[living daylights] See: BEAT THE --- OUT OF, KNOCK THE --- OUT OF.
[living end] <adj.>, <slang> Great; fantastic; the ultimate. * /That show we saw last night was the living end./
[load] See: GET A LOAD OF.
[loaded for bear] <adj. phr.>, <slang> Ready for action; prepared and eager. * /Frank liked the new merchandise and as he set out on his rounds as a salesman, he felt really loaded for bear./ * /The football team arrived Friday noon, loaded for bear./
[load the bases] or [fill the bases] <v. phr.> To get men on all three bases in baseball. * /The Mets loaded the bases with two singles and a base on balls./ * /Don hit a home run with the bases loaded./
[loaf] See: HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE or HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NO BREAD.
[loan shark] <n. phr.> A money lender who charges excessive interest. * /Why go to a loan shark when you can borrow from the bank at the legal rate?/
[local yokel] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's hand radio jargon> City police officer, as opposed to state police or highway patrol. * /There's a local yokel westbound on the move./
[lock] See: SCALP LOCK.
[lock, stock, and barrel] <n. phr.> Everything; completely. * /The robbers emptied the whole house - lock, stock, and barrel./ Compare: HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER.
[lock the barn door after the horse is stolen] To be careful or try to make something safe when it is too late. - A proverb. * /After Mary failed the examination, she said she would study hard after that. She wanted to lock the barn door after the horse was stolen./
[lock up] <v. phr.>, <slang> To be assured of success. * /How did your math test go? - I locked it up, I think./
[lodge a complaint] <v. phr.> To make a complaint; complain. * /If our neighbors don't stop this constant noise, I will have to lodge a complaint with the management./
[loggerhead] See: AT LOGGERHEADS.
[loin] See: GIRD UP ONE'S LOINS.
[lone wolf] <n.> A man who likes to work or live alone. * /The man who paints a picture or establishes a business is often a lone wolf; so is the criminal outlaw./ * /Jones is a good pitcher, but he is a lone wolf./
[long] See: AT LAST or AT LONG LAST, BEFORE LONG, COME A LONG WAY, IN THE LONG RUN, NO LONGER, SO LONG, THE LONG AND THE SHORT.
[long and short of it] <n. phr.> The essence; the whole story in a nutshell. * /The long and short of it is that he is lazy and doesn't really want to find a job./
[long ball] <n.> A baseball hit far enough to be a home run. * /The White Sox need a player who can hit the long ball./
[long face] <n.> A sad look; disappointed look. * /He told the story with a long face./ - Often used in the phrase "pull a long face". * /Don't pull a long face when I tell you to go to bed./
[longhair(1)] 1. <n.>, <slang> A male hippie. * /Who's that longhair? - It's Joe./ 2. An intellectual who prefers classical music to jazz or acid rock. * /Catwallender is a regular longhair; he never listens to modern jazz./
[longhair(2)] <adj.>, <slang> Pertaining to classical art forms, primarily in dancing and music. * /Cut out that longhair Mozart Symphony and put on a decent pop record!/
[long haul] or [long pull] <n.>, <informal> 1. A long distance or trip. * /It is a long haul to drive across the country./ Contrast SHORT HAUL. 2. A long length of time during which work continues or something is done; a long time of trying. * /A boy crippled by polio may learn to walk again, but it may be a long haul./ - Often used in the phrase "over the long haul". * /Over the long haul, an expensive pair of shoes may save you money./ Contrast: SHORT HAUL.
[long pull] See: LONG HAUL.
[long shot] <n.> 1. A bet or other risk taken though not likely to succeed. * /The horse was a long shot, but it came in and paid well./ * /Jones was a long shot for mayor./ * /The business long shot that succeeds often pays extremely well./ 2. See: BY A LONG SHOT.
[long-winded] <adj.> Tedious; overlong; given to too much talking. * /Everyone was bored by the old man's long-winded stories./
[look] See: DIRTY LOOK.
[look after] also [see after] <v.> To watch over; attend to. * /John's mother told him to look after his younger brother./ * /When he went to Europe, Mr. Jenkins left his son to see after the business./ Syn.: TAKE CARE OF(1). Compare: LOOK OUT(3).
[look a gift horse in the mouth] To complain if a gift is not perfect. - A proverb. Usually used with a negative. * /John gave Joe a baseball but Joe complained that the ball was old. His father told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth./
[look alive] <v.> Act lively; be quick; wake up and work; be busy; hurry. - Often used as a command. * /"Look alive there," the boss called./
[look as if butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth] See: BUTTER WOULDN'T MELT IN ONE'S MOUTH.
