Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц) - неизвестен Автор

[bring around] or [bring round] <v.> 1. <informal> To restore to health or consciousness cure. * /He was quite ill, but good nursing brought him around./ Compare: BRING TO(1). 2. To cause a change in thinking; persuade; convince; make willing. * /After a good deal of discussion he brought her round to his way of thinking./

[bringdown] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. (from "bring down", past "brought down"). A critical or cutting remark said sarcastically in order to deflate a braggard's ego. * /John always utters the right bringdown when he encounters a braggard./ 2. A person who depresses and saddens others by being a chronic complainer. * /John is a regular bringdown./

[bring down] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. To deflate (someone's ego). * /John brought Ted down very cleverly with his remarks./ 2. To depress (someone). * /The funeral brought me down completely./

[bring down about one's ears] or [bring down around one's ears] See: ABOUT ONE'S EARS.

[bring down the house] <v. phr.>, <informal> To start an audience laughing or clapping enthusiastically. * /The principal's story was funny in itself and also touched their loyalties, so it brought down the house./ * /The President made a fine speech which brought down the house./

[bring home] <v.> To show clearly; emphasize; make (someone) realize; demonstrate. * /The accident caused a death in his family, and it brought home to him the evil of drinking while driving./ * /A parent or teacher should bring home to children the value and pleasure of reading./

[bring home the bacon] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To support your family; earn the family living. * /He was a steady fellow, who always brought home the bacon./ 2. To win a game or prize. * /The football team brought home the bacon./

[bring in] <v.> In baseball: To enable men on base to score, score. * /Dick's hit brought in both base runners./ * /A walk and a triple brought in a run in the third inning./

[bring into line] <v. phr.> To make someone conform to the accepted standard. * /Sam had to be brought into line when he refused to take his muddy shoes off the cocktail table./

[bring off] <v.> To do (something difficult); perform successfully (an act of skill); accomplish (something requiring unusual ability). * /By skillful discussion, Mr. White had brought off an agreement that had seemed impossible to get./ * /He tried several times to break the high jump record, and finally he brought it off./ Compare: PUT OVER(2).

[bring on] <v.> To result in; cause; produce. * /The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the summer of 1914 brought on the First World War./ * /Spinal meningitis brought on John's deafness when he was six years old./ * /Reading in a poor light may bring on a headache./

[bring out] <v.> 1. To cause to appear; make clear. * /His report brought out the foolishness of the plan./ * /Brushing will bring out the beauty of your hair./ 2. To help (an ability or skill) grow or develop. * /The teacher's coaching brought out a wonderful singing voice of great power and warmth./ 3. To offer to the public by producing, publishing, or selling. * /He brought out a new play./ * /The company brought out a line of light personal airplanes./

[bring round] See: BRING AROUND.

[bring suit against] <v. phr.> To sue someone in a court of law. * /Fred brought suit against Tom for fraud and embezzlement./

[bring to] <v.> (stress on "to") 1. To restore to consciousness; wake from sleep, anesthesia, hypnosis, or fainting. * /Smelling salts will often bring a fainting person to./ Compare: BRING AROUND(1). 2. To bring a ship or boat to a stop. * /Reaching the pier, he brought the boat smartly to./

[bring to a close] <v. phr.> To terminate; cause to end. * /The meeting was brought to an abrupt close when the speaker collapsed with a heart attack./

[bring to a head] <v. phr.> To cause some activity to reach the point of culmination. * /Time is running out, gentlemen, so let us bring this discussion to a head./

[bring to bay] <v. phr.> To chase or force into a place where escape is impossible without a fight; trap; corner. * /The police brought the robber to bay on the roof and he gave up./ * /The fox was brought to bay in a hollow tree and the dogs stood around it barking./ Compare: AT BAY.

[bring to heel] See: TO HEEL.

[bring to light] <v. phr.> To discover (something hidden); find out about; expose. * /Many things left by the ancient Egyptians in tombs have been brought to light by scientists and explorers./ * /His enemies brought to light some foolish things he had done while young, but he was elected anyway because people trusted him./ Compare: COME TO LIGHT.

[bring to one's knees] <v. phr.> To seriously weaken the power or impair the function of. * /The fuel shortage brought the automobile industry to its knees./

[bring to pass] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make (something) happen; succeed in causing. * /By much planning, the mother brought the marriage to pass./ * /The change in the law was slow in coming, and it took a disaster to bring it to pass./ Compare: BRING ABOUT, COME TO PASS.

