nothing

nothing but skin and bones and (all)

skin and bones very thin or emaciated.

(Informal.) Bill has lost so much

weight. He’s nothing but skin and bones.

Look at Bill. He’s just skin and bones.

That old horse is all skin and bones. I

won’t ride it.

nothing but something only something; just

something. Joan drinks nothing but

milk. Fred buys nothing but expensive

clothes.

nothing doing no. (Informal.) No, I

won’t do that. Nothing doing. BOB: Will

you help me with this? BILL: Nothing

doing.

nothing down requiring no down pay-

ment. You can have this car for noth-

ing down and $140 a month. I bought

a winter coat for nothing down and no

payments due until February.

nothing of the kind 1. no; absolutely not.

I didn’t tear your jacket—nothing of the

kind! Did I break your vase? Nothing of

the kind! 2. nothing like that. That’s

not true. We did nothing of the kind!

She did nothing of the kind! She wasn’t

even there!

nothing short of something more or less the

same as something bad; as bad as some-

thing. His behavior was nothing short

of criminal. Climbing those mountains

alone is nothing short of suicide.

nothing to choose from no choice; no

choice in the selection; not enough of

something to make a choice. I went to

the store looking for new shoes, but there

was nothing to choose from. By the time

I got around to selecting a team of helpers,

there was nothing to choose from.

nothing to complain about all right.

(Folksy. Said in answer to the question

“How are you?”) Bob said he has noth-

ing to complain about. BILL: How’re

you doing, Bob? BOB: Nothing to complain

about, Bill. Yourself ?

nothing to sneeze at not small or unim-

portant. (Informal.) It’s not a lot of

money, but it’s nothing to sneeze at. Our

house isn’t a mansion, but it’s nothing to

sneeze at.

nothing to speak of not many; not much.

(Informal.) JOHN: What’s happening

around here? BILL: Nothing to speak of.

MARY: Has there been any rain in the last

week? SALLY: Nothing to speak of.

nothing to write home about nothing ex-

citing or interesting. (Folksy.) I’ve been

busy, but nothing to write home about.

I had a dull week—nothing to write home

about.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You

cannot achieve anything if you do not try.

(Proverb.) Come on, John. Give it a try.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I felt

as if I had to take the chance. Nothing ven-

tured, nothing gained.

now and again Go to (every) now and

then.

now and then Go to (every) now and then.

Now hear this! Pay attention to what is go-

ing to be said! (In the manner of an an-

nouncement over the public address sys-

tem, especially in the military.) Now

hear this! You have to turn off the televi-

sion and go to bed! Now hear this! Now

hear this! Everyone is ordered to abandon

ship.

now or never at this time and no other.

This is your only chance, John. It’s now or

never.  I decided that it was now or

never, and jumped.

(Now), where was I? I was interrupted,

so please help me remember what I was

talking about. (The emphasis is on was.)

Now, where was I! I think I lost my

place. Q: Where was I? A: You had just

described the War of 1812.

nowhere near not nearly. We have

nowhere near enough wood for the win-

ter. They’re nowhere near ready for the

game

null and void canceled; worthless. I tore

the contract up, and the entire agreement

became null and void. The judge de-

clared the whole business null and void.

[number is up] Go to one’s number is up.

a number of things or people some things or

people, in an indefinite amount. I sub-

scribe to a number of different magazines.

A number of people are here now.

nurse a grudge (against someone) to keep

resenting and disliking someone over a

period of time. (See also bear a grudge

(against someone).) Sally is still nursing

a grudge against Mary. How long can

anyone nurse a grudge?

nurse someone back to health [for anyone]

to provide medical care that will restore

someone to good health. After my op-

eration, my mother nursed me back to

health. Lots of good food and loving care

will help nurse you back to health.

nuts about someone or something Go to crazy

about someone or something.

nutty as a fruitcake Go to (as) nutty as a

fruitcake.

nuzzle up to someone or something to nestle

against someone or something, especially

if pressing with the nose or face. The

puppy nuzzled up to its mother.Tom

nuzzled up to Jane and asked her for a

kiss.

not

not a bit none at all. Am I unhappy? Not

a bit. I don’t want any mashed potatoes.

Not a bit!

[not able] Go to the expressions listed at

can’t as well as those listed below.

not able to call one’s time one’s own too

busy; so busy as not to be in charge of

one’s own schedule. (Informal. Not able

to is often expressed as can’t.) It’s been

so busy around here that I haven’t been

able to call my time my own. She can’t

call her time her own these days.

not able to go on unable to continue (do-

ing something—even living). (Not able to

is often expressed as can’t.) I just can’t

go on this way. Before her death, she left

a note saying she was not able to go on.

not able to help something unable to pre-

vent or control something. (Not able to

is often expressed as can’t.) I’m sorry

about being late. I wasn’t able to help it.

Bob can’t help being boring.

able to see the forest for the trees

allowing many details of a situation to

obscure the situation as a whole. (Not

able to is often expressed as can’t.) The

solution is obvious. You missed it because

you can’t see the forest for the trees. She

suddenly realized that she hadn’t been able

to see the forest for the trees.

not able to stomach someone or something

and cannot stomach someone or something

not to be able to put up with someone or

something; not to be able to tolerate or

endure someone or something. Jane

cannot stomach violent movies. The un-

popular student could not stomach a lot

of ridicule.

not able to wait to have to go to the bath-

room urgently. (Also literal in a general

sense. Informal.) Mom, I can’t wait.

