look

look as if butter wouldn’t melt in one’s

mouth to appear to be cold and unfeel-

ing (despite any information to the con-

trary). Sally looks as if butter wouldn’t

melt in her mouth. She can be so cruel.

What a sour face. He looks as if butter

wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

look at someone cross-eyed to do some-

thing slightly provocative. (Informal.)

Bob is very excitable. He’d lose his temper

if anyone so much as looked at him cross-

eyed. T Don’t even look cross-eyed at the

boss this morning unless you want trouble.

look daggers at someone to give someone

a dirty look. (Compare this with look at

someone cross-eyed.) Tom must have

been mad at Ann from the way he was

looking daggers at her. Don’t you dare

look daggers at me! Don’t even look cross-

eyed at me!

look down one’s nose at someone or some-

thing Go to look down on someone or some-

thing.

look down on someone or something and

look down one’s nose at someone or some-

thing to regard someone or something

with contempt or displeasure. (Also lit-

eral.) I think that John liked Mary, al-

though he did seem to look down on her.

Don’t look down your nose at my car

just because it’s rusty and noisy.

look for trouble Go to ask for trouble.

look good on paper seems fine in theory,

but not perhaps in practice; appears to be

a good plan. The plan looks good on pa-

per, but it may not work. This looks good

on paper. Let’s hope it works in the real

world.

look high and low (for someone or something)

Go to hunt high and low (for someone or

something).

look in (on someone or something) and check

in (on someone or something) to see to the

welfare of someone or something; to visit

someone or something. I’ll stop by your

house and look in on things while you’re on

vacation. Yes, just look in and make sure

nothing is wrong. I checked in on John

yesterday. He’s almost over his illness.

He was glad I checked in.

look into something and check into some-

thing; see into something to investigate

something. I’ll have to look into that

matter.  The police checked into her

story. Don’t worry about your problem.

I’ll see into it.

look like a million dollars to look very

good. Oh, Sally, you look like a million

dollars. Your new hairdo looks like a

million dollars.

look like death warmed over to look

quite ill; to look as pale as a dead person.

Poor Tom had quite a shock. He looks

like death warmed over. After her long

ordeal with chemotherapy, she looked like

death warmed over.

look like something to give the appearance

of predicting (something). The sky

looks like rain. No, it looks like snow.

Oh, oh. This looks like trouble. Let’s go.

look like the cat that swallowed the ca-

nary to appear as if one had just had a

great success. After the meeting John

looked like the cat that swallowed the ca-

nary. I knew he must have been a success.

What happened? You look like the cat

that swallowed the canary.

look on someone as something to view or

think of someone as something. I look

on you as a very thoughtful person.

Mary looked on Jane as a good friend.

look out Go to watch out.

look out for someone or something Go to

watch out for someone or something.

look someone in the eye Go to look some-

one in the face.

look someone in the face and look some-

one in the eye; stare someone in the face

to face someone directly. (Facing some-

one this way should assure sincerity.)

I don’t believe you. Look me in the eye and

say that. She looked him in the face and

said she never wanted to see him again.

I dare you to stare him in the face and say

that!

look someone or something over to examine

someone or something carefully. She

looked him over and decided to hire him.

T Please look over this report.

look someone or something up and hunt some-

one or something up to search for and find

someone or something. I don’t know

where the hammer is. I’ll have to hunt it

up. Ann looked the word up in the dic-

tionary. T Would you please look up John?

I need to talk to him.

look the other way to ignore (something)

on purpose. (Also literal.) John could

have prevented the problem, but he looked

the other way. By looking the other way,

he actually made the problem worse.

look to someone or something (for something) to

expect someone or something to supply

something. Children look to their par-

ents for help. Tom looked to the bank for

a loan. Most people who need to bor-

row money look to a bank.

look under the hood to examine the en-

gine of a car; to check the oil and water

associated with the engine of a car. I

finished putting gas in. I need to look un-

der the hood. Do you want me to look

under the hood, sir?

look up to someone to view someone with

respect and admiration. Bill really looks

up to his father. Everyone in the class

looked up to the teacher.

loom large (on the horizon) to be of great

importance, especially when referring to

a possible problem, danger, or threat.

(Also literal. A cliché.) The exams were

looming large on the horizon. Eviction

was looming large when the students could

not pay their rent.

lord it over someone to dominate someone;

to direct and control someone. Mr.

Smith seems to lord it over his wife. The

boss lords it over everyone in the office.

lose face to lose status; to become less re-

spectable. John is more afraid of losing

face than losing money. Things will go

better if you can explain to him where he

was wrong, without making him lose face.

lose ground to fall behind; to fall back.

She was recovering nicely yesterday, but she

lost ground last night.  We are losing

ground in our fight against mosquitoes.

lose heart to lose one’s courage or confi-

dence. Now, don’t lose heart. Keep try-

ing. What a disappointment! It’s enough

to make one lose heart.

lose one’s cool and blow one’s cool to lose

one’s temper; to lose one’s nerve. (Slang.)

Wow, he really lost his cool! What a tan-

trum! Whatever you do, don’t blow your

cool.

lose oneself (in something) to become deeply

involved in something (so that every-

thing else is forgotten). Jane has a ten-

dency to lose herself in her work. I of-

ten lose myself in thought. Excuse me,

I lost myself for a moment.

lose one’s head (over someone or something)

to become confused or “crazy” about

someone or something. (Literal in refer-

ence to execution by decapitation. Refers

especially to emotional attachments.)

Don’t lose your head over John. He isn’t

worth it. I’m sorry. I got upset and lost

my head.

lose one’s marbles and lose one’s mind to

go crazy; to go out of one’s mind. (The

first phrase is slang and can be literal. See

also not have all one’s marbles.) What

a silly thing to say! Have you lost your

marbles? I can’t seem to remember any-

thing. I think I’m losing my mind.

lose one’s mind Go to lose one’s marbles.

lose one’s reason to lose one’s power of rea-

soning, possibly in anger. I was so con-

fused that I almost lost my reason. Bob

seems to have lost his reason when he

struck John.

lose one’s shirt to lose all of one’s assets (in-

cluding one’s shirt). (Also literal. Slang.)

