Adam Makkai
Maya Aleksandrovna Glinberg
A
[abide by] <v.> To accept and obey; be willing to follow. * /A basketball player may know he did not foul, but he must abide by the referee's decision./ * /The members agree to abide by the rules of the club./
[a bit] <n., informal> A small amount; some. * /There's no sugar in the sugar bowl, but you may find a bit in the bag./ * /If the ball had hit the window a bit harder, it would have broken it./ - Often used like an adverb. * /This sweater scratches a bit./ - Also used like an adjective before "less", "more". * /Janet thought she could lose weight by eating a bit less./ * /"Have some more cake?" "Thanks. A bit more won't hurt me."/ - Often used adverbially after verbs in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, sometimes in the form "one bit". * /"Won't your father be angry?" "No, he won't care a bit."/ * /Helen feels like crying, but I'll be surprised if she shows it one bit./ - Sometimes used with "little" for emphasis, also in the emphatic form "the least bit". * /"Wasn't Bob even a little bit sorry he forgot his date?" "No, Bob wasn't the least bit sorry."/ Syn.: A LITTLE. Compare: A FEW. Contrast: A LOT.
[about face] <n.> A sudden change of course or a decision opposite to what was decided earlier. * /Her decision to become an actress instead of a dentist was an about face from her original plans./
[about one's ears] or [around one's ears] <adv. phr.> To or into complete collapse, defeat, or ruin; to the destruction of a person's plans, hopes, or happiness. * /They planned to have factories all over the world but the war brought their plans down about their ears./ * /John hoped to go to college and become a great scientist some day, but when his father died he had to get a job, and John's dreams came crashing around his ears./ Compare: ON ONE'S HEAD.
[about time] <n. phr.> Finally, but later than it should have been; at last. * /Mother said, "It's about time you got up, Mary."/ * /The basketball team won last night. About time./
[about to] 1. Close to; ready to. - Used with an infinitive. * /We were about to leave when the snow began./ * /I haven't gone yet, but I'm about to./ Compare: GOING TO, ON THE POINT OF. 2. <informal> Having a wish or plan to. - Used with an infinitive in negative sentences. * /Freddy wasn't about to give me any of his ice-cream cone./ * /"Will she come with us?" asked Bill. "She's not about to," answered Mary./
[above all] <adv. phr.> Of first or highest importance; most especially. * /Children need many things, but above all they need love./ Syn.: FIRST AND LAST.
[above suspicion] <adj. phr.> Too good to be suspected; not likely to do wrong. * /The umpire in the game must be above suspicion of supporting one side over the other./
[absent without leave (AWOL)] <adj.> Absent without permission; used mostly in the military. * /Jack left Fort Sheridan without asking his commanding officer, and was punished for going AWOL./
[absentia] See: IN ABSENTIA.
[Acapulco gold] <n., slang> Marijuana of an exceptionally high quality. * /Jack doesn't just smoke pot, he smokes Acapulco gold./
[accord] See: OF ONE'S OWN ACCORD or OF ONE'S OWN FREE WILL.
[according as] <conj.> 1. Depending on which; whichever. * /You may take an oral or written exam according as you prefer./ 1. Depending on whether; if. * /We will play golf or stay home according as the weather is good or bad./
[according to] <prep.> 1. So as to match or agree with; so as to be alike in. * /Many words are pronounced according to the spelling but some are not./ * /The boys were placed in three groups according to height./ 2. On the word or authority of. * /According to the Bible, Adam was the first man./
[according to one's own lights] <adv. phr.> In accordance with one's conscience or inclinations. * /Citizens should vote according to their own lights./
[account] See: CALL TO ACCOUNT, CHARGE ACCOUNT, LEAVE OUT OF ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT OF, ON ONE'S ACCOUNT, ON ONE'S OWN ACCOUNT, SAVINGS ACCOUNT, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
[ace] See: WITHIN AN ACE OF.
[ace in the hole] <n. phr.> 1. An ace given to a player face down so that other players in a card game cannot see it. * /When the cowboy bet all his money in the poker game he did not know that the gambler had an ace in the hole and would win it from him./ 2. <informal> Someone or something important that is kept as a surprise until the right time so as to bring victory or success. * /The football team has a new play that they are keeping as an ace in the hole for the big game./ * /The lawyer's ace in the hole was a secret witness who saw the accident./ Compare: CARD UP ONE'S SLEEVE.
[Achilles' heel] <n. phr.>, <literary> A physical or psychological weakness named after the Greek hero Achilles who was invulnerable except for a spot on his heel. * /John's Achilles' heel is his lack of talent with numbers and math./
[acid head] <n.>, <slang> A regular user of LSD on whom the hallucinogenic drug has left a visible effect. * /The reason John acts so funny is that he is a regular acid head./
[acid rock] <n.>, <slang> A characteristic kind of rock in which loudness and beat predominate over melody; especially such music as influenced by drug experiences. * /John is a regular acid rock freak./
[acorn] See: GREAT OAKS PROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.