Driver, stop the bus! My little boy can’t

wait.

not agree with someone [for food] to make

someone ill; [for something one has

eaten] to give one minor stomach dis-

tress. Fried foods don’t agree with Tom.

I always have onions in my garden, but

I never eat them. They just don’t agree

with me.

not a living soul nobody. (Informal. See

also not tell a (living) soul.) No one was

there—not a living soul. Not a living

soul saw me leave.

not all something is cracked up to be and

not what something is cracked up to be

not as good as something is said to be.

(Informal. Not always in the negative.)

This isn’t a very good pen. It’s not all it’s

cracked up to be.  Is this one all it’s

cracked up to be? This restaurant isn’t

what it’s cracked up to be.

not at all certainly not; absolutely not.

No, it doesn’t bother me—not at all. I’m

not complaining. Not me. Not at all.

not bat an eyelid to show no signs of dis-

tress even when something bad happens

or something shocking is said. Sam

didn’t bat an eyelid when the mechanic

told him how much the car repairs would

cost. The pain of the broken arm must

have hurt Sally terribly, but she did not bat

an eyelid.

not believe one’s eyes not to believe what

one is seeing; to be shocked or dumb-

founded at what one is seeing. I walked

into the room and I couldn’t believe my

eyes. All the furniture had been stolen!

When Jimmy opened his birthday present,

he could hardly believe his eyes. Just what

he wanted!

not born yesterday experienced; knowl-

edgeable in the ways of the world. I

know what’s going on. I wasn’t born yes-

terday. Sally knows the score. She wasn’t

born yesterday.

not breathe a word (about someone or

something) to keep a secret about someone

or something. Don’t worry. I won’t

breathe a word about the problem.

Please don’t breathe a word about Bob and

his problems.

not breathe a word of it not to tell some-

thing (to anyone). Don’t worry. I won’t

breathe a word of it. Tom won’t breathe

a word of it.

not buy something not accept something (to

be true). (Also literal. Slang.) You may

think so, but I don’t buy it. The police

wouldn’t buy his story.

not by a long shot not by a great amount;

not. (Informal.) Did I win the race? Not

by a long shot. Not by a long shot did

she complete the assignment.

not care two hoots (about someone or

something) and not give two hoots

(about someone or something); not give a

hang (about someone or something); not

give a hoot (about someone or something)

not dry behind the ears Go to wet behind

the ears.

not enough room to swing a cat not very

much space. (Folksy.) Their living

room was very small. There wasn’t enough

room to swing a cat. How can you work

in a small room like this? There’s not

enough room to swing a cat.

not for a moment not at all; not even for

a short amount of time; never. I don’t

want you to leave. Not for a moment! I

could not wish such a horrible punishment

on anyone. Not for a moment!

not for (anything in) the world and not

for love nor money; not on your life

not for anything (no matter what its

value). (Note the variation in the exam-

ples. The order of love nor money is

fixed.) I won’t do it for love nor money.

He said he wouldn’t do it—not for the

world. She said no, not for anything in

the world. Me, go there? Not on your

life!

not for hire [of a taxi] not available to take

new passengers. The taxi was going to

pick someone up at a nearby hotel and was

not for hire. The taxi had a lighted sign

that said it was not for hire.

not for love nor money Go to not for (any-

thing in) the world.

not for publication not to be talked about

openly; secret. Please tell no one about

this. It’s not for publication. This report

is not for publication, so keep the results

to yourself.

not give a hang (about someone or some-

thing) Go to not care two hoots (about

someone or something).

not give a hoot (about someone or some-

thing) Go to not care two hoots (about

someone or something).

not give it another thought not to worry

about something anymore. (A polite way

not give someone the time of day to ignore

someone (usually out of dislike). (Infor-

mal.) Mary won’t speak to Sally. She

won’t give her the time of day. I could-

n’t get an appointment with Mr. Smith. He

wouldn’t even give me the time of day.

not give two hoots (about someone or some-

thing) Go to not care two hoots (about

someone or something).

not half bad okay; pretty good. (Folksy.)

Say, this roast beef isn’t half bad. Hey,

Sally! You’re not half bad!

[not] have anything to do with something

Go to have something to do with something.

not hold a candle to someone or something

Go to not hold a stick to someone or something

not hold a stick to someone or something and

not hold a candle to someone or something

not to be nearly as good as someone or

something. (Informal.) Sally is much

faster than Bob. Bob doesn’t hold a stick

to Sally. This TV doesn’t hold a candle

to that one. That one is much better.

not hold water to make no sense; to be il-

logical. (Also literal. Informal. Said of

ideas, arguments, etc., not people. It

means that the idea has holes in it.)

Your argument doesn’t hold water. This

scheme won’t work because it can’t hold

water.

not hurt a flea not to harm anything or

anyone, even a tiny insect. (Also with

other forms of negation.) Ted would

not even hurt a f lea. He could not have

struck Bill. Ted would never hurt a f lea,

and he would not hit anyone as you claim.

not in the same league with someone or

something not anywhere nearly as good as

someone or something. (Also literal.)

