Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
Шрифт:
[newshawk] <n.> A newspaper reporter. * /There are always a lot of newshawks following the president./
[next door] <adv.> or <adj.> 1. In or to the next house or apartment. * /He lived next door to me./ * /She telephoned next door to ask about John./ * /The house next door caught fire./ 2. Very close.
– Used with "to". * /The sick man was next door to death./ * /Printing secrets about our country's missiles is next door to treason./
[next to(1)] <adv.> Almost; nearly. * /It was next to impossible to believe that in a month the grass would be green and flowers would be blooming./ * /It was next to unthinkable that the boy would steal./
[next to(2)] <prep.> Just after; second to. * /Next to his family, baseball was his greatest love./ * /Next to pizza, Bob liked hamburger best./
[next to nothing] <n. phr.> Very little; almost nothing. * /They gave me next to nothing for my old car when I traded it in for a new one./ * /When he first started to work, Mr. Black earned next to nothing./
[nice Nelly(1)] or [nice Nellie] <n.>, <informal> Someone who acts too good to be true; a prude; a prig. * /We took him for a nice Nelly when he wouldn't fight./
[nice Nelly(2)] or [nice Nellie] <adj.>, <informal> Too careful not to say or do anything wrong or improper; too proper; prudish. * /Her nice Nelly behavior made her unpopular at school./
[Nick] See: FULL OF THE OLD NICK.
[nick] See: IN THE NICK OF TIME.
[nigger in the woodpile] <n. phr.>, <slang> Something unexpected that changes a situation; a hidden factor or trick.
– Racist and offensive, but commonly used in the past. * /I knew there had to be a nigger in the woodpile, because the man was being much too generous./ * /When the salesman gave him an extra tire for his bike, the boy suspected a nigger in the woodpile./
[night] See: FLY-BY-NIGHT, MAKE A NIGHT OF IT.
[night and day] See: DAY AND NIGHT.
[nightcap] <n.> A good-night drink; a drink taken just before bedtime. * /Let's have a nightcap and then go to sleep./ * /Would you like to come up to my place for a nightcap?/
[night letter] <n.> A telegram sent at night at a cheaper rate and delivered in the morning. * /I waited until after six o'clock in the evening before sending the telegram home because I can say more for the same price in a night letter./
[night life] <n. phr.> Entertainment at night. * /People in the city are able to find more night life than those who live in the country./
[night owl] <n. phr.> One who sleeps during the day and stays up or works during the night. * /Tom hardly ever sleeps at night; he prefers to work by lamp light and has become a regular night owl./ Compare: GRAVEYARD SHIFT.
[nine] See: CAT HAS NINE LIVES, ON CLOUD NINE.
[nine-to-five job] <n. phr.> A typical office job that starts at 9 A.M. and ends at 5 P.M. with a one-hour lunch break at 12 noon or 1 P.M. * /We professors are not too well paid but I could never get used to a nine-to-five job./
[ninety] See: GAY NINETIES.
[nip and tuck] <adj. or adv.>, <informal> Evenly matched; hard fought to the finish. * /The game was nip and tuck until the last minute./ * /A was a nip and tuck race right to the finish line./ * /The two salesmen fought nip and tuck for the contract all the way./ Compare: NECK AND NECK.
[nip in the bud] <v. phr.> To check at the outset; prevent at the start; block or destroy in the beginning. * /The police nipped the plot in the bud./ * /The teacher nipped the disorder in the bud./
[no account(1)] <adj.> Of no importance. * /The lowly clerk's opinion is of no account in this matter./
[no account(2)] <n. phr.> A person of low social station. * /Fred was first considered a no account but he soon proved himself to be a person of great ability./
[nobody] See: IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD.
[nobody home] <slang> 1. Your attention is somewhere else, not on what is being said or done here; you are absent-minded. * /The teacher asked him a question three times but he still looked out the window. She gave up, saying, "Nobody home."/ 2. You are feeble-minded or insane. * /He pointed to the woman, tapped his head, and said, "Nobody home."/
[nobody's fool] <n. phr.> A smart person; a person who knows what he is doing; a person who can take care of himself. * /In the classroom and on the football field, Henry was nobody's fool./ Contrast: BORN YESTERDAY.
[nod] See: LAND OF NOD.
[nodding acquaintance] <n.> Less than casual acquaintance. * /I have never spoken to the chancellor; we have only a nodding acquaintance./
[no deal] or [no dice] or [no go] or [no sale] or [no soap] <slang> Not agreed to; refused or useless; without success or result; no; certainly not.
– Used in the predicate or to refuse something. * /Billy wanted to let Bob join the team, but I said that it was no deal because Bob was too young./ * /"Let me have a dollar." "No dice!" answered Joe./ * /I tried to get Mary on the telephone but it was no go./ * /"Let's go to the beach tomorrow." "No sale, I have my music lesson tomorrow."/ * /I asked Dad for a new bicycle but it was no soap./ Compare: NOTHING DOING, NO USE.
[no doubt] <adv.> 1. Without doubt; doubtless; surely; certainly. * /No doubt Susan was the smartest girl in her class./ 2. Probably. * /John will no doubt telephone us if he comes to town./
[no end] <adv.>, <informal> 1. Very much; exceedingly. * /Jim was no end upset because he couldn't go swimming./ 2. Almost without stopping; continually. * /The baby cried no end./
[no end to] or <informal> [no end of] So many, or so much of, as to seem almost endless; very many or very much. * /There was no end to the letters pouring into the post office./ * /Bob and Dick became close friends and had no end of fun together./
[no frills] <n. phr.> A firm or product that offers no extras; a generic product that carries no expensive label. * /We went on a no frills trip to Europe with few luxuries./
[noggin] See: USE ONE'S HEAD or USE ONE'S NOGGIN.
[no go] See: NO DEAL.
[no good] <adj. phr.> Not satisfactory; not adequate; not approved. * /"That's no good," I told him when he began to cry./ * /He was no good at arithmetic./ * /He tried appealing to the man's pride, but it did no good./