Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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Текущая страница: 36 (всего у книги 61 страниц)

[means] See: BY ALL MEANS, BY MEANS OF, BY NO MEANS, WAYS AND MEANS.

[means to an end]{n. phr.} An action leading to some end or purpose. •/Money for him was just a means to an end; actually he wanted power./

[mean well]{v. phr.} To have good intentions. •/Fred generally means well, but he has a tendency to be tactless./

[measure] See: BEYOND MEASURE, FOR GOOD MEASURE, MADE-TO-MEASURE, TAKE ONE’S MEASURE or TAKE THE MEASURE OF.

[measure off]{v. phr.} To mark by measuring. •/She measured off three yards with which to make the new dress./

[measure up]{v.} To be equal; be of fully high quality; come up. •/John didn’t measure up to the best catchers but he was a good one./ •/Lois' school work didn’t measure up to her ability./ Compare up: TO PAR. Contrast: FALL SHORT.

[meatball]{n.}, {slang} A dull, boring, slow-witted, or uninteresting person. •/You’ll never get an interesting story out of that meatball – stop inviting him./

[medicine] See: TAKE ONE’S MEDICINE.

[medium] See: STRIKE A HAPPY MEDIUM.

[meet] See: MAKE ENDS MEET.

[meet halfway] See: GO HALFWAY.

[meeting] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES.

[meet one’s death]{v. phr.} To die. •/Algernon met his death in a car accident./

[meet one’s eye]{v. phr.} To be in plain view or come into plain view; appear clearly or obviously. •/When John rounded the bend, a clear blue lake met his eye./ •/On a first reading the plan looked good, but there was more to it than met the eye./

[meet one’s match]{v. phr.} To encounter someone as good as oneself. •/The champion finally met his match and lost the game./

[meet one’s Waterloo]{v. phr.} To be defeated; lose an important contest. •/After seven straight victories the team met its Waterloo./ •/John fought instead of running, and the bully met his Waterloo./ (After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo.)

[meet up with]{v. phr.} To meet by accident; come upon without planning or expecting to. •/When he ran around the tree, Bob suddenly meet up with a large bear./ •/The family would have arrived on time, but they met up with a flat tire./

[meet with]{v.} 1. To meet (someone), usually by accident. •/In the woods he met with two strangers./ Syn.: COME UPON. 2. To meet together, usually by plan; join; have a meeting with. •/The two scouts met with the officers to talk about plans for the march./ 3. To experience (as unhappiness); suffer (as bad luck); have (as an accident or mishap). •/The farmer met with misfortune; his crops were destroyed by a storm./ •/The traveler met with an accident on the road./

[melt] See: BUTTER WOULDN’T MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH, MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH.

[melting pot]{n. phr.} A country where different nationalities mingle and mix with the result that, in the second generation, most people speak the main language of the country and behave like the majority. •/It is no longer considered entirely true that the United States is a melting pot; many immigrants speak a second language./

[melt in one’s mouth]{v. phr.} 1. To be so tender as to seem to need no chewing. •/The chicken was so tender that it melted in your mouth./ 2. To taste very good; be delicious. •/Mother’s apple pie really melts in your mouth./

[memory] See: IN MEMORY OF.

[mend] See: ON THE MEND.

[mend one’s fences]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something to make people like or follow you again; strengthen your friendships or influence. •/The senator went home from Washington to mend his fences./ •/John saw that his friends did not like him, so he decided to mend his fences./

[mend one’s ways]{v. phr.} To reform; change one’s behavior from negative to positive. •/He had better mend his ways or he’ll wind up in jail./

[mental telepathy]{n. phr.} The passing of one person’s thoughts to another without any discoverable talking or carrying of signals between them. •/Mrs. Smith knew the moment her husband’s ship sank on the other side of the world. It seems like a case of mental telepathy./ •/Most or all men who practice mental telepathy on stage have really trained themselves to detect tiny clues from the audience./

[mention] See: NOT TO MENTION.

[meow] See: CAT’S MEOW.

[mercy] See: AT THE MERCY OF.

[mercy killing]{n. phr.} The act of killing a terminally ill patient or animal in order to avoid further suffering. •/Mercy killing of humans is illegal in most countries, yet many doctors practice it secretly./

[merrier] See: MORE THE MERRIER.

[merry] See: LEAD A MERRY CHASE, MAKE MERRY.

[message] See: GET THE MESSAGE.

