[under one's hat] See: KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT.
[under one's heel] <adv. phr.> In one's power or control. * /If one marriage partner always wants to keep the other person under his or her heel, it is not a happy or democratic arrangement and may lead to a divorce./
[under one's nose] or [under the nose of] <adv. phr.>, <informal> In sight of; in an easily seen or noticeable place. * /The thief walked out of the museum with the painting, right under the nose of the guards./ * /When Jim gave up trying to find a pen, he saw three right under his nose on the desk./
[under one's own steam] <adv. phr.>, <informal> By one's own efforts; without help. * /The boys got to Boston under their own steam and took a bus the rest of the way./ * /We didn't think he could do it, but Bobby finished his homework under his own steam./
[under one's skin] See: GET UNDER ONE'S SKIN.
[under one's spell] <adv. phr.> Unable to resist one's influence. * /From the first moment they saw each other, Peter was under Nancy's spell./
[under one's thumb] or [under the thumb] <adj.> or <adv. phr.> Obedient to you; controlled by you; under your power. * /The Jones family is under the thumb of the mother./ * /Jack is a bully. He keeps all the younger children under his thumb./ * /The mayor is so popular that he has the whole town under his thumb./ Compare: JUMP THROUGH THE HOOP.
[under one's wing] <adv. phr.> Under the care or protection of. * /Helen took the new puppy under her wing./ * /The boys stopped teasing the new student when Bill took him under his wing./ Compare: IN TOW.
[under orders] <adv. phr.> Not out of one's own desire or one's own free will; obligatorily; not freely. * /"So you were a Nazi prison guard? " the judge asked. "Yes, your Honor," the man answered, "but I was acting under orders and not because I wished to harm anyone."/
[under pain of] See: ON PAIN OF also UNDER PAIN OF.
[under protest] <adv. phr.> Against one's wish; unwillingly. * /"I'll go with you all right," she said to the kidnapper, "but I want it clearly understood that I do so under protest."/
[understand] See: GIVE ONE TO UNDERSTAND.
[under the circumstances] also [in the circumstances] <adv. phr.> In the existing situation; in the present condition; as things are. * /In the circumstances, Father couldn't risk giving up his job./ * /Under the circumstances, the stagecoach passengers had to give the robbers their money./
[under the collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR.
[under the counter] <adv. phr.>, <informal> Secretly (bought or sold). * /That book has been banned, but there is one place you can get it under the counter./ * /The liquor dealer was arrested for selling beer under the counter to teenagers./ - Also used like an adjective, with hyphens. * /During World War II, some stores kept scarce things hidden for under-the-counter-sales to good customers./
[under the hammer] <adv. phr.> Up for sale at auction. * /The Brights auctioned off the entire contents of their home. Mrs. Bright cried when her pewter collection went under the hammer./ * /The picture I wanted to bid on came under the hammer soon after I arrived./
[under the nose of] See: UNDER ONE'S NOSE.
[under the sun] <adj.> or <adv. phr.> On earth; in the world. Used for emphasis. * /The President's assassination shocked everyone under the sun./ * /Where under the sun could I have put my purse?/
[under the table] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.
[under the thumb of] See: UNDER ONE'S THUMB.
[under the weather] <adv. phr.> In bad health or low spirits. * /Mary called in today asking for a sick day as she is under the weather./
[under the wire] <adv. phr.> With a narrow time limit; in the last minute. * /The journalist's new lead article on Russia was due in press at 5 P.M., and he got it in at 4:57, just under the wire./
[underway] <adv. phr.> In progress; in motion. * /The yearly fund-raising campaign for the renovation of our university campus is already underway./
[under wraps] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> Not allowed to be seen until the right time; not allowed to act or speak freely; in secrecy; hidden. - Usually used with "keep". * /We have a new player, hut we are keeping him under wraps until the game./ * /What the President is planning will be kept under wraps until tomorrow./ * /The spy was kept under wraps and not allowed to talk to newspapermen./ Compare: UNDER COVER.
[unknown quantity] <n.> Someone or something whose value and importance are not known, especially in a certain situation, time or place; a new and untested person or thing. * /What we would find if we could fly to the moon is an unknown quantity./ * /The new player is still an unknown quantity. We'll find out how good he is in the game./
[unseen] See: SIGHT UNSEEN.
