corresponding similarity or contrast in their meanings Also included are cases when phraseological units form a semantic mismatch with consonant compound words This contrastive format enables the language learner to see all potentially confusable units together and so avoid confusing the phrase Most dictionary entries are made up of phrases that are in active current use so information about the difference in their meanings and usage is especially essential Some entries may contain phrases pertaining to professional jargon, slang, expressions that are dated or characteristic of one the principal regional varieties of English These, though less relevant in terms of their confusion, demonstrate interesting cases of coincidence in imagery through time and space while their contribution to the dictionary allows it to be also used as a regular explanatory dictionary providing definitions to individual idioms, clichés and set expressions There are numerous dictionaries of usage covering the difference in the meaning, spelling and pronunciation of lexical “false friends”—homographs, homophones and semantically unrelated words characterized by outward similarity This comprehensive dictionary, however, representing as it does an important cross-section of the language, is unique in that it is the first attempt ever to provide a complete lexicographic inventory of phraseological pseudo-synonyms and -antonyms, both idiomatic and non-idiomatic Intended primarily for ESL students at different levels of proficiency, the dictionary can –1– Preface –2– also be used by authors of textbooks and other educational materials who may screen the dictionary data for potentially confusable expressions incorporated in their products so as to caution students against this kind of pitfall and heighten their awareness of phraseological similarities and differences It can be recommended for use in school and college libraries supporting ESL programs as well as to adults learning English as a second language Introduction FALSE “FRIENDS” AND “ENEMIES” IN ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGY Even a cursory examination of English phraseology reveals the existence of numerous idiomatic expressions and recurrent word combinations characterized by similarity of wording or imagery without corresponding similarity in their meaning or usage Phraseological units of this kind usually form pairs and sometimes larger groups of expressions not normally interchangeable in their respective contexts or only interchangeable in some of their meanings so errors can arise whenever one expression is sufficiently close to another to be semantically identified with it, cf.: bring one’s mind to something / bring something to mind or at the top of the tree / up a tree While positive intralingual transfer may help in the case of perceived linguistic similarities, cf.: make hay while the sun shines / strike while the iron is hot, negative intralingual transfer will lead to problems owing to semantic or grammatical differences between units The probability of their confusion is conditioned by the extent of similarity while their respective linguistic currency determines which unit in the group is likely to be mistaken for another more familiar and seemingly identical expression Alongside such phraseological “false friends” there exist less numerous cases of “false enemies” or pseudo-antonyms whose form may induce the learner to believe that they are opposite in meaning which in reality they are not,* cf.: absence of mind / presence of mind and come on the carpet / step off the carpet Whereas errors caused by interlingual phraseological interference are predetermined by the student’s first language and mostly occur when learners pattern phrases in the target language after the models of their own language, errors caused by intralingual phraseological interference are generally due to erroneous identification within the framework of the target language of semantically unrelated phraseological units with conceptually related components Errors of this kind not depend on the learners’ first language and are common to all EFL/ESL students They may adversely affect comprehension and usage, so learners are in urgent need for practical resource that will systematically address this problem and “defuse” potentially confusable multi-word units Nonetheless, prior to the present publication there was no dictionary *The phenomenon of “false friends” is commonly associated with words of different languages relating as formal equivalents for the reason of their material similarity while their meanings are quite different A similar phenomenon can be observed at the phraseological level when set expressions of one language have formal, semantically dissimilar equivalents in another language (for instance, the following English expressions have their exact formal counterparts in Russian with altogether different meanings: dirty money, high words, service flat, special school, art film, wind in the head, etc.) –3– Key Word Index glass (have a glass too much; see through a glass darkly; see through rose-colored glasses) glory (in glory; in one’s glory) glove (put on the gloves; take off the gloves) go (balloon goes up, the; bang go; be a bit gone; be gone on someone; be too far gone; come and go; get-go; get-up-and-go; go too far; have a go at it; have a go at someone; have a go at something; have get up and go; have something going for one; have something going with someone; have to go; have to go some; here goes; here we go; how goes it; it goes without saying; it’s all go; it’s all the go; it’s no go; it’s not a go; let oneself go; let someone go; let something go; let something go by; make a go of it; make it go; on the go; one has to go; one has to go some; pay as one goes; show must go on, the; there goes; there you go; touch and go; way to go; way to go einstein; way to go grace; what goes around, comes around; what goes up, must come down) go-by (give something the go-by) goal (shoot a goal; shoot at the goal) goat (run like a hairy goat) god (act of god; action of god; before god; child of god; city of god; man of god; man-god; mother of god; son of god, the) going (coming and going; comings and goings; go while the going is good) gold (good as gold; strike gold) goldfish (feed the goldfish) good (as good as; be good form; be good to go; be in good form; good; good to someone; someone good; feel good; for good; for good measure; for the good; look good; make good; make good going; make good on something; no good to someone; not good for someone; not good to someone; stand in good with someone; stand someone in good stead; stay good; to the good) goods (deliver the goods; get the goods; green goods; hot goods) goose (cook one’s goose; gay as a goose; kill the goose that lays the golden eggs; one wouldn’t say boo to a goose; swim like a tailor’s goose) gooseberry (play gooseberry; play old gooseberry) gown (evening gown; night gown) grade (make the grade in something) grandmother (teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs) grasp (get a grasp of something; in one’s grasp; within one’s grasp) grass (bring someone to grass; come off the grass; come to grass; go to grass; put someone out to grass; send someone out to grass; send someone to grass) – 384 – grave (dig one’s own grave) grease (be greased; in grease; in the grease) green (be green; be green around the gills; in green; in the green; spring green; spring greens) grief (bring someone to grief; give someone grief ) grip (get a grip on something; get to grips with something) ground (be on home ground; be on one’s own ground; bring someone to the ground; bring something to the ground; cover ground; cover the ground; down to the ground; fall to the ground; from the ground up; gain ground on someone; gain ground with someone; get off the ground; get something off the ground; go on the ground; go to ground; go to the ground; high ground; hit the ground; hit the ground running; home ground; off the ground; on home ground; on the ground; run someone into the ground; run someone to ground; run something into the ground; run something to ground; stand one’s own ground; take ground; take the ground; thin on the ground; touch ground; under ground) guard (home guard, the; life-guard; national guard, the; on guard; on one’s guard; stand guard; stand on guard; van guard) guide (girl guide) guider (girl guider) gun (air gun; blow great guns; give it the gun; go great guns; stick to one’s guns; under the gun) gunner (air gunner) gut (have no guts for something; have the guts; sweat one’s guts out) guy (all right guy; fall guy; go-to guy; right guy; wise guy) hail (thick as hail) hair (by a hair’s breadth; goats’ hair; hide and hair; keep one’s hair; keep one’s hair on; let one’s hair down; lift someone’s hair; not turn a hair; put one’s hair up; to a hair’s breadth; turn of a hair) half (by half; by halves; go halves with someone; in half; in halves; not half; not know how the other half lives; not the half; one’s better half ) half way (go halfway with someone) hand (all hands and the cook; ask for someone’s hand; ask someone for a hand; at hand; at short hand; be a good hand; be a steady hand; big hand; change hands; clasp hands; clasp one’s hands; close at hand; come to hand; dead hand; dead man’s hand; dirty one’s hands; something out of hand; fall into someone’s hands; fold one’s hands; from hand to hand; from hand to mouth; get a hand for something; get a hand with something; get out of hand; give one’s hand to someone; give someone a free hand; give someone a glad hand; give someone a good hand; give someone a hand; give someone one’s hand; hand in hand; hand-to-hand; have a free hand; have a hand for something; have a hand in something; have a heavy hand; have a light hand; have a steady hand; have clean hands; have good hands; have one’s hands free; have one’s hands full; have one’s hands tied behind one’s back; have something in hand; have something in one’s hands; have something on one’s hands; heavy in hand; hold one’s hand; hold someone’s hand; hold something in hand; hold something in the hand; in hand; in short hand; in someone’s hands; keep one’s hands off; lay one’s hands on something; lay one’s hands to something; left-hand; light in hand; light of hand; long hand; not know what the other hand is doing; off hand; off one’s hands; on either hand; on every hand; on hand; on one’s hands; out of hand; out of one’s hands; overplay one’s hand; pass from hand to hand; play one’s hand for all it is worth; put one’s hand on something; put one’s hand to something; put one’s hands on someone; put something in hand; put something out of hand; right-hand; short hand; show of hands; show one’s hand; sleight of hand; small hand; strong hand; take a hand at something; take a hand in something; take something in hand; try one’s hand; under one’s hand; with both hands; with both hands tied behind one’s back; with one hand tied behind one’s back; wring one’s hands; wring someone’s hand) handcuff (golden handcuffs) handle (fly off the handle; get a handle on something; go off the handle) hang (be left hanging; fit to be hung; leave someone hanging; let it all hang out; let it go hang) happen (accidents can happen; accidents will happen) hard (be hard up for something; drink hard; play hard to get; work hard) hardball (play hardball) hare (mad as a march hare; run with the hare and hunt with the hounds) haste (in haste; in one’s haste) hat (all hat and no cattle; black hat; brass hat; hang one’s hat; hang up one’s hat; have something under one’s hat; keep something under one’s hat; pick something out of a