stop

stop-and-go halting repeatedly; stopping

and continuing repeatedly. This project

has been stop-and-go since we began.

Problems keep appearing. The traffic

was stop-and-go for miles. I thought I

would never get here!

stop at nothing to do everything possible

(to accomplish something); to be un-

scrupulous. Bill would stop at nothing

to get his way. Bob is completely deter-

mined to get promoted. He’ll stop at

nothing.

stop by (somewhere) and stop in (some-

where) to visit a place, usually briefly.

I was coming home, but I decided to stop

by my aunt’s on the way. She was very

glad that I stopped in.

stop in (somewhere) Go to stop by (some-

where).

stop, look, and listen to exercise caution

at street corners and railroad crossings,

by stopping, looking to the left and to the

right, and listening for approaching ve-

hicles or a train. Sally’s mother trained

her to stop, look, and listen at every street

corner. It is a good practice to stop, look,

and listen at a railroad crossing.

stop off (somewhere) to stop somewhere on

the way to some other place. I stopped

off at the store to buy milk on the way

home. We stopped off for a few minutes

and chatted with my uncle.

stop over (somewhere) to break one’s jour-

ney somewhere, usually overnight or

even longer. (Compare this with lay over

(somewhere).) On our way to New York,

we stopped over in Philadelphia for the

night. That’s a good place to stop over.

There are some nice hotels in Philadelphia.

A storm is brewing. 1. There is going to

be a storm. Look at the clouds. A storm

is brewing. A storm is brewing in the

west. 2. There is going to be trouble or

emotional upset. He looks angry. A

storm is brewing.

the straight and narrow a straight and

law-abiding route through life. (Infor-

mal. From straight and narrow pathway.)

You should have no trouble with the po-

lice if you stick to the straight and narrow.

Roger was the kind who followed the

straight and narrow every day of his life.

straight as an arrow Go to (as) straight as

an arrow.

(straight) from the horse’s mouth from

an authoritative or dependable source.

I know it’s true! I heard it straight from the

horse’s mouth!  This comes from the

horse’s mouth, so it has to be believed.

straight from the shoulder sincerely;

frankly; holding nothing back. Sally al-

ways speaks straight from the shoulder. You

never have to guess what she really means.

Bill gave a good presentation—straight

from the shoulder and brief.

straighten someone or something out 1. [with

someone] to make someone understand

something. (Also literal.) Jane was con-

fused about the date, so I straightened her

out. T I took a few minutes and straight-

ened out everyone. 2. [with someone] to

reform someone. Most people think

that jail never straightens anybody out. T

The judge felt that a few years at hard la-

bor would straighten out the thief. 3. [with

something] to make a situation less con-

fused. John made a mess of the contract,

so I helped him straighten it out. T Please

straighten out your checking account. It’s

all messed up.

straighten up 1. to sit or stand more

straight. Billy’s mother told him to

straighten up or he’d fall out of his chair.

John straightened up so he’d look taller.

2. to behave better. Bill was acting

badly for a while; then he straightened up.

Sally, straighten up, or I will punish you!

stranger to something or somewhere someone

who is new to an area or place. Al-

though John was no stranger to big cities,

he did not enjoy visiting New York. You

are a stranger to our town, and I hope you

feel welcome.

strapped (for something) very much in need

of money. (Informal.) I’m strapped for

a few bucks. Can you loan me five dollars?

Sorry, I’m strapped, too.

stretch a point and stretch the point to

interpret a point flexibly and with great

latitude. Would it be stretching a point

to suggest that everyone is invited to your

picnic? To say that everyone is invited

is stretching the point.

stretch one’s legs to walk around after sit-

ting down or lying down for a time.

We wanted to stretch our legs during the

theater intermission. After sitting in the

car all day, the travelers decided to stretch

their legs.

stretch the point Go to stretch a point.

stretch the truth to exaggerate; to mis-

represent the truth just a little bit. She

was stretching the truth when she said

everything was ready for the party. I

don’t want to stretch the truth. Our town

is probably the wealthiest around here.

