word

word by word one word at a time.

examined the contract word by word to

make sure everything was the way we

wanted. We compared the stories word

by word to see what made them different.

word for word in the exact words; verba-

tim. I memorized the speech, word for

word. I can’t recall word for word what

she told us.

a word to the wise a good piece of advice;

a word of wisdom. If I can give you a

word to the wise, I would suggest going to

the courthouse about an hour before your

trial. Here is a word to the wise. Keep

your eyes open and your mouth shut.

words to that effect Go to something to

that effect.

[work is cut out for one] Go to one’s work

is cut out for one.

work one’s fingers to the bone to work

very hard. I worked my fingers to the

bone so you children could have everything

you needed. Now look at the way you treat

me! I spent the day working my fingers

to the bone, and now I want to relax.

work (one’s way) into something to manage

to join or become a member of some-

thing. (Refers to squeezing into some-

thing.) Ann worked her way into the

club, and now she’s a member in good

standing. Bob worked his way into the

top management of the company.

work one’s way through college to hold a

job that pays part of one’s college ex-

penses. Tom couldn’t get a loan, so he

had to work his way through college. I

worked my way through college, and that

made college seem more valuable to me.

work one’s way up to advance in one’s job

or position, from the beginning level to

a higher level. I haven’t always been

president of this bank. I started as a teller

and worked my way up. If I work my

way up, can I be president of the bank?

work out to do a program of exercise.

have to work out every day in order to keep

healthy. Working out a lot gives me a big

appetite.

work someone or something in to insert some-

one or something (into a schedule or a

The doctor’s schedule was very

busy, but the nurse agreed to try to work

me in. The mechanic had many cars to

fix, but he said he’d work my car in. T I’m

glad he could work in my car.

work someone or something up 1. [with some-

one] to get someone ready for something,

especially medical treatment. T The

coach worked up the whole team before the

game. The doctor told the nurse to work

Mr. Franklin up for surgery. 2. [with

something] to create, cook, or arrange

something. T Bob is in the kitchen work-

ing up dinner.   Is there something

planned for Friday night, or should we

work something up?

work someone over to threaten, intimidate,

or beat someone. (Slang, especially crim-

inal slang.) I thought they were really

going to work me over, but they only asked

a few questions. T The police worked over

Bill until he told where the money was

hidden.

work something into something else to rub or

knead something into something else.

You should work more butter into the

dough before baking the bread. Work

this lotion into your skin to make your

sunburn stop hurting.

work something out to settle a problem.

(Also literal.) It was a serious problem,

but we managed to work it out. T I’m glad

we can work out our problems without

fighting.

work wonders (with someone or something)

to be surprisingly beneficial to someone

or something; to be very helpful with

someone or something. This new med-

icine works wonders with my headaches.

Jean was able to work wonders with the of-

fice staff. They improved their efficiency as

soon as she took over.

worked up (about something) Go to (all)

worked up (over something).

worked up (over something) Go to (all)

worked up (over something).

the works everything. (Informal.) They

gave me everything I could possibly want.

They gave me the works!  I want the

works! Everything you have to offer!

The worm (has) turned. Someone who is

usually patient and humble has decided

to stop being so. Jane used to be treated

badly by her husband and she just accepted

it, but one day she hit him. The worm

turned all right.  Tom used to let the

other boys bully him on the playground,

but one day the worm turned and he’s now

leader of their gang.

worm one’s way out of something to squeeze

or wiggle out of a problem or a respon-

sibility. (Informal.) This is your job,

and you can’t worm your way out of it!

I’m not trying to worm my way out of

anything!

worm something out of someone to get some

kind of information out of someone. (In-

formal.) He didn’t want to tell me the

truth, but I finally wormed it out of him.

She succeeded in worming the secret out

of me. I didn’t mean to tell it.

worth its weight in gold very valuable.

This book is worth its weight in gold.

Oh, Bill. You’re wonderful. You’re worth

your weight in gold.

worth one’s salt worth one’s salary.

doesn’t work very hard, and he’s just barely

worth his salt, but he’s very easy to get

along with. I think he’s more than worth

his salt. He’s a good worker.

worth someone’s while worth one’s time and

trouble. (See also make it worth someone’s

while.) The job pays so badly it’s not

worth your while even going for an inter-

view. It’s not worth Mary’s while going

all that way just for a one-hour meeting.

worthy of the name deserving to be so

called; good enough to enjoy a specific

name. There was not an actor worthy of

the name in that play. Any art critic

worthy of the name would know that

painting to be a fake.

would (just) as soon do something Go to

had (just) as soon do something.

would give one’s right arm (for someone or

something) would be willing to give some-

thing of great value in exchange for

someone or something. I’d give my

right arm for a nice cool drink. I’d give

my right arm to be there.

would like (to have) someone or something to

want someone or something; to prefer

someone or something. I would like to

have three cookies. I would like a piece

of cake.

would rather would prefer [something]

more willingly; would prefer [something]

more readily. I would rather have an

apple than a pear. I don’t like pears. I’d

rather live in the north than the south, be-

cause I like snow.