I almost lost my shirt on that deal. I

have to invest more wisely. No, I can’t

loan you $200. I just lost my shirt at the

racetrack.

lose one’s temper to become angry.

Please don’t lose your temper. It’s not good

for you. I’m sorry that I lost my temper.

lose one’s touch (with someone or something)

to lose one’s ability to handle someone or

something. I seem to have lost my touch

with my children. They won’t mind me

anymore. We’ve both lost our touch as

far as managing people goes. Tom said

that he had lost his touch with the stock

market.

lose one’s train of thought to forget what

one was talking or thinking about. (See

also train of thought.) Excuse me, I lost

my train of thought. What was I talking

about? You made the speaker lose her

train of thought.

lose out to someone or something to lose a

competition to someone or something.

Our team lost out to the other team. Bill

lost out to Sally in the contest.

lose sleep (over someone or something) to

worry about someone or something. (Lit-

eral when worry keeps one awake.) I

keep losing sleep over my son, who is in the

army. Do you lose sleep over your in-

vestments? No, I don’t lose sleep, and I

never worry.

lose touch (with someone or something) to

lose contact with someone or something.

(Compare this with keep in touch (with

someone).) Poor Sally has lost touch with

reality. I’ve lost touch with all my rela-

tives. Jane didn’t mean to lose touch, but

she did.

lose track (of someone or something) to forget

where someone or something is; to lose

or misplace someone or something.

I’ve lost track of the time. The mother

lost track of her child and started calling

When I get tired, I tend to lose

track.

lost-and-found an office or department

that handles items that someone has lost

that have been found by someone else.

The lost-and-found office had an enor-

mous collection of umbrellas and four sets

of false teeth! I found a book on the seat

of the bus. I turned it in to the driver, who

gave it to the lost-and-found office.

lost and gone forever lost; permanently

lost. My poor doggy is lost and gone for-

ever. My money fell out of my pocket,

and I am sure that it is lost and gone

forever.

lost on someone having no effect on some-

one; wasted on someone. (Informal.)

The joke was lost on Jean. She didn’t un-

derstand it. The humor of the situation

a lot of someone or something and lots of peo-

ple or things a large number of people or

things; much of something. I got a lot

of presents for my birthday. I ate lots of

cookies after dinner.

lots of people or things Go to a lot of someone

or something.

loud and clear clear and distinctly. (Orig-

inally said of radio reception that is heard

clearly and distinctly.) TOM: If I’ve

told you once, I’ve told you a thousand

times: Stop it! Do you hear me? BILL: Yes,

loud and clear.  I hear you loud and

clear.

louse something up to mess up or ruin some-

thing. (Slang.) I’ve worked hard on this.

Please don’t louse it up. T You’ve loused up

all my plans.

lousy with something with something in

abundance. (Slang.) This place is lousy

with cops. Our picnic table was lousy

with ants.

love at first sight love established when

two people first see one another. Bill

was standing at the door when Ann opened

it. It was love at first sight. It was love

at first sight when they met, but it didn’t

last long.

lovely weather for ducks rainy weather.

BOB: Not very nice out today, is it?

BILL: It’s lovely weather for ducks.

don’t like this weather, but it’s lovely

weather for ducks.

lower one’s voice to speak more softly.

Please lower your voice, or you’ll disturb

the people who are working. He would-

n’t lower his voice, so everyone heard what

he said.

lower the boom on someone to scold or

punish someone severely; to crack down

on someone; to throw the book at some-

one. (Also literal. Informal.) If Bob

won’t behave better, I’ll have to lower the

boom on him. The teacher lowered the

boom on the whole class for misbehaving.

luck out to get lucky (about something).

(Slang.) I won $100 in the lottery. I

really lucked out. Bob lucked out when

he got an easy teacher for geometry.

[luck runs out] Go to one’s luck runs out.

the lull before the storm and the calm

before the storm a quiet period just be-

fore a period of great activity or excite-

ment. (Literal in reference to weather.)

It was very quiet in the cafeteria just be-

fore the students came in for lunch. It was

the lull before the storm. In the brief

calm before the storm, the clerks prepared

themselves for the doors to open and bring

in thousands of shoppers.

lull someone into a false sense of security

to lead someone into believing that all is

well before attacking or doing someone

bad. We lulled the enemy into a false

sense of security by pretending to retreat.

Then we launched an attack. The boss

lulled us into a false sense of security by

saying that our jobs were safe and then let

half the staff go.

lull someone to sleep to cause someone to

fall asleep. The mother lulled her baby

to sleep. The boring professor lulled the

students to sleep.

the lunatic fringe the more extreme mem-

bers of a group. Most of the members

of that religious sect are quite reasonable,

but Lisa belongs to the lunatic fringe.

Many people try to avoid eating a lot of fat,

but Mary is part of the lunatic fringe and

will hardly eat anything.

level

level something at someone to aim a remark

at someone; to direct something at some-

one. John leveled a sarcastic comment

at his teacher. The editorial leveled its

remarks at the mayor.

level with someone to be honest with some-

one. (Slang.) Come on, Bill. Level with

me. Did you do it? I’m leveling with you.

I wasn’t even in town. I couldn’t have done

it.

license to do something permission, right, or

justification to do something. You have

no license to behave in that manner!

Who granted you license to enter my house

without knocking?

lick one’s chops to show one’s eagerness to

do something, especially to eat some-

thing. (Refers to the licking of one’s lips

in expectation of eating. Some animals,

but not people, really do lick their chops.)

We could tell from the way the boys were

licking their chops that they really wanted

a turn at riding the motorcycle. Fred

started licking his chops when he smelled

the turkey roasting in the oven.

lick one’s lips to show eagerness or pleasure

about a future event. (Also literal. Infor-

mal. From the habit of people licking

their lips when they are about to enjoy

eating something.) The children licked

their lips at the sight of the cake. The

author’s readers were licking their lips in

anticipation of her new novel. The jour-

nalist was licking his lips when he went off

to interview the disgraced politician.

lick something into shape and whip some-

thing into shape to put something into

good condition. (Informal.) I have to

lick this report into shape this morning.

Let’s all lend a hand and whip this house

into shape. It’s a mess.

lie down on the job and lay down on

the job to do one’s job poorly or not at

all. (Lay is a common error for lie.)

