Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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[see one home]{v. phr.} To walk a person home. •/«Let me see you home, dear,» Nick said to Jenny at the end of the party./

[see one’s way clear]{v. phr.} To know no reason for not doing something; feel that you are free. •/John finally saw his way clear to help his friends./ •/Mary had to do her homework and help her mother before she could see her way clear to go to the movies with Jane./

[see out]{v.} 1. To go with to an outer door. •/A polite man sees his company out after a party./ 2. To stay with and finish; not quit. •/Pete’s assignment was hard but he saw it out to the end./

[see reason]{v. phr.} To think or act sensibly, especially after realizing what the facts are on a certain matter and accepting advice about it. •/He finally saw reason and reshaped his sales strategy by lowering the prices as his older brother had suggested./

[see red]{v. phr.}, {informal} To become very angry. •/Whenever anyone teased John about his weight, he saw red. /

[see service]{v. phr.} 1. To be used over a considerable period of time. •/This old camera of mine has already seen six years of service./ 2. To serve in a military sense. •/Colonel Hutchins has seen service in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf./

[see stars]{v. phr.}, {informal} To imagine you are seeing stars as a result of being hit on the head. •/When Ted was hit on the head by the ball, he saw stars./ •/The boxer’s head hit the floor, making him see stars./

[see the beat] See: HEAR THE BEAT.

[see the color of one’s money]{v. phr.}, {informal} To know that you have money to spend. •/The realtor would not show us a house until he saw the color of our money./ •/Before I show you the diamond, let me see the color of your money./

[see the last of]{v. phr.} To say good-bye to someone or something; get rid of something. •/We were glad to see the last of the winter./

[see the light]{v. phr.}, {informal} To understand or agree, often suddenly; accept another’s explanation or decision. •/I did not approve of his action, but he explained his reason and then I saw the light./ •/Bill wanted Harry to help him, but Harry wasn’t in the mood until Bill offered to pay him. Then Harry saw the light./ •/Mary thought it was fun to date older boys but when they started drinking, she saw the light./

[see the light at the end of the tunnel]{v. phr.}, {informal} To anticipate the happy resolution of a prolonged period of problems. •/We’ve been paying on our house mortgage for many years, but at long last we can see the light at the end of the tunnel./

[see the light of day]{v. phr.} To be born or begun. •/The children visited the old house where their great-grandfather first saw the light of day./ •/The party was a failure, and Mathilda wished her plan had never seen the light of day./

[see the sights] See: SIGHTSEE.

[see things]{v. phr.}, {informal} To imagine sights which are not real; think you see what is not there. •/I had not seen him for twenty years and when we met on the street I thought I was seeing things./ •/She woke her husband to tell him she had seen a face at the window, but he told her she was seeing things./

[see through]{v.} 1. To understand the real meaning of or reason for; realize the falseness of. •/Mother saw through Johnny’s excuses not to go to bed on Christmas Eve. She knew he wanted to stay up to see Santa Claus./ •/The teacher saw through the boy’s story of having to help at home./ 2. To do (something) until finished; stay with until the end. •/Once Charles started a job, he saw it through till it was finished./ 3. To help and encourage (a person) through trouble or difficulty. •/Mrs. Miller saw Jane through her sickness./ •/When Mr. and Mrs. Brown lost their little girl, their friends saw them through with help and sympathy./ •/His business was about to fail, but his banker saw him through./ 4. To be enough for; last. •/This money will see us through the week./ •/Here is a long report to type. Do you have enough paper to see you through?/ Compare: TIDE OVER.

[see to] also [look to]{v.} To attend to; take care of; do whatever needs to be done about. •/While Donna bought the theatre tickets, I saw to the parking of the car./ Compare: SEE ABOUT.

[see to it]{v. phr.} To take care; take the responsibility; make sure. – Usually used with a noun clause. •/We saw to it that the child was fed and bathed./

[see with rose-colored glasses] See: LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES.

