A

(a little) new to (all) this an apologetic

way of saying that one is experiencing

something new or participating in some-

thing new and is therefore ineffective or

inept. I’m sorry I’m slow. I’m a little

new to all this. She’s new to this. She

needs practice.

abide by something to follow the rules of

something; to obey someone’s orders.

John felt that he had to abide by his father’s

wishes. All drivers are expected to abide

by the rules of the road.

able to breathe (easily) again and able

to breathe (freely) again able to relax

and recover from a busy or stressful time;

able to catch one’s breath. (Also literal.

Able to can be replaced with can.) Now

that the lion has been caught, we’ll be able

to breathe freely again. Now that the an-

nual sale is over, the sales staff will be able

to breathe again. Final exams are over,

so I can breathe easily again.

able to breathe (freely) again Go to able

to breathe (easily) again.

able to do something blindfolded and able

to do something standing on one’s head

able to do something easily and quickly,

possibly without even looking. (Infor-

mal. Able to can be replaced with can.)

Bill boasted that he could pass his driver’s

test blindfolded. Mary is very good with

computers. She can program blindfolded.

Dr. Jones is a great surgeon. He can take

out an appendix standing on his head.

able to do something standing on one’s head

Go to able to do something blindfolded.

able to do something with one’s eyes closed

able to do something very easily, even

without having to think about it or look

at it. (Also literal. Also with can. Always

affirmative.) It’s easy. I can do it with

my eyes closed. I can clean the house

with my eyes closed! It’s easy!

able to fog a mirror alive, even if just

barely. (Usually jocular. Refers to the use

of a small mirror placed under one’s nose

to tell if one is breathing or not.) Look,

I don’t need an athlete to do this job. Any-

body able to fog a mirror will do fine!

I’m so tired this morning, I feel like I’m

hardly able to fog a mirror.

able to make something able to attend an

event. (Also literal. Informal. Able to can

be replaced with can.) I don’t think I’ll

be able to make your party, but thanks for

asking me. We are having another one

next month. We hope you can make it

then.

able to take a joke to be able to accept

ridicule good-naturedly; to be the object

or butt of a joke willingly. (Able to can

be replaced with can.) Let’s play a trick

on Bill and see if he’s able to take a joke.

Better not tease Ann. She can’t take a

joke.

able to take just so much able to endure

only a limited amount of discomfort.

(Able to can be replaced with can.)

Please stop hurting my feelings. I’m able to

take just so much before I get angry. I

can take just so much.

able to take something able to endure some-

thing; able to endure abuse. (Often in the

negative. Able to can be replaced with

can. See also the previous entry.) Stop

yelling like that. I’m not able to take it any-

more. Go ahead, hit me again. I can

take it.

above and beyond (something) more than

is required. Her efforts were above and

beyond. We appreciate her time. All this

extra time is above and beyond her regu-

lar hours.

(above and) beyond the call of duty in

addition to what is required; more than

is required in one’s job. We didn’t ex-

pect the police officer to drive us home.

That was above and beyond the call of

duty. The English teacher helped stu-

dents after school every day, even though

it was beyond the call of duty.

above average higher or better than the

average. Max’s grades are always above

average. His intelligence is clearly above

average

above reproach not deserving of blame or

criticism. Some politicians behave as

though they are above reproach.  You

must accept your punishment. You are not

above reproach.

above suspicion honest enough that no

one would suspect you; to be in a posi-

tion where you could not be suspected.

The general is a fine old man, completely

above suspicion. Mary was at work at

the time of the accident, so she’s above

suspicion.

absent without leave and AWOL absent

from a military unit without permission;

absent from anything without permis-

sion. (AWOL is an abbreviation. This is

a serious offense in the military.) The

soldier was taken away by the military po-

lice because he was absent without leave.

John was AWOL from school and got

into a lot of trouble with his parents.

according to all accounts and by all

accounts from all the reports; everyone

is saying. According to all accounts,

the police were on the scene immediately.

According to all accounts, the meet-

ing broke up over a very minor matter.

By all accounts, it was a very poor

performance.

according to one’s own lights according to

the way one believes; according to the

way one’s conscience or inclinations lead

one. (Rarely used informally.) People

must act on this matter according to their

own lights. John may have been wrong,

but he did what he did according to his

own lights.

according to someone or something as said or

indicated by someone or something.

According to the weather forecast, this

should be a beautiful day. According to

my father, this is a very good car to buy.

It’s too cold to go for a walk, according

to the thermometer.

according to something in proportion to

something. You will get paid according

to the number of hours that you work.