John isn’t in the same league with Bob and

his friends. This house isn’t in the same

league with our old one.

not know beans (about someone or some-

thing) to know nothing about someone or

something. (Slang.) Bill doesn’t know

beans about f lying an airplane. When it

comes to f lying, I don’t know beans. She

doesn’t know beans about Bill.

not know enough to come in out of the

rain to be very stupid. Bob is so stupid

he doesn’t know enough to come in out of

the rain. You can’t expect very much

from somebody who doesn’t know enough

to come in out of the rain.

not know from nothing to be stupid, in-

nocent, and naive. (Slang. This nothing is

not replaced with something. Usually

with don’t, as in the examples below.)

Old John—he don’t know from nothing.

What do you expect from somebody who

don’t know from nothing?

not know if one is coming or going Go

to not know whether one is coming or

going.

not know one’s own strength not to real-

ize how destructive or harmful one’s

strength can be. (Present tense only.)

I didn’t mean to hurt you. I guess I don’t

know my own strength. He might break

the door down by accident. He doesn’t

know his own strength and could end up

pushing too hard against the door.

not know someone from Adam not to know

someone at all. I wouldn’t recognize

John if I saw him. I don’t know him from

Adam. What does she look like? I don’t

know her from Adam.

not know the first thing about someone

or something not to know anything about

someone or something. I don’t know

the first thing about f lying an airplane.

She doesn’t know the first thing about

John.

not know where to turn and not know

which way to turn to have no idea about

what to do (about something). I was so

confused I didn’t know where to turn.

We needed help, but we didn’t know which

way to turn.

not know whether one is coming or go-

ing and not know if one is coming or

going to be very confused. I’m so busy

that I don’t know if I’m coming or going.

You look as if you don’t know whether

you’re coming or going.

not know which way to turn Go to not

know where to turn.

not let someone catch someone doing something

and not want to catch someone doing

something to find someone doing some-

thing wrong. (The idea is that the per-

son ought not to do the wrong thing

again, not that the person simply avoid

getting caught.) How many times have

I told you not to play ball in the house?

Don’t let me catch you doing that again.

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thou-

sand times: Don’t do that! I don’t want to

catch you doing it again!

not lift a finger (to help someone) and not

lift a hand (to help someone) to do noth-

ing to help someone. (The someone is

anyone in the negative.) They would-

n’t lift a finger to help us.  Can you

imagine that they wouldn’t lift a finger?

Sally refused to lift a hand to help her

own sister.

not lift a hand (to help someone) Go to not

lift a finger (to help someone).

not long for this world to be about to die.

Our dog is nearly twelve years old and

not long for this world. I’m so tired. I

think I’m not long for this world.

not made of money [of a person] not hav-

ing a lot of money; not having an un-

limited supply of money. I can’t afford

a car like that. I’m not made of money you

know. There is only so much they can

pay. They’re not made of money.

not miss a thing Go to not miss much.

not miss much 1. and not miss a thing

not to miss observing any part of what

is going on. (Usually with do as in the ex-

amples below.) Ted doesn’t miss much.

He is very alert. The puppy doesn’t miss

a thing. He sees every move you make. 2.

not to miss experiencing something that

really was not worth experiencing any-

way. (Sarcastic. Usually with do as in the

examples below.) I missed the big sales

meeting last week, but I understand I did-

n’t miss much. BILL: I didn’t see that

new movie that is showing at the theater.

TOM: You didn’t miss much.

not move a muscle to remain perfectly

motionless. Be quiet. Sit there and don’t

move a muscle. I was so tired I couldn’t

move a muscle.

not on any account Go to on no account.

not one iota not even a tiny bit. I won’t

give you any at all! Not one iota! I did

not get one iota of encouragement from

any of those people.

not one’s place not one’s role to do some-

thing. It was not my place to criticize

my boss. It was Bill’s place to ask the

questions, not yours.

not on your life Go to not for (anything in)

the world.

not open one’s mouth and not utter a

word not to say anything at all; not to tell

something (to anyone). Don’t worry,

I’ll keep your secret. I won’t even open my

mouth. Have no fear. I won’t utter a

word. I don’t know how they found out.

I didn’t even open my mouth.

not see any objection (to something) Go to

see no objection (to something).

not see farther than the end of one’s

nose and not see past the end of one’s

nose not to care about what is not actu-

ally present or obvious; not to care about

the future or about what is happening

elsewhere or to other people. (Could be

literal or an exaggeration in a heavy fog

or in dim light.) Mary can’t see past the

end of her nose. She doesn’t care about

what will happen in the future as long as

she’s comfortable now. Jack’s been ac-

cused of not seeing farther than the end of

his nose. He refuses to expand the company

and look for new markets.

not see past the end of one’s nose Go to

not see farther than the end of one’s

nose.

not set foot somewhere not to go somewhere

I wouldn’t set foot in John’s

room. I’m very angry at him. He never

set foot here.

not show one’s face not to appear (some-

not worth a hill of beans and not worth




where).

