[on condition that] <conj.> Providing that; if. * /I will lend you the money on condition that you pay it back in one month./ * /She agreed to act in the play on condition that she could keep her costumes./
[on deck] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> 1. On a floor of a ship open to the outdoors. * /The passengers were playing shufflehoard on deck./ * /The sailors kept busy cleaning and painting on deck./ 2. <informal> Ready to do something; present. * /The scout leader told the boys to be on deck at 8:00 Saturday morning for the hike./ * /Dick was at bat, and Bob was on deck./
[on deposit] <adv. phr.> In a bank. * /I have almost $500 on deposit in my account./ * /The children save their pennies and each month place them on deposit./
[on duty] <adj. phr.> Doing one's job; supervising. * /Two soldiers are on duty guarding the gates./ * /There is always one teacher on duty during study hour./ Contrast: OFF DUTY.
[one] See: AT ONE, FOR ONE, GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER, HANG ONE ON, HOLE IN ONE, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, NUMBER ONE, SIX OF ONE AND HALF-A-DOZEN OF THE OTHER, SLIP ONE OVER ON, TEN TO ONE, TWO TO ONE, WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE.
[one and the same] <adj. phr.> The same; identical. * /Erle Stanley Gardner and A.A. Fair are one and the same person./ * /The spider lily and the Peruvian Daffodil are one and the same./
[one-armed bandit] <n.>, <slang> A slot machine, like those used in Las Vegas and other gambling places. * /Joe was playing the one-armed bandit all day - and he lost everything he had./
[on earth] See: IN THE WORLD.
[on easy street] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Having enough money to live very comfortably; rather rich. * /After years of hard work, the Grants found themselves on easy street./ * /Jim's novel was a success and put him on easy street./ Compare: IN CLOVER, IN THE CHIPS, WELL-TO-DO.
[one damn thing after another] or [ODTAA] (pronounced owed-tay) <n. phr.> If there is one problem, there will be more. * /First I lost my wallet, then a kid broke the window, and, lastly, my car refused to start. It was just one damn thing after another!/ Compare: IF IT'S NOT ONE THING IT'S ANOTHER.
[on edge] <adj. phr.> Excited or nervous; impatient. * /The magician kept the children on edge all through his show./ * /We were all on edge as we listened to the TV for news of the election results./ * /Father was on edge after driving home through the heavy holiday traffic./ See: SET ONE'S TEETH ON EDGE. Contrast: AT EASE(2).
[one eye on] <informal> Watching or minding (a person or thing) while doing something else; part of your attention on. - Used after "have", "keep", or "with". * /Jane had one eye on the baby as she ironed./ * /Bill kept one eye on his books and the other on the clock./ * /Chris tried to study with one eye on the TV set./ Compare: KEEP AN EYE ON.
[one foot in the grave] <n. phr.> Near to death. * /The dog is fourteen years old, blind, and feeble. He has one foot in the grave./ * /Grandfather has never been sick a day in his life, but Mother cares for him as if he had one foot in the grave./
[one for the books] <n, phr.>, <informal> Very unusual; a remarkable something. * /The newspaper reporter fumed in a story that was one for the books./ * /Their trip through the Rocky Mountains was one for the books./
[one-horse] <adj. phr.> Insignificant; modest; provincial. * /Arnold's business is a one-horse operation; he never had a single employee./
[one man's meat is another man's poison] What is good for one person is not necessarily good for another. - A proverb, * /Even though Jeff likes to swim in ice cold water, his brother Tun hates it. This is understandable, however, because one's man's meat is another man's poison./ Contrast: WHAT'S SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE IS SAUCE FOR THE GANDER.
[on end] <adj. phr.> Seemingly endless. - Used with plural nouns of time. * /Judy spent hours on end writing and rewriting her essay./ * /During July and August there was no rain for weeks on end./
[one-night stand] <n. phr.> 1. A single performance given by a traveling company while on a tour. * /After they went bankrupt in the big cities, the traveling jazz quartet played one-night stands in the country./ 2. A brief affair or sexual encounter. * /"With AIDS all around us?" said Jane. "Nobody is having one-night stands anymore."/
[one of these days] or [some of these days] <adv. phr.> Someday; sometime soon. * /One of these days Herbert will be famous./ * /I'm going to do that sewing some of these days./
[one on the city] <n.>, <slang> A glass of water (which is provided free of charge, as a free gift from the city). * /What will you have? - Oh, just give me one on the city./
[one's money's worth] <n. phr.> A fair return on one's money spent or invested. * /I wouldn't say that the trip was a great bargain, but I feel that we got our money's worth./
[one's own row] See: HOE ONE'S OWN ROW.
[one-two] <n.> 1. A succession of two punches, the first a short left, followed by a hard right punch, usually in the jaw. * /Ali gave Frazir the one-two./ 2. Any quick or decisive action which takes the opposition by surprise, thereby ensuring victory. * /He gave us the old one-two and won the game./
[one up] <adj. phr.> Having an advantage; being one step ahead, * /John graduated from high school; he is one up on Bob, who dropped out./ * /The Platters are one up on their neighbors. They own the only color television set in their neighborhood./
[one-upmanship] <v.>, <informal> Always keeping ahead of others; trying to keep an advantage. * /No matter what I do, I find that Jim has already done it better. He's an expert at one-upmanship./ * /Jack took the news to the principal while we were still talking about it. He's very quick to practice one-upmanship./ Compare: ONE UP. (The word one-upmanship was made up by a British humorist, Stephen Potter, on the pattern of such words as sportsmanship and workmanship.)
