Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц) - неизвестен Автор

[put one's shoulder to the wheel] <v. phr.> To make a great effort yourself or with others; try hard; cooperate. * /The effort to get a new high school succeeded because everyone put his shoulder to the wheel./ * /The company was failing in business until a new manager put his shoulder to the wheel./

[put on one's thinking cap] <v. phr.> To think hard and long about some problem or question. * /Miss Stone told her pupils to put on their thinking caps before answering the question./

[put on paper] See: BLACK AND WHITE.

[put on the back burner] See: ON ICE.

[put on the dog] <v. phr.> To behave ostentatiously in terms of dress and manner. * /"Stop putting on the dog with me," Sue cried at Roy. "I knew the real you from way hack!"/

[put on the line] See: LAY ON THE LINE.

[put on the map] <v. phr.> To make (a place) well known. * /The first successful climb of Mount Matterhorn put Zermatt, Switzerland, on the map./ * /Shakespeare put his hometown of Stratford-on-Avon on the map./

[put out] <v.> 1. To make a flame or light stop burning; extinguish; turn off. * /Please put the light out when you leave the room./ * /The firemen put out the blaze./ 2. To prepare for the public; produce; make. * /For years he had put out a weekly newspaper./ * /It is a small restaurant, which puts out an excellent dinner./ 3. To invest or loan money. * /He put out all his spare money at 4 percent or better./ 4. To make angry; irritate; annoy. * /It puts the teacher out to be lied to./ * /Father was put out when Jane spilled grape juice on his new suit./ 5. <informal> To cause inconvenience to; bother. * /He put himself out to make things pleasant for us./ * /Will it put you out if I borrow your pen?/ Compare: GO OUT OF ONE'S WAY. 6. To retire from play in baseball. * /The runner was put out at first base./ 7. To go from shore; leave. * /A Coast Guard boat put out through the waves./ 8. <vulgar>, <avoidable> Said of women easy and ready to engage in sexual intercourse. * /It is rumored that Hermione gets her promotions as fast as she does because she puts out./

[put out of action] See: OUT OF ACTION.

[put out of the way] <v. phr.> To kill. * /When people spoke against the dictator, he had them put out of the way./ * /The old dog was very sick, and Father had the animal doctor put him out of the way./

[put over] <v.> 1. To wait to a later time; postpone. * /They put over the meeting to the following Tuesday./ Syn.: PUT OFF. 2. <informal> To make a success of; complete. * /He put over a complex and difficult business deal./ Syn.: BRING OFF, PUT ACROSS, SLIP OVER. 3. <informal> To practice deception; trick; fool. - Used with "on". * /George thought he was putting something over on the teacher when he said he was absent the day before because his mother was sick and needed him./ * /Tom really slipped one over on us when he came to the Halloween party dressed as a witch./

[put someone on] <v.> To play a joke on someone by saying or doing things that are only pretense; kid. * /When the voice on the phone told Mrs. Jones she had won a $10,000 prize, she thought someone was putting her on./

[put that in your pipe and smoke it] <v. phr.>, <informal> To understand something told you; accept something as fact or reality; not try to change it. - Usually used as a command, normally only in speech, and often considered rude. * /People don't vote against Santa Claus, and you might as well put that in your pipe and smoke it./ * /I am not going to do that and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it./

[put the bite on] <v. phr.>, <slang> To ask (for money, favors, etc.) * /John put the bite on his friend for several tickets to the dance./ * /Willie Mays put the bite on the Giants for a large raise./

[put the cart before the horse] See: CART BEFORE THE HORSE.

[put their heads together] or [lay their heads together] <v. phr.>, <informal> To plan or consider things together; discuss something as a group; talk it over. * /They put their heads together and decided on a gift./ * /We laid our heads together and decided to have a picnic./

[put through] <v. phr.> 1. To carry out; arrange. * /If Jim can put through one more financial transaction like this one, we will be rich./ 2. To connect (said of telephone calls). * /The telephone operator had to put me through to Zambia as there is no direct dialing there yet./

[put through one's paces] <v. phr.>, <informal> To test the different abilities and skills of a person or a thing; call for a show of what one can do. * /He put his new car through its paces./ * /Many different problems put the new mayor through his paces in the first months of his term./

[put to bed] <v. phr.> 1. To put to rest for the night. * /Father put the three children to bed./ * /The boy seemed ill, so the nurse put him to bed./ 2. <informal> To complete preparations and print. * /The newspaper was put to bed at 1:15 A.M./ * /The pressroom was late in putting the sports section to bed./

[put to it] <adj. phr.> Hard pressed; having trouble; in difficulty; puzzled. * /When he lost his job, he was rather put to it for a while to provide for his family./ * /The boy was put to it to answer the teacher's question./