After what she said, she had

a plugged nickel worthless. (Folksy.)

better not show her face around here again.

If I don’t say I’m sorry, I’ll never be able

to show my face again.

not sleep a wink not to sleep at all. (In-

formal.) I couldn’t sleep a wink last

night. Ann hasn’t been able to sleep a

wink for a week.

not someone’s cup of tea not something one

prefers. Playing cards isn’t her cup of

tea. Sorry, that’s not my cup of tea.

not take no for an answer not to accept

someone’s refusal. (Informal. A polite

way of being insistent.) Now, you must

drop over and see us tomorrow. We won’t

take no for an answer. I had to go. They

just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

not take stock in something Go to take no

stock in something.

not tell a (living) soul not to reveal some-

thing to anyone. You secret is safe with

me. I won’t tell a living soul. Promise

you won’t tell a soul, but I’m engaged.

not up to scratch and not up to snuff

not adequate. (Informal. See also up to

snuff; up to scratch.) Sorry, your pa-

per isn’t up to scratch. Please do it over

again. The performance was not up to

snuff.

not up to snuff Go to not up to scratch.

not utter a word Go to not open one’s

mouth.

not want to catch someone doing something

Go to not let someone catch someone doing

something.

not what something is cracked up to be Go

to not all something is cracked up to be.

not with it not able to think clearly; not

able to understand things. Lisa’s mother

is not really with it anymore. She’s going

senile. Tom’s not with it yet. He’s only

just come round from the anesthetic.

not worth a plugged nickel Go to not

worth a hill of beans.

not worth a red cent Go to not worth a

dime.

not worth mentioning 1. not important

enough to require a comment. There

are others, but they are not worth men-

tioning. A small number of books hint

at the phenomenon, but they aren’t worth

mentioning. 2. [of an error or wrong] not

worth apologizing for. This isn’t a

problem at all. It’s not worth mentioning.

No need to apologize to me. No harm

done. It’s not worth mentioning.

not worth one’s while not worth bothering

with; not worth spending time on. It’s

not worth my while to discuss it with you.

Don’t bother trying to collect money

from them. It isn’t worth your while.

not worth the trouble not important

enough to require a comment. Don’t

bother with it. It isn’t worth the trouble.

There is no point in trying to get the spot

out of the carpet. It isn’t worth the trouble.

N

nail in someone’s or something’s coffin Go to

(another) nail in someone’s or something’s

coffin.

nail someone or something down 1. [with

someone] to get a firm and final decision

from someone (on something). (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) I want you to find Bob

and get an answer from him. Nail him

down one way or the other. T Please nail

down John on the question of signing the

contract. 2. [with something] to get a firm

and final decision (from someone) on

something. (Informal.) T Find Bob and

nail down an answer. Let’s get in touch

with John and nail down this contract.

naked as a jaybird Go to (as) naked as a

jaybird.

the naked eye the human eye, unassisted

by optics, such as a telescope, micro-

scope, or spectacles. I can’t see the

bird’s markings with the naked eye. The

scientist could see nothing in the liquid

with the naked eye, but with the aid of a

microscope, she identified the bacteria.

That’s how it appears to the naked eye.

[name is mud] Go to one’s name is mud.

the name of the game goal or purpose.

(Slang.) The name of the game is sell.

You must sell, sell, sell if you want to make

a living. Around here, the name of the

game is look out for yourself.

name someone after someone else and

name someone for someone else to give

someone (usually a baby) the name of

another person. We named our baby af-

ter my aunt. My parents named me for

my grandfather.

name someone for someone else Go to name

someone after someone else.

near at hand close or handy (to someone).

(See also at hand; close at hand.) Do

you have a pencil near at hand? My dic-

tionary isn’t near at hand.

neat as a pin Go to (as) neat as a pin.

neck and neck exactly even, especially in

a race or a contest. (Informal.) John

and Tom finished the race neck and neck.

Mary and Ann were neck and neck in

the spelling contest. Their scores were tied.

need something like a hole in the head not

to need something at all. (Informal.)

I need a housecat like I need a hole in the

head! She needs a car like she needs a

hole in the head.

need something yesterday to require some-

thing in a very big hurry. (Informal.)

Yes, I’m in a hurry! I need it yesterday!

When do I need it? Now! Now! No, I need

it yesterday!

neither fish nor fowl not any recognizable

thing; not any recognizable category.

The car that they drove up in was neither

fish nor fowl. It must have been made out

of spare parts. This proposal is neither

fish nor fowl. I can’t tell what you’re

proposing.

neither here nor there of no consequence

or meaning; irrelevant and immaterial.

Whether you go to the movie or stay at

home is neither here nor there. Your

comment—though interesting—is neither

here nor there.

neither hide nor hair no sign or indica-

tion (of someone or something). We

could find neither hide nor hair of him. I

don’t know where he is. There has been

no one here—neither hide nor hair—for

the last three days.

never fear do not worry; have confidence.

I’ll be there on time—never fear.

help you, never fear.

never had it so good Go to (have) never

had it so good.

never in one’s life not in one’s experience.

Never in my life have I been so insulted!

He said that never in his life had he seen

such an ugly painting.

never mind forget it; pay no more atten-

tion (to something). I wanted to talk to

you, but never mind. It wasn’t important.