Tom was fired because he was laying down

on the job. You mean he was lying down

on the job, don’t you? Sorry, I was lying

down on the job in English class.

lie fallow 1. [for land] to remain unused.

Each year we let a different section of

our farmland lie fallow. The land that

is lying fallow this year will be cultivated

next year. 2. [for a skill and talent] to re-

main unused and neglected. You should

not let your talent lie fallow. Practice the

piano before you forget how to play it.

His writing had lain fallow for so long that

he could hardly write a proper sentence.

lie in wait for someone or something to wait

quietly in ambush for someone or some-

thing. The lion lay in wait for the zebra.

The robber was lying in wait for a

victim.

lie low and lay low to keep quiet and not

be noticed; to avoid being conspicuous.

(Informal. Lay is a common error for lie.)

I suggest you lie low for a few days.

The robber said that he would lay low for

a short time after the robbery.

lie through one’s teeth to lie boldly. I

knew she was lying through her teeth, but

I didn’t want to say so just then. I’m not

lying through my teeth! I never do!

life is too short life is short and there is no

point in wasting it on things like worry,

hatred, vengeance, etc. I am not going

to spend any more time trying to get even

with Wally. Life’s too short. It’s a waste

of time worrying about money. Life is too

short for that.

the life of the party the type of person

who is lively and helps make a party fun

and exciting. Bill is always the life of the

party. Be sure to invite him. Bob isn’t

exactly the life of the party, but he’s polite.

Life’s been good (to me). I am grateful

that I am doing well in life. I can’t com-

plain. Life’s been good to me. I doing

fine. Life’s been good.

lift a hand (against someone or something)

and raise a hand (against someone or

something) to threaten (to strike) someone

or something. (Often in the negative. The

a hand can be replaced with one’s hand.)

She’s very peaceful. She wouldn’t lift a

hand against a f ly.  That’s right. She

wouldn’t lift a hand. Would you raise

your hand against your own brother?

light as a feather Go to (as) light as a

feather.

light into someone or something Go to lace into

someone or something.

light out (of somewhere) to depart some-

where in haste. (Informal.) It’s time I

lit out of here. I’m late for my next ap-

pointment. Look at that horse go. He

really lit out of the starting gate.

Lightning never strikes twice (in the

same place). It is extremely unlikely that

the same misfortune will occur again in

the same set of circumstances or to the

same people. (Proverb.) Ever since the

fire, Jean has been afraid that her house

will catch fire again, but they say that

lightning never strikes twice. Supposedly

lightning never strikes twice, but the

Smiths’ house has been robbed twice this

year.

like a bat out of hell with great speed and

force. (Use caution with hell.) Did you

see her leave? She left like a bat out of hell.

The car sped down the street like a bat

out of hell.

like a bolt out of the blue suddenly and

without warning. (Refers to a bolt of

lightning coming out of a clear blue sky.

See also out of a clear blue sky.) The

news came to us like a bolt out of the blue.

Like a bolt out of the blue, the boss came

and fired us all.

like a bump on a log unresponsive; im-

mobile. I spoke to him, but he just sat

there like a bump on a log. Don’t stand

there like a bump on a log. Give me a

hand!

like a fish out of water appearing to be

completely out of place; in a very awk-

ward manner. Vincent stood there in his

rented tuxedo, looking like a fish out of

water.   Whenever I am with your

friends, I feel like a fish out of water. What

on earth do you see in them—or me?

At a formal dance, John is like a fish out

of water.

like a house afire Go to like a house on

fire.

(like) an open book like someone or

something that is easy to understand.

(Preceded by be or seem.)  Jane’s an

open book. I always know what she is go-

ing to do next. The committee’s inten-

tions are an open book. They want to save

money.

like a sitting duck and like sitting ducks

unguarded; unsuspecting and unaware.

(The second phrase is the plural form.

See also be a sitting duck.) He was

waiting there like a sitting duck—a perfect

target for a mugger. The soldiers were

standing at the top of the hill like sitting

ducks. It’s a wonder they weren’t all killed.

like a three-ring circus chaotic; exciting

and busy. Our household is like a three-

ring circus on Monday mornings. This

meeting is like a three-ring circus. Quiet

down and listen!

like crazy and like mad furiously; very

much, fast, many, or actively. (Slang.)

People are coming in here like crazy. There

isn’t enough room for them all. We sold

ice cream like crazy. It was a very hot day.

When she stubbed her toe, she started

screaming like mad.

like greased lightning very fast. (Folksy.

Informal. See also (as) quick as greased

lightning.) He left the room like greased

lightning. They f led the burning build-

ing like greased lightning.

like it or lump it either accept it or drop

dead. (Slang and fairly rude.) I don’t

care whether you care for my attitude or

not. You can just like it or lump it. This

is all the food you get. Like it or lump it!

Like it’s such a big deal! It really isn’t all

that important! (Informal. Sarcastic.)

So I dropped the glass. Like it’s such a big

deal. Like it’s such a big deal. Who cares?

like looking for a needle in a haystack

engaged in a hopeless search. Trying to

find a white dog in the snow is like look-

ing for a needle in a haystack. I tried to

find my lost contact lens on the beach, but

it was like looking for a needle in a

haystack.

like mad Go to like crazy.

like nothing on earth 1. very untidy or

very unattractive. (Informal.) Joan ar-

rived at the office looking like nothing on

earth. She had fallen in the mud. Alice

was like nothing on earth in that electric

yellow dress. 2. very unusual; other-

worldly. The new car models look like

nothing on earth this year. This cake is

so good! It’s like nothing on earth!

like one of the family as if someone (or

a pet) were a member of one’s family. (In-

formal.) We treat our dog like one of the

family. We are very happy to have you

stay with us, Bill. I hope you don’t mind

if we treat you like one of the family.

like sitting ducks Go to like a sitting duck.

like to hear oneself talk [for someone] to

enjoy one’s talking more than other peo-

ple enjoy listening to it. I guess I don’t

really have anything to say. I just like to

hear myself talk, I guess. There he goes

again. He just likes to hear himself talk.

like (two) peas in a pod very close or in-

timate. (Compare this with as alike as

(two) peas in a pod.) Yes, they’re close.