hat; pull something out of a hat; red hat; tin hat; wear two hats; white hat) have (be had; be had up; let’s be hav- – 385 – ing you; one will have it; one won’t have it; thanks for having me) hawk (between hawk and buzzard) hay (between hay and grass; make hay of something; make hay while the sun shines) hazard (at hazard; on the hazard) head (be in over one’s head; be over someone’s head; be soft in the head; be weak in the head; bed head; beef head; bring something to a head; come into someone’s head; come to a head; dead head; death’s head; something standing on one’s head; eat one’s head off; eat someone’s head off; from head to foot; get it into one’s head; get it through one’s head; get one’s head around something; get one’s head together; give someone a head; give someone a head start; give someone his head; go head to head; go over someone’s head; go to someone’s head; hang over someone’s head; have a good head; have a hard head; have a head; have a head for something; have a head on one’s shoulders; have a strong head; have a swelled head; have a thick head; have one’s head screwed on backwards; head to head; hide one’s head; hide one’s head in the sand; hold one’s head down; hold one’s head up; hold something over someone’s head; in one’s head; keep one’s head; keep one’s head above water; keep one’s head down; keep one’s head up; keep something in one’s head; king charles’s head; knock heads together; knock someone on the head; knock someone’s head off; long head; lose one’s head; negro head; nigger head; off one’s head; off the top of one’s head; out of one’s head; out of one’s own head; put heads together; put one’s head down; run head to head; short head; shouting head; sleepy head; stand on one’s head doing something; swellhead; take it into one’s head; talking head; thick-head; turn heads; turn someone’s head; turn something on its head; water-head; wind in the head; windmills in the head; wrong in the head) heart (at the heart of something; eat one’s heart out; eat your heart out; give heart to someone; give one’s heart to someone; have a heart; have no heart for something; in the heart of something; know by heart; know in one’s heart; lose heart; lose one’s heart; not have the heart; one’s heart is cold; purple heart; purple hearts; put one’s heart into something; set one’s heart on something; take heart at something; take something to heart; warm someone’s heart) heat (at a heat; dead heat; deadly heat; have a heat on; in a dead heat; in heat; in the heat of the moment; put the heat on someone; take the heat for something; take the heat off something; turn the heat on someone) heaven (be in heaven; blue heavens; drop from heaven; in heaven; manna from heaven; son of heaven, the; under heaven) heavily (walk heavily) heavy (walk heavy) heel (cool one’s heels; dig one’s heels in; kick one’s heels; kick up one’s heels; set someone back on his heels; tread on someone’s heels) hell (as hell; cold as hell; cold winter in hell; come hell or high water; come through hell and high water; go to hell; go to hell in a handbasket; like hell) hen (mad as a wet hen) here (down here; neither here not there) herring (thick as herrings; thin as a herring) hide (neither hide nor hair) high (be on a high; fly high; look high and low; ride high; ride high in the saddle; run high; speak high) highly (speak highly; talk highly) hill (go over the hill; go over the hills and far away; head for the hills; over the hill) hint (drop a hint; give a hint) history (be ancient history; be history; become history; history; go down in history; life history; make history) hit (make a hit with someone) hog (go the whole hog; ride high on the hog) hold (get hold of someone; have hold of someone; lose hold of someone; lose hold over someone; take hold of someone) holder (key-holder) hole (black hole; black hole of calcutta; dig a hole for oneself; in a hole; in the hole; toad in a hole; toad in the hole; water hole; watering hole) holiday (half-holiday; half-term holiday) home (at home; attached home; be from a broken home; be too close to home; boarding home; come home; come home to roost; come short home; community home; dog’s home; eat someone out of house and home; go home; go in a home; hit close to home; hit home; make a home; mobile home; motor home; nurses’ home; nursing home; play away from home; public home; remand home; rest home; welcome home; welcome home husband, however drunk you be) homework (do one’s homework) honey (sweet as honey) honor (do someone honor; the hon- Key Word Index ors; lady of honor; maid of honor; man of honor; military honors) hook (get one’s hooks into someone; get oneself off the hook; get someone off the hook; get the hook; go off the hooks; go on the hook; let someone off the hook; off the hook; off the hooks; on one’s own hook; on the hook) hop (be on the hop; catch someone on the hop; go on the hop) horn (draw in one’s horns; pull in one’s horns) horror (get the dry horrors; get the horrors) horse (be on a high horse; be on the horse; beat a dead horse; bet on the wrong horse; dark horse; devil’s horse; flog a dead horse; flying horse; flying sea-horse; get off one’s high horse; get on one’s high horse; get on one’s horse; heard it from the horse’s mouth; iron horse; job-horse; play the horses; ride a white horse; ride the high horse; ride the white horse; river-horse; sea-horse; white horse; work for a dead horse; work horse; work off the dead horse) hostess (tea hostess) hot (bit hot, a; blow hot and cold; feel hot; get hot; get hot and bothered; get hot under the collar; get it hot; get the hots for someone; give it hot to someone; go hot and cold; hot and hot; make it hot for someone; make someone hot; not feel so hot; not too hot; red hots; too hot to handle) hour (all hours; at all hours; at any hour; bad hours; by the hour; coffee hour; good hour; happy hour; keep bad hours; keep good hours; on the half hour; on the hour; out of hours; question of the hour; short hours; small hours; take one’s hour; zero hour) house (big house; break into a house; bring the house down; cat house; country house; dead house; death house; a house; up a house; dog-house; eat someone out of house and home; father of the house, the; garden house; get on like a house on fire; gin house; go like a house on fire; go round the houses; green house; ice house; keep a house; keep house; keep open house; little house; live in a glass house; low house; lower house; make a house; man of the house; mansion house; master of one’s own house; master of the house; on the house; open house; orchard house; planetary house; public house; pull the house down; rest house; semi-detached house; set up house; shout the house down; state house; state house; town house; warm house; warming house; washhouse; water house; watering house; Key Word Index weather house; welcome to our house) housework (do one’s housework) housing (open housing; public housing) humor (in no humor; out of humor) hump (over the hump) hunter (gold hunter; head hunter; skull hunter) husband (house husband) ice (on ice; on thin ice; put someone on ice) idea (give someone an idea; give someone ideas; have an idea; have ideas; have no idea of something; put an idea into someone’s head; put ideas into someone’s head; that’s an idea; that’s the idea; what an idea; what’s the idea) if (nothing if not; only if ) ill (be taken ill; take it ill) illusion (be under the illusion) immigrant (landed immigrant) improvement (substantial improvement; substantive improvement) in (all in; be in with someone; have an in; have an in with someone; in and in; on the in with something) inch (by inches; inch by inch) indiaman (east indiaman; west indiaman) indian (east indian; red indian; west indian) industry (defense industries; defensive industries) influence (have an influence on someone; have influence with someone) ink (wait for the ink to dry) inside (put someone inside) installment (by installments; in installments) instant (in an instant; on the instant) insult (add insult to injury) interest (at interest; be interested in someone; have an interest in someone; have an interest in something; have interests in something; with interest) irish (luck of the irish, the) iron (brand-iron; branding iron; fireirons; firing-iron; man of iron) island (channel islands, the; ten thousand islands, the; thirty thousand islands, the; thousand islands, the) isle (british isles, the) it (as it is; as it was; as it were; at it; beat it; beyond it; blow it; blow it out of proportion; brave it out; break it down; break it up; buy it; chalk it up to someone; cheese it; come it; come it over someone; come it strong; come to it; cool it; cut it; cut it out; cut it short; dash it; it; dog it; end it all; foot it; forget it; get away from it all; get away with it; get it; get it off; get it off one’s chest; get it off with someone; get it on; get it on with someone; get on – 386 – with it; get out of it; get with it; give it to someone; go at it; go for it; go it; go to it; gun for it; gun it; hang it; hang it all; hang it on someone; hang it up; hard at it; hard put to it; have at it; have it; have it away with someone; have it good; have it in for someone; have it in one; have it out with someone; have it over someone; hit it; hit it off; hit it off with someone; hit it out of the ball park; hit it up; hog it; hop it; hop to it; hotfoot it; in at it; in for it; in it; in on it keep it down; keep it up; kiss it off; knock it out of the ball park; leave it to someone; leave someone to it; let someone have it; live it down; live it up; live up to it; luck it out; make it; make it up to someone; make it up with someone; mix it up; mix it up with someone; not in it; not with it; off it; on it; out of it; overdo it; pack it in; pig it; pull it off; pull it out; put it across someone; put it across to someone; put it on; put it over on someone; put it over to someone; put someone through it; rough it; rough it out; rough it up; run for it; run it; run it down to someone; sleep it off; sleep on it; snap out of it; snap to it; stick it to someone; such as it is; suck it in; suck it up; sweat it out; take it out of someone; take it out on someone; take it up with someone; wait for it; what is in it for someone; what is it to someone; wing it) ivory (black ivory) ketchup (in the ketchup) kettle (another kettle of fish) key (have the key of the street) kick (for kicks; get a kick; get a kick in the teeth; give someone the kick; give someone the kick in the teeth; more kicks than halfpence) kick-off (for a kick-off ) kickback (give someone a kickback) kill (fit to kill; in on the kill; make a kill; on the kill) kind (all kinds of something; of a kind; of the kind; pay in kind; repay in kind) kindly (take kindly of someone; take kindly to someone) king (books of kings, the; books of the four kings, the; every man is a king; every man is a king in his own house; four kings, the; three kings, the; water king) kipper (done up like a kipper) kite (be high as a kite; fly a kite; fly one’s kite high; go fly a kite) kitty (feed the kitty) knee (have a knees up; sit knee by knee; sit knee to knee) knife (under the knife) knockdown (give someone a knockdown) knot (cut the knot; get knotted; get tied up in knots; tie someone up in knots; tie the knot) know (not know which way to look; not know which way to turn; there is no knowing; you never know) knowledge (common knowledge; general knowledge) jacket (monkey jacket) jane (gi jane) job (do a job; a job on someone; the job; the job for someone; don’t give up the day job; hold a job; hold down a job; interview someone for a job; interview with someone for a job; lay