[mess around]{v. phr.} 1. To engage in idle or purposeless activity. •/Come on, you guys, – start doing some work, don’t just mess around all day!/ 2. {vulgar} To be promiscuous; to indulge in sex with little discrimination as to who the partner is. •/Allen needs straightening out; he’s been messing around with the whole female population of his class./ Compare: FOOL AROUND.

[mess up]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. To cause trouble; to spoil something. •/What did you have to mess up my accounts for?/ 2. To cause someone emotional trauma. •/Sue will never get married; she got messed up when she was a teenager./ 3. To beat up someone physically. •/When Joe came in after the fight with the boys, he was all messed up./

[method in (to) one’s madness]{n. phr.} A plan or organization of ideas hard to perceive at first, but that becomes noticeable after longer and closer examination. •/We thought he was crazy to threaten to resign from the university but, when he was offered a tenured full professorship, we realized that there had been method in his madness./

[mickey mouse(1)]{adj.}, {slang} Inferior; second rate; chicken; easy; gimmicky. •/Watch out for Perkins; he’s full of mickey mouse ideas./

[mickey mouse(2)]{n.} ({derogatory}) A stupid person; a policeman; a white man (as used by blacks).

[midair] See: UP IN THE AIR(2) also IN MIDAIR.

[middle] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM, IN THE MIDDLE.

[middle ground]{n.} A place halfway between the two sides of an argument; a compromise. •/John wanted to go running. Bill said it was too hot. Tom took the middle ground and suggested a hike./ •/The committee found a middle ground between the two proposals./

[middleman]{n.} A person or small business standing in an intermediary position between two parties. •/A retail merchant is the middleman between the factory and the consumer./

[middle of the road]{n. phr.} A way of thinking which does not favor one idea or thing too much; being halfway between two different ideas. •/The teacher did not support the boys or the girls in the debate, but stayed in the middle of the road./

[middle-of-the-road]{adj.} Favoring action halfway between two opposite movements or ideas; with ideas halfway between two opposite sides; seeing good on both sides. •/The men who wrote the Constitution followed a middle-of-the-road plan on whether greater power belonged to the United States government or to the separate states./ •/Senator Jones favors a middle-of-the-road policy in the labor-management dispute./

[midfield stripe]{n.} The line across the center of a football field; the 50-yard line. •/The visitors were able to cross the midfield stripe once during the whole game./

[midnight oil] See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.

[midstream] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM or CHANGE HORSES IN MIDSTREAM.

[might] See: WITH MIGHT AND MAIN.

[mighty] See: HIGH-AND-MIGHTY.

[mile] See: GIVE ONE AN INCH AND HE WILL TAKE A MILE, JAW DROP or JAW DROP A MILE, MISS BY A MILE, MISS IS AS GOOD AS A MILE.

[mile markers]{n.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} Small signs along interstate highways usually bearing a number. •/The Smokey is located at 131 mile marker./

[miles away]{adj. phr.} Inattentive; not concentrating. •/When Betty said, «We have theater tickets for tonight,» Ken didn’t react as his mind was miles away./

[milk] See: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.

[mill] See: RUN-OF-THE-MILL, THROUGH THE MILL.

[mill around]{v. phr.} To move impatiently in no particular direction. •/The crowd milled around, waiting for the arrival of the president./

[million] See: FEEL LIKE A MILLION, LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS.

[millstone around one’s neck]{n. phr.} An intolerable burden. •/Max said that his old car was a millstone around his neck./ Compare: MONKEY ON ONE’S BACK.

[mince words]{v. phr.} To choose words carefully for the sake of politeness or deception. •/I like people who speak frankly and truthfully without mincing words./

[mind] See: CROSS ONE’S MIND or PASS THROUGH ONE’S MIND, GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, HALF A MIND, IN MIND, IN ONE’S MIND’S EYE, MAKE UP ONE’S MIND, NEVER MIND, ON ONE’S MIND, OUT OF ONE’S HEAD or OUT OF ONE’S MIND, PUT IN MIND OF, READ ONE’S MIND.

[mind like a steel trap]{n. phr.} A very quick and understanding mind, which is quick to catch an idea. •/Henry is not fond of sports, but he has a mind like a steel trap./ •/A successful lawyer must have a mind like a steel trap./

[mind one’s own business]{v. phr.} To not interfere in the affairs of others. •/He finally got tired of her criticism and told her to mind her own business./

[mind one’s p’s and q’s]{v. phr.} To be very careful what you do or say; not make mistakes. •/When the principal of the school visited the class the students all minded their p’s and q’s./ •/If you wish to succeed you must mind your p’s and q’s./ (From the old U.S. Navy when sailors marked on a board in the bar how many Pints and Quarts of liquor they had taken. It was bad manners to cheat.) Syn.: WATCH ONE’S STEP.