Like two peas in a pod. They’re always

together. Like peas in a pod.

like water off a duck’s back easily; with-

out any apparent effect. Insults rolled

off John like water off a duck’s back. The

bullets had no effect on the steel door. They

fell away like water off a duck’s back.

likely as not Go to (as) likely as not.

line one’s own pockets to make money for

oneself in a greedy or dishonest fashion.

(Slang.) When it was discovered that the

sales manager was lining her own pockets

with commissions, she was fired. If you

line your pockets while in public office,

you’ll get in serious trouble.

line someone or something up with something to

position someone or something (or a

group) in reference to other things. (See

also fix someone up (with someone or some-

thing).) Please line the chairs up with the

f loor tiles. T Line up this brick with the

bricks below and at both sides. That’s the

way you lay bricks. T Line up the boys

with the row of trees.

line someone up (for something) to schedule

someone for something; to arrange for

someone to do or be something. I lined

gardeners up for the summer work on the

gardens. T I lined up four of my best

friends to serve as ushers at my wedding.

line someone up with someone Go to fix some-

one up with someone.

the lion’s share (of something) the larger

share of something. The elder boy al-

ways takes the lion’s share of the food.

Jim was supposed to divide the cake in two

equal pieces but he took the lion’s share.

a little bit a small amount; some. Can I

have a little bit of candy? I need a little

bit of time to finish this essay.

little by little slowly, a bit at a time. Lit-

tle by little, he began to understand what

we were talking about. The snail crossed

the stone little by little.

A little (hard) work never hurt anyone.

and A little (hard) work never killed

anyone. One should expect to do hard or

difficult work and not avoid doing it.

(Proverb.) Go help your father with the

yard work. A little hard work never hurt

anyone. Go ahead. Bring me some more

bricks. A little work never killed anyone.

A little (hard) work never killed anyone.

Go to A little (hard) work never hurt

anyone.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Incomplete knowledge can embarrass or

harm someone or something. The doc-

tor said, “Just because you’ve had a course

in first aid, you shouldn’t have treated your

own illness. A little knowledge is a dan-

gerous thing.”  John thought he knew

how to take care of the garden, but he

killed all the f lowers. A little knowledge is

a dangerous thing.

live a dog’s life Go to lead a dog’s life.

live and learn to increase one’s knowledge

by experience. (Also informal and folksy.

Usually said when one is surprised to

learn something.) I didn’t know that

snakes could swim. Well, live and learn!

John didn’t know he should water his

houseplants a little extra in the dry win-

ter months. When they all died, he said,

“Live and learn.”

live and let live not to interfere with other

people’s business or preferences. I don’t

care what they do! Live and let live, I al-

ways say. Your parents are strict. Mine

just live and let live.

live beyond one’s means to spend more

money than one can afford. (Compare

this with live within one’s means.) The

Browns are deeply in debt because they are

living beyond their means. I keep a bud-

get so that I don’t live beyond my means.

live by one’s wits to survive by being clever.

When you’re in the kind of business I’m

in, you have to live by your wits. John

was orphaned at the age of ten and grew

up living by his wits.

live for the moment to live without plan-

ning for the future. John has no health

or life insurance. He lives only for the mo-

ment. When you’re young, you tend to

live for the moment and not plan for your

future security.

live from hand to mouth to live in poor

circumstances. (Informal.) When both

my parents were out of work, we lived from

hand to mouth. We lived from hand to

mouth during the war. Things were very

difficult.

live happily ever after to live in happiness

after a specific event. (Usually found at

the end of fairy tales.) The prince and

the princess lived happily ever after.

They went away from the horrible haunted

castle and lived happily ever after.

live high off the hog and live high on

the hog to live well and eat good food.

(Folksy. Note the variation with pretty.

See also eat high on the hog.) After

they discovered oil on their land, they lived

pretty high on the hog. Looks like we’re

living high off the hog tonight. What’s the

occasion?

live high on the hog Go to live high off the

live in to live at the residence at which one

works. (Said of servants.) In order to

be here early enough to prepare breakfast,

the cook has to live in. Mr. Simpson has

a valet, but he doesn’t live in.

live in an ivory tower to be aloof from the

realities of living. (Live can be replaced

by a number of expressions meaning

“to dwell or spend time,” as in the first

example.) If you didn’t spend so much

time in your ivory tower, you’d know what

people really think! Many professors are

said to live in ivory towers. They don’t

know what the real world is like.

live it up to have an exciting time; to do

what one pleases—regardless of cost—to

please oneself. At the party, John was

really living it up. Come on! Have fun!

Live it up! They spent a week in Mex-

ico living it up and then came home broke.

live off the fat of the land to grow one’s

own food; to live on stored-up resources

or abundant resources. If I had a mil-

lion dollars, I’d invest it and live off the

fat of the land. I’ll be happy to retire

soon and live off the fat of the land.

Many farmers live off the fat of the land.

live on borrowed time to live longer than

circumstances warrant. John has a ter-

minal disease, and he’s living on borrowed

time. This project is living on borrowed

time. It is overdue for completion.

live out of a suitcase to live briefly in a

place, never unpacking one’s luggage.

I hate living out of a suitcase. For my next

vacation, I want to go to just one place and

stay there the whole time. We were liv-

ing out of suitcases in a motel while they

repaired the damage the fire caused to our

house.

live something down to overcome the shame

or embarrassment of something. You’ll

live it down someday. T Max will never be

able to live down what happened at the

party last night.

live through something to endure some-

thing. I thought I’d never be able to live

through the lecture. It was so boring. I

just can’t live through another day like this.

live up to one’s end of the bargain to

carry though on a bargain; to do as was

promised in a bargain. You can’t quit

now. You have to live up to your end of the

bargain. Bob isn’t living up to his end

of the bargain, so I am going to sue him.

live up to something to fulfill expectations;

to satisfy a set of goals. (Often with one’s

reputation, promise, word, standards, etc.)

I hope I can live up to my reputation.

The class lives up to its reputation of be-

ing exciting and interesting. He never

lives up to his promises. She was unable

to live up to her own high standards.

live within one’s means to spend no more

money than one has. (Compare this with

live beyond one’s means.) We have to

struggle to live within our means, but we

manage. John is unable to live within his

means.

loaded for bear 1. angry. (Slang and

folksy.) He left here in a rage. He was

really loaded for bear. When I got home

from work, I was really loaded for bear.