down one’s job; lie down on the job) joe (good joe; holy joe; quality joe; sloppy joe; sloppy joe’s) john (long john; saint john; saint john’s; square john; square john broad) joke (make a joke about something; make a joke of something) jordan (cross over jordan) juice (snake juice; stew in one’s own juice) jump (get the jump on someone; give someone a jump) jungle (law of the jungle) just (only just) justice (bring someone to justice; justice to oneself; justice to someone) labor (hard labor; in labor) lady (dinner lady; first lady, the; foxy lady; grand old lady; iron lady; leading lady, the; old lady; tea lady; till the fat lady sings; when the fat lady sings; white lady) lag (jet lag; time lag) lake (jump in the lake; land of 10,000 lakes, the) lamb (mutton dressed as lamb) lamp (fairy lamp) land (bad lands, the; clear land; clear the land; end of the land; flowery land; go the length and breadth of the land; high land; holy land, the; lay of the land; lay the land; live off the land; never-never land, the; travel all over the land; travel over the land) lane (air lane; fast lane) language (austral language; body language; eye language; flowery language; forceful language; high language; high-flown language; speak the same language; strong language; talk the same language) lantern (fairy lantern; festival of lanterns, the; magic lantern) lap (drop into someone’s lap; land in someone’s lap) keeper (time-keeper) kennel (in a kennel) kent (man of kent) – 387 – large (at large; go at large; have it large; in large; talk at large; talk large) lark (gay as a lark; sing like a lark) last (at last; at the last; be the last leg; first and last; first or last; from first to last; look one’s last on something; see the last of something; stick to one’s last) latest (at the latest) latin (dog latin; pig latin; thieves’ latin) laugh (be laughing; have a laugh at someone; have the laugh of someone) laundry (coin laundry; money laundry) lavender (lay someone out in lavender) law (be a law unto oneself; be beyond the law; blue laws; blue-sky laws; go beyond the law; jungle law; lay down the law; man of law; natural law; prohibition law; prohibitory law; take the law into one’s own hands) lay (be laid up) lead (have a lead in something; have a lead of something) leaf (fall leaf; in leaf; in the leaf ) league (in league with someone; in the same league with someone) least (at the least; in the least) leave (ask someone to leave; ask someone’s leave; take a leave; take leave; take one’s leave) leeway (make leeway; make up leeway) leg (be off one’s legs; be on one’s last legs; be on one’s legs; be run off one’s legs; black-leg; find one’s legs; give someone a leg up; give someone leg; have a leg to stand on; have legs; long-legs; not have a leg to stand on; not have the legs; on one’s hind legs; peg leg; peg legs; pull someone’s leg; red-leg; shake a leg; shake a loose leg; show a leg; swing the leg; take to one’s legs; white leg) lemon (answer is a lemon, the; it’s a lemon) length (at full length; at length; go to great lengths) less (no less than; nothing less than) lesson (learn one’s lesson) letter (air letter; airmail letter ; cover letter; man of letters) level (on a level; on the level; third level) liberty (take a liberty; take the liberty) library (lending library) license (driver’s license) lick (calf-lick; cat’s lick; cat-lick) lid (eve with a lid on; eve with a moldy lid; keep one’s lid on; keep the lid on someone; lift the lid off something; put the lid on something; put the tin lid on something; take the lid off something) life (be a bad life; be a good life; cat has nine lives, a; change of life; changes of life; cost of life; dog’s life; everlasting life; expectation of life; fact of life; facts of life; for life; for one’s life; get a life; get life; give one’s life for something; give one’s life to something; have a new lease of life; in the prime of life; large as life; larger than life; late on in life; later on in life; lead a cat and dog life; lead a dog’s life; line of life; live a bad life; live a cat and dog life; live a dog’s life; live a good life; make a life for oneself; make a new life for oneself; put life into something; put one’s life in someone’s hands; put something into life; real life; road of life; see life; see life whole; story of one’s life; take one’s life; take one’s life in both hands; take one’s life in one’s hands; that’s life; this is the life; time of life; time of one’s life; walk of life; way of life) lifetime (in one’s lifetime) lift (get a lift; give someone a lift) light (ancient lights; back-light; background light; base light; basic light; bring something to light; carry light; come to light; festival of lights, the; flashing light; hide one’s light under a bushel; in the light of something; make light of something; man of light and leading; north light; north lights; old lights; see the light; see the light at the end of the tunnel; see the light of day; shed light on something; throw light on something) liking (for someone’s liking; to someone’s liking) limelight (come into the limelight; in the limelight) limit (beyond limits; go the limit; out of limits; reach the limit; without limits) line (all along the line; all-red line; along the line; along the lines; be on the top line; bottom line; bottom of the line; cross the finish line; cross the line; dead line; down line; draw the line; draw the line at something; draw the line under something; drop someone a line; fire line; get one’s lines crossed; give someone a line; give someone line; hard line; hard lines; have someone on the line; head line; hold the line against someone; hold the line at someone; hook, line, and sinker; hot line; in line for something; in line with something; lay it on the line; live line; long line; long-distance line; off line; on line; on the line; on the lines; out of line; out of one’s line; put it on the line; ragged blue line; sweat on the top line; thin blue line; thin line; thin red line; top line; up line) lion (beard the lion in his den; bold as a lion; bold as an essex lion; see the lions; twist the lion’s tail; walk into the lion’s den) lip (bite one’s lip; give someone lip; read my lips; read someone’s lips) liquid (flammable liquid; inflammable liquid) Key Word Index liquor (drink hard liquor; hold one’s liquor; red liquor) list (laundry list; lloyd’s list; shopping list) listen (i am listening) little (in a little; in little; no little; not a little) live (real live) living (cost of living; make a living for oneself ) load (be loaded; be loaded for bear; carry a load; carry the load; get a load of something; get a load on; take a load off someone’s mind; work load; working load) look (catch a look; catch someone’s look; give someone a black look; not know where to look; take a long look) look-in (give someone a look-in) look-out (be on the look-out for something) loon (crazy as a loon) loose (cut loose from something; cut loose with something; in the loose; on the loose; sit loose to something; sit loose upon someone) loser (bad loser; two-time loser) loss (cut back one’s losses; cut one’s losses; dead loss; total loss) lot (quite a lot; say a lot about something; say a lot for something; whole lot, a; whole lot, the) loud (speak loud) love (play for love) low (be laid low; be low; bring someone low; down low; fly low; high and low; lie low; play it low; play it low down; play it low-key) luck (be in luck; man of luck; one’s luck is in; one’s luck is out; push one’s luck; stroke of luck) lunch (do lunch; have one’s lunch handed to one; make lunch) machine (ghost in the machine; slot machine; slotting machine; tape machine; washing machine; washing-up machine) madam (little madam) magician (great magician of the north, the) maid (bar maid; between maid; kitchen maid; ladies’ maid; old maid; universal maid) maiden (ice maiden; iron maiden) make (have it made; have made it; in the make; on the make) man (action man; as a man; as one man; bad man; be a man of character; be someone’s right-hand man; become another man; best man; boat man; bumboat man; call man; career man; child of man; city man; city man; clothes man; color man; common man; copy man; corpse-man; cow man; day-man; dead man; dead man walking; dog man; early man; every man for himself; every man Key Word Index jack; fallen man; family man; fancy man; fantasy man; feel like a new man; fortunate man; foxy man; front man; god-man; godly man; good man; good-time man; green man; gutter man; half a man; half-baked man; handbook man; handy-man; head man; high man on the totem pole; high-up man; honor-man; hot dog man; house man; ice man; inner man; inside man; iron man; kentish man; key man; ladies’ man; landed man; leading man; left-hand man; left-handed man; leg man; liberty man; like a man; little green men; little men; little men with hammers; low man; low man on the totem pole; lucky man; made man; main man; man of men; man’s man; manto-man; marked man; medical man; medicine man; moon man; natural man; neither man nor mouse; nervous man; new man; night man; odd man; odd man out; old light men; old-clothes man; one’s man; one’s own man; outdoor man; outer man; outside man; party man; pivot man; pivotal man; plain men; plane man; poster man; property man; real men; right-hand man; right-handed man; safety man; sandwich man; senior man; separate the men from the boys; small men; snow man; son of man, the; son of man; sporting man; station man; steel man; stick man; stickup man; straight man; straw man; street man; strong man; strong silent man; strong-arm man; sweet man; swing man; tea man; telephone man; tent-man; to a man; top man; toy man; transit man; trouble man; water-man; well man; well-made man; white man; widow’s man; widow-man; wise man; wise men of gotham; wise men of the east; woman’s man; woman-man; working man; worldly man; yellow man; yesterday’s man; you’re a good man, charlie brown; young man) mankind (enemy of mankind) manna (hebrew manna) manner (after the manner of someone; in the manner of someone) many (be one too many; good many, a) map (go off the map; put something on the map; wipe something off the map) marble (for all the marbles; have all one’s marbles; lose one’s marbles; pick up one’s marbles) mare (flying mare; gray mare, the) maria (bloody maria) mark (be beside the mark; be off the mark; be wide of the mark; come short of the mark; fall short of the mark; get full marks for something; get full marks in something; make a mark in something; man of mark; – 388 – overshoot the mark; overstep the mark; press mark; press-mark) market (at the market; bear market; black market; bull market; come into the market; go to market; gray market; in the market; on the market; soft market) marriage (white marriage) mary (bloody mary) master (house master; one’s own master; shipping-master; station master) match (comment on a match; commentate on a match) mate (ship’s mate) matter (as a matter of course; as a matter of fact; dark matter; fact of the matter is, the; gray matter; what matter; what’s the matter) maximum (at the maximum; to the maximum) meal (make a meal from something; make a meal of something) means (by all means; by any means) meantime (for the meantime; in the meantime) measure (for good measure; in good measure; in large measure; take one’s measures; take someone’s measure) measurement (vital measurements) meat (minced meat; sweet and sour meat; sweet meat) medication (go on medication) medicine (take one’s medicine; take one’s own medicine) mend (be on the mend) mention (don’t mention it; don’t mention the war) mercy (left at the mercy of someone; left to the tender mercies of someone) metal (king of metals; queen’s metal) mickey (take the mickey out of someone) middle (man in the middle) midland (west midlands) milk (cow in milk; in milk; in the milk; land of milk and honey, the; mouse milk; pigeon milk) million (blue million; cool million) mind (absence of mind; be at the back of one’s mind; be in two minds; be of one mind; be whole of mind; blow someone’s mind; bring one’s mind to something; bring something to mind; cast one’s mind back to something; come to mind; have a good mind; have a mind; have a mind of one’s own; have a mind to something; have half a mind; have one’s mind on something; have something in mind; have something on one’s mind; in one’s mind; in one’s right mind; in the right mind; keep an open mind; keep one’s mind on something; keep something in mind; know one’s own mind; lose one’s mind; never mind; never you mind; off one’s mind; on one’s mind; one’s mind is set; one’s mind wan- ders; open one’s mind; out of mind; out of one’s mind; presence of mind; prey on someone’s mind; put one’s mind to something; set one’s mind on something; set one’s mind to something; set someone in mind of something; turn one’s mind to something; whole of mind and body) mine (back to the salt mines) minimum (at the minimum; to the minimum) minute (at the last minute; at this minute; for a minute; not for a minute; this minute; to the minute; up to the last minute; up to the minute) mirror (see in a mirror, dimly) mistake (and no mistake; make no mistake about it; there’s no mistake about it; there’s no mistaking) mix (be mixed up; get mixed up with someone) moment (at a moment; at the moment; for a moment; for the moment; in a moment; man of the moment; not for a moment; saigon moment; sputnik moment) money (bad money; bad money drives out good; black money; blue money; blue one’s money; coin money; dead money; dead on the money; dirt money; dirty money; one’s money; easy money; for money; for my money; funny money; get a good run for one’s money; good money; hard line money; hard money; have money to burn; have money to spend; have spending money; hot money; in the money; it is not a question of money; lay away money; lay out money; loose money; mad money; make money out of something; make one’s money; not like the color of someone’s money; on the money; out-of-pocket money; pink money; pocket money; put one’s money in something; put one’s money on something; put your money where your mouth is; red money; risk money; see the color of someone’s money; serious money; short money; silly money; smart money; soft money; throw good money after bad; tight for money; tight money; tight with money; white money) monkey (make a monkey of someone) mood (in a black mood; in a mood; in the mood) moon (bark at the moon; cry for the moon; man in the moon; reach for the moon; shoot for the moon; shoot the moon) moonlight (do a moonlight) more (say no more) moses (holy moses) motion (table a motion) mouth (all mouth and no trousers; all mouth and trousers; bad mouth; by – 389 – word of mouth; foul mouth; from mouth to mouth; give it mouth; give mouth; keep one’s mouth shut; not open one’s mouth) move (get a move on; get on the move; make a move; make a move on someone; make one’s move; on the move) movement (make a movement) much (as much; make much of something; not make much of something; not much for something; not much of something; think much about something; think much of something; think too much about oneself; think too much of oneself ) mud (clear as mud) muscle (not move a muscle) music (pop music; popular music) nadir (from the zenith to the nadir) nail (coffin nail; on the nail; right as nails; right on the nail; to the nail) name (brand-name dropping; by the name of; call names; come under the name of; drop names; give a name to someone; give a name to something; give it a name; give one’s name to something; go under the name of; have someone’s name on it; keep one’s name on the books; name names; put a name to someone; put one’s name down for something; put one’s name to something; see one’s name in print; under the name of; you name it) nana (be off one’s nana; lose one’s nana) nation (allied to a nation; allied with a nation; flowery nation) natural (be a natural; be natural) nature (answer the call of nature; call of nature; child of nature; citizen of nature; law of nature; one’s second nature) naught (bring something to naught; set something at naught) neck (have a stiff neck; have the neck; neck and neck; stick one’s neck out) need (at need; in need) needle (be on the needle; give someone the needle; have the needle to someone; put someone on the needle; sharp as a needle; take needles; take the needle) negro (bush negro; white negro) nerve (man of nerve) net (radio net) nettle (be nettled; be on nettles; grasp the nettle) network (radio network) never (never-never, the) news (bad news; what’s the bad news) newspaper (yellow newspaper) nick (in good nick; in the nick) nigger (white nigger; yellow nigger) night (day and night; day or night; one’s night off; one’s night out; three dog nights; watch night) nightingale (sing like a nightingale) nine (seven-by-nine; to the nines) ninepins (go down like ninepins) noise (make a noise; make a noise in the world; make noises; make the right noises) noodle (sharp as a wet noodle) noon (at noon) north (magician of the north, the) nose (copper nose; copper nose; from nose to tail; have one’s nose in something; look down one’s nose at something; pay through the nose; put one’s nose into something; rub noses with someone; rub someone’s nose in something; stick one’s nose out; stick one’s nose where it doesn’t belong; take it on the nose; take it through the nose; turn up one’s nose at something) note (cover note; covering note; take note of something; take notes of something) nothing (make nothing of something; make nothing out of something; soft nothings; there is nothing doing; there is nothing for it; there is nothing in it; there is nothing to be done; there is nothing to it; to say nothing of ) notice (give notice; take notice) now (as of now; every now and then; for now; now, now) number (any number of; a number; a number on someone; one’s number; have someone’s number; have someone’s number on it; in number; in numbers; make one’s number with someone; one’s lucky number comes up; one’s number comes up) nurse (state enrolled nurse; state registered nurse) nut (be dead nuts on something; be off one’s nut; crack a nut; get one’s nuts off; hard nut to crack; sweet as a nut; tough nut to crack) oar (row with both oars) oath (on my oath; on oath) observation (make an observation; take an observation) occasion (by occasion of something; on occasion; on the occasion; on the occasion of something) ocean (boil the ocean) off (day off; on and off; way off ) offer (on offer; under offer) offering (thanks offering) office (divine office; employment office; fire office; holy office, the; in office; in the office; post office; post office, the) officer (safety officer) oil (mix oil and water; pour oil on troubled waters; snake oil) ointment (fly in the ointment, a) Key Word Index omnibus (man on the clapham omnibus, the) on (heat is on, the; in on something; off and on) once (all at once; at once; for once; for this once; not once; not once or twice) one (any one; at one; back to square one; beyond one; each and every one; each one; every one; fast one; for one; hang one on; hang one on someone; have a quick one; have one too many; in one; number one; number ones; odd one; odd one out; one by one; one-on-one; one-toone; pull a fast one; quick one; some one; thousand to one, a; you’re a good one) oneself (above oneself; absent oneself from something; address oneself to someone; beside oneself; ally oneself to someone; ally oneself with someone; amuse oneself with something; apply oneself to something; attach oneself to someone; be oneself; be oneself again; be pleased with oneself; beside oneself; beyond oneself; bother oneself about someone; bow oneself out; bring someone to oneself; comport oneself with something; concern oneself about something; concern oneself with something; content oneself with something; deliver oneself of something; oneself down; oneself up; oneself well; excuse oneself; find oneself; help oneself; help oneself to something; identify oneself to someone; identify oneself with someone; impose oneself on someone; interest oneself for someone; keep oneself to oneself; keep to oneself; leave someone to oneself; live by oneself; live in oneself; live to oneself; live with oneself; live within oneself; lose oneself; make off with oneself; make oneself up; make the best of oneself; master of oneself; out of oneself; park oneself; pig oneself; please oneself; push oneself; push oneself forward; put someone out of oneself; relieve oneself; retire into oneself; revenge oneself on someone; sort oneself out; spread oneself out; stew oneself; stretch oneself; stretch oneself out; take someone out of oneself; throw oneself away on someone; throw oneself in something; throw oneself on someone; throw oneself on something; throw oneself to something; trouble oneself about something; trouble oneself with something; turn in on oneself; turn oneself in; work oneself up into something; work oneself up to something) only (if only) open (wide open; widely open) operation (theater of operations) Key Word Index operator (block operator) option (have an option on something; have the option of something) orchestra (leader of an orchestra) order (by order of someone; day order; doctor’s orders; enter a religious order; in order; in order of something; in orders; in short order; in the order of something; mail order; not in order; on order; on orders; post-office order; postal order; receiving order; reception order; short order; take holy orders; take one’s orders; take orders; tall order; to order; under orders; under the orders of someone) ordinary (in ordinary; in the ordinary way) out (all out; down and out; from out to out; have an out; in and out; ins and outs; inside and out; inside out; out and out; sell-out; selling out; up and out; way out; well out of it) outside (at the outside; on the outside) oven (bun is in the oven, the) over (it is all over and done with; it is all over but the shouting; it’s all over with someone; it’s someone all over;) overboard (go overboard) overtime (be on overtime) own (each to his own; of one’s own; on one’s own) pain (at pains; give someone a pain; give someone pain; in pain; in pains) palace (gin palace; ice palace) palm (grease someone’s palm; have an itching palm; one’s palm itches) pan (throw someone into the frying pan) pants (ant’s pants; by the seat of one’s pants; catch someone with his pants down; have hot pants; keep one’s pants on; wear hot pants; wear the pants) paper (fly paper; music paper; note paper; notice paper; scrap of paper; scrap paper; working paper; working papers) parade (hold a parade; make a parade) part (for my part; in good part; in part; in parts; on my part; play a part; play one’s part; play the part; take a good part of something; take something in good part) particular (in particular; in the particular) partner (pillow partner; sleeping partner) party (bridal party; make a party; make up a party; party is over, the) pass (bring something to a pretty pass; bring something to pass; come to a pretty pass; come to pass; cut someone off at the pass; make a pass; make the pass) passenger (transit passenger) pat (give someone a pat on the back; give someone a pat on the shoulder) – 390 – path (cross paths) pea (like two peas in a pod; thick as peas in a shell) peace (achieve peace; be left in