[acoustic perfume] <n.>, <slang> Sound for covering up unwanted noise, such as music over loudspeakers in a noisy construction area. * /Let's get out of here - this acoustic perfume is too much for my ears./
[acquire a taste for] <v. phr.> To become fond of something; get to like something. * /Jack acquired a taste for ripe cheeses when he went to France./
[across the board] <adv. phr.> 1. So that equal amounts of money are bet on the same horse to win a race, to place second, or third. * /I bet $6 on the white horse across the board./ - Often used with hyphens as an adjective. * /I made an across-the-board bet on the white horse./ 2. <informal> Including everyone or all, so that all are included. * /Thе President wanted taxes lowered across the board./ Often used with hyphens as an adjective. * /Thе workers at the store got an across-the-board pay raise./
[across the tracks] See: THE TRACKS.
[act] See: READ THE RIOT ACT.
[act high and mighty] <v. phr.> To wield power; act overbearingly; order others around; look down on others. * /Paul is an inexperienced teacher and he acts high and mighty with his students./
[actions speak louder than words] What you do shows your character better and is more important than what you say. - A proverb. * /John promised to help me, but he didn't. Actions speak louder than words./ * /Joe is very quiet, but actions speak louder than words. He is the best player on the team./
[act of faith] <n. phr.> An act or a deed that shows unquestioning belief in someone or something. * /It was a real act of faith on Mary's part to entrust her jewelry to her younger sister's care./
[act of God] <n.> An occurrence (usually some sort of catastrophe) for which the people affected are not responsible; said of earthquakes, floods, etc. * /Hurricane Andrew destroyed many houses in Florida, but some types of insurance did not compensate the victims, claiming that the hurricane was an act of God./ See: FICKLE FINGER OF FATE.
[act one's age] or [be one's age] <v. phr.> To do the things that people expect someone of your age to do, not act as if you were much younger than you are. * /Mr. O'Brien was playing tag with the children at the party. Then Mrs. O'Brien said, "Henry! Act your age!" and he stopped./
[actor] See: BAD ACTOR.
[act out] <v.> 1. To show an idea, story, or happening by your looks, talk, and movements. * /He tried to act out a story that he had read./ 2. To put into action. * /All his life he tried to act out his beliefs./
[act up] <v.>, <informal> 1. To behave badly; act rudely or impolitely. * /The dog acted up as the postman came to the door./ 2. To work or run poorly (as a after all machine); skip; miss. * /Thе car acted up because the spark plugs were dirty./
[add fuel to the flame] <v. phr.> To make a bad matter worse by adding to its cause; spread trouble, increase anger or other strong feelings by talk or action. * /By criticizing his son's girl, the father added fuel to the flame of his son's love./ * /Bob was angry with Ted and Ted added fuel to the flame by laughing at him./
[add insult to injury] <v. phr.> 1. To hurt someone's feelings after doing him harm. * /He added insult to injury when he called the man a rat after he had already beaten him up./ 2. To make bad trouble worse. * /We started on a picnic, and first it rained, then to add insult to injury, the car broke down./
[addition] See: IN ADDITION.
[address] See: PUBLIC-ADDRESS SYSTEM.
[add the finishing touches] <v. phr.> To complete; finish. * /Mary's first novel promised to be excellent; however, her editor suggested that she should add some finishing touches before accepting it./
[add up] <v.> 1. To come to the correct amount. * /The numbers wouldn't add up./ 2. <informal> To make sense; be understandable. * /His story didn't add up./
[add up to] <v.> 1. To make a total of; amount to. * /The bill added up to $12.95./ 2. <informal> To mean; result in. * /The rain, the mosquitoes, and the heat added up to a spoiled vacation./
[ad lib] <v. phr.> To improvise; interpolate during speech. * /When the actress forgot her lines during the second act, she had to ad lib in order to keep the show going./
[advance] See: IN ADVANCE or IN ADVANCE OF.
[advantage] See: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, TO ADVANTAGE.
[a few] <n.> or <adj.> A small number (of people or things); some. * /The dry weather killed most of Mother's flowers, but a few are left./ * /In the store, Mary saw many pretty rings and bracelets, and she wanted to buy a few of them./ * /After the party, we thought that no one would help clean up, but a few couples did./ * /Alice wanted to read a few pages more before she stopped./ - Usually "a few" is different in meaning from "few", which emphasizes the negative; "a few" means "some", but "few" means "not many". * /We thought no one would come to lunch, but a few came./ * /We thought many people would come to lunch, but few came./ But sometimes "a few" is used with "only", and then it is negative. * /We thought many people would come to lunch, but only a few came./ - Sometimes used like an adverb. * /Three students have no seats; we need a few more chairs./ * /If we can set up chairs faster than people come and sit in them, we will soon be a few ahead./ - Sometimes used with "very" for emphasis. * /Uncle Ralph gave away almost all of his sea shells, but he still had a very few left./ Compare: A LITTLE. Contrast: A LOT, QUITE A FEW.