[put to rights] or [set to rights] <v. phr.>, <informal> To put in good order; clean up. * /It took the company a long time to put the office to rights after the fire./ * /It took Mrs. Smith an hour to set the room to rights after the party./

[put to sea] <v. phr.> To start a voyage. * /The captain said the ship would put to sea at six in the morning./ * /In the days of sailing ships, putting to sea depended on the tides./

[put to shame] <v. phr.> 1. To disgrace. * /The cleanliness of European cities puts our cities to shame./ * /That filthy dump puts our town to shame./ 2. To do much better than surpass. * /Einstein put other physicists to shame when he proved his theory of relativity correct./

[put to sleep] <v. phr.> 1. To cause to fall asleep. * /Mother used to put us to sleep by telling us a good-night story and giving us a kiss./ 2. To kill with an injection (said of animals). * /Dr. Murphy, the veterinarian, put our sick, old dog to sleep./

[put to the sword] <v. phr.>, <literary> To kill (people) in war, especially with a sword. * /The Romans put their enemies to the sword./ * /In some wars captives have been put to the sword./

[put to use] <v. phr.> To use. * /During the early part of the Korean war the cooks and office workers of the U.S. Army were put to use in battle./ * /Henry decided to put his dictionary to use./ * /I wish you'd put the lawn mower to use!/

[put two and two together] <v. phr.> To make decisions based on available proofs; reason from the known facts; conclude; decide. * /He had put two and two together and decided where they had probably gone./ * /It was just a mater of putting two and two together: the facts seemed to permit only one decision./

[put up] <v.> 1a. To make and pack (especially a lunch or medicine); get ready; prepare. * /Every morning Mother puts up lunches for the three children./ * /The druggist put up the medicine that the doctor had prescribed./ Compare: MAKE UP(1). 1b. To put food into jars or cans to save; can. * /Mother is putting up peaches in jars./ 1c. To store away for later use. * /The farmer put up three tons of hay for the winter./ 2. To put in place; put (something) where it belongs. * /After he unpacked the car, John put it up./ * /After the hard ride, the doctor gave the horse to the stable boy to put up./ * /After the battle, the knight put up his sword./ Syn.: PUT AWAY. 3. To suggest that (someone) be chosen a member, officer, or official. * /The club decided to take in another member, and Bill put up Charles./ - Often used with "for". * /The Republicans put Mr. Williams up for mayor./ 4. To put (hair) a special way; arrange. * /Aunt May puts up her hair in curlers every night./ Compare: DO UP(3a). 5. To place on sale; offer for sale. * /She put the house up for sale./ 6a. To provide lodging for; furnish a room to. * /The visitor was put up in the home of Mr. Wilson./ * /They put Frank up at a good hotel./ 6b. To rent or get shelter; take lodging; stay in a place to sleep. * /The traveler put up at a motel./ * /We put up with friends on our trip to Canada./ 7. To make; engage in. * /He put up a good fight against his sickness./ Compare: CARRY ON. 8. To furnish (money) or something needed; pay for. * /He put up the money to build a hotel./

[put-up] <adj.> Artificially arranged; plotted; phony; illegal. * /The FBI was sure that the bank robbers worked together with an insider and that the whole affair was a put-up job./

[put up a (brave, good, etc.) flght] <v. phr.> To resist. * /He put up a good fight but he was bound to lose in the end to the older, more experienced chess player./

[put up a (brave] or [good) front] <v. phr.> To act courageously, even though one is actually afraid. * /When Joe was taken in for his open heart surgery, he put up a brave front, although his hands were shaking./

[put up or shut up] <v. phr.> <informal> 1. To bet your money on what you say or stop saying it. - Often used as a command; often considered rude. * /The man from out of town kept saying their team would beat ours and finally John told him "Put up or shut up."/ 2. To prove something or stop saying it. - Often used as a command; often considered rude. * /George told Al that he could run faster than the school champion and Al told George to put up or shut up./

[put upon] <v.> To use (someone) unfairly; expect too much from. Used in the passive or in the past participle. * /Martha was put upon by the bigger girls./ * /Arthur was a much put-upon person./

[put up to] <v. phr.>, <informal> To talk to and make do; persuade to; get to do. * /Older boys put us up to painting the statue red./ Compare: EGG ON.

[put up with] <v.> To accept patiently; bear. * /We had to put up with Jim's poor table manners because he refused to change./ * /The mother told her children, "I refuse to put up with your tracking in mud!"/ Compare: STAND FOR.