peace; keep one’s peace; keep the peace; rest in peace; win the peace) pecker (keep one’s pecker up; put someone’s pecker up) peg (bring someone down a peg; off the peg; on the peg; take someone down a peg) pen (knight of the pen; light pen) penalty (pay the penalty for something) pencil (knight of the pencil) penny (bad penny; bad penny always turns up, a; count the pennies; honest penny, an; pretty penny, a; spend a penny) pennyworth (have one’s two pennyworth) people (best people; boat people; chosen people; earth people; enemy of the people; jet people; man of the people; plain people; plains people; plane people; real people; river people; small people; street people) pepper (red hot peppers) perch (come off one’s perch; fall off one’s perch) period (climacteric period; climactic period; latency period; latent period) permit (driver’s permit) person (amiable person; amicable person; boat person; lay person; natural born person; natural person; night person; people person; person-toperson; short-spoken person; superior persons; young person) peru (from china to peru) petrel (storm petrel; stormy petrel) phone (home phone; house phone) physician (house physician) pickle (in a pickle; in pickle) picture (bring someone into the picture; get one’s picture in something; get one’s picture of something; in the picture; in the pictures; put someone in the picture) pie (sweet as pie) piece (all in one piece; all of a piece; come to pieces; go to pieces; in a single piece; in one piece; pull something to pieces; take something to pieces; work piece) pig (bring one’s pigs to a bad market; bring one’s pigs to a fine market; dirty pig; drive one’s pigs to market; eat like a pig; make a pig of oneself; ride on the pig’s back; teach a pig to play the piano) pigeon (dead pigeon; milk the pigeon; pluck a pigeon) pill (go on the pill; on the pill; on the pills; sweeten the pill) pilot (armchair pilot; cockeye pilot; sky pilot) pin (be on one’s pins; be on pins and needles; bright as a new pin; clean as a new pin; have pins and needles) pine (swiss mountain pine; swiss pine; umbrella pine) pink (in pink; in the pink) pip (get one’s second pip; get the pip; till the pips squeak) pipeline (in the pipeline) pistol (hotter than a pistol; put a pistol to one’s head; put a pistol to someone’s head) pity (for pity’s sake; out of pity) place (any place; go places; go to places; in place; in places; out of a place; out of place; put oneself in someone’s place; put someone in his place; swap places with someone; take a place; take one’s place; take place; take the place of someone; working place) plane (sea plane; sea-borne plane) planet (habitable planet; inhabitable planet; unhabitable planet) plank (thick as two short planks; walk the plank) plate (have something handed on a plate; have something on one’s plate) play (at play; be played out; child’s play; classic play; classical play; fair play; good as a play; horse-play; in full play; in play; love play; make a big play of something; make a play for someone; make a play for something; make play with something; two can play at that game) player (chess player) pleasure (have the pleasure of someone’s company; take pleasure in someone’s company) pledge (give a pledge; give the pledge; in pledge; under pledge) plough (follow the plough; put one’s hand to the plough) plug (pull the plug on someone; pull the plug on something; pull the plug out; put a plug in for someone put a plug in for something; spark plug; sparking plug) plunge (take the plunge) pocket (burn a hole in someone’s pocket; in each other’s pockets; in pocket; in someone’s pocket; in the pocket; make a hole in someone’s pocket; out of one’s own pocket; out of pocket; put one’s hand in one’s pocket; put one’s hands in one’s pockets) point (come to a point; come to the point; gain a point; gain one’s point; get a point; get one’s point across; get someone’s point; get the point; get to a point; get to the point; give points to someone; go straight to the point; have a point; make a point of something; make points with someone; make the point about something; pour point; to a point; to the point; turning point) poke (pigs in a poke) – 391 – poker (straight as a poker) pole (up the pole) policy (comprehensible policy; comprehensive policy; lunatic policy) politics (lunar politics) pony (iron pony; ride shank’s pony; ride the cotton pony; show pony) poorly (be poorly off ) pork (carry on like a pork chop) position (in a position; in no position; in position; out of position) possession (in possession of something; in the possession of someone) postcard (on the back of a postcard) pot (keep the pot boiling; put someone’s pot on; put the pot on; sweeten the pot) potato (jacket potato; unpeeled potato) power (have power over someone; have someone in one’s power; military power; sea power; war power; water power) practice (have a large practice; have much practice) premises (on the premises) prescription (make out a prescription; make up a prescription) present (at present; for the present; in the present) preserver (life-preserver) pressure (at high pressure; under high pressure) price (at a price; at any price; at the price; pay a heavy price for something; sale price; selling price) prime (in one’s prime) principle (in principle; on principle) print (in print; in the print) prison (escape from prison; escape prison) progress (be in progress; make progress) project (science project; scientific project) promise (give a promise; give promise) property (common property; community property; man of property) proportion (in proportion of something; in proportion to something) proposal (make a proposal) proposition (make a proposition) proud (do someone proud; make someone proud) province (not in one’s province) psalm (book of psalms, the) public (in public) pull (have a pull with someone; have the pull of someone) pulse (feel something on the pulse; feel the pulse of something) punch (beat someone to the punch) purpose (on purpose; to some purpose; to the purpose) purse (hold the purse strings) push (at a push; at one push; give someone a push; give someone the push) pussy (feed one’s pussy) put (be put up against the wall) quarrel (have no quarrel with someone; not quarrel with someone) quarter (bad quarter of an hour; fifth quarter; good quarter of an hour) queer (on the queer) question (ask the question; beg the question; beside the question; beyond question; bring something into question; call someone into question; call something into question; call the question; come into question; go into the question; in question; it is not a question of something; money is no question; no question; no questions asked; not the question; open question; open to question; openend question; out of the question; put a question to someone; put someone to the question; put something in question; put something to the question; put the question; there is no question of something) quiet (at quiet; on the quiet) quit (be quit of someone) quits (be quits with someone) rabbit (chase two rabbits; her rabbit died; kill the rabbit) race (be in the race; boat race; boat race, the; make the race; rat race; ski race) racing (rat-racing) rack (on the rack) rag (be dressed in rags; have the rag on; have the rags on; like a wet rag; lose one’s rag) rail (get back on the rails; go off the rails; ride someone on a rail; ride the rails; third rail) railway (underground railway) rain (come in out of the rain) raise (get a raise; make a raise) raiser (curtain raiser) raisin (seeded raisins; seedless raisins) range (rifle range) rank (pull rank with someone; take rank of someone; take rank with someone) rap (take the rap) rash (come out in a rash) rate (third-rate) rather (one had rather) readiness (in readiness) ready (at the ready) realism (social realism; socialist realism) reason (lose all reason; lose one’s reason; with reason; within reason) receipt (in receipt of something; on receipt of something) recess (in recess; in the recess) recession (in recession) record (have a record of something; hold a record for something; keep a record of something) recorder (tape recorder) red (in red; in the red; indian red; paint a bow-wow red; see red; see the red light) Key Word Index reflect (be reflected in something) regard (have regard for something; have regard to something) register (lloyd’s register) rein (hold a rein on something; hold the reins of something) relate (be related to someone) religion (enter into religion; get religion; lose one’s religion) rent (dead rent) republic (black republic, the; czech republic, the; dominican republic) republican (black republicans) request (in request; on request) resemblance (bear a resemblance to something; have a resemblance to something) resident (senior resident) resort (as a last resort; in the last resort) respect (give one’s respects to someone; have respect for something; have respect to something; pay one’s respects to someone; with all respect to someone; with respect to someone) rest (be at rest; be resting; give something a rest; lay someone to rest; put something to rest) result (consequent result; consequential result) retreat (beat the retreat; go into retreat; go on retreat) return (point of no return; send something by return; send something in return) reward (as a reward for something; in reward for something; receive a reward) ribbon (red ribbon) rich (strike it rich) ride (free ride; give someone a ride; give someone a rough ride; go along for the ride; go for a ride; one way ride; take a sleigh ride; take someone for a ride; take someone for a sleigh ride) rifle (range of a rifle) right (all right for you; all right with you; dead right; dead to rights; right by someone; get something right; in one’s own right; in the right; mr right; on the right; put someone right; set something right; that’s all right; that’s right; within one’s rights) righteous (self-righteous) ring (be ringed; be rung) rise (at rise; at the rise; get a rise; get a rise out of someone; give someone a rise; on the rise; take the rise out of someone) risk (at one’s risk; at risk) river (down the river; go down the river; go up the river; row someone up salt river; sell someone down the river; send someone down the river; send someone up the river; up the river) Key Word Index road (hit the road; in the road; middle-of-the-road; on the road; slip road; slippery road; take the road; take to the road) robe (long robes) rock (between a rock and a hard place) roe (richard roe) roof (go through the roof; hit the roof ) room (clean room; dead room; dirty room; the room; double room; green room; gun room; make room; pace out the room; pace the room; receiving room; reception room; rest room; seating room; sitting room; twin room) roost (go to roost; rule the roost) root (strike at the root; strike root) rope (dead rope; death rope; hang in the bell-ropes; on a rope; on the rope; on the ropes; pin someone on the ropes; put someone up to the ropes) rose (bed of roses; come up roses; come up smelling of roses; fresh as a rose; roses, roses all the way; stop and smell the roses; take time to smell the roses; tudor rose; under the rose) round (in a round; in the round) route (all-red route; milk and honey route; milk route; red route) row (hard row to hoe; hoe one’s own row; tough row to hoe) rubicon (cross the rubicon) rule (by rule; by rule and line) run (at a run; cut and run; dry run; give someone a run; give someone a run for his money; give someone the run; give someone the runs; have a good run for one’s money; have a run; have a run of something; have the run of something; have the runs; hit and run; keep the run of something; make a run; make