wouldn’t dream of doing something would

not even consider doing something. (In-

formal.) I wouldn’t dream of taking

your money! I’m sure that John would-

n’t dream of complaining to the manager.

wouldn’t touch someone or something with

a ten-foot pole would not be involved

with something under any circum-

stances. I know about the piece of

vacant land for sale on Maple Street. I

wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole be-

cause there used to be a gas station there

and the soil is polluted. I wouldn’t touch

that book with a ten-foot pole. It is noth-

ing but gossip and scandal.

wrap something up to terminate something;

to bring something to an end. (Also lit-

eral. Informal. See also get something

sewed up.) It’s time to wrap this pro-

ject up and move on to something else. T

Let’s wrap up this discussion. It’s time to

go home.

wrapped up in someone or something con-

cerned and involved with someone or

something. Sally is wrapped up in her

work. Ann is all wrapped up in her chil-

dren and their activities.

wreak havoc with something to cause a lot

of trouble with something; to ruin or

damage something. Your attitude will

wreak havoc with my project.   The

weather wreaked havoc with our picnic

plans.

wreak vengeance (up)on someone or some-

thing to seek and get revenge on someone

by harming someone or something.

The thief wreaked his vengeance by de-

stroying his rival’s house. The general

wanted to wreak vengeance on the oppos-

ing army for their recent successful attack.

write someone or something off 1. [with some-

thing] to absorb a debt or a loss in ac-

counting. The bill couldn’t be collected,

so we had to write it off. T The bill was too

large, and we couldn’t write off the

amount. We decided to sue. 2. to drop

someone or something from considera-

tion. The manager wrote Tom off for a

promotion. T I wrote off that piece of land

as worthless. It can’t be used for anything.

write someone or something up 1. [with some-

thing] to prepare a bill, order, or state-

ment. Please write the order up and

send me a copy. T As soon as I finish writ-

ing up your check, I’ll bring you some more

coffee. 2. to write an article about some-

one or something. A reporter wrote me

up for the Sunday paper. I wrote up a

local factory and sent the story to a mag-

azine, but they didn’t buy the story.

write something down to write something;

to make a note of something. (Also with-

out down.) If I write it down, I won’t

forget it. T I wrote down everything she

said.

write something out to spell or write a num-

ber or an abbreviation. Don’t just write

“7,” write it out. T Please write out all ab-

breviations, such as Doctor for Dr.

the wrong side of the tracks the poor

part of a town. (Often with come from,

be from, or live on, as in the examples.

Compare this with the other side of the

tracks.) They said that Bob was from the

wrong side of the tracks, but that it didn’t

matter. We went to a school that was

on the wrong side of the tracks, and we all

got a fine education.

[wrote the book on something] Go to some-

one wrote the book on something.

whys

the whys and wherefores of something the

reason or causes relating to something.

I refuse to discuss the whys and wherefores

of my decision. It’s final. Bob doesn’t

know the whys and wherefores of his con-

tract. He just knows that it means he will

get a lot of money when he finishes the

work.

wide-awake completely awake. After the

telephone rang, I was wide-awake for an

hour. I’m not very wide-awake at six

o’clock in the morning.

wide of the mark 1. far from the target.

Tom’s shot was wide of the mark. The

pitch was quite fast, but wide of the mark.

2. inadequate; far from what is required

or expected. Jane’s efforts were sincere,

but wide of the mark.  He failed the

course because everything he did was wide

of the mark.

wild about someone or something enthusiastic

about someone or something.

wild about chocolate ice cream. Sally is

wild about Tom and his new car.

a wild-goose chase a worthless hunt or

chase; a futile pursuit. I wasted all af-

ternoon on a wild-goose chase. John was

angry because he was sent out on a wild-

goose chase.

will not hear of something will not tolerate

or permit something. You mustn’t drive

home alone. I won’t hear of it. My par-

ents won’t hear of my staying out that late.

win by a nose to win by the slightest

amount of difference. (Informal. As in a

horse race where one horse wins with

only its nose ahead of the horse that

comes in second.) I ran the fastest race

I could, but I only won by a nose. Sally

won the race, but she only won by a nose.

win out (over someone or something) to beat

someone or something in a race or a con-

test. My horse won out over yours, so

you lose your bet. I knew I could win out

if I just kept trying.

win someone over to succeed in gaining the

support and sympathy of someone.

Jane’s parents disapproved of her engage-

ment at first, but she won them over.

I’m trying to win the boss over and get him

to give us the day off.

win the day Go to carry the day.

wind down to decrease or diminish.

Things are very busy now, but they’ll wind

down in about an hour. I hope business

winds down soon. I’m exhausted.

wind something up to conclude something.

(Also literal.) Today we’ll wind that

deal up with the bank. T I have a few

items of business to wind up; then I’ll be

with you.

wind up doing something Go to end up doing

something.

wind up somewhere Go to end up somewhere.

window-shopping the habit or practice of

looking at goods in shop windows or

stores without actually buying anything.