(strictly) on the level honest; dependably

open and fair. How can I be sure you’re

on the level? You can trust Sally. She’s

strictly on the level.

(strictly) on the up-and-up honest; fair

and straight. (Slang. Compare this with

on the level.) Do you think that the

mayor is on the up-and-up?  Yes, the

mayor is strictly on the up-and-up.

strike a bargain to reach an agreement on

a price (for something). They argued

for a while and finally struck a bargain.

They were unable to strike a bargain, so

they left.

strike a chord (with someone) to cause

someone to remember something; to re-

mind someone or something; to be fa-

miliar. The woman in the portrait

struck a chord and I realized that it was my

grandmother. His name strikes a chord

with me, but I don’t know why.

strike a happy medium and hit a happy

medium; find a happy medium. to

find a compromise position; to arrive at

a position halfway between two unac-

ceptable extremes. Ann likes very spicy

food, but Bob doesn’t care for spicy food at

all. We are trying to find a restaurant that

strikes a happy medium. Tom is either

very happy or very sad. He can’t seem to

hit a happy medium.

strike a match to light a match.

struck a match and lit a candle. When

Sally struck a match to light a cigarette,

Jane said quickly, “No smoking, please.”

strike a pose to position oneself in a cer-

tain posture. Bob struck a pose in front

of the mirror to see how much he had

grown. Lisa walked into the room and

struck a pose, hoping she would be noticed.

strike a sour note and hit a sour note

to signify something unpleasant. (Infor-

mal.) Jane’s sad announcement struck a

sour note at the annual banquet. News

of the crime hit a sour note in our holiday

celebration.

strike home Go to hit home.

strike it rich to acquire wealth suddenly.

(Informal.) If I could strike it rich, I

wouldn’t have to work anymore. Sally

ordered a dozen oysters and found a huge

pearl in one of them. She struck it rich!

strike out at someone or something to (figu-

ratively or literally) hit at or attack some-

one or something. She was so angry she

struck out at the person she was arguing

with. I was frantic. I wanted to strike

out at everything and everybody.

strike someone as something [for a thought or

behavior] to affect someone a certain

way. John’s rude behavior struck me as

odd.   Mary’s attitude struck me as

childish.

strike someone funny to seem funny to

someone. Sally has a great sense of hu-

mor. Everything she says strikes me funny.

Why are you laughing? Did something

I said strike you funny?

strike someone out [for a baseball pitcher]

to get a batter declared “out” after three

strikes. I never thought he’d strike Tom

out. T Bill struck out all our best players.

strike someone’s fancy to appeal to some-

one. (See also tickle someone’s fancy.) I’ll

have some ice cream, please. Chocolate

strikes my fancy right now. Why don’t

you go to the store and buy a record al-

bum that strikes your fancy?

strike the right note to achieve the desired

effect; to do something suitable or pleas-

ing. (A musical reference.) Meg struck

the right note when she wore a dark suit

to the interview. The politician’s speech

failed to strike the right note with the

crowd.

strike up a conversation to start a con-

versation (with someone). I struck up

an interesting conversation with someone

on the bus yesterday. It’s easy to strike

up a conversation with someone when

you’re traveling.

strike while the iron is hot to do some-

thing at the best possible time; to do

something when the time is ripe. He

was in a good mood, so I asked for a loan

of $200. I thought I’d better strike while

the iron was hot. Please go to the bank

and settle this matter now! They are will-

ing to be reasonable. You’ve got to strike

while the iron is hot.

string along (with someone) to accompany

someone; to run around with someone.

Sally seemed to know where she was going,

so I decided to string along with her. She

said it was okay if I strung along.

string something out to draw something out

(in time); to make something last a long

time. (Also literal.) The meeting was

long enough. There was no need to string

it out further with all those speeches. T

They tried to string out the meeting to

make things seem more important.

a stroke of luck a bit of luck; a lucky hap-

pening. I had a stroke of luck and found

Tom at home when I called. He’s not usu-

ally there. Unless I have a stroke of luck,

I’m not going to finish this report by

tomorrow.

strong as a horse Go to (as) strong as a

horse.

strong as a lion Go to (as) strong as a lion.

strong as an ox Go to (as) strong as an

ox.

a struggle to the death a bitter struggle

either to success or failure. (Also literal.)