a run for it; milk run; on the run; rat run; ski run) run-down (give someone a run-down) run-in (have a run-in with someone) run-through (give someone a runthrough) runner (do a runner; front runner) running (do the running; make the running; off and running; up and running) rush (bum rush something; come out in a rush; get a rush from something; get a rush on something; get the bum’s rush; get the rush; give someone a rush; give someone the bum’s rush) rust (yellow stripe rust) sack (give someone the sack; leave someone holding the sack) saddle (back in the saddle; in the saddle; on the saddle) safety (in safety; with safety) sailing (plain sailing; plane sailing) saint (city of saints) sale (be for sale; be on sale; white sale) – 392 – salmon (dog salmon) sand (bring sand to the beach) sauce (marinara sauce; on the sauce) saver (life-saver) say (can you say that again; dare i say; have a say; have nothing to say; have nothing to say for oneself; have the say; i dare say; i hear what you say; i say; i’ll say; it is said that; it says that; not to say; sooth to say; that’s what you say; you don’t say so; you may well say so; you said it) scale (on a large scale) scene (behind the scenes; change the scene; change the scenes; make a scene; make the scene; set the scene) school (board school; boarding school; drama school; finish school; finishing school; first school; grammar school; high school; higher school; infant school; leave school; normal school; nursery school; old school; play school; preparatory school; primary school; private school; public school; special school; training school; upper school) science (advance of science; advancement of science) scotchman (flying scotchman, the) screw (have a screw loose; put the screws to someone; there is a screw loose; tighten up screws) sea (at sea; half-seas over; high sea; high seas; in the sea; king of the sea; on the sea; open sea) seal (put one’s seal to something; put the seal on something; set one’s seal to something; set the seal on something) seam (burst at the seams; come apart at the seams) season (dead season; high season; in a season; in season; off season; out of season) seat (back seat; be seated; hot seat; keep one’s seat; keep the seat warm; love seat; take a seat; take one’s seat; take one’s seat on the bench) second (one’s second self ) secret (in secret; in the secret) security (as security; for security) sell (be sold on someone; be sold out to someone; made to be sold; made to sell; soft sell) semblance (bear a semblance of something; have a semblance of something) sense (come to one’s senses; common sense; have no sense of something; in a sense; in the sense; not have the sense of something; regain one’s senses) serial (television serial) series (television series) service (be at someone’s service; be in someone’s service; be of service to someone; come into service; give someone lip service; go into service; go into the service; go out of service; in service; in the service; man of service; quit the service; take service; take the service; time service) set (be set on doing something; be set to something; jet set; twin set; two-piece set) shade (be in the shade; cast a shade over something; cast something into the shade; eye-shade) shadow (cast a long shadow over something; cast a shadow over something; eye shadow) shake (give someone a fair shake; give someone a shake; give someone the shake) shake-down (give someone a shakedown) shake-up (give someone a shake-up) shame (bring shame on someone; put someone to shame) shape (bent out of shape; get something into shape; give shape to something; in no shape; not in shape; out of shape; take shape; take the shape) shark (one wouldn’t shout if a shark bit him; swim with the sharks) shave (clean shave; close shave; closely shaven) sheep (black sheep; count sheep; ride on the sheep’s back; separate the sheep from the goats; wolf in sheep’s clothing) sheet (blank sheet; fly-sheet; white as a sheet) shelf (laid on the shelf; left on the shelf; off the shelf; on the shelf ) shell (be hardly out of the shell; come out of one’s shell) shilling (cut someone off with a shilling; cut someone off without a shilling; long shillings) shine (take a shine to someone; take the shine out of someone) ship (abandon ship; clear a ship; clear a ship for action; dead ship; death ship; don’t give up the ship; fire ship; ghost ship; give up the ship; guard ship; liberty ship; long ship; post ship; sister ship; stone ship; when one’s ship comes home) shirt (keep one’s shirt on; lose one’s shirt) shoe (be in someone’s shoes; court shoes; fill someone’s shoes; old shoe; put oneself in someone’s shoes; put the shoe on the right foot; snow shoes; step into someone’s shoes) shoestring (on a shoestring) shoot (duck shoot) shop (body shop; close up a shop; close up shop; closed shop; keep a shop; keep shop; shut up a shop; shut up shop; talk shop; talk-shop) shopper (body shopper) shore (in shore; on shore) short (be a little short of something; be little short of something; bring someone up short; come short; cut someone short; draw the short straw; – 393 – for short; get the short end of the stick; go short of something; in short; nothing short of; run short; run short of something; taken short; taken up short) shot (big shot; call one’s shots; call the shots; get a shot at something; give it a shot; give oneself a shot in the arm; give something a shot; large shot) shotgun (call shotgun) shoulder (head and shoulders above someone; on one’s shoulders; put one’s shoulder to the wheel) show (do a show; dog and pony show; dog show; dog’s show; for show; get the show on the road; in show; legshow; make a show; on show; put up a good show; put up a show; road show; steal the show; stop the show) shower (come down in the last shower) shut-eye (get some shut-eye) sick (be on the sick; get sick; go sick) sickness (green sickness; heart-sickness) side (another side on the boat; at the side of someone; at the side of something; butter one’s bread on both sides; know on which side one’s bread is buttered; look on the bright side of something; on one’s side; on someone’s good side; on someone’s side; on the credit side; on the downhill side; on the large side; on the other side; on the other side of the fence; on the other side of the hill; on the other side of the tracks; on the right side of the hedge; on the side; on the side of someone; on the side of something; on the wrong side of the tracks; other side, the; other side of the coin, the; other side of the hill, the; put something on one side; stay on the right side of someone; take someone on one side; walk both sides of the street) sidelines (on the sidelines) sight (at first sight; at sight; at the sight of someone; be a sight; be a sight for sore eyes; be a sight to behold; something sight unseen; have something in one’s sights; in one’s sight; in one’s sights; in sight; in the sight of someone; out of one’s sight; out of sight; raise one’s sights; set one’s sights on something) signal (aural signal; oral signal) silence (break one’s silence; break the silence) silver (bring home the silver) simple (plain and simple; pure and simple) sister (sob sister; sobbing sisters) size (cut someone down to size; of a size; of some size; that’s about the size of it; that’s about your size) skeleton (living skeleton) skid (put the skids on something; put the skids under something) skin (cast its skin; escape with a whole skin; get into someone’s skin; get under someone’s skin; jump out of one’s skin; play out of one’s skin; run out of one’s skin; save one’s skin) sky (be in the skies; blue skies; blue sky; drop from the skies; in the skies; reach for the sky; under the sky) slate (wipe something off the slate) slave (white slave; white-collar slave) sleep (beauty sleep; dead sleep; go to sleep; lay someone to sleep; neverending sleep; put someone to sleep) slice (fish slice) slide (let something slide; on the downhill slide) slip (let something slip) slow (go slow) slowly (go slowly) small (sing small; talk small) smoke (blow smoke; go down in smoke; go into smoke; go up in smoke; in smoke) snake (mad as a cut snake; see snakes; wake snakes) snatch (make a snatch; take a snatch) snow (sell snow to the eskimos; white as snow) so (so and so; so so) society (friendly society, the) sock (beat the socks off someone; knock someone’s socks off; pull one’s socks up; work one’s socks off ) soil (stand on one’s native soil) soldier (chocolate soldier; dead soldier; toy soldier) solomon (wise as solomon) son (god the son; god’s son) song (sing different songs; sing the same song) soon (no sooner…than; speak too soon) sort (all sorts of something; of a sort; of all sorts; of sorts; of the sort) soup (be in the soup; chicken soup; duck soup; see you in the soup; thick as pea soup) south (go south) space (from space to space) spate (in full spate; in spate) spectacle (look a spectacle) spin (go for a spin; go into a flat spin) spirit (be out of spirits) spirit (high spirit; high spirits; in spirit; in spirits; lose all spirit) spoke (put in one’s spoke; put a spoke in someone’s wheel) spoon (be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth; get the wooden spoon) sport (make sport for someone; make sport of someone) spot (grease spot; greasy spot; hit the high spots; hit the spot; in a spot; in spots; oil spot strategy; oil-spot someone; on the spot) spotlight (hold the spotlight; in the spotlight of something) spur (on the spur; on the spur of the moment) Key Word Index squad (flying squad) squadron (flying squadron) stage (go on stage; go on the stage) stake (burn someone at the stake; pick up stakes; raise the stakes) stand (die standing up; make a stand against something; take a stand against something; take a stand on something; take one’s stand; take the stand; take the stand on something) standing (of long standing; of standing) standoff (be a standoff ) star (get stars in one’s eyes; lone star; lonely star; see stars; shoot a star; shoot for the stars; shooting star) start (at the start; get a head start; get a start; get one’s start; get someone started; give someone a start; to start with) state (be in one’s natural state; bullion state, the; corncracker state, the; cracker state, the; diamond state, the; empire state of the south, the; empire state, the; garden state, the; gem state, the; golden state, the; great lakes state, the; green mountain state, the; gulf state; in a state; in state; lake state, the; lone star state, the; mother state, the; mountain state, the; north star state, the; peace garden state, the; purple state; red state; salt lake state, the; treasure state, the) statesman (mother of southwestern statesmen, the) station (weather station) statistics (vital statistics) steady (go steady with someone; go steady with something) steam (blow off steam; get steamed up; get up steam; let off steam; put on steam) steel (man of steel) step (make the first step; one step ahead; one step further; step by step; step for step; two-step) stew (leave someone stew; leave someone stew in one’s own juice; let someone stew; let someone stew in one’s own juice) stick (be stuck for something; be stuck on someone; be stuck on something; be stuck up; be stuck with someone; big stick; big sticks; get stuck; get stuck for something; get stuck in; get stuck in something; get stuck into something; get stuck on something; get stuck with something; give it some stick; give someone stick; high up the stick; more than one can shake a stick at; take a stick to someone; up the stick) stitch (be in stitches; not have a stitch on) stock (have something in stock; in stock; in the stocks; on the