[seed money]{n. phr.} A small grant or donation for others to be able to start a new venture. •/All you need is some seed money and you can set up your own desk-top publishing firm./

[seize on]{v.} To make use of (a happening or idea.) •/Bob seized on the rain as an excuse for missing school./

[seize on] or [upon]{v. phr.} To latch onto. •/Whenever Herb is in a romantic mood, Irene seizes on it and starts talking about marriage, which is not what Herb had in mind./

[seize the opportunity]{v. phr.} To exploit a chance. •/His wealthy uncle offered to send him to Harvard and he wisely seized the opportunity./

[self-conscious]{adj.} Embarrassed; shy. •/Edith has a freckled face and sometimes she is very self-conscious about it./

[self-made]{adj.} Having achieved wealth, fame, and success on one’s own without outside help. •/John D. Rockefeller is one of the most famous self-made men in America./

[self-possessed]{adj.} Confident; sure of one self. •/Before he made his first million, he used to be shy, but afterwards he became very self-possessed./

[self-seeking]{adj.} Given to egotism and self-aggrandizement. •/Al is the most self-seeking person I’ve ever met, he is not fun to be around./

[sell down the river]{v. phr.} To give harmful information about someone or something to one’s enemies; betray. •/The traitor sold his country down the river to the enemy army./ •/The criminal told the hiding place of his companions and sold them down the river./ Compare: SELL OUT(2).

[sell off]{v. phr.} To liquidate one’s holdings of certain set items. •/The retired professor had to sell off his rare butterfly collection to meet his health expenses./

[sell one a bill of goods]{v. phr.} To persuade another to acquire something useless; defraud. •/We were sure sold a bill of goods when Alfred persuaded us to buy his custom-built car for which replacement parts weren’t available anywhere./

[sell one on]{v. phr.} To persuade someone to do something. •/We were able to sell our wealthy uncle on the idea of having a joint family vacation in Hawaii./

[sellout]{n.} 1. A betrayal or act of treason. •/The spy’s behavior during the Cold War was a classical sellout./

[sell out]{v.} 1a. To sell all of a certain thing which a store has in stock. •/In the store’s January white sale the sheets and pillowcases were sold out in two days./ 1b. To sell all the stock and close the store; go out of business. •/The local hardware store sold out last month and was replaced by a cafe./ 2. {informal} To be unfaithful to your country for money or other reward; be disloyal; sell a secret; accept a bribe./ •/In the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold sold out to the British./ •/The dishonest wrestler sold out to his opponent for a hundred dollars./

[sell short]{v.} To think (a person or thing) less good or valuable than is true; underestimate. •/Don’t sell the team short; the players are better than you think./ •/Some teachers sold John short./

[sell snow to the Eskimos]{v. phr.} To sell something to people who already have a large quantity of the same or similar goods. •/My Alaskan friend said, «One of the hottest businesses in Alaska is refrigeration. You could say that I, as a refrigerator expert, am selling snow to the Eskimos.»/ See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE.

[send C.O.D.] See: C.O.D.

[send off]{v. phr.} To say good-bye to someone ceremoniously. •/They sent us off to the Mainland from our first visit to Hawaii with an elaborate champagne party at the pier./

[send-off]{n. phr.} A demonstration of affection or respect at someone’s departure, as a retirement ceremony. •/When our colleague retired after 35 years of teaching, we all got together at the Faculty Club and gave him a terrific send-off./

[send one about one’s business]{v. phr.} To dismiss someone summarily; tell one off. •/When Mrs. Atwater discovered that her daughter’s French tutor was an ordinary fortune hunter, she sent him about his business./ Compare: SEND ONE PACKING.

[send one packing]{v. phr.} To fire someone summarily. •/When the boss caught Smith stealing from the cash register, he sent him packing./ Compare: SEND ONE ABOUT ONE’S BUSINESS.

[send to the minors]{v. phr.} To dismiss someone; tell them off; terminate a relationship. – A baseball term. •/«What did you do to your girlfriend?» Ernie asked Bert, when Bert started dating Jane. «I sent her to the minors,» Bert answered with a sneer./

[send up]{v. phr.}, {colloquial} To sentence (someone) to prison. •/Did you know that Milton Shaeffer was sent up for fifteen years?/

[send word]{v. phr.} To send notification to; advise. •/When his father fell seriously ill, we sent word to Mike to come home as quickly as possible./

[senior citizen]{n.} An older person, often one who has retired from active work or employment. •/Mrs. North, the history teacher, is a senior citizen./

[sense] See: COME TO ONE’S SENSES, HORSE SENSE, MAKE SENSE, OUT OF ONE’S HEAD or OUT OF ONE’S SENSES.