What a horrible day! 2. drunk. (An elab-

oration of loaded, which means “drunk.”

Slang and folksy.) By the end of the

party, Bill was loaded for bear.  The

whole gang drank for an hour until they

were loaded for bear.

lock horns (with someone) to get into an ar-

gument with someone. (Informal.)

Let’s settle this peacefully. I don’t want to

lock horns with the boss. The boss does-

n’t want to lock horns either.

lock something in to make something, such

as a rate of interest, permanent over a pe-

riod of time. (Informal.) We locked in

an 11 percent rate on our mortgage. You

should try to lock in a high percentage rate

on your bonds.

long and (the) short of it the whole story;

all the necessary facts. I was late and I

missed my train, and that’s the long and

short of it. Soon after the big green frog

turned into a handsome prince, Princess

Ellen and her newfound love went to live

happily ever after in a kingdom by the sea,

and that’s the long and the short of it.

Long time no see. I have not seen you for

a long time. (Informal.) Hello, John.

Long time no see. When John and Mary

met on the street, they both said, “Long

time no see.”

learn

learn something by heart to learn something

so well that it can be written or recited

without thinking; to memorize some-

thing. The director told me to learn my

speech by heart. I had to go over it many

times before I learned it by heart.

learn something by rote to learn something

by memorizing without giving any

thought to what is being learned. I

learned history by rote; then I couldn’t pass

the test that required me to think. If you

learn things by rote, you’ll never under-

stand them.

learn something from the bottom up to

learn something thoroughly, from the

very beginning; to learn all aspects of

something, even the least important ones.

I learned my business from the bottom

up. I started out sweeping the floors and

learned everything from the bottom up.

learn the ropes to learn how to do some-

thing; to learn how to work something.

(Informal. See also know the ropes; show

someone the ropes.) I’ll be able to do my

job very well as soon as I learn the ropes.

John is very slow to learn the ropes.

learn to live with something to learn to

adapt to something unpleasant or

painful. (See also have to live with some-

thing.) Finally the doctor told Marion

that she was going to have to learn to live

with her arthritis. The f loor plan of the

house we bought is not as handy as we had

thought, but we will learn to live with it.

least of all least; of smallest importance.

(Informal.) There were many things

wrong with the new house. Least of all, the

water faucets leaked. What a bad day.

Many things went wrong, but least of all,

I tore my shirt.

leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth [for

someone or something] to leave a bad

feeling or memory with someone. (Also

literal. Informal.) The whole business

about the missing money left a bad taste in

his mouth. It was a very nice party, but

something about it left a bad taste in my

mouth. I’m sorry that Bill was there. He

always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

leave a lot to be desired to be lacking

something important; to be inadequate.

(A polite way of saying that something

is bad.) This report leaves a lot to be de-

sired.  I’m sorry to have to fire you,

Mary, but your work leaves a lot to be

desired.

leave a sinking ship Go to desert a sink-

ing ship.

leave no stone unturned to search in all

possible places. (Refers to finding some-

thing under a rock.) Don’t worry. We’ll

find your stolen car. We’ll leave no stone

unturned. In searching for a nice place

to live, we left no stone unturned.

leave oneself wide open to something Go to

leave oneself wide open for something.

leave one’s mark on someone [for someone

like a teacher] to affect the behavior and

performance of another person. The

wise professor left her mark on her stu-

dents. My father left his mark on me,

and I will always remember all his good

advice.

leave one to one’s fate to abandon someone

to whatever may happen—possibly death

or some other unpleasant event. We

couldn’t rescue the miners, and we were

forced to leave them to their fate. Please

don’t try to help. Just go away and leave me

to my fate.

leave someone flat 1. to fail to entertain or

stimulate someone. (Informal.) Your

joke left me f lat. We listened carefully to

his lecture, but it left us f lat. 2. to leave

someone without any money—flat broke.

Paying all my bills left me f lat. The

robber took all my money and left me f lat.

3. to leave someone completely alone.

I was at the dance with Harry, but when

he met Alice, he left me f lat. They just

walked off and left us f lat.

leave someone for dead to abandon some-

one as being dead. (The abandoned per-

son may actually be alive.) He looked

so bad that they almost left him for dead.

As the soldiers turned—leaving the en-

emy captain for dead—the captain fired at

them.

leave someone high and dry 1. to leave

someone unsupported and unable to ma-

neuver; to leave someone helpless. (Also

literal. See also high and dry.) All my

workers quit and left me high and dry.

All the children ran away and left Billy

high and dry to take the blame for the bro-

ken window. 2. to leave someone flat

broke. Mrs. Franklin took all the money

out of the bank and left Mr. Franklin high

and dry. Paying the bills always leaves

me high and dry.

leave someone holding the bag to leave

someone to take all the blame; to leave

someone appearing guilty. (Also literal.

Informal.) They all ran off and left me

holding the bag. It wasn’t even my fault.

It was the mayor’s fault, but he wasn’t left

holding the bag.

leave someone in peace to stop bothering

someone; to go away and leave someone

alone. (Does not necessarily mean to go

away from a person.) Please go—leave

me in peace. Can’t you see that you’re

upsetting her? Leave her in peace.

leave someone in the lurch to leave some-

one waiting for or anticipating your ac-

tions. Where were you, John? You really

left me in the lurch. I didn’t mean to

leave you in the lurch. I thought we had

canceled our meeting.

leave someone or something hanging in

midair and keep someone or something

hanging in midair to suspend dealing

with someone or something; to leave

someone or something waiting to be fin-

ished or continued. (Also literal.) She

left her sentence hanging in midair. She

left us hanging in midair when she paused.