stocks; take stock in something; take stock of something) Key Word Index stomach (have no stomach for something) stone (cast the first stone; cold as stone; lay the first stone; rolling stone; set a stone rolling; set the stone rolling) stop (come to a full stop; come to a stop; full stop; pull the stops out) store (computer hardware store; hardware store; have something in store; software store) story (fish story; fishy story; hair-raising story; hairy story; hard-luck story; it’s the same old, old story; long story; one’s life story; short story; tall story; tell me the old, old story; that’s my story and i’m sticking to it; that’s the story of my life) straight (give it to someone straight; go straight; keep straight) stream (come on stream; go on stream; go with the stream; swim with the stream) street (down someone’s street; go on the streets; hit the streets; in queer street; live in the street; man in the street; men in the street; not in the same street; on the street; on the streets; one way street; take to the streets; up another street; up someone’s street; woman in the street) strength (at full strength; in full strength; in strength; with all one’s strength) stretch (at a stretch; on the stretch) stride (get into one’s stride; take something in one’s stride) strike (lucky strike) string (have someone on a string; lead someone in a string; on a string; pull the string of the shower-bath; pull the strings) stripe (candy stripe) stroke (at a stroke; at the stroke; off one’s stroke; on the stroke) strong (come on strong; feel strong; go it strong; go strong) strongly (feel strongly) student (graduate student; post-graduate student) stuff (green stuff; hot stuff ) stump (dumb as a stump; on the stump; up a stump) succession (by succession; in succession) such (as such; such and such) sugar (neither sugar nor salt) suggestion (practicable suggestion; practical suggestion) suit (monkey suit) summer (high summer) sun (in the sun; under the sun) sunday (mothering sunday; palm sunday; sad palm sunday) support (for the support of someone; in support of someone) suspicion (above suspicion; on suspicion; under suspicion) swan (black swan) – 394 – sweat (don’t sweat it; don’t sweat the small stuff; no sweat) sweep (make a clean sweep of something) swim (be in the swim) swing (get into full swing; get into the swing of things) syndrome (china syndrome; chinese restaurant syndrome; vietnam syndrome) system (all systems go; economic system; economical system; star route system; star system) table (dressing table; lay something on the table; on the table; under the table) tack (on the tack; on the right tack) tail (horse tail; mare’s tail ; nose to tail; twist someone’s tail) take (give and take; give or take; one’s take on something) tale (live to tell the tale; tell tales; tell tales out of school; tell the same tale; tell the tale; twice-told tale) talk (be talked out; be talked out of something; big talk; don’t talk to me about it; little talk; money talks; short talk; small talk; talk small talk; talk the talk; tall talk; walk the talk; you should talk; you shouldn’t talk) tall (ride tall) tan (black and tan; black and tans, the) tap (on tap; on the tap) tape (on tape; on the tape; red tape) target (beat the target; hit the target) tartar (young tartar) taste (add to taste; add to the taste; have a taste for something; have a taste in something; have a taste of something; out of taste; to taste; to the taste; without taste) tea (beef-tea; cup of tea, a; different cup of tea, a; high tea; low tea; meat tea; not someone’s cup of tea; thick tea; thin tea) teacher (career teacher; careers teacher; pupil teacher; student teacher) telegraph (bush telegraph; field telegraph) tell (don’t tell me; go tell it to the birds; i’m telling you; never tell me; tale that is told; you tell ’em; you tell me; you’re telling me) temper (get into a temper; get out of temper; in a temper; in no temper; out of temper) ten (top ten; upper ten) tenterhooks (on tenterhooks) territory (cover the territory; northwest territories; northwest territory) test (driving test; put someone to the acid test; screen test; screening test) than (sooner…than) thanks (no thanks to; offer one’s thanks; thanks but no thanks to) that (how’s that; how’s that for high) theater (movie theater; moving theater; operating theater; planetarium theater) them (pack them; pack them in) then (now and then; now then) there (be there for me; be there or be square; here and there; here, there and everywhere; such as there is; you had to be there) thick (as thick as peas in a pod) thief (thick as thieves) thin (spread oneself thin) thing (close thing; closest thing, the; one’s thing; that small thing; the other thing; for one thing; have a thing about someone; have a thing with someone; it’s just one of those things; it’s just the thing; know a thing or two; last thing, the; latest thing, the; little thing; nearest thing, the; not a thing; not quite the thing; not the thing; one final thing; quite the thing; small thing; soft thing; soft things; taking one thing with another; that’s the thing; very near thing, a; what with one thing and another) think (don’t even think of it; have another think coming; not even think of something; not think much of something) thought (don’t give it a second thought; don’t give it a thought; give it a second thought; have no thought of something; have second thoughts) thousand (one in a thousand) threshold (pain threshold) throat (be at each other’s throats; cut each other’s throats; cut someone’s throat; have a lump in one’s throat) thus (thus and thus) tick (in a tick; on the tick; on tick) ticket (get a ticket; get one’s ticket; get one’s ticket punched; have tickets on oneself; work off one’s ticket; work one’s ticket; write one’s own ticket) ticking-off (give someone a tickingoff ) tide (go out with the tide; go with the tide) tie (fit to be tied; get tied up; old school tie) tiger (catch a tiger by the tail; have a tiger by the tail) time (actual time; after a time; after time; ahead of one’s time; ahead of time; all the time; any time; arrive dead on time; at a time; at all times; at any one time; at any time; at full time; at no time; at one time; at one time and another; at one time or another; at one’s time of life; at the same time; at the time of something; at this time; at times; bad time; bad times; be over one’s time; beat someone’s time; beat the time; before one’s time; before time; behind one’s time; behind the times; behind time; break time; broken time; by the time; close time; closing time; dead – 395 – on time; dead time; time; double time; down time; first time; first time round; for the first time; for the last time; from time to time; full time; game time; give someone a hard time; give someone a nice time; give someone the time; give someone the time of day; give someone time; give someone time out; good old time; good time; good times; goodtime charley; half the time; half time; hard time; hard times; have a big time; have a good time; have a hard time; have a rough time; have a time; have no time for something; have the time; have time for something; high old time; high time; in good time; in no time; in one’s own good time; in one’s own time; in one’s time; in the fullness of time; in the same time; in the time of something; in time; keep bad time; keep good time; keep up with the times; kill time; kill-time; killing time; know the time of day; last time; latency time; low time; make a time about something; make a time for something; make good time; make the big time; make time; make time for someone; make time for something; make time with someone; mark the time; mark time; not before its time; off time; old before one’s time; on one’s own time; on time; one has no time for someone; one’s time of life; out of one’s time; out of time; pass the time; pass the time of day; past one’s time; peak time; play against time; play for time; quality time; question of time; real time; run out of time; second time, a; second time, the; serve one’s time; serve time; short time; small time; some other time; some time; some time or other; some times; take one’s time; take the time; take time; take time by the forelock; take time off; take time out; there is a time for everything; thin time; this time; time after time; to time; true time; two time; up time; watch the time; zero time) tin (sardine tin) tip (give someone a tip) tip-off (give someone a tip-off ) tiptoe (on tiptoe) tire (cold as a wagon tire; reinvent the flat tire) titanic (be titanic; go titanic) toast (be milk toast; be toast) toe (dip one’s toes in the water; have it away on one’s toes; on one’s toes; tread on someone’s toes) together (all together; get it together; get oneself together; hold oneself together; keep oneself together) toll (take a toll of; take a toll on) tom (aunt tom; blind tom; every tom, dick and harry; long tom; old tom; peeping tom; peeping-tom tv; uncle tom; uncle tom cobley; uncle tom cobley and all; whipping tom) tongue (bite one’s tongue; bite the tongue; give someone the rough side of one’s tongue; give someone tongue; give tongue; lose one’s tongue; speak with a double tongue) tooth (by the skin of one’s teeth; cut one’s teeth; cut teeth; get one’s teeth into something; grind one’s teeth; grit one’s teeth; put teeth into something; set one’s teeth; set someone’s teeth on edge; to someone’s teeth; to the teeth) top (at the top of something; at the top of the heap; at the top of the tree; be on top of someone; come on top of something; come out on top; come to the top; from the top; from top to bottom; from top to toe; get on top of something; go over the top; on the top of something; on top; on top of something; on top of the world; thin on top; up top) torch (carry the torch) touch (at a touch; get in touch with someone; in touch; keep in touch with someone; lose one’s touch with someone; lose touch with someone; put the touch on someone; within touch) tow (in tow; on tow) town (get out of town; go out on the town; go to town; man about town; man of the town; open town; paint the town red; wide-open town; woman about town; woman of the town) toy (boy toy; boy’s toy) trace (jump the traces) track (back on track; fast track; in the track of someone; jump the track; keep someone on track; keep track of someone; off the beaten track; off the track; on the track of someone; on the wrong track) trade (in the trade; in trade; jack of all trades) trail (at the trail; on the trail) train (boat-train; ghost train ; liner train) tree (out of one’s tree; shake someone’s tree; shake the pagoda tree; shake the plum tree; umbrella tree; up a tree) trial (at the trial; hold a trial; in trial; on trial; put someone on trial; take someone on trial) trick (do the trick; know a trick or two; know all the tricks of the trade; make the trick; pull off a hat-trick; turn a trick; turn the trick) trip (free trip) trot (at a trot; on the trot; on the trots) trouble (be in trouble; be in trouble with someone; get someone into trouble; give someone trouble; have trouble; have trouble to something; have trouble over something; Key Word Index have trouble with someone; put someone to trouble; take the trouble to something; take trouble over something) truck (fall off a truck; fall off the turnip truck) true (it is not true; out of true) truly (yours truly) trumpet (blow one’s own trumpet; yellow trumpet) trust (in trust; on trust) try (have a try at something; have a try for something) tub (blood-tub) tube (boob tube; in the tube) tune (sing a different tune) turk (young turk) turkey (go cold turkey; not say peaturkey; not talk turkey; talk cold turkey; walk