[separate the men from the boys]{v. phr.}, {informal} To show who has strength, courage and loyalty and find who do not. •/When the ship hit an iceberg and sank, it separated the men from the boys./ •/The mile run separates the men from the boys./

[separate the sheep from the goats] See SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS.

[serve] See: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.

[serve a sentence]{v. phr.} To be in jail. •/Charlie served four years of an eight-year sentence, after which he was paroled and released./

[serve notice]{v. phr.} 1. To notify one’s employer in a formal or legal manner that one is quitting the former’s employment. •/She gave notice to her boss that she was quitting because of marriage./ 2. To notify an employee or a tenant that one no longer needs their services or wishes to have them as tenants. •/The new landlady gave notice to several families in our building because they were late in paying their rent./

[serve one right]{v. phr.} To be what (someone) really deserves as a punishment; be a fair exchange for what (someone) has done or said or failed to do or say. •/He failed his exam; it served him right because he had not studied./ •/Bob said it served Sally right when she cut her finger; she had taken his knife without asking him./ Compare: ASK FOR, HAVE IT COMING.

[serve time] See: SERVE A SENTENCE.

[serve up]{v.} To prepare and serve (as a food). •/Father caught a trout and Mother served it up at dinner./

[service] See: AT ONE’S SERVICE, CURB SERVICE, LIP SERVICE, OF SERVICE, ROOM SERVICE.

[session] See: BULL SESSION.

[set] See: GET SET.

[set ablaze]{v. phr.} To cause to burn by lighting with a match or other incendiary device. •/The criminals poured gasoline on the house and set it ablaze with a small lighter./

[set about]{v.} To begin; start. •/Benjamin Franklin set about teaming the printer’s trade at an early age./ •/After breakfast, Mother set about her household duties./

[set afire] or [set on fire] See: SET ABLAZE.

[set aside]{v.} 1. To separate from the others in a group or collection. •/She set aside the things in the old trunk which she wanted to keep./ 2. To select or choose from others for some purpose. •/The governor set aside a day for thanksgiving./ 3. To pay no attention to (something); leave out. •/The complaint was set aside as of no importance./ 4. {formal} To refuse to accept; annul; cancel as worthless or wrong. •/The Supreme Court set aside the decision of the lower courts./

[setback]{n.} A disadvantage; a delay. •/We suffered a major setback when my wife lost her job./

[set back]{v.} 1. To cause to put off or get behind schedule; slow up; check. •/The cold weather set back the planting by two weeks./ 2. {informal} To cause to pay out or to lose (a sum of money); cost. •/His new car set him back over $3000./

[set back on one’s heels] or [knock back on one’s heels]{v. phr.}, {informal} To give an unpleasant surprise; upset suddenly; stop or turn back (someone’s) progress. •/Jack brags too much and it set him back on his heels when the coach told him he wasn’t as good a player as he thought he was./ •/Jean was doing very well in school until sickness knocked her back on her heels./ Compare: KNOCK FOR A LOOP, THROW FOR A LOSS.

[set down]{v.} 1. To write; record. •/He set down all his important thoughts in his dairy./ •/At the beginning of his letter Dan set down the date./ Syn.: PUT DOWN. 2. To stop a bus or other vehicle and let (someone) get off. •/The bus driver set her down at the corner./ 3. To put into some group; classify; consider. •/When he heard the man speak, he set him down as a fool./ 4. To explain; think a reason for. •/The teacher set down the boy’s poor English to his foreign birth./

[set eyes on] See: LAY EYES ON.

[set fire to]{v. phr.} To cause to burn; start a fire in. •/The sparks set fire to the oily rags./ Compare: CATCH FIRE.