[mind-reader] See: READ ONE’S MIND.

[mind you]{v. phr.}, {informal} I want you to notice and understand. •/Mind you, I am not blaming him./

[mine] See: BACK TO THE SALT MINES, RUN OF THE MILL or RUN OF THE MINE.

[mine of information]{n. phr.} A person, a book, etc., that is a valuable source of information. •/A dictionary can be a mine of information./ •/He is a mine of information on the stock market./

[minority leader]{n. phr.} The leader of the political party that has fewer votes in a legislative house. •/The minority leader of the Senate supported the bill./ •/The minority leader in the House of Representatives held a caucus./ Compare: MAJORITY LEADER.

[mint money] See: COIN MONEY.

[minutes of the meeting]{n. phr.} The notes taken by the recording secretary; of an official body or an association recording of what was said and transacted during the given session. •/«Shall we accept the minutes of our last meeting as read by the secretary?» the chairman asked./

[misfire]{v.} To fail to appeal; fall flat. •/The standup comic’s jokes misfired with the audience./ Compare: GO OVER LIKE A LEAD BALLOON.

[miss] See: HEART SKIP A BEAT or HEART MISS A BEAT.

[miss a trick]{v. phr.} To fail to see, hear, or notice something of even the slightest importance. •/He never misses a trick when it comes to the stock market./

[miss by a mile]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To shoot at something and be far from hitting it; not hit near. •/Jack’s first shot missed the target by a mile./ 2. To be very wrong; be far from right. •/Lee tried to guess on the examination, but his answers missed by a mile./ 3. To fail badly; not succeed at all. •/John Brown wanted to be governor but in the election he missed by a mile./

[missing link] n. 1. Something needed to complete a group; a missing part of a chain of things. •/A 1936 penny was the missing link in John’s collection of pennies./ •/The detective hunted for the fact that was the missing link in the case./ 2. An unknown extinct animal that was supposed to be a connection between man and lower animals. •/The missing link would be half man and half ape./

[miss is as good as a mile] It is the same if one fails or misses something by much or by little. – A proverb. •/We thought Tom had a home run but the ball went foul by inches. A miss is as good as a mile./

[Missouri] See: FROM MISSOURI.

[miss out]{v.}, {informal} To fail; lose or not take a good chance; miss something good. •/Jim’s mother told him he missed out on a chance to go fishing with his father because he came home late./ •/You missed out by not coming with us; we had a great time./ Compare: LOSE OUT.

[miss the boat] also [miss the bus]{v. phr.}, {informal} To fail through slowness; to put something off until too late; do the wrong thing and lose the chance. •/Mr. Brown missed the boat when he decided not to buy the house./ •/In college he didn’t study enough so he missed the boat and failed to pass./ •/Ted could have married Lena but he put off asking her and missed the boat./

[miss the point]{v. phr.} To be unable to comprehend the essence of what was meant. •/The student didn’t get a passing grade on the exam because, although he wrote three pages, he actually missed the point./

[mistake] See: BY MISTAKE.

[misty-eyed] or [dewey-eyed]{adj. phr.} 1. Having eyes damp with tears; emotional. •/The teacher was misty-eyed when the school gave her a retirement gift./ 2. Of the kind who cries easily; sentimental. •/The movie appealed to dewey-eyed girls./

[mixed bag]{n. phr.} A varied set of people, ideas, objects, or circumstances, including both the good and the bad. •/This report is a mixed bag of opinions./ •/There was a mixed bag of people at the press conference./

[mixed blessing]{n.} Something good that has bad features. •/John’s new bicycle was a mixed blessing. The other boys were always asking John to ride it./

[mixed up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Confused in mind; puzzled. •/Bob was all mixed up after the accident./ Compare: BALL UP(1). 2. Disordered; disarranged; not neat. •/The papers on his desk were mixed up./ 3. {informal} Joined or connected (with someone or something bad). •/Harry was mixed up in a fight after the game./ •/Mary’s father told her not to get mixed up with the students that always break school rules./

[mix up]{v.} To confuse; make a mistake about. •/Jimmy doesn’t know colors yet; he mixes up purple with blue./ •/Even the twins' mother mixes them up./ Compare: MIXED UP.

[molehill] See: MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL.

[moment] See: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT.

[Monday] See: BLUE MONDAY.