[until all hours] <adv. phr.> Until very late at night. * /He is so anxious to pass his exams with flying colors that he stays up studying until all hours./
[until hell freezes over] <adv. phr.>, <slang> Forever, for an eternity. * /He can argue until hell freezes over; nobody will believe him./ Contrast: WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER.
[until the last gun is fired] See: TILL THE LAST GUN IS FIRED.
[unturned] See: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.
[up against] <prep. phr.> Blocked or threatened by. * /When she applied to medical school, the black woman wondered whether she was up against barriers of sex and race prejudice./
[up against it] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Faced with a great difficulty or problem; badly in need. * /The Smith family is up against it because Mr. Smith cannot find a job./ * /You will be up against it if you don't pass the test. You will probably fail arithmetic./ Compare: HARD UP, END OF ONE'S ROPE, BACK TO THE WALL(2).
[up and about] or [around] <adv. phr.> Recovered and able to move about; once again in good health after an illness. * /My sister was ill for several weeks, but is now up and about again./
[up and at them] 1. <adv. phr.> Actively engaged in a task as if doing combat. * /"You want to know whether he will make a diligent worker?" Dick asked. "Well, I can tell you that most of the time he is up and at them like no one else I know."/ 2. <v. phr.> To become aggressively engaged in doing something; (useable as a command). * /Come on, up and at them, you guys. We still have a lot of work to get done./
[up-and-coming] <adj. phr.> Bound toward success; upwardly mobile; progressive; ambitious. * /The newly elected state senator is an up-and-coming young politician who is expected to be highly successful in national politics in the future./
[up a stump] <adj. phr.>, <slang> Stumped; blocked; mixed up or confused in what you are trying to do. * /Jimmy knows how to add and subtract but fractions have him up a stump./
[up a tree] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> 1. Hunted or chased into a tree; treed. * /The dog drove the coon up a tree so the hunter could shoot him./ 2. <informal> in trouble; having problems; in a difficulty that it is hard to escape or think of a way out of. * /John's father has him up a tree in the checker game./ Compare: UP THE CREEK.
[up for grabs] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Available for anyone to try to get; ready to be competed for; there for the taking. * /When the captain of the football team moved out of town, his place was up for grabs./
[up front(1)] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> The managerial section of a corporation or firm. * /Joe Catwallender finally made it (with the) up front./
[up front(2)] <adj.>, <slang>, <informal> Open, sincere, hiding nothing. * /Sue was completely up front about why she didn't want to see him anymore./
[up in arms] <adj. phr.> 1. Equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight. * /All of the colonies were up in arms against the Redcoats./ Syn.: IN ARMS. 2. Very angry and wanting to fight. * /Robert is up in arms because John said he was stupid./ * /The students were up in arms over the new rule against food in the dormitory./
[up in the air] <adj.> or <adv. phr.> 1. <informal> In great anger or excitement. * /My father went straight up in the air when he heard I damaged the car./ * /The Jones family are all up in the air because they are taking a trip around the world./ Compare: HIT THE CEILING, BLOW A FUSE. 2. also [in midair] Not settled; uncertain; undecided. * /Plans for the next meeting have been left up in the air until Jane gets better./ * /The result of the game was left hanging in midair because it rained before the finish./ Compare: LEAVE HANGING.
[up one's alley] See: DOWN ONE'S ALLEY.
[up one's sleeve] or [in one's sleeve] <adv. phr.> 1. Hidden in the sleeve of one's shirt or coat and ready for secret or wrongful use. * /The crooked gambler hid aces up his sleeve during the card game so that he would win./ 2. <informal> Kept secretly ready for the right time or for a time when needed. * /Jimmy knew that his father had some trick up his sleeve because he was smiling to himself during the checker game./ Compare: CARD UP ONE'S SLEEVE. 3. See: LAUGH UP ONE'S SLEEVE.
[upon oneself] See: TAKE ON ONESELF also TAKE UPON ONESELF.
[upon one's head] See: ON ONE'S HEAD.
[upon the spot] See: ON THE SPOT(1).
[upper] See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, ON ONE'S UPPERS.
[upper crust] <n.>, <informal> The richest, most famous, or important people in a certain place; the highest class. * /It is a school that only the children of the upper crust can afford./