[set foot]{v. phr.} To step; walk; go. – Used with a negative. •/She would not let him set foot across her threshold./ •/She told the boy not to set foot out of the house until he had finished supper./

[set forth]{v.}, {formal} 1. To explain exactly or clearly. •/The President set forth his plans in a television talk./ 2. To start to go somewhere; begin a trip. •/The troop set forth on their ten-mile hike early./ Compare: SET OUT.

[set free]{v. phr.} To liberate. •/The trapper set all the small animals free before the snowstorm hit./

[set great store by] See: SET STORE BY.

[set in]{v.} To begin; start; develop. •/Before the boat could reach shore, a storm had set in./ •/He did not keep the cut clean and infection set in./ •/The wind set in from the east./

[set in one’s ways]{adj. phr.} Stubborn; opinionated; unchangeable. •/My grandfather is so old and set in his ways that he’ll eat nothing new./

[set loose] See: LET LOOSE(1a).

[set off]{v.} 1. To decorate through contrast; balance by difference. •/The bright colors of the birds were set off by the white snow./ •/A small gold pin set off her plain dark dress./ 2. To balance; make somewhat equal. •/Her great wealth, as he thought, set off her plain face./ 3a. To begin to go. •/They set off for the West in a covered wagon./ Compare: SET OUT. 3b. To cause to begin. •/A letter from home set off an attack of homesickness./ •/An atomic explosion is created by setting off a chain reaction in the atom./ Compare: TOUCH OFF. 3c. To cause to explode. •/On July 4 we set off firecrackers in many places./

[set of new threads]{n. phr.} New men’s suit. •/«Nice set of new threads'» Ed said, when he saw Dave in his new tailor-made outfit./

[set on] also [set upon]{v.} 1. To begin suddenly to fight against; attack fiercely. •/Tom was walking through the park when a gang of boys set on him./ 2. To cause to attack. •/Some boys went to steal melons but the farmer set his dog on them./

[set one’s cap for]{v. phr.}, {informal} To attempt to win the love of or to marry. •/Usually used of a girl or woman./ •/The young girl set her cap for the new town doctor, who was a bachelor./

[set one’s face against]{v. phr.}, {literary} To be very much against; strongly disapprove. •/The banker’s daughter wanted to marry a poor boy, but her father set his face against it./

[set one’s hand to] See: PUT ONE’S HAND TO.

[set one’s hand to the plow] See: PUT ONE’S HAND TO THE PLOW.

[set one’s heart on]{v. phr.} To want very much. •/He set his heart on that bike./ also: To be very desirous of; hope very much to succeed in. – Used with a verbal noun. •/He set his heart on winning the race./

[set one’s house in order] See: PUT ONE’S HOUSE IN ORDER.

[set one’s mind at rest]{v. phr.} To relieve someone’s anxieties; reassure someone. •/«Lef me set your mind at rest about the operation,» Dr. Vanek said. «You’ll be back on your feet in a week.»/

[set one’s mind on]{v. phr.} To be determined to; decide to. •/He has set his mind on buying an old chateau in France./

[set one’s sights]{v. phr.} 1. To want to reach; aim for. •/John has set his sights higher than the job he has now./ 2. To wish to get or win. •/Owen set his sights on the championship./

[set one’s teeth on edge]{v. phr.} 1. To have a sharp sour taste that makes you rub your teeth together. •/The lemon juice set my teeth on edge./ 2. To make one feel nervous or annoyed. •/She looks so mean that her face sets my teeth on edge./

[set on foot] See: ON FOOT.

[set out]{v.} 1. To leave on a journey or voyage. •/The Pilgrims set out for the New World./ Compare: SET FORTH(2), SET OFF(4), START OUT. 2. To decide and begin to try; attempt. •/George set out to improve his pitching./ 3. To plant in the ground. •/The gardener set out some tomato seedlings./

[set right]{v. phr.} To discipline; correct; indicate the correct procedure. •/«Your bookkeeping is all messed up,» the accountant said. «Let me set it right for you, once and for all.»/

[set sail]{v. phr.} To begin a sea voyage; start sailing. •/The ship set sail for Europe./

[set store by]{v. phr.}, {informal} To like or value; want to keep. Used with a qualifying word between «set» and «store». •/George sets great store by that old tennis racket./ •/Pat doesn’t set much store by Mike’s advice./

[set the ball rolling] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING.