Tell me the rest of the story. Don’t leave

me hanging in midair. Don’t leave the

story hanging in midair.

leave something on to leave something run-

ning or operating. (Also literal in refer-

ence to wearing clothes.) Please don’t

leave the light on. Ann went to school

and left her radio on.

leave something open to leave a date or time

unscheduled. I left something open on

Friday, just in case we want to leave work

early. Please leave an appointment open

for Mrs. Wallace next week. She will be

calling in to our office for an appointment.

leave well enough alone Go to let well

enough alone.

leave word (with someone) to leave a mes-

sage with someone (who will pass the

message on to someone else). If you de-

cide to go to the convention, please leave

word with my secretary. Leave word be-

fore you go.  I left word with your

brother. Didn’t he give you the message?

left and right Go to right and left.

lend a hand (to someone) Go to lend (some-

one) a hand.

lend an ear (to someone) to listen to some-

one. Lend an ear to John. Hear what he

has to say. I’d be delighted to lend an

ear. I find great wisdom in everything John

has to say.

lend color to something to provide an in-

teresting accompaniment for something.

Your clever comments lent a great deal

of color to the slide show of your vacation.

The excellent master of ceremonies will

lend color to an otherwise dry and unin-

teresting dance recital.

the lesser (of the two) the smaller one (of

two); the one having the least amount.

The last two pieces of pie were not quite

the same size, and I chose the lesser of the

two. Faced with a basket containing too

much and one with too little, Tom chose

the lesser.

the lesser of two evils the less bad thing,

of a pair of bad things. I didn’t like ei-

ther politician, so I voted for the lesser of

two evils. Given the options of going out

with someone I don’t like and staying home

and watching a boring television program,

I chose the lesser of the two evils and

watched television.

let alone someone or something not to men-

tion or think of someone or something;

not even to take someone or something

into account. Do I have a dollar? I don’t

even have a dime, let alone a dollar. I

didn’t invite John, let alone the rest of his

family.

Let bygones be bygones. One should for-

get the problems of the past. (Proverb.)

Okay, Sally, let bygones be bygones. Let’s

forgive and forget. Jane was unwilling to

let bygones be bygones. She still won’t

speak to me.

let go of someone or something to release

someone or something. Please let go of

me! Don’t let go of the steering wheel.

let go (with something) and cut loose

(with something); let loose (with some-

thing) to shout something out or expel

something; to shout or express something

wildly. (Slang.) The audience cut loose

with a loud cheer. The whole team let

go with a loud shout. John let loose with

a horrendous belch. I wish you would-

n’t let loose like that!

let grass grow under one’s feet to do

nothing; to stand still. Mary doesn’t let

the grass grow under her feet. She’s always

busy. Bob is too lazy. He’s letting the

grass grow under his feet.

let her rip and let it roll to go ahead and

start something; let something begin.

(Informal or slang. Her is usually ’er.)

When Bill was ready for John to start the

engine, he said, “Okay, John, let ’er rip.”

When Sally heard Bob say “Let ’er rip,” she

let the anchor go to the bottom of the lake.

Let’s go, Bill. Let it roll!

let it all hang out to tell or reveal every-

thing and hold back nothing (because

one is relaxed or carefree). (Also literal.

Slang.) Sally has no secrets. She lets it

all hang out all the time. Relax, John.

Let it all hang out.

Let it go. Forget it.; Stop worrying about it.

Don’t get so angry about it. Let it go.

Let it go. Stop fretting.

let it roll Go to let her rip.

let loose (with something) Go to let go (with

something).

let off steam and blow off steam [for

someone] to release excess energy or

anger. (Also literal in the case of steam

engines. Informal.) Whenever John gets

a little angry, he blows off steam. Don’t

worry about John. He’s just letting off

steam.

let oneself go to become less constrained;

to get excited and have a good time. I

love to dance and just let myself go. Let

yourself go, John. Learn to enjoy life.

let one’s emotions show to be emotional,

especially where it is not appropriate.

I’m sorry for the outburst. I didn’t mean to

let my emotions show. Please stop cry-

ing. You mustn’t let your emotions show.

let one’s hair down to become more inti-

mate and begin to speak frankly. (Also

literal. Informal.) Come on, Jane, let

your hair down and tell me all about it.

T I have a problem. Do you mind if I let

down my hair?

let out some kind of sound [for a living crea-

ture] to make some kind of a noise or

sound. Be quiet. Don’t let out a sound!

Suddenly, Jane let out a shriek.

Let sleeping dogs lie. One should not

search for trouble and one should leave

well enough alone. (Proverb.)

mention that problem with Tom again. It’s

almost forgotten. Let sleeping dogs lie.

You’ll never be able to reform Bill. Leave

him alone. Let sleeping dogs lie.

let someone down to disappoint someone;

to fail someone. (Also literal.) I’m sorry

I let you down. Something came up, and I

couldn’t meet you. I don’t want to let

you down, but I can’t support you in the

election.

let someone go to dismiss someone from

employment; to fire someone. John

was not working out as well as we had

hoped, and we had to let him go. They

let a number of the older workers go and

were faced with an age discrimination suit.

let someone have it (with both barrels) to

strike someone or attack someone ver-

bally. (Refers to firing a shotgun. Infor-

mal. With both barrels intensifies the

phrase. Refers to the firing a double-

barreled shotgun.) I really let Tom have

it with both barrels. I told him he had bet-

ter not do that again if he knows what’s

good for him. Bob let John have it—with

both barrels.

let someone in on something to tell someone

the secret. (Informal. The something can

be a plan, arrangements, scheme, trick, or

anything else that might be kept a secret.)

Should we let John in on the secret?

Please let me in on the plan.

let someone know (about something) to tell

someone something; to inform someone

of something. Please let me know about

it soon. Will you be coming to the pic-

nic? Please let me know.

let someone off easy Go to let someone or

something off.

let someone off (the hook) to release some-

one from a responsibility. Please let me

off the hook for Saturday. I have other

plans. Okay, I’ll let you off.

let something (get) out Go to leak something

(out).

let something pass to let something go un-

noticed or unchallenged. Bob let Bill’s

insult pass because he didn’t want to ar-

gue. Don’t worry, I’ll let this little inci-

dent pass.

let something ride to allow something to

continue or remain as it is. (Informal.)

It isn’t the best plan, but we’ll let it ride.

I disagree with you, but I’ll let it ride.

let something slide to neglect something.

(Also literal. Informal.) John let his

lessons slide. Jane doesn’t let her work

slide.

let something slide by Go to let something slip

by.

let something slip by and let something slide

by 1. to forget or miss an important time

or date. (Also literal.) I’m sorry I just

let your birthday slip by. I let it slide by

accidentally. 2. to waste a period of time.