[bring to terms] <v. phr.> To make (someone) agree or do; make surrender. * /The two brothers were brought to terms by their father for riding the bicycle./ * /The war won't end until we bring the enemy to terms./ Contrast: COME TO TERMS.

[bring up] <v.> 1. To take care of (a child); raise, train, educate. * /He gave much attention and thought to bringing up his children./ * /Joe was born in Texas but brought up in Oklahoma./ 2. <informal> To stop; halt. - Usually used with "short". * /He brought the car up short when the light changed to red./ * /Bill started to complain, I brought him up short./ 3. To begin a discussion of; speak of; mention. * /At the class meeting Bob brought up the idea of a picnic./

[bring up the rear] <v. phr.> 1. To come last in a march, parade, or procession; end a line. * /The fire truck with Santa on it brought up the rear of the Christmas parade./ * /The governor and his staff brought up the rear of the parade./ 2. <informal> To do least well; do the most poorly of a group; be last. * /In the race, John brought up the rear./ * /In the basketball tournament, our team brought up the rear./

[bring] or [wheel in] or [out] or [up the big guns] <v. phr.> To make use of a concealed plan in order to defeat an opponent in an argument or in a game, debate, or competition. * /The new computer software company decided to bring out the big guns to get ahead of the competition./

[broke] See: GO BROKE, GO FOR BROKE, STONE-BROKE OT DEAD BROKE or FLAT BROKE, STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK.

[Bronx cheer] <n. phr.>, <slang> A loud sound made with tongue and lips to show opposition or scorn. * /When he began to show anti-union feelings, he was greeted with Bronx cheers all around./

[broom] See: NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN.

[broth] See: SCOTCH BROTH.

[brow] See: BY THE SWEAT OF ONE'S BROW.

[brown] See: DO UP BROWN.

[brown-bagger] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A person who does not go to the cafeteria or to a restaurant for lunch at work, but who brings his homemade lunch to work in order to save money. * /John became a brown-bagger not because he can't afford the restaurant, but because he is too busy to go there./

[brown-nose] <v.>, <slang>, <avoidable>, <though gaining in acceptance> To curry favor in a subservient way, as by obviously exaggerated flattery. * /Max brown-noses his teachers, that's why he gets all A's in his courses./ Compare: POLISH THE APPLE.

[brown paper bag] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> An unmarked police car. * /The beaver got a Christmas card because she didn't notice the brown paper bag at her back door./ See: PLAIN WHITE WRAPPER.

[brown study] <n. phr.> A time of deep thought about something; a deep thoughtful mood. * /When his wife found him, he had pushed away his books and was in a brown study./

[brush] See: BEAT THE BUSHES or BEAT THE BRUSH.

[brush aside] <v. phr.> To ignore; give no reply. * /Brushing aside the editor's comments, the young novelist proceeded with his story, which was subsequently rejected by the publisher./

[brush back] <v.> To throw a baseball pitch close to. * /The pitcher threw a high inside pitch to brush the batter back./ Syn.: DUST OFF.

[brushoff] See: GET THE BRUSHOFF, BRUSH OFF or GIVE THE BRUSHOFF.

[brush off] or [give the brush off] <v. phr.> 1. To refuse to hear or believe; quickly and impatiently; not take seriously or think important. * /John brushed off Bill's warning that he might fall from the tree./ * /I said that it might rain and to take the bus, but Joe gave my idea the brushoff./ * /Father cut his finger but he brushed it off as not important and kept working./ 2. <informal> To be unfriendly to; not talk or pay attention to (someone); get rid of. * /Mary brushed off Bill at the dance./ * /I said hello to Mr. Smith, but he gave me the brushoff./ Compare: COLD SHOULDER, HIGH-HAT. Contrast: GET THE BRUSH OFF.

[brush up] or [brush up on] <v.> To refresh one's memory of or skill at by practice or review; improve; make perfect. * /She spent the summer brushing up on her American History as she was to teach that in the fall./ * /He brushed up his target shooting./

[bubble gum music] <n.>, <slang> The kind of rock'n'roll that appeals to young teenagers. * /When will you learn to appreciate Mozart instead of that bubble gum music?/

[bubble trouble] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> Tire trouble, flat tire. * /The eighteen wheeler ahead of me seems to have bubble trouble./

[buck] See: FAST BUCK or QUICK BUCK, PASS THE BUCK.

[bucket] See: KICK THE BUCKET, RAIN CATS AND DOGS or RAIN BUCKETS.