It was a struggle to the death, but I fi-

nally finished my report on time. I had

a terrible time getting my car started. It

was a struggle to the death, but it finally

started.

stubborn as a mule Go to (as) stubborn

as a mule.

(stuck) in a rut kept in an established way

of living that never changes. David felt

like he was stuck in a rut, so he went back

to school. Anne was tired of being in a

rut, so she moved to Los Angeles.

stuck in traffic to be caught in a traffic

jam. I am sorry I am late. I was stuck

in traffic. Our taxi was stuck in traffic,

and I thought I would never get to the air-

port on time.

stuck on someone or something 1. [with some-

one] to be fond of or in love with some-

one. John was stuck on Sally, but she

didn’t know it. He always is stuck on the

wrong person. 2. [with something] to be

locked into an idea, cause, or purpose.

Mary is really stuck on the idea of go-

ing to France this spring. You’ve pro-

posed a good plan, Jane, but you’re stuck

on it. We may have to make some changes.

stuck with someone or something burdened

with someone or something; left having

to care for someone or something. (In-

formal.) Please don’t leave me stuck

with your aunt. She talks too much. My

roommate quit school and left me stuck

with the telephone bill.

stuff and nonsense nonsense. (Informal.)

Come on! Don’t give me all that stuff

and nonsense! I don’t understand this

book. It’s all stuff and nonsense as far as I

am concerned.

stuff the ballot box to put fraudulent bal-

lots into a ballot box; to cheat in count-

ing the votes in an election. The elec-

tion judge was caught stuffing the ballot

box in the election yesterday. Election

officials are supposed to guard against

stuffing the ballot box.

stumble across someone or something and

stumble into someone or something; stum-

ble (up)on someone or something to find

someone or something, usually by acci-

dent. I stumbled across an interesting

book yesterday when I was shopping.

Guess who I stumbled into at the library

yesterday? I stumbled on a real bargain

at the bookstore last week.

stumble into someone or something 1. to

bump into someone or something acci-

dentally. I stumbled into John, and I

apologized. It was my fault. I stumbled

into a post and hurt my arm. 2. Go to

stumble across someone or something. 3.

[with something] to enter something or

a place by stumbling. I tripped on the

curb and stumbled into the car. I stum-

bled into the house, exhausted and in need

of a cool drink.

stumble (up)on someone or something 1. Go

to stumble across someone or something. 2.

to trip over someone or something.

There were three of us sleeping in the small

tent. Each of us would stumble on the oth-

ers whenever we went out or came in. I

stumbled on the curb and twisted my

ankle.

stumbling block something that prevents

or obstructs progress. We’d like to buy

that house, but the high price is the stum-

bling block.  Jim’s age is a stumbling

block to getting another job. He’s over 60.

subject to something 1. likely to have some-

thing, such as a physical disorder. The

sick man was subject to dizzy spells. I

am subject to frequent headaches. 2. ten-

tative, depending on something; vulner-

able to something. I have made all the

necessary plans, subject to your approval,

of course. My remarks are, of course,

subject to your criticisms.

subscribe to something to have a standing

order for a magazine or something sim-

ilar. I usually buy my monthly maga-

zines at the newsstand. I don’t subscribe

to them. I subscribe to all the magazines

I read because it’s nice to have them de-

livered by mail.

such and such someone or something

whose name has been forgotten or should

not be said. (Informal.) Mary said that

such and such was coming to her party, but

I forgot their names. If you walk into a

store and ask for such and such and they

don’t have it, you go to a different store.

such as 1. of a particular kind; of the sort

that is; like. Where can I get a haircut

such as yours? I’d like to buy a vase such

as the one in your display case. 2. for ex-

ample. Bill enjoys many kinds of fruit,

such as apples, pears, and plums. Mary

has many hobbies, such as swimming,

bowling, and running.

such as it is in the imperfect state that one

sees it; in the less-than-perfect condition

in which one finds it. This is where I

live. This is my glorious home—such as it

is. I’ve worked for days on this report,

and I’ve done the best that I can do. It’s my

supreme effort—such as it is.