[put wise] <v.>, <slang> To tell (someone) facts that will give him an advantage over others or make him alert to opportunity or danger. * /The new boy did not know that Jim was playing a trick on him, so I put him wise./ - Often used with "to". * /Someone put the police wise to the plan of the bank robbers, and when the robbers went into the bank, the police were waiting to catch them./ Compare: TIP OFF.

[put words into one's mouth] <v. phr.> To say without proof that another person has certain feelings or opinions; claim a stand or an idea is another's without asking; speak for another without right. * /When he said "John here is in favor of the idea." I told him not to put words in my mouth./

Q

[q] See: MIND ONE'S P'S AND Q'S.

[Q.T.] See: ON THE Q.T.

[qualms] See: HAVE (NO) QUALMS ABOUT.

[quantity] See: UNKNOWN QUANTITY.

[quarterback sneak] <n.> A football play in which the quarterback takes the ball from the center and dives straight ahead in an attempt to gain a very short distance. * /Johnson took the ball over on a quarterback sneak for a touchdown./

[queen] See: HOMECOMING QUEEN.

[queer fish] <n.> A strange or unusual person who does odd things. * /Uncle Algernon dresses in heavy furs in the summer and short-sleeved shirts in the winter. No wonder everyone considers him a queer fish./

[queer oneself] <v. phr.> To act in such a manner as to offend others and thus one's own chances or position. * /Phil has queered himself with many girls by his erratic behavior./

[quest] See: IN SEARCH OF also IN QUEST OF.

[question] See: BEG THE QUESTION, BESIDE THE POINT or BESIDE THE QUESTION, BEYOND QUESTION also WITHOUT QUESTION, CALL IN QUESTION, IN QUESTION, INTO QUESTION, OUT OF THE QUESTION, POP THE QUESTION.

[quick buck] See: FAST BUCK.

[quick on the draw] See: QUICK ON THE TRIGGER.

[quick on the trigger] or [trigger happy] <adj. phr.> Ready to shoot without warning; fast with a gun. * /He's a dangerous criminal quick on the trigger./ 2. <informal> Fast at answering questions or solving problems. * /In class discussions John is always quick on the trigger./

[quick on the uptake] <adj. phr.> Smart; intelligent. * /Eleanor is very witty and quick on the uptake./

[quick study] <n. phr.> One who acquires new skills and habits in record time. * /Sue is new at her job but people have confidence in her because she is a quick study./

[quit] See: CALL IT QUITS.

[quite a bit] See: QUITE A LITTLE.

[quite a few] or [quite a number] also <formal> [not a few] <n.> or <adj. phr.> Rather a large number; more than a few. * /Quite a few went to the game./ * /The basket had quite a few rotten apples in it./ - The phrase "quite a number" is used like an adjective only before "less", "more". * /Few people saw the play on the first night but quite a number more came on the second night./ - Sometimes used like an adverb. * /We still have quite a few more miles to go before we reach New York./ Syn.: GOOD MANY, NOT A FEW. Compare: A FEW, A NUMBER.

[quite a little] or <informal> [quite a bit] also <formal> [not a little] <n.> or <adj. phr.> Rather a large amount; rather much; more than a little. * /We are not finished; quite a little is left to do./ * /Cleaning the backyard needed quite a little work./ - The phrase "quite a bit" is used like an adjective only before "less", "more". * /Six inches of snow fell today, and quite a bit more is coming tonight./ - Sometimes used like an adverb. * /Harry was sick quite a little last winter./ Compare: A LITTLE, A LOT, QUITE A PEW.

[quite a number] See: QUITE A FEW.

[quite the thing] <n. phr.> The socially proper thing to do. * /In polite society it is quite the thing to send a written thank you note to one's host or hostess after a dinner party./

R

[rabbit] See: JACK-RABBIT START.

[race] See: DRAG RACE, RAT RACE.

[race against time] <v. phr.> To be in a great hurry to finish a given project by a specified deadline. * /The workers were racing against time to finish the campus modernization project./

[race to stand still] <v. phr.> To be so far behind in one's work that one must exert an effort similar to that needed to win a race in order simply not to fall even further behind. * /"Could you review this book for us, Professor Brown?" the editor asked. "Unfortunately, no," the professor answered. "I'm so behind in my work that I am racing to stand still."/

[rack and ruin] <n. phr.> Complete decay; condition of decline. * /The entire house had been so neglected that it had gone to rack and ruin./

[rack one's brain] <v. phr.> To try your best to think; make a great mental effort; especially: to try to remember something you have known. * /Bob racked his brain trying to remember where he left the book./ * /Susan racked her brain trying to guess whom the valentine came from./ * /John racked his brain during the test trying to solve the problem./