[bucket of bolts] <n.>, <slang> A very old and shaky car that barely goes. * /When are you going to get rid of that old bucket of bolts?/

[buckle] See: BUCKLE DOWN or KNUCKLE DOWN.

[buckle down] or [knuckle down] <v.> To give complete attention (to an effort or job); attend. * /They chatted idly for a few moments then each buckled down to work./ * /Jim was fooling instead of studying; so his father told him to buckle down./

[buck passer], [buck-passing] See: PASS THE BUCK.

[buck up] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make or become more cheerful; make or become free from discouragement; become more hopeful. * /After the heavy rain, the scoutmaster bucked up the boys by leading them in a song./ * /Tom was disappointed that he didn't make the team; but he soon bucked up./

[bud] See: NIP IN THE BUD.

[bug-eyed] <adj.>, <slang> Wide-eyed with surprise. * /He stood there bug-eyed when told that he had won the award./

[buggy-whip] <n.>, <slang> An unusually long, thin radio antenna on a car that bends back like a whip when the car moves fast. * /He's very impressed with himself ever since he got a buggy whip./

[bughouse(1)] <n.>, <slang> An insane asylum. * /They took Joe to the bughouse./

[bughouse(2)] <adj.>, <slang> Crazy, insane. * /Joe's gone bughouse./

[bug in one's ear] <n. phr.>, <informal> A hint; secret information given to someone to make him act; idea. * /I saw Mary at the jeweler's admiring the diamond pin; I'll put a bug in Henry's ear./

[build] See: JERRY-BUILT.

[build a fire under] <v. phr.> To urge or force (a slow or unwilling person) to action; get (someone) moving; arouse. * /The health department built a fire under the restaurant owner and got him to clean the place up by threatening to cancel his license./

[build castles in the air] or [build castles in Spain] <v. phr.> To make impossible or imaginary plans, dream about future successes that are unlikely. * /He liked to build castles in the air, but never succeeded in anything./ * /To build castles in Spain is natural for young people and they may work hard enough to get part of their wishes./

[build on sand] <v. phr.> To lay a weak or insufficient foundation for a building, a business, or a relationship. * /"I don't want to build my business on sand," John said, "so please. Dad, give me that loan I requested."/

[build up] <v.> 1. To make out of separate pieces or layers; construct from parts. * /Johnny built up a fort out of large balls of snow./ * /Lois built up a cake of three layers./ 2. To cover over or fill up with buildings. * /The fields where Tom's father played as a boy are all built up now./ * /A driver should slow down when he comes to an area that is built up./ 3a. To increase slowly or by small amounts; grow. * /John built up a bank account by saving regularly./ * /The noise built up until Mary couldn't stand it any longer./ 3b. To make stronger or better or more effective. * /Fred exercised to build up his muscles./ * /Joanne was studying to build up her algebra./ 3c. <informal> To advertise quickly and publicize so as to make famous. * /The press agent built up the young actress./ * /The movie company spent much money building up its new picture./

[build up to] <v. phr.> To be in the process of reaching a culmination point. * /The clouds were building up to a violent storm./ * /Their heated words were building up to a premature divorce./

[bull] See: HIT THE BULLS-EYE, SHOOT THE BREEZE or SHOOT THE BULL, TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS.

[bullet lane] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> The passing lane. * /Move over into the bullet lane, this eighteen wheeler is moving too slow./

[bull in a china shop] <n. phr.> A rough or clumsy person who says or does something to anger others or upset plans; a tactless person. * /We were talking politely and carefully with the teacher about a class party, but John came in like a bull in a china shop and his rough talk made the teacher say no./

[bull session] <n.>, <slang> A long informal talk about something by a group of persons. * /After the game the boys in the dormitory had a bull session until the lights went out./

[bullshit] <n.>, <vulgar, but gaining in acceptance by some> Exaggerated or insincere talk meant to impress others. * /"Joe, this is a lot of bullshit!"/

[bullshit] <v.>, <vulgar to informal>, <gaining in social acceptance by some> To exaggerate or talk insincerely in an effort to make yourself seem impressive. * /"Stop bullshitting me, Joe, I can't believe a word of what you're saying."/

[bullshit artist] <n.>, <slang>, <vulgar, but gaining in social acceptance> A person who habitually makes exaggerated or insincerely flattering speeches designed to impress others. * /Joe is a regular bullshit artist, small wonder he keeps gettine promoted ahead of everyone else./

[bum around] <v. phr.>, <slang> To aimlessly wander in no definite direction, like a vagabond. * /Jim had been bumming around in the desert for three days and nights before he was able to remember how he got there in the first place./