[on faith] <adv. phr.> Without question or proof. * /He said he was twenty-one years old and the employment agency took him on faith./ * /He looked so honest that we accepted his story on faith./
[on file] <adv. phr.> Placed in a written or electronic file; on record. * /We are sorry we cannot hire you right now but we will keep your application on file./
[on fire] See: SET THE WORLD ON FIRE.
[on foot] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> 1. By walking. * /Sally's bicycle broke and she had to return home on foot./ 2. Being planned. * /The reporter said that a civil rights demonstration was on foot./ * /Plans have been set on foot for a party for Miss Jackson, because she is retiring./
[on guard] <adj. phr.> Watchful; watching. * /The police warned people to he on guard for pickpockets during the Christmas rush./ * /Two men are on guard at the door./ Contrast: OFF GUARD.
[on hand] <adv. phr.> 1a. Nearby; within reach. * /Always have your dictionary on hand when you study./ 1b. Here. * /Soon school will end and vacation will be on hand./ 2. Present. * /Mr. Blake's secretary is always on hand when he appears in public./ 3. In your possession; ready. * /The Girl Scouts have plenty of cookies on hand./ * /Tim had no cash on hand to pay for the gas./ Compare: IN STORE.
[on high cotton] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD also SITTING ON HIGH COTTON.
[on hold] <adv. phr.> 1. Left waiting while making a telephone call. * /"Sorry sir," the secretary said, "I'll have to put you on hold for a minute."/ 2. Waiting; temporarily halted. * /"Put your marriage plans on hold, son, and wait until after graduation," his father said seriously./
[on ice] <adv.> or <adj. phr.>, <slang> 1. The same as won; sure to be won. * /The score was 20-10 in the last inning, and our team had the game on ice./ 2. Away for safekeeping or later use; aside. * /You will have to put your vacation plans on ice until your debts are paid./ * /The senator was voted out of office. He is on ice until the next election./
[on in years] See: ALONG IN YEARS.
[onion] See: KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND(2).
[only] See: HAVE EYES ONLY FOR, IF ONLY.
[on occasion] <adv. phr.> Sometimes; occasionally. * /We go to New York on occasion./ * /On occasion we feel like celebrating and have a party./ Compare: ONCE IN A WHILE, FROM TIME TO TIME.
[on one hand] <adv. phr.> Looking at a thing in one of two possible ways; from one point of view. - Usually used with "on the other hand". * /John wants to be a printer or a teacher; on one hand, printing pays better; on the other hand, schools need good teachers./
[on one's account] <adv. phr.> For your good; because you want to help or please someone. * /Barry studied hard on his mother's account./ * /I hope you didn't bring tea to the picnic just on my account./ * /The teacher stayed in school a little late on Tom's account./ Compare: OF ONE'S OWN ACCORD, ON ACCOUNT OF.
[on one's back] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Making insistent demands of you; being an annoyance or bother. * /My wife has been on my back for weeks to fix the front door screen./ * /I can't get any work done with the children on my back from morning until night./ * /Jim could do a better job if his boss weren't on his back so often./ Contrast: OFF ONE'S BACK.
[on one's bad side] or [on the bad side of one] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Not liked by someone; not friendly with a person. * /Sally's boyfriend got on Father's bad side by keeping Sally out too late after the dance./ Contrast: ON ONE'S GOOD SIDE.
[on one's behalf] See: ON BEHALF OF.
[on one's chest] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Hidden in your thoughts or feelings and bothering you; making you feel worried or upset; that is something you want to talk to someone about. * /Jane looks unhappy because she has the quarrel with Susan on her chest./ * /"Well, Dave," said the coach, "You look sad - what's on your chest?"/ Compare: ON ONE'S MIND. Contrast: OFF ONE'S CHEST,
[on one's coattails] <adv. phr.> Because of another's merits, success, or popularity. * /Bob and Jim are best friends. When Jim was invited to join a fraternity, Bob rode in on his coattails./ * /Many people vote straight for all the candidates in the same political party. Most people voted for President K., so Governor B. rode in on K.'s coattails./
[on oneself] See: TAKE ON ONESELF.
[on one's feet] <adv. phr.> 1. Standing or walking; not sitting or lying down; up. * /Before the teacher finished asking the question, George was on his feet ready to answer it./ * /In a busy gasoline station, the attendant is on his feet all day./ Compare: TO ONE'S FEET. Contrast: OFF ONE'S FEET. 2. Recovering; getting better from sickness or trouble. * /Jack is back on his feet after a long illness./ * /Susan was on her feet soon after the operation./ * /The bank loaned the store money to get it back on its feet after the fire./ 3. See: LAND ON ONE'S FEET, STAND ON ONE'S OWN FEET, THINK ON ONE'S FEET.
[on one's good behavior] <adv. phr.> Behaving right to make a good impression. * /While his father was around the boy was on his good behavior, but when the father left the boy soon got into mischief./ * /The minister is coming to dinner, and Mother wants us to be on our good behavior./
[on one's good side] or [on the good side of one] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Friendly with someone; liked by a person. * /John thought that he would get a good grade if he got on the good side of the teacher./ * /Successful workers stay on the good side of their bosses./ Contrast: ON ONE'S BAD SIDE.