You wasted the whole day by letting it

slip by. We were having fun, and we let

the time slide by.

let something slip (out) to tell a secret by

accident. (Also literal.) I didn’t let it slip

out on purpose. It was an accident. John

let the plans slip when he was talking to

Bill.

Let the buyer beware. The person who

buys something should investigate the

goods or property thoroughly for dam-

age or suitability. (Proverb.) Be care-

ful when buying things from street ven-

dors. Let the buyer beware.  It’s the

purchaser’s job to make sure the goods are

ok. Let the buyer beware.

let things slide to ignore the things that

one is supposed to do; to fall behind in

the doing of one’s work. (Also literal.)

I am afraid that I have let things slide

while I was recovering from my operation.

If I let things slide for even one day, I get

hopelessly behind in my work.

let up (on someone or something) to take the

pressure off someone or something; to

take it easy (on someone or something).

Please let up on me. I can’t work any faster,

and you’re making me nervous. Let up

on the project. You’re working too hard.

Yes, I guess I had better let up.

let us do something we will do something [to-

gether]. (A gentle command. More for-

mal than let’s.) Let us go in peace. Let

us bow our heads in prayer.

let well enough alone and leave well

enough alone to leave things as they are

(and not try to improve them). There

isn’t much more you can accomplish here.

Why don’t you just let well enough alone?

This is as good as I can do. I’ll stop and

leave well enough alone.

Let ’s do lunch. Let’s have lunch together

sometime. (Informal.) Some time next

week, let’s do lunch. Can’t talk to you

now. Let’s do lunch sometime.

L

a labor of love a task that is either un-

paid or badly paid and that one does sim-

ply for one’s own satisfaction or pleasure

or to please someone whom one likes or

loves. Jane made no money out of the

biography she wrote. She was writing

about the life of a friend and the book was

a labor of love. Mary hates knitting, but

she made a sweater for her boyfriend.

What a labor of love.

lace into someone or something and light into

someone or something to attack, devour, or

scold someone or something. (Informal.)

We laced into a big meal of pork and

beans.  The bully punched John once,

and then John really laced into him.

John lit into him with both fists. My fa-

ther really lit into me when I came in late.

He yelled at me for ten minutes.

laid-back relaxed and unperplexed by dif-

ficulties. (Slang.) John is so laid-back.

Nothing seems to disturb him. I wish I

could be more laid-back. I get so tense.

laid up immobilized for recuperation or re-

pairs. (Said of people and things.) I

was laid up for two weeks after my acci-

dent. My car is laid up for repairs. I

was laid up with the f lu for a week.

Todd was laid up for a month.

the land of Nod sleep. (Humorous. Bor-

rowed from the Bible, Gen. 4:16. From

the fact that people sometimes nod when

they are falling asleep.) The baby is in

the land of Nod. Look at the clock! It’s

time we were all in the land of Nod.

land on both feet Go to land on one’s feet.

land on one’s feet and land on both feet

to recover satisfactorily from a trying sit-

uation or a setback. (Also literal. As if

having fallen. Informal.) Her first year

was terrible, but she landed on both feet.

It’s going to be a hard day. I only hope

I land on my feet.

land up somehow or somewhere to finish

somehow or somewhere; to come to be

in a certain state or place at the end.

(Usually in the wrong place or in a bad

situation. See also end up somewhere.)

We set out for Denver but landed up in Salt

Lake City. He’s so extravagant that he

landed up in debt.

a landslide victory a victory by a large

margin; a very substantial victory, par-

ticularly in an election. The mayor won

a landslide victory in the election. The

younger man won a landslide victory in

the presidential election.

lap something up to believe something, es-

pecially something untrue. (Also literal.

Informal.) Did she believe it? She just

lapped it up. T I can’t imagine why she

lapped up that ridiculous story.

lapse into a coma to go into a coma.

The survivor of the crash lapsed into a

coma. Aunt Mary lapsed into a coma

and died.

large as life Go to (as) large as life.

last but not least last in sequence, but not

last in importance. (A cliché. Often said

when introducing people.) The speaker

said, “And now, last but not least, I’d like

to present Bill Smith, who will give us some

final words.” And last but not least, here

is the loser of the race.

a last-ditch effort a final effort; the last

possible attempt. I made one last-ditch

effort to get her to stay. It was a last-

ditch effort. I didn’t expect it to work.

the last person the most unlikely person

of whom one could think in a particular

situation; the most unlikely person to do

something. (Also literal. Preceded by be,

become, or seem like.) Bob seems like

the last person for Tom to insult. He’s so

hot-tempered. Mary was the last person

to ask to chair the meeting—she’s so shy.

last will and testament Go to someone’s

last will and testament.

late in life when one is old. She injured

her hip running. She’s exercising rather late

in life. Isn’t it sort of late in life to buy

a house?

late in the day far along in a project or

activity; too late in a project or activity

for action, decisions, etc., to be taken.

It was a bit late in the day for him to apol-

ogize. It’s late in the day to try to change

the plans.

laugh all the way to the bank to be very

happy about money that has been earned

by doing something that other people

might think is unfair. He may not be in

the nicest business, but he is doing well and

can laugh all the way to the bank. She

makes tons of money doing what no one

else will do and laughs all the way to the

bank.

laugh out of the other side of one’s

mouth to change sharply from happiness

to sadness. Now that you know the

truth, you’ll laugh out of the other side of

your mouth. He was so proud that he

won the election. He’s laughing out of the

other side of his mouth since they re-

counted the ballots and found out that he

lost.

laugh something off to avoid or reject a se-

rious problem by laughing at it. Tom

suffered an injury to his leg, but he laughed

it off and kept playing ball. T Mary just

laughed off her bad experience.

laugh something out of court to dismiss

something as ridiculous. The commit-

tee laughed the suggestion out of court.

Bob’s request for a large salary increase was

laughed out of court.

launch forth (on something) Go to set forth

(on something); take off (on something).

law unto oneself one who makes one’s own

laws or rules; one who sets one’s own

standards of behavior. You can’t get Bill

to follow the rules. He’s a law unto himself.

Jane is a law unto herself. She’s totally

unwilling to cooperate.

lay a finger on someone or something to touch

someone or something, even slightly.