Mary and Jane do a lot of window-

shopping in their lunch hour, looking for

things to buy when they get paid. Jane

said she was just window-shopping, but she

bought a new coat.

wing it to do the best that one can in a sit-

uation, especially when one is not pre-

pared. (Compare this with play something

by ear.) I lost my notes before my speech,

and I had to wing it. The professor, it

turned out, was winging it in every single

lecture.

wink at something to ignore something. (In-

formal.) Billy caused me a little trouble,

but I just winked at it. This is a serious

matter, and you can’t expect me just to

wink at it.

wipe someone or something out 1. to cause

someone to be broke. (Slang.) They

wiped me out in the poker game. T The

crop failure wiped out all the farmers. 2.

to exterminate someone or something.

(Slang.) The hunters came and wiped

all the deer out. T The crooks wiped out

the two witnesses.

wipe someone’s slate clean to erase some-

one’s (bad) record. (Figurative.) I’d like

to wipe my slate clean and start all over

again. Bob did badly in high school, but

he wiped his slate clean and did a good job

in college.

wipe something off 1. to remove something

(from something else) by wiping or rub-

bing. There is mud on your shirt. Please

wipe it off. T My shirt has catsup on it. I

must wipe off the catsup. 2. to tidy or

clean something by wiping (something

else) off. Please wipe the table off.

There’s water on it. T Wipe off your shirt.

There’s catsup on it.

wise as an owl Go to (as) wise as an owl.

wise as Solomon Go to (as) wise as

Solomon.

wise up (to someone or something) to begin to

understand the truth about someone or

something. (Slang.) It was almost a

week before I began to wise up to John. He’s

a total phony. You had better stay hid-

den for a while. The police are beginning

to wise up.

wish something off on someone to pass some-

thing off onto someone else. (Informal.)

I don’t want to have to deal with your

problems. Don’t wish them off on me. T

The storekeeper wished off the defective

watch on the very next customer who came

in.

wishful thinking believing that something

is true or that something will happen just

because one wishes that it were true or

would happen. Hoping for a car as a

birthday present is just wishful thinking.

Your parents can’t afford it. Mary thinks

that she is going to get a big rise, but that’s

wishful thinking. Her boss is so mean.

with a heavy heart sadly. With a heavy

heart, she said good-bye. We left school

on the last day with a heavy heart.

with all one’s heart and soul very sin-

cerely. Oh, Bill, I love you with all my

heart and soul, and I always will! She

thanked us with all her heart and soul for

the gift.

with all the fixings with all the condi-

ments that accompany a certain kind of

food. For $5.99 you get a turkey din-

ner with all the fixings. Max likes his

hamburgers with all the fixings.

with an eye to doing something Go to with a

view to doing something.

with a vengeance with determination and

eagerness, as if angry. The angry soldier

attacked the enemy with a vengeance.

Bill ate all his dinner and gobbled up his

dessert with a vengeance.

with a will with determination and en-

thusiasm. The children worked with a

will to finish the project on time. The

workers set about manufacturing the new

products with a will.

with bells on (one’s toes) eagerly, willingly,

and on time. Oh, yes! I’ll meet you at

the restaurant. I’ll be there with bells on.

All the smiling children were there wait-

ing for me with bells on their toes.

with both hands tied behind one’s back

Go to with one hand tied behind one’s

back.

with each passing day as days pass, one

by one; day by day. Things grow more

expensive with each passing day. We are

all growing older with each passing day.

with ease without effort. The smart stu-

dent passed the test with ease. The gym-

nast did a back f lip with ease.

with every (other) breath [saying some-

thing] repeatedly or continually. Bob

was out in the yard, raking leaves and curs-

ing with every other breath. The child

was so grateful that she was thanking me

with every breath.

with everything (on it) [of a sandwich]

ordered with everything available on it,

such as ketchup, mustard, onions, cheese,

peppers, chili, lettuce, tomato, etc., as ap-

propriate. Do you want it with every-

thing?  Give me a cheeseburger with

everything on it.

with flying colors easily and excellently.

(Flying colors refers to ships’ pennants.)

John passed his geometry test with f ly-

ing colors. Sally qualified for the race

with f lying colors.

(with) hat in hand with humility. (Also

literal.) She stormed off but came back

with hat in hand when she ran out of

money. We had to go hat in hand to the

committee to get a grant for our proposal.

with impunity without risk of punish-

ment; with immunity from the negative

consequences of an act; while being ex-

empt from punishment. The diplomat

parked in illegal parking spaces with im-

punity. Bob used his brother’s property

with impunity.

with it 1. alert and knowledgeable. (Slang.)

Jane isn’t making any sense. She’s not

really with it tonight. Jean’s mother is

not really with it anymore. She’s going se-

nile. Peter’s not with it yet. He’s only just

come round from the anesthetic. 2. up-to-

date. (Slang.) My parents are so old-

fashioned. I’m sure they were never with

it. Why do you wear those baggy old

clothes? Why aren’t you with it?

with no strings attached and without

any strings attached unconditionally;

with no obligations attached. My par-

ents gave me a computer without any

strings attached. I want this only if it

comes with no strings attached.

with one hand tied behind one’s back

and with both hands tied behind one’s

back even under a severe handicap; eas-

ily. I could put an end to this argument

with one hand tied behind my back.