Never mind. I’m sorry to bother you.

never would have guessed 1. never

would have thought something to be the

case. (Not used in other tenses.)

was the one who did it? I never would have

guessed. I never would have guessed that

he wanted the job. He kept it a very good

secret. 2. knew it all the time because it

was so obvious. (Sarcastic. Not used in

other tenses.) I never would have

guessed that he wanted the job. He only

begged and begged for it. Now she wants

to go back home? I never would have

guessed! She has been homesick for days.

new ball game Go to (whole) new ball

game.

new blood Go to (some) new blood.

new hire a person who has recently been

hired; a newly employed person. Anne

is our new hire who will begin work Tues-

day. The accounting department is full

of new hires.

a new lease on life a renewed and revi-

talized outlook on life. Getting the job

offer was a new lease on life. When I

got out of the hospital, I felt as if I had a

new lease on life.

new to (all) this Go to (a little) new to (all)

this.

next-door neighbor the person living in

the house or apartment closest to one’s

own. My next-door neighbor came over

to borrow a shovel. I will be visiting our

next-door neighbor if you need me.

or relatives. The police notified the dead

man’s next of kin. My next of kin lives

800 miles away.

next to nothing hardly anything; almost

nothing. This car’s worth next to noth-

ing. It’s full of rust. I bought this antique

chair for next to nothing.

next to someone or something near to someone

or something; adjacent to someone or

something. I live next to a bank.

Please sit next to me.

nice and some quality enough of some qual-

ity; adequately; sufficiently. It is nice

and cool this evening. I think your steak

is nice and done now and probably

overcooked.

nickel and dime someone to charge some-

one many small amounts of money; to

assess many small fees against someone.

We will not stay at that resort again.

They nickel and dime you to death in that

place. There is a charge for everything.

Tuition at the university hasn’t gone up in

two years but other small fees have. They

really nickel and dime you there.

night and day Go to day and night.

a night on the town a night of celebrat-

ing (at one or more places in a town).

Did you enjoy your night on the town?

After we got the contract signed, we cele-

brated with a night on the town.

night owl someone who usually stays up

very late. (Preceded by be, become, seem

like, or act like.) Anne’s a real night owl.

She never goes to bed before 2 a.m. and

sleeps till noon. Jack’s a night owl and

is at his best after midnight.

a nine days’ wonder something that is of

interest to people only for a short time.

Don’t worry about the story about you

in the newspaper. It’ll be a nine days’ won-

der, and then people will forget. The

elopement of Jack and Anne was a nine

days’ wonder. Now people never mention

a nine-to-five job a job with regular and

normal hours. I wouldn’t want a nine-

to-five job. I like the freedom I have as my

own boss. I used to work nights, but now

I have a nine-to-five job.

nip and tuck almost even; almost tied. (In-

formal.) The horses ran nip and tuck for

the first half of the race. Then my horse

pulled ahead. In the football game last

Saturday, both teams were nip and tuck

throughout the game.

nip something in the bud to put an end to

something at an early stage. (Also literal.)

John is getting into bad habits, and it’s

best to nip them in the bud. There was

trouble in the classroom, but the teacher

nipped it in the bud.

No big deal! Not a big problem! (Infor-

mal.) It didn’t hurt. No big deal! It

isn’t a problem. No big deal!

no buts about it Go to no ifs, ands, or buts

about it.

No can do. It can’t be done.; I can’t do it.

(Slang.) Sorry, John. No can do. I can’t

sell you this one. I’ve promised it to Mrs.

Smith. BILL: Please fix this clock today.

BOB: No can do. It’ll take a week to get the

parts.

No comment. I have nothing to say on this

matter. Q: When did you stop beating

your dog? A: No comment. Q: Georgie,

did you chop down the cherry tree? A: No

comment.

no doubt surely; without a doubt; un-

doubtedly. He will be here again to-

morrow, no doubt. No doubt you will re-

quire a ride home?

no end of something lots of something. (In-

formal.) It was a wonderful banquet.

They had no end of good food. Tom is

a real problem. He’s no end of trouble.

no flies on someone someone is not slow;

someone is not wasting time. (Refers to

a person moving too fast to allow flies to

light.) Of course I work fast. I go as fast

as I can. There are no f lies on me. There

are no f lies on Robert. He does his work

very fast and very well.

no great shakes nothing important or

worth noticing. (Slang.) It’s okay, but

it’s no great shakes. I like John, but he’s

no great shakes when it comes to sports.

no hard feelings no anger or resentment.

(Informal. No can be replaced with any.)

I hope you don’t have any hard feelings.

No, I have no hard feelings.

No harm done. It is all right. No one or

nothing has been harmed. (Informal.)

It’s okay. No harm done. A: I am sorry

I stepped on your toe. B: No harm done.

no holds barred with no restraints. (Slang.

From wrestling.) I intend to argue it out

with Mary, no holds barred. When Ann

negotiates a contract, she goes in with no

holds barred and comes out with a good

contract.

no ifs, ands, or buts about it and no

buts about it absolutely no discussion,

dissension, or doubt about something.