The doctor charges patients according to

their ability to pay.

accustomed to someone or something used to

or comfortable with someone or some-

thing; accepting of someone or some-

thing as common and usual. We were

accustomed to wearing shoes.  They

aren’t accustomed to paying a visit with-

out bringing a gift. I’ll never become ac-

customed to you.

[ace in the hole] Go to someone’s ace in the

hole.

an aching heart the feeling of distress be-

cause of love that is lost or has faded

away, described as being in the heart,

where love is said to reside. I try to tell

my aching heart that I don’t love him.

There is no medicine for an aching heart.

acid test a test whose findings are beyond

doubt or dispute. (Refers to a chemical

test that shows whether a metal is gold.)

Her new husband seems generous, but

the acid test will be if he lets her mother

stay with them. The senator isn’t very

popular just now, but the acid test will be

if he gets reelected.

acknowledge receipt (of something) to in-

form the sender that what was sent was

received. (Commonly used in business

correspondence.) In a letter to a shoe

company, Mary wrote, “I’m happy to ac-

knowledge receipt of four dozen pairs of

shoes.” John acknowledged receipt of the

bill. The package hasn’t arrived, so I’m

unable to acknowledge receipt.

acknowledge someone to be right to admit

or state that someone is correct about

something. Mary acknowledged Bill to

be right about the name of the store. Bill

said that the car was useless, and the me-

chanic acknowledged him to be right.

across the board equally for everyone or

everything. The school board raised the

pay of all the teachers across the board.

Congress cut the budget by reducing the

money for each department 10 percent

across the board.

act as someone to perform in the capacity of

someone, temporarily or permanently.

I’ll act as your supervisor until Mrs. Brown

returns from vacation.   This is Mr.

Smith. He’ll act as manager from now on.

act high-and-mighty to act proud and

powerful. (Informal.) Why does the

doctor always have to act so high-and-

mighty? If Sally wouldn’t act so high-

and-mighty, she’d have more friends.

an act of faith an act or deed demonstrat-

ing religious faith; an act or deed show-

ing trust in someone or something. He

lit candles in church as an act of faith.

For him to trust you with his safety was a

real act of faith.

an act of God an occurrence (usually an

accident) for which no human is respon-

sible; a dramatic act of nature such as a

storm, an earthquake, or a windstorm.

My insurance company wouldn’t pay for

the damage because it was an act of God.

The thief tried to convince the judge that

the diamonds were in his pocket due to an

act of God.

an act of war an international act of vio-

lence for which war is considered a suit-

able response; any hostile act between

two people. To bomb a ship is an act

of war. Can spying be considered an act

of war?  “You just broke my stereo,”

yelled John. “That’s an act of war!”

act one’s age to behave more maturely; to

act as grown-up as one really is. (This is

frequently said to a child.) Come on,

John, act your age. Stop throwing rocks.

Mary! Stop picking on your little brother.

Act your age!

act up to misbehave; to run or act badly.

John, why do you always have to act up

when your father and I take you out to eat?

My arthritis is acting up. It really hurts.

My car is acting up. I could hardly get

it started this morning.




Actions speak louder than words. It is

better to do something about a problem

than just talk about it. (Proverb.) Mary

kept promising to get a job. John finally

looked her in the eye and said, “Actions

against quitting work early. Lisa always

advises against hasty actions.

advise someone against doing something to

supply someone with a suggestion of not

doing something. I advised Bill against




speak louder than words!” After listen-

quitting his job.

Lisa advised Tom




ing to the senator promising to cut federal

spending, Ann wrote a simple note saying,

“Actions speak louder than words.”

add fuel to the fire and add fuel to the

flame to make a problem worse; to say

or do something that makes a bad situa-

tion worse; to make an angry person even

more angry. (Also literal.) To spank a

crying child just adds fuel to the fire. Bill

was shouting angrily, and Bob tried to get

him to stop by laughing at him. Of course,

that was just adding fuel to the flame.

add fuel to the flame Go to add fuel to

the fire.

add insult to injury to make a bad situa-

tion worse; to hurt the feelings of a per-

son who has already been hurt. First,

the basement flooded, and then, to add in-

sult to injury, a pipe burst in the kitchen.