[set the pace]{v. phr.} To decide on a rate of speed of travel or rules that are followed by others. •/The scoutmaster set the pace so that the shorter boys would not get tired trying to keep up./ •/Louise set the pace in selling tickets for the school play./ – [pace-setter]{n.} •/John is the pace-setter of the class./ – [pace-setting]{adj.} •/Bob’s time in the cross-country race was pace-setting./ •/The country is growing at a pace-setting rate./

[set the stage for]{v. phr.} To prepare the way or situation for (an event); to make a situation ready for something to happen. •/The country’s economic problems set the stage for a depression./

[set the world on fire]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something outstanding; act in a way that attracts much attention or makes you famous. •/John works hard, but he will never set the world on fire./ •/Mary could set the world on fire with her piano playing./

[setting-up]{adj.} Done early in the morning to make you fresh and feel strong for the day. •/Tom jumped out of bed and did his setting-up exercises./ Compare: DAILY DOZEN.

[settle a score] also [wipe out an old score] To hurt (someone) in return for a wrong or loss. •/John settled an old score with Bob by beating him./ Compare: GET BACK AT, GET EVEN.

[settle down]{v.} 1. To live more quietly and sensibly; have a regular place to live and a regular job; stop acting wildly or carelessly, especially by growing up. •/John will settle down after he gets a job and gets married./ 2. To become quiet, calm, or comfortable. •/Father settled down with the newspaper./ •/The house settled down for the night after the children were put to bed./ •/The teacher told the students to settle down and study the lesson./

[settle for]{v.} To be satisfied with (less) agree to; accept. •/Jim wanted $200 for his old car, but he settled for $100./

[settle on]{v. phr.} To decide which one to choose among various alternatives. •/My parents have been debating what kind of a car to get and have finally settled on a BMW from Germany./

[settle up]{v. phr.} To pay up; conclude monetary or other transactions. •/«Let’s settle up,» Carol’s attorney said, when she sued Don for a hefty sum of money after their divorce./

[set to]{v.} 1. To make a serious beginning. •/Charlie took a helping of turkey, grabbed his knife and fork, and set to./ 2. To start to fight. •/One man called the other a liar and they set to./

[set to music]{v. phr.} To compose a musical accompaniment to verse. •/Schubert and Beethoven both set to music many a famous poem by Goethe and Schiller./

[set to rights] See: PUT TO RIGHTS.

[set tongues wagging] See: TONGUES WAG.

[setup]{v.} 1. To provide the money for the necessities for. •/When he was twenty-one, his father set him up in the clothing business./ 2. To establish; start. •/The government has set up many hospitals for veterans of the armed forces./ 3. To make ready for use by putting the parts together or into their right place. •/The men set up the new printing press./ 4. To bring into being; cause. •/Ocean tides are set up by the pull between earth and the moon./ 5. To claim; pretend. •/He set himself up to be a graduate of a medical school, but he was not./ 6. To harm someone by entrapment or some other ruse. •/Joe was actually innocent of the robbery, but his «trusted friends» set him up, so the police found the gun in his car./

[setup]{n. phr.} (stress on «set») 1. Arrangement, management, circumstances. •/Boy, you really have a wonderful setup in your office!/ •/I just can’t do my work in such a messy setup!/ 2. Financial arrangement. •/It is a fairly generous setup sending your uncle $1,000 a month./

[set upon] See: SET ON.

[seven] See: AT SIXES AND SEVENS.

[seventh heaven]{n. phr.}, {literary} The pinnacle of happiness. •/We were in seventh heaven when the helicopter flew us over the magnificent Grand Canyon./

[sewed up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Won or arranged as you wish; decided. •/They thought they had the game sewed up, but the other team won it with a touchdown in the last quarter./ •/Dick thought he had the job sewed up, but another boy got it./ Compare: IN THE BAG.