I want you there exactly at eight, no ifs,

ands, or buts about it. This is the best

television set available for the money, no

buts about it.

no joke a serious matter. (Informal.) It’s

no joke when you miss the last train. It’s

certainly no joke when you have to walk

home.

no kidding [spoken] honestly; [someone

is] not joking or lying. (Slang.) No kid-

ding, you really got an A in geometry?

I really did, no kidding.

no laughing matter a serious matter. Be

serious. This is no laughing matter. This

disease is no laughing matter. It’s quite

deadly.

no love lost (between someone and some-

one else) no friendship wasted between

someone and someone else (because they

are enemies). Ever since their big argu-

ment, there has been no love lost between

Tom and Bill. You can tell by the way

that Jane is acting toward Ann that there

is no love lost.

no matter what happens in any event;

without regard to what happens (in the

future). We’ll be there on time, no mat-

ter what. No matter what happens, we’ll

still be friends.

No news is good news. If one has not had

any information about someone or some-

thing for some time, it means that all is

well, since one would have heard if any-

thing bad or unfortunate had occurred

(Proverb.) I haven’t heard from my son

since he left for college, but I suppose no

news is good news. I think Joan would

have heard by now if she hadn’t got the job.

No news is good news.

no point in something no purpose in doing

something. There is no point in lock-

ing the barn door now that the horse has

been stolen. There’s no point is crying

over spilled milk.

no problem Go to no sweat.

no skin off someone’s nose Go to no skin

off someone’s teeth.

no skin off someone’s teeth and no skin

off someone’s nose no difficulty for some-

one; no concern of someone.

skin off my nose if she wants to act that

way. She said it was no skin off her teeth

if we wanted to sell the house.

no sooner said than done <an expression

indicating that something has been done

quickly and obediently.> When Sally

asked for someone to open the window, it

was no sooner said than done. As Jane

opened the window, she said, “No sooner

said than done.”

no spring chicken not young (anymore).

(Informal.) I don’t get around very well

anymore. I’m no spring chicken, you know.

Even though John is no spring chicken,

he still plays tennis twice a week.

no sweat and no problem no difficulty;

do not worry. (Slang.) Of course I can

have your car repaired by noon. No sweat.

You’d like a red one? No problem.

no trespassing do not enter. (Usually seen

on a sign. Not usually spoken.) The

sign on the tree said, “No Trespassing.” So

we didn’t go in. The angry farmer

chased us out of the field shouting, “Get

out! Don’t you see the no trespassing sign?”

no two ways about it no choice about it;

no other interpretation of it. (Folksy.

Note the form there’s rather than there

are.) You have to go to the doctor

whether you like it or not. There’s no two

ways about it. This letter means you’re

in trouble with the tax people. There’s no

two ways about it.

no-win situation a situation where there

is no correct or satisfactory solution.

The general was too weak to fight and too

proud to surrender. It was a no-win situ-

ation. The huge dog my father gave us

as a gift eats too much. If we get rid of the

dog, my father will be insulted. If we keep

it, we will go broke buying food for it. This

is a classic no-win situation.

no wonder [something is] not surprising.

(Informal.) No wonder the baby is cry-

ing. She’s wet. It’s no wonder that plant

died. You watered it too much.

nobody’s fool a sensible and wise person

who is not easily deceived. Mary’s no-

body’s fool. She knows Jack would try to

cheat her. Anne looks as though she’s not

very bright, but she’s nobody’s fool.

nod off to fall asleep, usually while sitting

up. (Informal.) Jack nodded off during

the minister’s sermon. Father always

nods off after Sunday lunch.

none of someone’s beeswax none of some-

one’s business (Slang.) The answer to

that question is none of your beeswax.

It’s none of your beeswax what I do with

my spare time.

none of someone’s business not of some-

one’s concern. (A gentle rebuke.) Q:

When are you going to leave for home? A:

None of your business. How I manage

to keep thin is none of your business.

none other than someone the very person.

The new building was opened by none

other than the mayor. Jack’s wife turned

out to be none other than my cousin.

none the wiser not knowing any more.

I was none the wiser about the project af-

ter the lecture. It was a complete waste of

time. Anne tried to explain the situation

tactfully to Jack, but in the end, he was

none the wiser.

none the worse for wear no worse be-

cause of use or effort. I lent my car to

John. When I got it back, it was none the

worse for wear. I had a hard day today,

but I’m none the worse for wear.

none too something not very something; not

at all something. The towels in the

bathroom were none too clean.

none too warm in their house.

nose about Go to nose around.

nose around and nose about to investi-

gate; to check (into something). (Infor-

mal.) I don’t have an answer to your

question, but I’ll nose around and see what

I can find out. I’ll nose about, too. Who

knows what we’ll find out?

nose in(to something) to move into some-

thing, front end first. Slowly the car

nosed into its parking place. You must

nose in very carefully.

[nose is in the air] Go to one’s nose is in

the air.

nose someone out to push someone away;

to exclude someone. Where I work

someone is always trying to nose me out.

I’d hate to lose my job. T John nosed out

Bill from the team.

miss out (on something) and lose out (on

something) to fail to participate in some-

thing; to fail to take part in something.

I’m sorry I missed out on the ice cream.