John could do this job with both hands tied

behind his back.

with one’s tail between one’s legs appear-

ing frightened or cowardly, like a fright-

ened or defeated dog; appearing threat-

ened or humiliated. John seems to lack

courage. When people criticize him un-

justly, he just goes away with his tail be-

tween his legs and doesn’t tell them that

they’re wrong. The frightened dog ran

away with its tail between its legs when the

bigger dog growled.

with regard to someone or something con-

cerning someone or something. What

shall we do with regard to planning din-

ner? With regard to Bill, I think he is

working too hard.

with respect to someone or something of or

about someone or something. With re-

spect to radiation, this power plant is very

safe. This article examines experiments

with respect to ethical issues.

with something to spare Go to and something

to spare.

with the best will in the world however

much one wishes to do something or

however hard one tries to do something.

With the best will in the world, Jack

won’t be able to help Mary get the job.

With the best will in the world, they won’t

finish the job in time.

wither on the vine and die on the vine

[for something] to decline or fade away

at an early stage of development. (Also

literal in reference to grapes or other

fruit.) You have a great plan, Tom. Let’s

keep it alive. Don’t let it wither on the vine.

The whole project died on the vine when

the contract was canceled.

within an inch of one’s life very close to

taking one’s life; almost to death. The

accident frightened me within an inch of

my life. When Mary was seriously ill in

the hospital, she came within an inch of

her life.

within a stone’s throw (of something) and

(just) a stone’s throw (away) (from

something) very close (to something). (Pos-

sibly as close as the distance one could

throw a stone. It usually refers to a dis-

tance much greater than one could throw

a stone.) The police department was lo-

cated within a stone’s throw of our house.

We live in Carbondale, and that’s just

a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River.

Come visit. We live just a stone’s throw

away. John saw Mary across the street,

just a stone’s throw away. Philadelphia

is a stone’s throw from New York City.

within bounds Go to within limits.

within calling distance Go to within hail-

ing distance.

within limits and within bounds up to a

certain point; with certain restrictions.

You’re free to do what you want—within

limits, of course. You must try to keep

behavior at the party within bounds.

within reason reasonable; reasonably.

You can do anything you want within rea-

son. I’ll pay any sum you ask—within

reason.

within shouting distance Go to within

hailing distance.

within someone’s grasp Go to within some-

one’s reach.

within someone’s reach and within some-

one’s grasp almost in the possession of

someone. My goals are almost within

my reach, so I know I’ll succeed. We al-

most had the contract within our grasp,

but the deal fell through at the last minute.

within walking distance close enough to

walk to. Is the train station within walk-

ing distance? My office is within walk-

ing distance from here.

without a moment to spare Go to not a

moment to spare.

without any strings attached Go to with

no strings attached.

without batting an eye casually; without

showing alarm or response. I knew I

had insulted her, but she turned to me and

asked me to leave without batting an eye.

Right in the middle of the speech—

without batting an eye—the speaker

walked off the stage.

without fail for certain; absolutely. I’ll

be there at noon without fail. The plane

leaves on time every day without fail.

without further ado without further talk.

(An overworked phrase usually heard in

public announcements.) And without

further ado, I would like to introduce Mr.

Bill Franklin!  The time has come to

leave, so without further ado, good evening

and good-bye.

without question absolutely; certainly.

She agreed to help without question. She

said, “I stand ready to support you with-

out question.”

without rhyme or reason without pur-

pose, order, or reason. The teacher said

my report was disorganized. My para-

graphs seemed to be without rhyme or rea-

son. Everything you do seems to be with-

out rhyme or reason. This procedure is

without rhyme or reason.

without so much as doing something with-

out even doing something. Jane bor-

rowed Bob’s car without so much as ask-

ing his permission.  Mary’s husband

walked out without so much as saying

good-bye.

Woe is me! I am unfortunate!; I am un-

happy! (Usually humorous.) Woe is

me! I have to work when the rest of the of-

fice staff is off. Woe is me. I have the

f lu and my friends have gone to a party.

a wolf in sheep’s clothing someone or

something threatening that is disguised

as someone or something kind. Beware

of the police chief. He seems polite, but he’s

a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This proposal

seems harmless enough, but I think it’s a

wolf in sheep’s clothing.

woman to woman Go to man to man.

weigh

weigh on someone’s mind [for something]

to be in a person’s thoughts; [for some-

thing] to be bothering someone’s think-

ing. This problem has been weighing on

my mind for many days now. I hate to

have things weighing on my mind. I can’t

sleep when I’m worried.

weigh someone down [for a thought or

worry] to worry or depress someone.