My car barely started this morning, and

to add insult to injury, I got a f lat tire in

the driveway.

add up (to something) 1. to total up to a par-

ticular amount. The bill added up to

$200. These groceries will add up to al-

most sixty dollars. These numbers just

won’t add up. 2. to mean something; to

signify or represent something; to result

in something. All this adds up to trou-

ble! I don’t understand. What does all

this add up to? If you think about it

carefully, these facts add up perfectly.

an affinity for someone or something a strong

preference for something; a strong liking

for something. Cats have an affinity for

seafood.  Mary’s affinity for classical

music accounts for her large collection of

recordings.

afraid of one’s own shadow easily fright-

ened; always frightened, timid, or suspi-

cious. After Tom was robbed, he was

even afraid of his own shadow. Jane has

always been a shy child. She has been

afraid of her own shadow since she was

three.

after a fashion in a manner that is just

barely adequate; poorly. He thanked

me—after a fashion—for my help. Oh,

yes, I can swim, after a fashion.

after all 1. anyway; in spite of what had

been decided. (Often refers to a change

in plans or a reversal of plans.) Mary

had planned to go to the bank first, but she

came here after all. It looks like Tom will

go to law school after all. 2. remember;

consider the fact that. Don’t punish

Tommy! After all, he’s only three years old!

After all, we really didn’t hurt anyone!

after all is said and done when every-

thing is settled or concluded; finally. (See

also when all is said and done.) After

all was said and done, it was a lovely party.

After all is said and done, it will turn

out just as I said.

after the fact after something has hap-

pened; after something, especially a

crime, has taken place. (Primarily a le-

gal phrase.) John is always making ex-

cuses after the fact. Remember to lock

your car whenever you leave it. If it’s

stolen, there is nothing you can do after the

fact.

after the fashion of someone or something in

the manner or style of someone or some-

thing. (See also after a fashion.) She

walks down the street after the fashion of

a grand lady. The church was built af-

ter the fashion of an English cathedral.

again and again repeatedly; again and

even more. I like going to the beach, and

I will go back again and again.  He

knocked on the door again and again un-

til I finally answered.

against someone’s will without a person’s

consent or agreement. You cannot force

me to come with you against my will!

Against their will, the men were made to

stand up against the wall and be searched.

against the clock in a race with time; in

a great hurry to get something done be-

fore a particular time. (See also race

against time.) Bill set a new track

record, running against the clock. He lost

the actual race, however.  In a race

against the clock, they rushed the special

medicine to the hospital.

ahead of one’s time having ideas or atti-

tudes that are too advanced to be ac-

ceptable to or appreciated by the society

in which one is living. People buy that

artist’s work now, but his paintings were

laughed at when he was alive. He was

ahead of his time. Mary’s grandmother

was ahead of her time in wanting to study

medicine.

ahead of schedule having done some-

thing before the time listed on the sched-

ule. I want to be able to finish the job

ahead of schedule. We don’t have to rush

because we are ahead of schedule.

ahead of the game being early; having an

advantage over a situation; having done

more than necessary. (Informal or slang.)

Whenever we go to a movie, we show up

ahead of the game and have to wait. Bill

has to study math very hard to keep ahead

of the game. Bob does extra work so he’s

always ahead of the game.

ahead of time beforehand; before the an-

nounced time. If you show up ahead of

time, you will have to wait. Be there

ahead of time if you want to get a good

aid and abet someone to help someone; to

incite someone to do something that is

wrong. He was scolded for aiding and

abetting the boys who were fighting. It’s

illegal to aid and abet a thief.

aim to do something to mean to do some-

thing; to intend to do something in the

future. (Folksy.) I aim to paint the

house as soon as I can find a brush. He

aims to take a few days off and go fishing.

Ain’t it the truth? Isn’t that just the way it

is?; I agree with you completely. (Infor-

mal.) A: Things aren’t the way they used

to be in the good old days. B: Ain’t it the

truth? A: You just can’t buy good shoes

anymore. B: Ain’t it the truth?

air one’s dirty linen in public and wash

one’s dirty linen in public to discuss pri-

vate or embarrassing matters in public,

especially when quarreling. (This linen

refers to sheets and tablecloths or other

soiled cloth.) John’s mother had asked

him repeatedly not to air the family’s dirty

linen in public. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson

are arguing again. Why must they always

air their dirty linen in public? Jean will

talk to anyone about her financial prob-

lems. Why does she wash her dirty linen in

public?

air one’s grievances to complain; to make

a public complaint. I know how you

feel, John, but it isn’t necessary to air your

grievances over and over. I know you’re

busy, sir, but I must air my grievances. This

matter is very serious.

air something out to freshen up something

by placing it in the open air; to freshen

a room by letting air move through it.

It’s so stale in here. Mary, please open a

window and air this place out. Please

take this pillow outside and air it out.

T I’ll have to air out the car. Someone has

been smoking in it.

alive and well Go to alive and kicking.

alive with someone or something covered with,

filled with, or active with people or

things. Look! Ants everywhere. The

f loor is alive with ants! When we got to

the ballroom, the place was alive with

dancing.  The campground was alive

with campers from all over the country.