[from under] See: OUT FROM UNDER, PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER.
[from way back] <adv. phr.> From a previous time; from a long time ago. * /They have known one another from way back when they went to the same elementary school./
[front] See: IN FRONT OF.
[front and center] <adv.>, <slang> Used as a command to a person to go to someone who wants him. * /Front and center, Smith. The boss wants to see you./
[front court] <n.> The half of a basketball court that is a basketball team's offensive zone. * /The guard brought the ball up to the front court./
[front office] <n.>, <informal> The group of persons who manage a business; the officers. * /The front office decides how much the workers are paid./
[frown upon] <v. phr.> To look with disfavor upon somebody or something. * /Everybody in her family frowns upon her attachment to him./
[fruitcake] See: NUTTY AS A FRUITCAKE.
[fry] See: OTHER FISH TO FRY, OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE, SMALL FRY.
[fuck around] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> 1. To be promiscuous. * /John fucks around with the secretaries./ 2. To play at something without purpose, to mess around. * /He doesn't accomplish anything, because he fucks around so much./
[fuck off] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> 1. Go away! * /Can't you see you're bothering me? Fuck off!/ 2. To be lazy. * /John said "I don't feel like working, so I'll fuck off today."/ Compare: BEAT IT, GOOF OFF.
[fuck up] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To make a mess of something or oneself. * /Because he was totally unprepared, he fucked up his exam./ * /He is so fucked up he doesn't know whether he is coming or going./
[fuck-up] <n.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> A mess; a badly botched situation. * /What a fuck-up the dissolution of the USSR created!/
[fuddy-duddy] <n.> A person whose ideas and habits are old-fashioned. * /His students think Professor Jones is an old fuddy-duddy./
[fuel] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME.
[full] See: HAVE ONE'S HANDS FULL, IN FULL SWING, TO THE FULL.
[full blast] <adv.> At full capacity. * /With all the research money at their disposal, the new computer firm was going ahead full blast./
[full-bodied] <adj.> Mature; of maximum quality. * /The wines from that region in California have a rich, full-bodied flavor./
[full-fledged] <adj.> Having everything that is needed to be something; complete. * /A girl needs three years of training to be a full-fledged nurse./ * /The book was a full-fledged study of American history./
[full of beans] <adj. phr.>, <slang> 1. Full of pep; feeling good; in high spirits. * /The football team was full of beans after winning the tournament./ * /The children were full of beans as they got ready for a picnic./ 2. also [full of prunes] Being foolish and talking nonsense. * /You are full of prunes; that man's not 120 years old./
[full of it] See: FULL OF THE OLD NICK.
[full of oneself] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Interested only in yourself. * /Joe would be a nice boy if he would stop being so full of himself./ Compare: BIG HEAD.
[full of prunes] See: FULL OF BEANS(2).
[full of the moon] <n. phr.>, <literary> The moon when it is seen as a full circle; the time of a full moon. * /The robbers waited for a dark night when the full of the moon was past./ Contrast: DARK OF THE MOON.
[full of the Old Nick] or [full of the devil] or [full of it] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Always making trouble; naughty; bad. * /That boy is full of the Old Nick./
[full tilt] <adv.> At full speed; at high speed. * /He ran full tilt into the door and broke his arm./
[fun] See: MAKE FUN OF.
[fun and games] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A party or other entertaining event. 2. Something trivially easy. 3. Petting, or sexual intercourse. 4. (Ironically) An extraordinary difficult task. * /How was your math exam? (With a dismayed expression): - Yeah, it was all fun and games, man./
[fun house] <n.> A place where people see many funny things and have tricks played on them to make them laugh or have a good time. * /The boys and girls had a good time looking at themselves in mirrors in the fun house./
[funny bone] <n.> 1. The place at the back of the elbow that hurts like electricity when accidentally hit. * /He hit his funny bone on the arm of the chair./ 2. or <informal> [crazy bone] Sense of humor; understanding jokes. * /Her way of telling the story tickled his funny bone./
[fur] See: MAKE THE FUR FLY.
[furious] See: FAST AND FURIOUS.
[fuse] See: BLOW A FUSE.
[fuss] See: KICK UP A FUSS.
[fuss and feathers] <n.>, <informal> Unnecessary bother and excitement. * /She is full of fuss and feathers this morning./
G
[gab] See: GIFT OF GAB or GIFT OF THE GAB.
[gaff] See: STAND THE GAFF.
[gain ground] <v. phr.> 1. To go forward; move ahead. * /The soldiers fought hard and began to gain ground./ 2. To become stronger; make progress; improve. * /The sick man gained ground after being near death./ * /Under Lincoln, the Republican Party gained ground./ Contrast: LOSE GROUND.
[gallery] See: PLAY TO THE GALLERY.
[gallon] See: TEN-GALLON HAT.
[gallows' humor] <n. phr.> Bitter joke(s) that make fun of a very serious matter, e.g. death, imprisonment, etc. * /When the criminal was led to the electric chair on Monday morning, he said, "Nice way to start the week, eh?"/
[game] See: AHEAD OF THE GAME, LOVE GAME, NAME OF THE GAME, PLAY THE GAME, AT --- STAGE OF THE GAME.
[game at which two can play] <n. phr.> A plan, trick, or way of acting that both sides may use. * /Rough football is a game two can play./ * /Politics is a game at which two can play./
[game is not worth the candle] <literary> What is being done is not worth the trouble or cost; the gain is not worth the effort. * /I don't want to walk so far on such a hot day. The game is not worth the candle./
[game is up] or <slang> [jig is up] The secret or plan won't work; we are caught or discovered. * /The game is up; the teacher knows who took her keys./ * /The jig's up; the principal knows the boys have been smoking in the basement./ Compare: FAT IS IN THE FIRE.
[gang] See: ROAD GANG, SECTION GANG.
[gang up on] or [gang up against] <v. phr.>, <informal> To jointly attack someone, either physically or verbally; take sides in a group against an individual. * /The class bully was stronger than all the other boys, so they had to gang up on him to put him in his place./ Compare: LINE UP(4b).
[garbage down] <v. phr.>, <slang> To eat eagerly and at great speed without much regard for manners or social convention. * /The children garbaged down their food./