(Also literal.) All these problems really

weigh me down. T Financial problems

have been weighing down our entire

family.

welcome someone with open arms Go to

receive someone with open arms.

well and good Go to (all) well and good.

well-fixed Go to well-heeled.

well-heeled and well-fixed; well-off

wealthy; with sufficient money. My

uncle can afford a new car. He’s well-

heeled. Everyone in his family is well-

off.

well-off Go to well-heeled.

well-to-do wealthy and of good social po-

sition. (Often with quite, as in the exam-

ples below.) The Jones family is quite

well-to-do. There is a gentleman wait-

ing for you at the door. He appears quite

well-to-do.

wet behind the ears and not dry behind

the ears young and inexperienced.

John’s too young to take on a job like this!

He’s still wet behind the ears! He may

be wet behind the ears, but he’s well

trained and totally competent. Tom is

going into business by himself ? Why, he’s

hardly dry behind the ears. That kid

isn’t dry behind the ears. He’ll go broke in

a month.

wet someone’s whistle to take a drink of

something. (Folksy.) Wow, am I thirsty.

I need something to wet my whistle.

Hey, Sally! Give her something to wet her

whistle.

What are you driving at? What are you

implying?; What do you mean? (Infor-

mal.) What are you driving at? What

are you trying to say? Why are you ask-

ing me all these questions? What are you

driving at?

What do you want me to say? You caught

me and I’m sorry, and I don’t know what

more to say. (Informal.) What do you

want me to say? I apologized. There is

nothing more I can do. Okay, so I’m

wrong. What do you want me to say?

what for why?; for what reason? “I want

you to clean your room.” “What for? It’s

clean enough.” What did you do that

What have you been up to? I haven’t seen

you for a long time, so tell me what you

have been doing? (Informal. In other

persons also.) Hi, Tom. Where have you

been? What have you been up to? What

have you been up to? Busy, I am sure.

what if what would be the result if some-

thing were true? What if you had all the

money you want?  What if everyone

thought you were great?

what makes someone tick something that

motivates someone; something that

makes someone behave in a certain way.

(Informal.) William is sort of strange.

I don’t know what makes him tick.

When you get to know people, you find out

what makes them tick.

what makes something tick to cause some-

thing to run or function. I don’t know

what makes it tick. I took apart the ra-

dio to find out what made it tick.

What one doesn’t know won’t hurt one.

Unknown facts cannot worry or upset a

person. (Proverb.) Don’t tell me that I

have made a mistake. What I don’t know

won’t hurt me. Don’t tell him the truth

about his missing dog. What he doesn’t

know won’t hurt him.

Whatever will be, will be. Whatever will

happen will just happen and there is lit-

tle we can do about it. (Proverb.) There

is little I can do at this stage. Whatever will

be, will be. The doctors have done all

they can. Whatever will be, will be.

What’s done is done. It is final and in the

past. (Proverb.) It’s too late to change

it now. What’s done is done.  What’s

done is done. The past cannot be altered.

What’s keeping you? What is taking you

so long?; Why are you still there and not

here? Dinner is ready, and you are still

at work. I telephoned to ask what’s keep-

ing you. What’s keeping you? I am ready

to go and you are still in there dressing.

What ’s new? How are you? Tell me what

you have been doing. (Informal.) Good

to see you. What’s new? What’s new?

How are things down your way?

What’s up? Hello. What is happening? (In-

formal.) What’s up? How’re you doing?

Hey, Chuck! What’s up?

What’s with someone? What is bothering or

affecting someone? (Slang.) John seems

upset. What’s with him? There’s noth-

ing wrong with me. What’s with you?

wheel and deal to take part in clever (but

sometimes dishonest or immoral) busi-

ness deals. John loves to wheel and deal

in the money markets. Jack got tired of

all the wheeling and dealing of big business

and retired to run a pub in the country.

when all is said and done when every-

thing is finished and settled; when every-

thing is considered. (See also after all is

said and done.) When all is said and

done, this isn’t such a bad part of the coun-

try to live in after all. When all is said

and done, I believe I had a very enjoyable

time on my vacation.

when hell freezes over and until hell

freezes over never. (The first entry is al-

ways affirmative and the second is always

negative.) I’ll say I’m sorry to you when

hell freezes over! I won’t apologize un-

til hell freezes over.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

One should behave in the same way that

the local people behave. (Proverb.) I

don’t usually eat lamb, but I did when I

went to Australia. When in Rome, do as

the Romans do. I always carry an um-

brella when I visit London. When in Rome,

do as the Romans do.

when it comes right down to it all things

considered; when one really thinks about

something. When it comes right down

to it, I’d like to find a new job. When it

comes right down to it, he can’t really af-

ford a new car.

when least expected when one does not

expect (something). An old car is likely

to give you trouble when least expected.

My pencil usually breaks when least

expected.

when push comes to shove when the sit-

uation becomes more difficult; when

matters escalate. (See also if push comes

to shove.) When push comes to shove,

I will take a stronger position. When

push comes to shove, I will come up with

the money you need.

When the cat’s away, the mice will play.

Some people will get into mischief when

they are not being watched. (Proverb.)