[look as if one has come out of a bandbox] <v. phr.>, <informal> To look very clean and fresh; look as if you had just had a bath and put on all-new clothing. * /In spite of the long, hot train ride, Jody arrived looking as if she had come out of a bandbox./ * /After a day at the rodeo we were all dusty and tired except for Hope, who looked as if she'd come out of a bandbox./
[look at] <v.> To have a way of thinking or feeling toward; think about something in a certain way. * /Is he a hero or a villain? That depends on how you look at it./ * /Depending on how you looked at it, the tea party could be called a pleasure or a bore./
[look at the world through rose-colored glasses] or [see with rose-colored glasses] <v. phr.> To see everything as good and pleasant; not see anything hard or bad. * /When Jean graduated from high school, she looked at the world through rose-colored glasses./ * /If you see everything through rose-colored glasses, you will often be disappointed./
[look back] <v.> To review the past; think of what has happened. * /As John looked back, his life seemed good to him./ * /Murphy looked back on his early struggles as having made him feel especially alive./ * /When Ed applied for a job and asked the school to recommend him, the principal looked back over his records./
[look bleak] <v.> To indicate misfortune; appear threatening or ruinous. * /As prices dropped lower and lower, things looked bleak for Henry's company./ * /Many witnesses gave testimony against Jerry and his case looked bleak./ * /The future looked bleak when Father got hurt and could not work./
[look daggers] <v. phr.> To show anger with a look; express hate or enmity by a look or stare; look fiercely. * /The other driver looked daggers at Morris for turning in before him./ * /Mary did not dare talk back to her father, but she looked daggers./
[look down on] also [look down upon] <v.> To think of (a person or thing) as less good or important; feel that (someone) is not as good as you are, or that (something) is not worth having or doing; consider inferior. * /Mary looked down on her classmates because she was better dressed than they were./ * /Jack looked down on Al for his poor manners./ * /Miss Tracy likes tennis but she looks down on football as too rough./
[look down one's nose at] <v. phr.>, <informal> To think of as worthless; feel scorn for. * /The banker's wife has beautiful china cups, and she looked down her nose at the plastic cups that Mrs. Brown used./ * /Harry has never had to work, and he looks down his nose at people in business./ * /Jerry was the athlete who looked down his nose at the weak student./
[look for] <v.> 1. To think likely; expect. * /We look for John to arrive any day now./ * /The frost killed many oranges, and housewives can look for an increase in their price./ * /Bob wouldn't go for a ride with the boys because he was looking for a phone call from Julie./ 2. To try to find; search for; hunt. * /Fred spent all day looking for a job./ * /Mary and Joe looked for the Smiths at the play./ 3. To do things that cause (your own trouble); make (trouble) for yourself; provoke. * /Joe often gets into fights because he is always looking for trouble./ * /If you say the opposite of everything that others say, you are looking for a quarrel./
[look for a needle in a haystack] See: NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK.
[look forward to] <v.> 1. To expect. * /At breakfast, John looked forward to a difficult day./ 2. To expect with hope or pleasure. * /Frank was looking forward to that evening's date./
[look high and low for] <v. phr.> To look everywhere; search all over. * /Everyone has been looking high and low for the lost key but no one could find it./
[look-in] <n.>, <informal> A chance or hope. - Usually used with a negative. * /It wasn't much of a look-in, but it was the only chance they let him have./ * /Charlie didn't realize it, but he never had a look-in with Bonnie./
[look in on] <v.> To go to see; make a short visit with; make a call on. * /On his way downtown, Jim looked in on his aunt./ * /The doctor looked in on Mary each day when he went by./
[look in the eye] or [look in the face] <v. phr.> To meet with a steady look; to face bravely or without shame. * /Mary looked the gangster in the eye, and he turned away without hurting her./ * /John had looked death in the face many times./ * /We often believe a person who looks us in the eye, but it does not prove he is truthful./ * /U promised Harry to write to him while I was on vacation, and if I don't do it, I won't be able to look him in the eye./
[look into] <v.> To find out the facts about; examine; study; inspect. * /The mayor felt he should look into the decrease of income from parking meters./ * /Mr. Jones said he was looking into the possibility of buying a house./ Compare: GO INTO(4), SEE ABOUT.
[look like a million dollars] <v. phr.>, <informal> To look well and prosperous; appear healthy and happy and lucky; look pretty and attractive. * /John came back from Florida driving a fine new car, tanned and glowing with health. He looked like a million dollars./ * /Dressed in the new formal and in a new hairdo, Betty looked like a million dollars./ Compare: FEEL LIKE A MILLION.
[look like the cat that ate the canary] or [look like the cat that swallowed the canary] <v. phr.> To seem very self-satisfied; look as if you had just had a great success. * /Peter bet on the poorest horse in the race and when it won, he looked like the cat that ate the canary./ * /When she won the prize, she went home looking like the cat that swallowed the canary./