Such is life! That is the way things happen,

even it isn’t the way I want it to be! Oh,

well. Everything can’t be perfect. Such is

life! So I failed my test. Such is life! I can

take it again some time.

suck someone in and take someone in to de-

ceive someone. (The expression with suck

is slang.) I try to shop carefully so that

no one can take me in. T I think that

someone sucked in both of them. I don’t

know why they bought this car.

suggestive of something reminiscent of

something; seeming to suggest some-

thing. Bill’s homemade soup is sugges-

tive of his mother’s. The new movie was

suggestive of an old one I had seen on TV.

suit oneself to do something one’s own

way; to do something to please oneself.

If he doesn’t want to do it my way, he

can suit himself. Take either of the books

that you like. Suit yourself. I’ll read the

other one.

suit someone to a T and fit someone to a T

to be very appropriate for someone.

This kind of job suits me to a T. This is

Sally’s kind of house. It fits her to a T.

sum and substance a summary; the gist.

(See also form and substance.) Can you

quickly tell me the sum and substance of

your proposal? In trying to explain the

sum and substance of the essay, Thomas

failed to mention the middle name of the

hero.

sum something up to summarize something.

(Literally, to figure out the total.) T At

the end of the lecture, Dr. Williams

summed up the important points. He

said when he finished, “Well, that about

sums it up.”

Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes one’s best

clothes. (Folksy. See also in one’s Sunday

best.) John was all dressed up in his

Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. I hate to

be wearing my Sunday-go-to-meeting

clothes when everyone else is casually

dressed.

supply and demand the availability of

things or people as compared to the need

to utilize the things or people; the avail-

ability of goods compared to the number

of willing customers for the goods.

Sometimes you can find what you want by

shopping around and other times almost

no store carries the items you are looking

for. It depends entirely on supply and de-

mand.  Sometimes customers ask for

things we do not carry in stock and other

times we have things in abundance that no

one wants to buy. Whether or not we can

make money off of a product depends en-

tirely on supply and demand.

supposed to do something expected or in-

tended to do something; obliged or al-

lowed to do something. You’re sup-

posed to say “excuse me” when you burp.

Mom says you’re supposed to come in-

side for dinner now.

sure as death Go to (as) sure as death.

surf and turf fish and beef; lobster and

beef. (A type of meal incorporating both

expensive seafood and an expensive cut

of beef. Refers to the sea and to the pas-

ture.) Walter ordered the surf and turf,

but Alice ordered only a tiny salad. No

surf and turf for me. I want fish and fish

alone.

the survival of the fittest the idea that the

most able or fit will survive (while the

less able and less fit will perish). (This is

used literally as a part of the theory of

evolution.) In college, it’s the survival of

the fittest. You have to keep working in or-

der to survive and graduate. I don’t give

my houseplants very good care, but the

ones I have are really f lourishing. It’s the

survival of the fittest, I guess.

susceptible to something 1. easily per-

suaded; easily influenced. The students

were susceptible to the allure of drugs.

The young revolutionaries were suscepti-

ble to propaganda. 2. likely to contract a

sickness; likely to become sick. People

with AIDS are susceptible to pneumonia.

Infants and the elderly are more sus-

ceptible to illness than other people.

swallow one’s pride to forget one’s pride

and accept something humiliating. I

had to swallow my pride and admit that I

was wrong. When you’re a student, you

find yourself swallowing your pride quite

often.

swallow something, hook, line, and sinker

to believe something completely. (Slang.

These terms refer to fishing and fooling

a fish into being caught.) I made up a

story about why I was so late. The boss

swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker. I

feel like a fool. I swallowed it, hook, line,

and sinker.