The students behaved very badly for the

substitute teacher. When the cat’s away, the

mice will play. John had a wild party

at his house when his parents were out of

town. When the cat’s away, the mice will

play.

when the chips are down at the final,

critical moment; when things really get

difficult. When the chips are down, I

know that I can depend on Jean to help

out. I knew you would come and help

when the chips were down.

when the going gets rough Go to when

the going gets tough.

when the going gets tough and when

the going gets rough when things get

extremely difficult; when it becomes dif-

ficult to proceed. (Also literal when re-

ferring to travel. A second line is some-

times added to the main entry phrase:

When the going gets tough, the tough get

going. This means that when things be-

come difficult, strong people began to

work or move faster and harder.)

When the going gets tough, I will be there

to help you. I appreciate the kind words

you sent to us when the going got a little

rough last month.

where one lives Go to close to home.

Where there’s a will there’s a way. One

can do something if one really wants to.

(Proverb.) Don’t give up, Ann. You can

do it. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

They told John he’d never walk again af-

ter his accident. He worked at it, and he

was able to walk again! Where there’s a

will there’s a way.

Where there’s smoke there’s fire. Evi-

dence of a problem probably indicates

that there really is a problem. (Proverb.)

There is a lot of noise coming from the

classroom. There is probably something

wrong. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.

I think there is something wrong at the old

house on the corner. The police are there

again. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.

Where was I? Go to (Now), where was I?

Where’ve you been hiding yourself?

Hello, I haven’t seen you in a long time.

(In other persons also.) I haven’t seen

you in a long time. Where’ve you been hid-

ing yourself ? Where’ve you been hiding

yourself ? We missed you at the meeting.

whet someone’s appetite to cause someone

to be interested in something and to be

eager to have, know, learn, etc., more

about it. Seeing that film really whetted

my sister’s appetite for horror films. She

now sees as many as possible. My ap-

petite for theater was whetted when I was

very young.

whether or not either if something is the

case or if something is not the case; one

way or the other. I’ll drive to New York

tomorrow whether or not it rains. T I’m

going to the mall whether you come with

me or not.

whip something into shape Go to lick some-

thing into shape.

whip something up to prepare, create, or put

something together quickly. (Informal.)

I haven’t written my report yet, but I’ll

whip one up before the deadline. T Come

in and sit down. I’ll go whip up something

to eat.

white as a sheet Go to (as) white as a

sheet.

white as the driven snow Go to (as)

white as the driven snow.

white elephant something that is useless

and which is either a nuisance or is ex-

pensive to keep up. (From the gift of a

white elephant by the kings of Siam

[Thailand] to courtiers who displeased

them, knowing the cost of the upkeep

would ruin them.) Bob’s father-in-law

has given him an old Rolls-Royce, but it’s

a real white elephant. He has no place to

park it and can’t afford the maintenance

on it. Those antique vases Aunt Mary

gave me are white elephants. They’re ugly

and take ages to clean.

Who do you think you’re kidding? I don’t

believe you, and what makes you think

you can deceive me? (In other persons

also.) Who does he think he’s kidding?

Nobody believes him.  A: You are the

finest batter I’ve ever seen. B: Who do you

think you’re kidding?

Who do you think you’re talking to? Do

you know the importance of the person

[me] you are talking to? (In other persons

also.) Who do you think you’re talking

to? I’m the boss here, you know! Don’t

talk to me that way! Who do you think you

are talking to?

Who would have thought? I would never

have guessed that something so surpris-

ing could happen. So he’s run off with

the maid. Who would have thought? It

turns out she robbed a bank when she was

18. Who would have thought?

the whole ball of wax and the whole

shooting match the whole thing; the

whole matter or affair; the entire affair or

organization. John is not a good man-

ager. Instead of delegating jobs to others,

he runs the whole shooting match himself.

There’s not a hard worker in that whole

shooting match. I will be glad to be fin-

ished with this project. I want to be done

with the whole ball of wax. I am tired

of this job. I am fed up with the whole ball

of wax.

(whole) new ball game a new set of cir-

cumstances. (Slang. Originally from

sports.) It’s a whole new ball game since

Jane took over the office. You can’t do

the things you used to do around here. It’s

a new ball game.

the whole shooting match Go to the

whole ball of wax.

whoop it up to enjoy oneself in a lively and

noisy manner. (Informal.) John’s

friends really whooped it up at his bache-

lor party. Jean wants to have a large

party and whoop it up to celebrate her

promotion.

W

wade in(to something) to start in (doing)

something immediately. (Also literal.)

I need some preparation. I can’t just wade

into the job and start doing things cor-

rectly. We don’t expect you to wade in.

We’ll tell you what to do.

wag one’s chin to chatter or chat with

someone. (Slang.) We stood around

and wagged our chins for almost an hour.

Don’t just wag your chin. Stop talking

and get to work!

wait-and-see attitude a skeptical attitude;

an uncertain attitude where someone will

just wait and see what happens. John

thought that Mary couldn’t do it, but he

took a wait-and-see attitude. His wait-

and-see attitude didn’t influence me at all.

wait on someone hand and foot to serve

someone very well, attending to all per-

sonal needs. I don’t mind bringing you

your coffee, but I don’t intend to wait on

you hand and foot. I don’t want any-

one to wait on me hand and foot. I can

take care of myself.

wait up (for someone or something) 1. to stay

up late waiting for someone to arrive or

something to happen. I’ll be home late.