[money] See: COIN MONEY or MINT MONEY, EASY MONEY, FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED, FOR LOVE OR MONEY, IN THE CHIPS or IN THE MONEY, MADE OF MONEY, MARRY MONEY, PUT ONE’S MONEY ON A SCRATCHED HORSE, RUN FOR ONE’S MONEY, SEE THE COLOR OF ONE’S MONEY, SPENDING MONEY or POCKET MONEY.

[money burns a hole in one’s pocket] See: BURN A HOLE IN ONE’S POCKET.

[money is no object]{informal sentence} The price of something is irrelevant. •/Please show me your most beautiful mink coat; money is no object./

[money to burn]{n. phr.}, {informal} Very much money, more than is needed. •/Dick’s uncle died and left him money to burn./ •/When Joe is twenty-one he will have money to burn./ •/Jean is looking for a husband with money to burn./ Compare: MADE OF MONEY.

[monkey] See: GREASE MONKEY, MAKE A FOOL OF or MAKE A MONKEY OF.

[monkey around] See: FUCK AROUND, HORSE AROUND, MESS AROUND.

[monkey business]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Any unethical, illegitimate, or objectionable activity that is furtive or deceitful, e.g., undercover sexual advances, cheating, misuse of public funds, etc. •/There is a lot of monkey business going on in that firm; you’d better watch out who you deal with!/ 2. Comical or silly actions; goofing off. •/Come on boys, let’s cut out the monkey business and get down to work!/

[monkey on one’s back]{n. phr.}, {informal} An unsolved or nagging problem. •/«My math course is a real monkey on my back,» Jack complained./ Compare: ALBATROSS AROUND ONE’S NECK, MILLSTONE AROUND ONE’S NECK.

[monkey wrench] See: THROW A MONKEY WRENCH.

[monster] See: GREEN-EYED MONSTER.

[month in, month out] See: DAY IN AND DAY OUT.

[month of Sundays]{n. phr.}, informal A very long time. – Used for emphasis after «for» or «in» and usually with a negative verb. •/I have not had devil’s food cake in a month of Sundays./ •/When he got her first letter, he felt that he had not heard from her for a month of Sundays./ Syn.: DOG’S AGE.

[moon] See: ASK FOR THE MOON or CRY FOR THE MOON, DARK OF THE MOON, FULL OF THE MOON, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, PROMISE THE MOON.

[moonshine]{n.} Illegally distilled alcoholic beverage made at home, mostly on a farm. •/Grandpa is at it again in the barn, making moonshine out of plums./

[mop the floor with] or [mop up the floor with] or [wipe the floor with] or [wipe up the floor with]{v. phr.}, {slang} To defeat very clearly or quickly; to beat badly. •/The bully threatened to mop up the floor with Billy./ •/Our team wiped the floor with the visiting team./

[mop up]{v. phr.} To disperse or liquidate isolated groups or detachments of opposing forces. •/Our forces won the basic battle but there still remain pockets of resistance they must mop up./

[mop up the floor with] See: MOP THE FLOOR WITH.

[more] See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW.

[more often than not]{adv. phr.} More than half the time; fifty-one or more times out of a hundred; not quite usually, but fairly regularly. •/Nancy comes over on Saturday more often than not./ •/Ben is a fairly good runner. He wins more often than not./

[more or less]{adv. phr.} 1. Somewhat; rather; mostly; fairly. •/Earl made some mistakes on the test, but his answers were more or less right./ •/Ed is more or less intelligent./ •/Betty believes more or less in fairies./ Compare: IN A WAY. 2. About; nearly; not exactly, but almost. •/The new building cost more or less what the builder figured./ •/It is a mile, more or less, from his home to the school./ •/He has wanted to date her more or less since he first saw her./ Compare: OR SO.

[more than]{adv.} Over what you might expect; very. •/They were more than glad to help./ •/He was more than upset by the accident./ Contrast: LESS THAN.

[more than one can chew] See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW.

[more than one could shake a stick at]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very many; a great many; more than you can count. •/There were more people at the game than you could shake a stick at./ •/I had more assignments for homework than I could shake a stick at./

[more the merrier]{n. phr.} The more people who join in the fun, the better it will be. – Used in welcoming more people to join others in some pleasant activity. •/Come with us on the boat ride; the more the merrier./

[morning after]{n.}, {slang} The effects of drinking liquor or staying up late as felt the next morning; a hangover. •/One of the troubles of drinking too much liquor is the morning after./ •/Mr. Smith woke up with a big headache and knew it was the morning after./

[Moses] See: HOLY CATS or HOLY MOSES.

[moss] See: ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS.

[most] See: AT MOST, MAKE THE MOST OF.

[mother] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.

[motion] See: GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS.

[mountain] See: MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL.