turkey) turn (another turn of the screw; in turn; in turns; not know where to turn; speak out of turn; take a turn; take turns) twice (think twice) two (have two strings to one’s bow; in two; in two’s; it takes two to make a bargain; it takes two to tango; kill two birds with one stone; make two bites of a cherry; number two; number twos; run after two hares; serve two masters; take two bites of a cherry; that makes two of us) uncle (everybody and their uncle; talk like a dutch uncle) under (down under) uneasy (feel uneasy about something; feel uneasy at something) union (come into the union; go into the union) up (bottom up; bottoms up; have an up on someone; on the up; on the up and up; what’s up; what’s up with) upper (on the uppers) upstairs (man upstairs) use (be used to doing something; come into use; have a use for something; have no use for something; have the use of something) useful (come in useful) usher (gentleman usher; gentleman usher of the black rod) utmost (at the utmost; to the utmost) valley (silicon valley) veil (behind the veil; draw a veil over something; under the veil) velvet (in velvet; on velvet) venus (girdle of venus) verge (be on the verge of something) version (revised standard version, the; revised version, the) view (at the view of someone; at the view of something; in the view of someone; in view of something; on the view; on view; on view of something; take a dim view of something; Key Word Index take a long view; with the view of something) virtue (by virtue of something; in virtue of something) vision (color vision; colored vision) voice (be in voice; find one’s voice; have a voice; have voice; lose one’s voice) volume (speak volumes for something) voter (swing voter) vow (make a vow; make one’s vows) vulture (eagle vulture) wagon (dinner wagon; fall off the wagon; go on the wagon; on the wagon; patrol wagon) wait (be in waiting; just you wait; lie in wait) walk (at a walk; go at a walk; go for a walk; in a walk) walker (floor-walker) wall (be put up against the wall; be up against the wall; climb up the wall; come up against a blank wall; come up against a brick wall; drive someone to the wall; drive someone up the wall; fly on the wall; go over the wall; hit the wall running; jump over the wall; off the wall; over the wall; run into a stone wall; run one’s head into a brick wall; run one’s head into a stone wall; stone wall; writing on the wall) want (be in want; be wanting) war (be in a war; be in the wars; go to the war; go to war; honors of war) ward (casual ward; casualty ward) warm (get warmed up) warmer (bench warmer; chair warmer) wash (all washed out; all washed up; come out in the wash; hog-wash;) washing (do the washing; pig-washing) washing-up (do the washing-up) watch (night watch) water (angel-water; at low water; be in deep waters; be in murky waters; be in uncharted waters; blow someone out of the water; burn the water; carry water in a sieve; fire-water; fish in murky waters; get into hot water; head of water; high water; hold one’s water; hold water; holy water; in deep water; in low water; king of waters; like water; like water off a duck’s back; open water; pour cold water on someone; pour water into a sieve; take in water; take the water; take the waters; throw cold water on someone; tread water; turn someone’s water off; under water; walk on water; waste of water; waste water; wasted water; weak as water; writing on water) waterworks (turn on the waterworks) wave (make waves; raise waves) way (all the way; all the way live; any way; come a long way; come someone’s way; cut both ways; either way; – 396 – every way; get in the way of something; get into the way of something; get out of the way; get out of the way of doing something; give way to something; go a long way; go all the way; go all the way with someone; go back a long way; go one’s own way; go one’s way; go out of one’s way; go out of the way to something; go someone’s way; halfway; have a way with someone; have it both ways; have one’s own way; have one’s way with someone; in a big way; in a family way; in a great way; in a way; in no way; in one’s way; in the family way; in the way; know one’s way about; know one’s way around; lose one’s way; lose way; make one’s own way; make one’s way; make way for something; mend one’s ways; milky way; no way; on one’s way; on the way; one way or another; one way or the other; pave the way for something; pay one’s way; put oneself out of the way; put someone out of the way; swing both ways; swing either way; that’s the way it goes; that’s the way the ball bounces; that’s the way the cookie crumbles; that’s the way the cow eats the cabbage; that’s the way to go; there are more ways than one to kill a cat; there are no two ways about it; there’s more than one way to kill a cat; win one’s way) weather (below the weather; under the weather) wedding (white wedding) weekend (like a wet weekend) weight (carry one’s weight; carry weight; dead weight; flying weight; give full weight to something; give weight to something; lay a weight on something; lay weight on something; live weight; make up the weight; make weight; put on weight; put the weight; throw one’s weight; throw one’s weight about) welcome (be welcome; be welcomed) well (as well as; be well away; be well off; someone well; well; well by someone; well for oneself; well in something; well out of something; fare well; feel well; look well; speak well for something; speak well of something; stay well) west (go west; middle west) wet (be all wet; be wet) what (or what) whatever (or whatever) wheel (fifth wheel; fly on the wheel; grease the wheels; keep the wheels turning; reinvent the wheel; set the wheels in motion; spin the wheels; squeaky wheel gets the grease, the; third wheel) while (all the while; worth while) whistle (clean as a whistle) white (admiral of the white; black and white; in the white; in white; whiter than white) whole (go the whole gamut; in the whole; on the whole) wide (far and wide) wild (call of the wild; go wild; in the wild; in the wilds; life in the wild; run wild) wilderness (life in the wilderness) willie (holy willie) wind (bag of wind; be in the wind; beat the wind; between wind and water; break the wind; break wind; get one’s wind; get the wind of something; get the wind up; get wind; get wind of something; hang in the wind; know which way the wind blows; out of the wind; out of wind; raise the wind; straws in the wind; take wind; throw straws against the wind; whistle against the wind; whistle down the wind; whistle up the wind) window (go out the window) wine (red wine) wing (clip someone’s wings; give someone wings; on a wing and a prayer; on the wing; on wings; take wing; try one’s wings; with wings) wire (be on the wire; be on wires; be wired; beat someone to the wire; come down to the wire; come under the wire; dead wire; go down to the wire; go under the wire; hot wire; live wire; over the wire; pull one’s wire; pull wires; under the wire; under wire) wish (death-wish; dying wish) wit (have one’s wits about one; have the wit to something) with (do with something; what with; what’s with) without (do without something) wizard (wonderful wizard of oz, the) wolf (keep the wolf at bay; sea wolf; water-wolf ) woman (career woman; common woman; first woman, the; floor woman; little woman; old woman; scarlet woman; scarlet woman, the; sporting woman; street woman) wonder (for a wonder; nine-day wonder; ninety-day wonder; to a wonder) wood (be out of the woods; from the wood; man of the woods; out of the wood; take to the woods) woodwork (come out of the woodwork) wool (goats’ wool; more cry than wool) word (archaic word; archaistic word; at a word; big word; book of words; by word of mouth; clip one’s words; exchange a few words with someone; exchange words with someone; famous last words; fiery words; get a word in; get in a word; give one’s word; give someone one’s word; give someone the word; give the word; – 397 – good word; have a word with someone; have a word in someone’s ear; have no words; have the last word; have word; have words; have words with someone; high words; highsounding words; hot words; in a few well-chosen words; in a few words; in a word; in so many words; last word, the; last words; little word; mark my words; mouth words; no word; not a word; not a word to bessie; not in so many words; one final word; pass one’s word; pass the word; person of few words; play of words; play on words; put a word in; put in a word; put words into someone’s mouth; say one’s last word; send word; so many words; take someone at his word; take someone’s word; take the words out of someone’s mouth; without many words; word by word; word for word) work (art work; at work; body work; dirty work; dirty work at the crossroads; a work; hard work; hardly work; in the works; in work; it’s all in a day’s work; job of work; job work; leg work; make a work; make light work of something; off work; one’s work is cut out for one; out of work; part-time work; piece of work; place of work) worker (block worker; body worker; white-collar workers) world (all the world and his wife; ancient world; blind to the world; brave new world, the; bring someone into the world; citizen of the world; come into the world; dead to the world; depart out of this world; down under world; end of the world, the; for all the world; for the world; go out into the world; go out of this world; great world, the; greater world, the; half the world; halfworld; have the best of both worlds; have the world by the tail; in a dream world; in a world apart; in another world; in the next world; in the second world; in the wide world; in the world; in this world; little world; lower world; man of the world; never-never world, the; new world, the; new world; old world; on other worlds; out of this world; retire from the world; set the world on fire; small world; there’s a whole other world out there; usher someone into the world; wide world, the) worm (open a can of worms) worry (no worries; not to worry) worse (i have seen worse) worst (at one’s worst; at the worst; one’s worst; have the worst of it; in the worst way; make the worst of it) worth (for all it’s worth; for what it’s worth) wrap (under wraps) Key Word Index write (be written in black and white; nothing to write home about) wrong (be in the wrong; be wrong; fly the wrong flag; get off on the wrong foot; get out of bed with the wrong foot foremost; get someone in wrong; get someone wrong; get the wrong end of the stick; go down the wrong way; go the wrong way; go wrong; put all one’s money upon the wrong horse; put someone in the wrong; put the saddle on the wrong horse) year (golden years; old beyond one’s years) you (get off with you; go along with you; good for you; good of you; how are you doing; how you do; mark you) young (old and young; with young) your (you and your) yours (you and yours) yourself (knock yourself out; don’t knock yourself out) youth (gilded youth) zenith (from the zenith to the nadir) zone (home zone; speed zone) This page intentionally left blank ... • be green around the gills be headstrong • have a strong head be good form • be in good form be green —1 be inexperienced: During his speech, Obama be headstrong —be self-willed and obstinate:... determined: Everyone describes him in a similar way — to say that Clarence was strong minded, had a strong personality, was strong willed b) Neither expression is antonymous in meaning to the phrase... best of them and I had, for such a youngster, a tolerable strong head Note: a) Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase be strong-minded— be resolute and determined: Everyone describes