Don’t wait up for me. We waited up for

the coming of the new year, and then we

went to bed. 2. and hold up (for some-

one or something) to wait for someone or

something to catch up. Hey! Don’t go

so fast. Wait up for me. Hold up! You’re

going too fast.

wake the dead to be so loud as to wake

those who are “sleeping” the most

soundly: the dead. You are making

enough noise to wake the dead.  Stop

hollering! You’ll wake the dead!

walk all over someone to treat someone

badly. (Also literal.) She’s so mean to

her children. She walks all over them.

The manager had walked all over Ann for

months. Finally she quit.

walk a tightrope to be in a situation where

one must be very cautious. (Also literal.)

I’ve been walking a tightrope all day. I

need to relax. Our business is about to

fail. We’ve been walking a tightrope for

three months.

walk off with something Go to walk away

with something.

walk on air to be very happy; to be eu-

phoric. Ann was walking on air when

she got the job. On the last day of school,

all the children are walking on air.

walk out (on someone or something) 1. [with

someone] to abandon someone; to leave

one’s spouse. Mr. Franklin walked out

on Mrs. Franklin last week. Bob walked

out on Jane without saying good-bye. 2. to

leave a performance (of something by

someone). We didn’t like the play at all,

so we walked out. John was giving a very

dull speech, and a few people even walked

out on him.

walk the floor to pace nervously while

waiting. While Bill waited for news of

the operation, he walked the floor for hours

on end. Walking the f loor won’t help.

You might as well sit down and relax.

walk the plank to suffer punishment at the

hand of someone. (From the image of pi-

rates making their blindfolded captives

commit suicide by walking off the end of

a plank jutting out over the open sea.)

Fred may think he can make the members

of my department walk the plank, but we

will fight back. Tom thought he could

make John walk the plank, but John fought back

wall-to-wall with something covered with

something in all places. (From wall-to-

wall carpeting.) The hallway is wall-to-

wall with Jimmy’s toys. The beach was

wall-to-wall with tourists.

Walls have ears. We may be overheard.

(Proverb.) Let’s not discuss this matter

here. Walls have ears, you know. Shhh.

Walls have ears. Someone may be listening.

want for nothing to lack nothing; to have

everything one needs or wishes. The

Smiths don’t have much money, but their

children seem to want for nothing. Jean’s

husband spoils her. She wants for nothing.

warm as toast Go to (as) warm as toast.

warm the bench [for a player] to remain

out of play during a game—seated on a

bench. John spent the whole game

warming the bench. Mary never warms

the bench. She plays from the beginning

to the end.

warm the cockles of someone’s heart to

make someone feel warm and happy.

It warms the cockles of my heart to hear

you say that.  Hearing that old song

again warmed the cockles of her heart.

warm up to someone to become friendly

with someone; to get used to a person

and become friends. It took a while be-

fore John warmed up to me, but then we

became good friends. It’s hard to warm

up to Sally. She’s very quiet and shy.

warts and all including all the faults and

disadvantages. Jim has many faults, but

Jean loves him, warts and all. The place

where we went on vacation had some dis-

mal aspects, but we liked it, warts and all.

wash a few things out to do a little bit of

laundry, such as socks and underclothing.

I’m sorry I can’t go out tonight. I’ve got

to wash a few things out. T I’ll be ready

to leave in just a minute. I’ve just got to

wash out a few things.

wash one’s dirty linen in public Go to air

one’s dirty linen in public.

wash one’s hands of someone or something to

end one’s association with someone or

something. I washed my hands of Tom.

I wanted no more to do with him. That

car was a real headache. I washed my

hands of it long ago.

washed-out exhausted; lacking energy.

(Informal.) Pam was completely

washed-out after the birth of the baby.

I feel washed-out. I need a vacation.

washed-up finished. (Informal.)

through, Tom,” said the manager, “fired—

washed-up!”  Max is washed-up as a

bank teller.

waste one’s breath to waste one’s time talk-

ing; to talk in vain. (Informal.) Don’t

waste your breath talking to her. She won’t

listen. You can’t persuade me. You’re just

wasting your breath.

waste someone to kill someone. (Slang, es-

pecially criminal slang.) The thief tried

to waste the bank guard after the bank

robbery.   The crook said, “Try that

again, and I’ll waste you!”

watch one’s step to act with care and cau-

tion so as not to make a mistake or offend

someone. (Also literal.) John had bet-

ter watch his step with the new boss. He

won’t put up with his lateness. Mary

was told by the lecturer to watch her step

and stop missing classes.

watch out Go to watch out for someone or

something.

watch out for someone or something and look

out for someone or something 1. [with some-

one] to watch over and care for someone.

When I was a kid, my older brother al-

ways watched out for me. I really needed

someone to look out for me then. 2. to be

on guard for someone or something; to

be on watch for the arrival or approach

of someone or something. Watch out

for someone wearing a white carnation.