I lost out on it, too. We both missed out.

miss (something) by a mile to fail to hit

something by a great distance; to land

wide of the mark. Ann shot the arrow

and missed the target by a mile. “Good

grief, you missed by a mile,” shouted Sally.

miss the boat to miss out (on something);

to be ignorant (of something). (Also lit-

eral. Slang.) Pay attention, John, or

you’ll miss the boat. Tom really missed

the boat when it came to making friends.

miss the point to fail to understand the

important part of something. (Also lit-

eral.) I’m afraid you missed the point.

Let me explain it again. You keep ex-

plaining, and I keep missing the point.

[mission in life] Go to someone’s mission in

life.

mistake someone for someone else and mix

someone up with someone else to confuse

someone with someone else; to think that

one person is another person. I’m

sorry. I mistook you for John. Tom is al-

ways mistaking Bill for me. We don’t look

a thing alike, though. Try not to mix Bill

up with Bob.

mix and match 1. to assemble a limited

number of items, usually clothing, in a

number of different ways. Alice was

very good at mixing and matching her

skirts, blouses, and sweaters so that she al-

ways could be attractively dressed on a

limited budget. Gary always bought

black, blue, and gray trousers and shirts

so he could mix and match without too

many bad combinations. 2. to select a

number of items from an assortment, of-

ten in order to get a quantity discount.

(As opposed to getting a quantity dis-

count for buying a lot of only one item.)

The candles were 25 percent off, and you

could mix and match colors, sizes, and

I found a good sale on shirts.

They were four for fifty dollars, and the

store would let you mix and match.

mix it up to argue or fight. (Also literal.

Slang.) First they were just talking, then

suddenly one of them got mad and they

really began to mix it up. Look at you,

Bill! Your face is bleeding. Have you been

mixing it up with John again?

mix someone or something up 1. to confuse

two things or two people with each other.

Please don’t mix these ideas up. They

are quite distinct. T I always mix up Bill

and Bob. Why do you mix them up? 2.

[with someone] to cause someone to be

confused or puzzled. I’m confused as

it is. Don’t mix me up anymore. T They

mixed up my uncle by giving him too

many things to remember. 3. [with some-

thing] to blend the ingredients of some-

thing; to assemble and mix the parts of

something. (Usually refers to fluid mat-

ter such as paint, gasoline, or milk.)

The glue will be ready to use as soon as I

mix it up. T Now, mix up the eggs, water,

and salt; then add the mixture to the flour

and sugar.

mix someone up with someone else Go to

mistake someone for someone else.

a mixed bag a varied collection of people

or things. (Refers to a bag of game

brought home after a day’s hunting.)

The new students in my class are a mixed

bag—some bright, some positively stupid.

The furniture I bought is a mixed bag.

Some of it is valuable and the rest is

worthless.

the moment everyone has been waiting

for Go to the big moment.

the moment of truth the point at which

someone has to face the reality or facts of

a situation. The moment of truth is

here. Turn over your test papers and begin.

Now for the moment of truth when we

find out whether we have got permission

or not.

Money burns a hole in someone’s pocket.

Someone spends as much money as pos-

sible. (Proverb. See also have money to

burn.) Sally can’t seem to save anything.

Money burns a hole in her pocket.

money burns a hole in your pocket, you

never have any for emergencies.

Money is no object. and Expense is no

object. It does not matter how much

something costs. Please show me your

finest automobile. Money is no object.

I want the finest earrings you have. Don’t

worry about how much they cost because

expense is no object.

Money is the root of all evil. Money is the

basic cause of all wrongdoing. (Proverb.

The full version is The love of money is the

root of all evil.) Why do you work so

hard to make money? It will just cause you

trouble. Money is the root of all evil.

Any thief in prison can tell you that money

is the root of all evil.

money talks money gives one power and

influence to help get things done or get

one’s own way. (Informal.) Don’t

worry. I have a way of getting things done.

Money talks. I can’t compete against

rich old Mrs. Jones. She’ll get her way be-

cause money talks.

monkey around (with someone or something)

Go to mess around (with someone or some-

thing).

monkey business playful or out of the or-

dinary activities; mischievous or illegal

activities. There’s been some monkey

business in connection with the bank’s ac-

counts. Bob left the company quite sud-

denly. I think there was some monkey busi-

ness between him and the boss’s wife.

monkey suit a tuxedo. (Jocular. Possibly

alluding to the fancy suit worn by an or-

gan grinder’s monkey.) Do I have to

wear a monkey suit to dinner? All the

men except me wore monkey suits at din-

ner on the cruise.

months running Go to days running.

mop the floor up with someone to over-

whelm and physically subdue someone;

to beat someone. (Slang. See also wipe up

the floor with someone.) Stop talking like

that, or I’ll mop the f loor up with you! T

Did you hear that? He threatened to mop

up the f loor with me!

mope around to go about in a depressed

state. (Informal.) Since her dog ran

away, Sally mopes around all day. Don’t

mope around. Cheer up!

more and more an increasing amount; ad-

ditional amounts. As I learn more and

more, I see how little I know. Dad seems

to be smoking more and more lately.

more dead than alive exhausted; in very

bad condition; near death. (Almost al-

ways an exaggeration.) We arrived at

the top of the mountain more dead than

alive. The marathon runners stumbled

one by one over the finish line, more dead

than alive.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys Go

to (as) funny as a barrel of monkeys.

more often than not usually. These

f lowers will live through the winter more

often than not. This kind of dog will

grow up to be a good watchdog more of-

ten than not.

more someone or something than one can

shake a stick at a lot; too many to

count. (Folksy.) There were more snakes

than you could shake a stick at. There

are lots of f lowers in the field—more than

one can shake a stick at.

more than one can bear and more than

one can take; more than one can stand

more of something, such as trouble or

something bad, than a person can en-

dure. This news is more than I can bear!