(Usually in the negative. Compare this

with put one’s finger on something.) Don’t

you dare lay a finger on my pencil. Go get

your own! If you lay a finger on me, I’ll

scream.

lay an egg [for someone] to give a bad per-

formance. (Literal with birds and most

reptiles. Informal.) The cast of the play

really laid an egg last night. I hope I

don’t lay an egg when it’s my turn to sing.

lay down one’s life (for someone or something)

to sacrifice one’s life for someone or

something. Would you lay down your

life for your country? There aren’t many

things for which I’d lay down my life.

lay down on the job Go to lie down on the

job.

lay down the law 1. to state firmly what

the rules are (for something). Before

the meeting, the boss laid down the law.

We all knew exactly what to do. The way

she laid down the law means that I’ll re-

member her rules. 2. to scold someone for

misbehaving. (Informal.) When the

teacher caught us, he really laid down the

law. Poor Bob. He really got it when his

mother laid down the law.

lay eyes on someone or something Go to set

eyes on someone or something.

of that fishing pole. I’m ready to catch a

huge fish.

lay into someone or something to attack, con-

sume, or scold someone or something.

Bob laid into the big plate of fried chicken.

The bear laid into the hunter. My fa-

ther really laid into me when I got home.

lay it on thick and lay it on with a

trowel; pour it on thick; spread it on

thick to exaggerate praise, excuses, or

blame. Sally was laying it on thick when

she said that Tom was the best singer she

had ever heard. After Bob finished mak-

ing his excuses, Sally said that he was pour-

ing it on thick. Bob always spreads it on

thick.

lay it on with a trowel Go to lay it on

thick.

lay low Go to lie low.

lay off (someone or something) to leave some-

one or something alone; to stop bother-

ing someone or something; to take it easy

(on someone or something). (Slang. See also

lay someone off.) Lay off Bill. He didn’t

mean any harm! Hey! I said lay off!

Lay off the butter. Don’t use it all up.

the lay of the land 1. the arrangement of

features on an area of land. The sur-

veyor mapped the lay of the land. The

geologist studied the lay of the land, trying

to determine if there was oil below. 2. the

arrangement or organization of some-

thing other than land. As soon as I get

the lay of the land in my new job, things

will go better. The company’s corporate

structure was complex, so understanding

the lay of the land took time.

lay one’s cards on the table Go to put one’s

cards on the table.

lay one’s hands on someone or something Go

to get one’s hands on someone or something.

lay over (somewhere) to pause somewhere

during one’s journey. (Compare this with

stop over (somewhere).) I had to lay over

in San Antonio for a few hours before my

plane left. I want a bus that goes straight

through. I don’t want to lay over.

lay someone away to bury someone.

laid my uncle away last week. They laid

him away with a quiet ceremony.

lay someone off to put an employee out of

work, possibly temporarily. They even

laid the president off. T The computer fac-

tory laid off two thousand workers.

lay someone up to cause someone to be ill

in bed. A broken leg laid me up for two

months. T Flu laid up everyone at work

for a week or more.

lay something by Go to put something by.

lay something in to get something and store

it for future use. They laid a lot of food

in for the holidays. T We always lay in a

large supply of firewood each November.

lay something on someone to direct blame,

guilt, or verbal abuse at someone. (Also

literal. Slang. See also put the blame on

someone or something.) Don’t lay that stuff

on me! It’s not my fault. The boss is in

the conference room laying a lot of anger

on the sales staff.

lay something on the line Go to put something

on the line.

lay something to rest Go to put something to

rest.

lay something to waste and lay waste to

something to destroy an area (literally or

figuratively). The invaders laid the vil-

lage to waste. The kids came in and laid

waste to my clean house.

lay the blame on someone or something Go to

put the blame on someone or something.

lay the finger on someone Go to put the fin-

ger on someone.

lay waste to something Go to lay something

to waste.

lead a dog’s life and live a dog’s life to

lead a miserable life. Poor Jane really

leads a dog’s life. I’ve been working so

hard. I’m tired of living a dog’s life.

lead off to begin; to start (assuming that

others will follow). We were waiting for

someone to start dancing. Finally, Bob and

Jane led off. The hunter led off, and the

dogs followed. The first baseman will

lead off as the first batter in the baseball

game.

lead someone by the nose to force someone

to go somewhere (with you); to lead

someone by coercion. (Informal.) John

had to lead Tom by the nose to get him to

the opera. I’ll go, but you’ll have to lead

me by the nose.

lead someone down the garden path to de-

ceive someone. Now, be honest with

me. Don’t lead me down the garden path.

That cheater really led her down the

garden path.

lead someone on a merry chase to lead

someone in a purposeless pursuit.

What a waste of time. You really led me on

a merry chase. Jane led Bill on a merry

chase trying to find an antique lamp.

lead someone to believe something to imply

something to someone; to cause someone

to believe something untrue, without ly-

ing. But you led me to believe that this

watch was guaranteed! Did you lead her

to believe that she was hired as a clerk?

lead someone to do something to cause some-

one to do something. This agent led me

to purchase a worthless piece of land.

My illness led me to quit my job.

lead the life of Riley to live in luxury. (In-

formal. No one knows who Riley is.)

If I had a million dollars, I could live the

life of Riley.  The treasurer took our

money to Mexico, where he lived the life

of Riley until the police caught him.

lead up to something to prepare the way for

something. His compliments were his

way of leading up to asking for money.

What were his actions leading up to?

a leading question a question that sug-

gests the kind of answer that the person

who asks it wants to hear. The mayor

was angered by the reporter’s leading ques-

tions. “Don’t you think that the police

are failing to stop crime?” is an example

of a leading question.

leaf through something Go to thumb

through something.

lean on someone to try to make someone do

something; to coerce someone to do

something. (Also literal. Informal.) If

she refuses to do it, lean on her a bit.

Don’t lean on me! I don’t have to do it if I

don’t want to.

lean over backwards (to do something) Go

to fall over backwards (to do something).

lean toward doing something to tend toward

doing something; to favor doing some-

thing. The union is leaning toward ac-

cepting the proposal. My friends leaned

toward swimming instead of shopping.

leap at the opportunity Go to jump at the

chance.

leap to conclusions Go to jump to

conclusions.