Look out for John and his friends. They’ll

be coming this way very soon. 3. and look

out; watch out to try to avoid a con-

frontation with someone or something.

Watch out! That car nearly hit you!

Look out for John. He’s looking for you, and

he’s really mad. Thanks. I’d better look

out.

watch over someone or something to monitor

or guard someone or something. Please

watch over my apartment while I am on

vacation. I am looking for someone to

watch over my grandmother during the

day.

watch someone or something like a hawk to

watch someone very carefully. The

teacher watched the students like a hawk

to make sure they did not cheat on the

quiz. We have to watch our dog like a

hawk in case he runs away.

water something down 1. to dilute a liquid,

usually with water. The punch was good

until someone watered it down. This is

too strong! Water it down. 2. to make

something milder or less intense. (Refers

to diluting as in sense 1.) The language

in the script was rude but realistic until

someone watered it down. T Professor

Jones sometimes waters down his lectures

so people can understand them better.

water under the bridge [something] past

and forgotten. (Refers to water that has

already flowed under a bridge and has

gone downstream.) Please don’t worry

about it anymore. It’s all water under the

bridge. I can’t change the past. It’s wa-

ter under the bridge.

wax and wane to increase and then de-

crease, especially with reference to the

phases of the moon. As the moon waxes

and wanes, so does the height of the tide

change. Voter sentiment about the tax

proposal waxes and wanes with each pass-

ing day.

[way of life] Go to one’s way of life.

(way) over there in a place some distance

away. I see a house way over there in the

field. My hat is over there on the table.

ways and means referring to the raising of

money to pay for something. (Typically

refers to a government committee or a

committee of some organization charged

with raising money.) The suggestion

was referred to the ways and means com-

mittee for discussion at the next meeting.

The proposed legislation is stalled in

ways and means.

We aim to please. We really try to make

people happy. We aim to please because

we want you to be our customer. I’m

glad you like our food. We aim to please.

weak as a baby Go to (as) weak as a baby.

weak as a kitten Go to (as) weak as a

kitten.

a wealth of something a large amount of

something. There’s a wealth of infor-

mation on parrots at the library. The

junkyard had a wealth of used car parts.

wear and tear (on something) the process of

wearing down or breaking down somethings

Driving in freezing weather

means lots of wear and tear on your car.

I drive carefully and sensibly to avoid

wear and tear.

wear more than one hat to have more

than one set of responsibilities; to hold

more than one office. The mayor is also

the police chief. She wears more than one

hat. I have too much to do to wear more

than one hat.

wear off to become less; to stop gradually.

(Also literal.) The effects of the pain-

killer wore off and my tooth began to hurt.

I was annoyed at first, but my anger

wore off.

wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve and have

one’s heart on one’s sleeve to display

one’s feelings openly and habitually,

rather than keep them private. John

always has his heart on his sleeve so that

everyone knows how he feels. Because

she wears her heart on her sleeve, it’s easy

to hurt her feelings.

wear on someone to bother or annoy some-

one. We stayed with them only a short

time because my children seemed to wear

on them. Always being short of money

wears on a person after a while.

wear out one’s welcome to stay too long

(at an event to which one has been in-

vited); to visit somewhere too often.

Tom visited the Smiths so often that he

wore out his welcome. At about mid-

night, I decided that I had worn out my

welcome, so I went home.

wear someone down to overcome someone’s

objections; to persist until someone has

been persuaded. John didn’t want to go,

but we finally wore him down. T We were

unable to wear down John, and when we

left, he was still insisting on running away

from home.

wear someone out to exhaust someone; to

make someone tired. The coach made

the team practice until he wore them out.

T If he wears out everybody on the team,

nobody will be left to play in the game.

weasel out (of something) to get out or

sneak out of something. (Refers to the

ability of a weasel to move through tiny

openings. Informal.) I don’t want to go

to the meeting. I think I’ll try to weasel out

of it. You had better be there! Don’t try

to weasel out!

weather permitting if the weather allows

it. Weather permitting, we will be there

on time. The plane lands at midnight,

weather permitting.

weave in and out (of something) to move,

drive, or walk in and out of something,

such as traffic, a line, etc. The car was

weaving in and out of traffic dangerously.

The deer ran rapidly through the for-

est, weaving in and out of the trees.

wed(ded) to someone married to someone.

The couple will have been wed to each

other for fifty years next June. Anne is

wed to one of my cousins.

wedded to something mentally attached to

something; firmly committed to some-

thing. The manager was wedded to the

idea of getting new computers.  The

mayor was wedded to the new budget plan.

wee hours (of the night) Go to small

hours (of the night).

weed someone or something out to remove

someone or something unwanted or un-

desirable from a group or collection.

We had to weed them out one by one. T

The auditions were held to weed out the

actors with the least ability. T I’m going

through my books to weed out those that I

don’t need anymore.

week in, week out every week, week af-

ter week. (Informal.) We have the same

old food, week in, week out. I’m tired

of this job. I’ve done the same thing—week

in, week out—for three years.

weeks running Go to days running.