[swan song] Go to someone’s swan song.

swear by someone or something 1. to take an

oath on someone or something. My

uncle is sort of old-fashioned. He makes

promises by swearing by his “sainted

mother.” He sometimes swears by his

foot! 2. to have complete faith and con-

fidence in someone or something. I’m

willing to swear by John. He’s completely

dependable. This is an excellent brand

of detergent. My sister swears by it.

swear on a stack of Bibles and swear on

one’s mother ’s grave to state something

very earnestly, pledging to tell the truth.

(Stack of Bibles refers to swearing to tell

the truth in court by placing one’s hand

on a Bible.) I swear on a stack of Bibles

that I am telling the truth. Of course,

I’m telling the truth. I swear on my

mother’s grave!

swear on one’s mother ’s grave Go to

swear on a stack of Bibles.

sweat blood to be very anxious and tense.

(Slang.) What a terrible test! I was

really sweating blood at the last. Bob is

such a bad driver. I sweat blood every time

I ride with him.

sweat something out to endure or wait for

something that causes tension or bore-

dom. (Informal.) I had to wait for her

in the reception area. It was a long wait,

but I managed to sweat it out. T I took

the test and then spent a week sweating out

the results.

sweep one off one’s feet and knock one off

one’s feet 1. to knock someone down.

The wind swept me off my feet.  Bill

punched Bob playfully, and knocked him

off his feet. 2. to overwhelm someone

(figuratively). (Informal.) Mary is

madly in love with Bill. He swept her off

her feet. The news was so exciting that

it knocked me off my feet.

sweep out of somewhere to move or leave in

a flamboyant or theatrical way. The in-

sulted customer swept out of the store.

The celebrity rose from his table and swept

out of the restaurant.

sweep something under the carpet and

sweep something under the rug to try to

hide something unpleasant, shameful,

etc., from the attention of others. The

boss said he couldn’t sweep the theft un-

der the carpet, that he’d have to call in the

police. Roger had a tendency to sweep

all the problems under the rug.

sweep something under the rug Go to

sweep something under the carpet.

sweet and low [of music] pleasing and

quiet. Play me something that is sweet

and low. I like dance music that is sweet

and low—not any of this rowdy, violent

stuff.

sweet and sour a combination of fruity

sweet and sour, but not necessarily salty,

flavors. (Often refers to certain Chinese-

American foods.) I prefer sweet and

sour pork to anything else on the menu.

Alice does not care for sweet and sour

dishes, but she will usually eat whatever we

serve her.

sweet as honey Go to (as) sweet as honey.

sweet as sugar Go to (as) sweet as honey.

sweet nothings affectionate but unimpor-

tant or meaningless words spoken to a

loved one. Jack was whispering sweet

nothings in Joan’s ear when they were

dancing. The two lovers sat in the cin-

ema exchanging sweet nothings.

sweet on someone fond of someone.

(Folksy.) Tom is sweet on Mary. He may

ask her to marry him. Mary’s sweet on

him, too.

sweet-talk someone to talk convincingly to

someone with much flattery. (Folksy.)

I didn’t want to help her, but she sweet-

talked me into it. He sweet-talked her

for a while, and she finally agreed to go to

the dance with him.

swift and sure fast and certain. (As with

the flight of a well-aimed arrow.) The

response of the governor to the criticism by

the opposing party was swift and sure.

The boxer’s punch was swift and sure and

resulted in a quick knockout and a very

short match.

swift as an arrow Go to (as) swift as an

arrow.

swift as the wind Go to (as) swift as the

wind.

swift as thought Go to (as) swift as

thought.

swim against the current Go to swim

against the tide.

swim against the tide and swim against

the current to do the opposite of every-

one else; to go against the trend. Bob

tends to do what everybody else does. He

isn’t likely to swim against the tide.

Mary always swims against the current.

She’s a very contrary person.

swing into action Go to go into action.

swing something to make something happen.

(Slang.) I hope I can swing a deal that

will make us all a lot of money. We all

hope you can swing it.