[sexual harassment]{n. phr.} The act of constantly making unwanted advances of a sexual nature for which the offended party may seek legal redress. •/The court fined Wilbur Catwallender $750,000 for sexual harassment of two of his female employees./

[shack up with]{v. phr.}, {slang} To move in with (someone) of the opposite sex without marrying the person. •/Did you know that Ollie and Sue aren’t married? They just decided to shack up for a while./ See: LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING.

[shadow] See: AFRAID OF ONE’S SHADOW, EYE SHADOW.

[shaggy dog (story)]{n. phr.} A special kind of joke whose long and often convoluted introduction and development delay the effect of the punch line. •/Uncle Joe only seems to bore his audiences with his long shaggy dog jokes, for when he comes to the long-awaited punch line, he gets very few laughs./

[shake] See: MORE THAN ONE COULD SHAKE A STICK AT.

[shake a leg]{v. phr.}, {slang} To go fast; hurry. •/Shake a leg! The bus won’t wait./ Compare: STEP ON IT.

[shakedown]{n.} 1. A test. •/Let’s take the new car out and give it a shakedown./ 2. An act of extorting money by threatening. •/It was a nasty shakedown, to get $500 from the old man, promising to protect him./

[shake down]{v. phr.} 1. To cause to fall by shaking. •/He shook some pears down from the free./ 2. {informal} To test, practice, get running smoothly (a ship or ship’s crew). •/The captain shook down his new ship on a voyage to the Mediterranean Sea./ 3. {slang} To get money from by threats. •/The gangsters shook the store owner down every month./

[shake in one’s shoes] or [shake in one’s boots]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be very much afraid. •/The robber shook in his boots when the police knocked on his door./

[shake off]{v.}, {informal} To get away from when followed; get rid of; escape from. •/A convict escaped from prison and shook off the officers trying to follow him./ •/Tom could not shake off his cold./

[shake the dust from one’s feet]{v. phr.} To depart or leave with some measure of disgust or displeasure. •/Jim was so unhappy in our small, provincial town that he was glad to shake the dust from his feet and move to New York./

[shake up]{v.}, {informal} To bother; worry; disturb. •/The notice about a cut in pay shook up everybody in the office./

[shake-up]{n.} A change; a reorganization. •/After the scandal there was a major shake-up in the Cabinet./

[shame] See: FOR SHAME, PUT TO SHAME.

[shape] See: IN SHAPE, OUT OF SHAPE, TAKE SHAPE.

[shape up]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To begin to act or work right; get along satisfactorily. •/If the new boy doesn’t begin to shape up soon, he’ll have to leave school./ •/«How is the building of the new gym coming along?» «Fine. It’s shaping up very well.»/ 2. To show promise. •/Plans for our picnic are shaping up very well./

[shape up or ship out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To either improve one’s disposition or behavior, or quit or leave. •/When Paul neglected to carry out his part of the research work that Professor Brown had assigned him with for the fifth time, the professor cried, «Shape up, or ship out, Paul. I have lost my patience with you!»/

[sharp] See: LOOK SHARP.

[sharp as a tack]{adj. phr.} 1. Very neatly and stylishly dressed •/That new boy always looks sharp as a tack in class./ 2. Very intelligent; smart; quick-witted. •/Tom is sharp as a tack; he got 100 on every test./

[shed light on] or upon See: CAST LIGHT ON; THROW LIGHT ON.

[sheep] See: WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.

[sheepskin]{n.} Diploma. •/Dr. Miller has half a dozen different sheepskins hanging on the wall of his office./

[sheet] See: SCANDAL SHEET, THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND or THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[shelf] See: ON THE SHELF.

[shell] See: IN ONE’S SHELL or INTO ONE’S SHELL, OUT OF ONE’S SHELL.

[shell out]{v.}, {informal} To pay or spend. •/Dick had to shell out a lot of money for his new car./

[shift for oneself]{v. phr.} To live or act independently with no help, guidance or protection from others; take care of yourself. •/Mrs. McCarthy was forced to shift for herself after her husband died./

[shine] See: RAIN OR SHINE, TAKE A SHINE TO.

[shine up to]{v.}, {slang} To try to please; try to make friends with. •/Smedley shines up to all the pretty girls./

[shingle] See: HANG OUT ONE’S SHINGLE.