I’ve heard enough of this horrid music.

It’s more than I can stand.

more than one can stand Go to more than

one can bear.

more than one can take Go to more than

one can bear.

the more the merrier the more people

there are, the happier they will be. Of

course you can have a ride with us! The

more the merrier. The manager hired a

new employee even though there’s not

enough work for all of us now. Oh, well,

the more the merrier.

the morning after (the night before) the

morning after a night spent drinking,

when one has a hangover. Oh, I’ve got

a headache. Talk about the morning after

the night before! It looked like a case of

the morning after the night before, and

Frank asked for some aspirin.

move heaven and earth to do something to

make a major effort to do something.

“I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you,

Mary,” said Bill. I had to move heaven

and earth to get there on time. Your fa-

ther and I had to move heaven and earth

to pay for your braces and your college bills,

and what thanks do we get?

move in (on someone or something) 1. [with

someone] to attempt to displace someone

or take over someone’s property, inter-

ests, or relationships. (Slang, especially

criminal slang. Compare this with mus-

cle in (on someone or something).) Look

here, pal, Sally’s my girl. Are you trying to

move in on me? It looks like the south-

side gang is trying to move in. We’ll have

to teach them a lesson. 2. [with someone]

to move into someone’s household. My

mother-in-law moved in on us for two

months. I wouldn’t move in on you

without an invitation. 3. to move closer

to someone or something, especially with

a camera. Now, slowly move in on the

cereal box. This will be a great advertise-

ment. Hold the camera very steady and

move in on the baby.

move into something to get started in a new

enterprise, job, etc. (Also literal.)

moved into a new job last week. It’s very

exciting work. John moved into a new

line of work, too.

move up (in the world) to advance (one-

self ) and become successful. The

harder I work, the more I move up in the

world. Keep your eye on John. He’s really

moving up.

movers and shakers people who get

things done; people who are productive

and cause other people to be productive;

people who create and produce. The

trouble with the ABC Company is that all

the movers and shakers are leaving to take

jobs elsewhere. It seems as if all the

movers and shakers of the world are em-

ployed by a very small number of large

firms.

much ado about nothing a lot of excite-

ment about nothing. (This is the title of

a play by Shakespeare. Do not confuse

ado with adieu.) All the commotion

about the new tax law turned out to be

much ado about nothing. Your promises

always turn out to be much ado about

nothing.

much in evidence very visible or evident.

John was much in evidence during the

conference. Your inf luence is much in

evidence. I appreciate your efforts.

much sought after wanted or desired very

much; highly desirable. This kind of

crystal is much sought after. It’s very rare.

Sally is a great singer. She’s much sought

after.

muddy the water to make something less

clear; to make matters confusing; to cre-

ate difficulty where there was none be-

fore. (Also literal.) Things were going

along quite smoothly until you came along

and muddied the water. The events of

the past month have muddied the water as

far as our proposed joint venture is

concerned.

muff one’s lines Go to fluff one’s lines.

mull something over to think about some-

thing; to ponder or worry about some-

thing. That’s an interesting idea, but I’ll

have to mull it over. T I’ll mull over your

suggestions and report to you next week.

mum’s the word don’t spread the secret.

Don’t tell anyone what I told you. Re-

member, mum’s the word. Okay, mum’s

the word. Your secret is safe with me.

murder on something very destructive or

harmful to something. Running a mar-

athon is murder on your knees. This dry

weather is murder on my crops.

muscle in (on someone or something) to try

forcefully to displace someone or take

over someone’s property, interests, or re-

lationships. (Slang, especially criminal

slang. Compare this with move in (on

someone or something).) Are you trying to

muscle in on my scheme? If you try to

muscle in, you’ll be facing big trouble.

a must something that you must do. (In-

formal. Preceded by be, become, or seem

like.) When you’re in San Francisco, see

the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a must. It’s

a must that you brush your teeth after

every meal.

muster (up) one’s courage to build up

one’s courage; to call or bring forth one’s

courage. I mustered my courage and

dove from the high diving board. He

had to muster up all his courage in order

to attend the dance.

my gut tells me (that) something is so my in-

stincts tell me that something is so. (This

refers to one’s gut reaction or gut response,

that is, the way someone feels about

something.) My gut tells me that her

idea is a sound one. This looks good on

paper, but my gut tells me that it is all

wrong.

my one and only one’s spouse. (Informal.

See also the one and only.) Look at the

time. I’ve got to get home to my one and

only. You’re my one and only. There is

no one else for me.