[mouse] See: PLAY CAT AND MOUSE WITH.

[mouth] See: BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN ONE’S MOUTH, BUTTER WOULDN’T MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH, BY WORD OF MOUTH, DOWN IN THE DUMPS or DOWN IN THE MOUTH, FOAM AT THE MOUTH, HEART IN ONE’S MOUTH, KEEP ONE’S MOUTH SHUT, LAUGH ON THE WRONG SIDE OF ONE’S MOUTH, LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN ONE’S MOUTH, LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH, LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH, MAKE ONE’S MOUTH WATER, MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH, PUT ONE’S FOOT IN IT or PUT ONE’S FOOT IN ONE’S MOUTH, PUT WORDS INTO ONE’S MOUTH, SHOOT OFF ONE’S MOUTH, STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH, TAKE THE BIT IN ONE’S MOUTH, TAKE THE BREAD OUT OF ONE’S MOUTH.

[mouthful] See: SAY A MOUTHFUL.

[mouth-watering]{adj.} Smelling or looking very good to eat. •/It was a mouth-watering meal./

[move] See: GET A MOVE ON, ON THE MOVE.

[move a muscle]{v. phr.} To move even a very little. – Used in negative sentences and questions and with «if». •/The deer stood without moving a muscle until the hunter was gone./ •/The girls were so startled that they did not move a muscle./ •/You’re sitting right where you were when I left! Have you moved a muscle?/ •/The robber said he would shoot the bank worker if he moved a muscle./

[move heaven and earth]{v. phr.} To try every way; do everything you can. •/Joe moved heaven and earth to be sent to Washington./ Compare: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

[move in on]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To take over something that belongs to another. •/He moved in on my girlfriend and now we’re not talking to each other./

[movement] See: LABOR MOVEMENT.

[moving spirit]{n. phr.} The main figure behind a business or an activity; the one who inspires the others. •/Mr. Smith is the moving spirit behind our expansion plans./

[much] See: AS MUCH AS, FOR AS MUCH AS, MAKE MUCH OF, SO MUCH, SO MUCH FOR, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF or THINK MUCH OF.

[much as] See: AS MUCH AS(1).

[much less]{conj.} And also not; and even less able or likely to. – Used after a negative clause. •/I never even spoke to the man, much less insulted him./ •/John couldn’t even pick up the box, much less carry it upstairs./ •/George can hardly understand arithmetic, much less algebra./ Compare: LET ALONE, NOT TO MENTION.

[mud] See: NAME IS MUD, STICK-IN-THE-MUD.

[mud in your eye]{n. phr.}, {informal} A cheering exclamation when people drink, much like «cheers!» •/Each time John raised his glass he said, «Well, here’s mud in your eye!»/

[mug shot]{n. phr.} A police photograph showing the arrested person’s full face and profile. •/«Go over these mug shots,» Sergeant O’Malley said, «and tell me if you find the person who held up the liquor store!»/

[Muhammad] See: IF THE HILL WON’T COME TO MUHAMMAD, THEN MUHAMMAD MUST COME TO THE HILL.

[mull over]{v. phr.} To consider; think over. •/He mulled over the offer for some time, but finally rejected it./

[mum is the word] You must keep the secret; keep silent; don’t tell anyone. – Often used as an interjection. •/We are planning a surprise party for John and mum is the word./ •/«Mum is the word!» the robber captain told his men./

[murder] See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.

[muscle] See: MOVE A MUSCLE.

[muscle-bound]{adj.} Having your muscles large, hard, and tight from too much exercising; having muscles so developed that you can hardly move. •/Bob was big and strong, but he was muscle-bound, and Bill could beat him./ •/An athlete must train properly so as not to become muscle-hound./

[muscle in on]{v. phr.} To intrude; penetrate; force oneself into another’s business or territory. •/The eastern Mafia muscled in on the western Mafia’s turf and a shooting war was started./

[music] See: FACE THE MUSIC.

[musical chairs]{n. phr.} (Originally the name of a children’s game.) The transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs, especially each other’s jobs. •/The boss regularly played musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh on the job./

[music to one’s ears]{n. phr.} Something one likes to hear. •/When the manager phoned to say I got the job, it was music to my ears./

[mustard] See: CUT THE MUSTARD.

[muster] See: PASS MUSTER.

[my God] or [my goodness]{interj.} Used to express surprise, shock, or dismay. •/My God! What happened to the car?/

[my lips are sealed]{informal sentence} A promise that one will not give away a secret. •/"You can tell me what happened, " Helen said. «My lips are sealed.»/