[ship] See: GIVE UP THE SHIP, LANDING SHIP.

[ship come in] All the money a person has wished for is received; wealth comes to a person. Used with a possessive. •/When my ship comes in, I will take a trip to Norway./ •/Mr. Brown is just waiting for his ship to come in./

[ship out]{v.} To begin a journey; leave. •/The army group shipped out for the Far East today./

[shipshape]{adj.} In perfect condition; in good order. •/After we left the islands, we left the rented car shipshape for the next driver./

[shirk one’s duty]{v. phr.} To be negligent or irresponsible. •/If you continue to shirk your duty, you can expect to be fired./

[shirt] See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE’S BACK, KEEP ONE’S SHIRT ON, LOSE ONE’S SHIRT.

[shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, FILL ONE’S SHOES, IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT, IN ONE’S SHOES, SHAKE IN ONE’S SHOES, SADDLE SHOE, STEP INTO ONE’S SHOES, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.

[shoe on the other foot] The opposite is true; places are changed. •/He was my captain in the army but now the shoe is on the other foot./

[shoestring] See: ON A SHOESTRING.

[shoestring catch]{n.} A catch of a hit baseball just before it hits the ground. •/The left fielder made a shoestring catch of a line drive to end the inning./

[shoo away]{v. phr.} To frighten or chase away. •/When the children gathered around the new sports car, we shooed them away./

[shoo-in]{n.}, {informal} Someone or something that is expected to win; a favorite; sure winner. •/Chris is a shoo-in to win a scholarship./ •/Do you think he will win the election? He’s a shoo-in./ •/This horse is a shoo-in. He can’t miss winning./ Syn.: SURE THING(1).

[shoot ahead of] or [past] or [through] or [alongside of]{v. phr.} To move or drive ahead rapidly. •/As we had to slow down before the tunnel, a red sports car shot ahead of us./

[shoot a line] See: DROP A LINE.

[shoot from the hip]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To fire a gun held at the hip without aiming by aligning the barrel with one’s eye. •/In many Western movies the heroic sheriff defeats the villains by shooting from the hip./ 2. To speak sincerely, frankly, and without subterfuge. •/«What kind of an administrator will Mr. Brown be?» the head of the search committee asked. «He shoots straight from the hip,» he was assured./

[shoot off one’s mouth] or [shoot off one’s face]{v. phr.}, {slang} To give opinions without knowing all the facts; talk as if you know everything. •/Tom has never been to Florida, but he’s always shooting his mouth off about how superior Florida is to California./ •/I want to study the problem before I shoot off my face./ •/The editor of the newspaper is always shooting his mouth off about the trouble in Africa./

[shoot one’s wad]{v. phr.}{slang}, {colloquial} 1. To spend all of one’s money. •/We’ve shot our wad for the summer and can’t buy any new garden furniture./ 2. To say everything that is on one’s mind. •/Joe feels a lot better now that he’s shot his wad at the meeting./

[shoot out]{v.} 1. To fight with guns until one person or side is wounded or killed; settle a fight by shooting. – Used with «it». •/The cornered bank robbers decided to shoot it out with the police./ •/The moment she opened the door, the cat shot out and ran around the house./ •/During the last half-minute of the race, Dick shot out in front of the other runners./

[shoot questions at]{v. phr.} To interrogate rapidly and vigorously. •/The attorney for the prosecution shot one question after another at the nervous witness./

[shoot straight] or [shoot square]{v.}, {informal} To act fairly; deal honestly. •/You can trust that salesman; he shoots straight with his customers./ •/We get along well because we always shoot square with each other./ – [straight shooter] or [square shooter]{n.}, {informal} /Bill is a square-shooter./ – [straight-shooting]{adj.} •/The boys all liked the straight-shooting coach./

[shoot the breeze] or [bat the breeze] or [fan the breeze] or [shoot the bull]{v. phr.}, {slang} To talk. •/Jim shot the breeze with his neighbor while the children were playing./ •/Come into the kitchen and we’ll bat the breeze over a cup of coffee./ •/The women were shooting the breeze about Jim’s latest trouble with the police./ •/The fishermen were shooting the bull about the school of sail fish they had seen./