Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
Шрифт:
[polish off] <v.>, <informal> 1. To defeat easily. * /The Dodgers polished off the Yankees in four straight games in the 1963 World Series./ 2. To finish completely; finish doing quickly, often in order to do something else. * /The boys were hungry and polished off a big steak./ * /Mary polished off her homework early so that she could watch TV./
[polish the apple] <v. phr.>, <slang> To try to make someone like you; to try to win favor by flattery. * /Mary polished the apple at work because she wanted a day off./ * /Susan is the teacher's pet because she always polishes the apple./ - [apple polisher] <n.>, <slang> A person who is nice to the one in charge in order to be liked or treated better; a person who does favors for a superior. * /Jane is an apple polisher. She is always helping the teacher and talking to him./ * /Joe is an apple-polisher. He will do anything for the boss./ Compare: EAGER BEAVER, YES-MAN.
– [apple polishing] <n.>, <slang> Trying to win someone's good-will by small acts currying favor; the behavior of an apple polisher. * /When John I brought his teacher flowers, everyone thought he was apple polishing./
[politics] See: PLAY POLITICS.
[pond] See: LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.
[pool] See: CAR POOL.
[pooped out] <adj.>, <slang> Worn out; exhausted. * /Everyone was pooped out after the hike./ * /The heat made them feel pooped out./
[poor as a church mouse] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Penniless; broke; extremely poor. * /The newly arrived boat people were poor as church mice./
[poor-mouth] <v.> To be constantly complaining about one's poverty; keep saying how one cannot afford the better things in life. * /Uncle Jack indulges in an awful lot of poor-mouthing, but we know that he has half a million dollars stashed away in a secret savings account./
[pop] See: EYES POP OUT.
[pop fly] <n.> A baseball batted high into the air but not very far from the plate. * /The batter hit a pop fly to the shortstop./
[pop in] <v. phr.> To suddenly appear without announcement. * /"Just pop into my office any time you're on campus," Professor Brown said./
[pop one's cork] See: BLOW A FUSE, FLY OFF THE HANDLE, LOSE ONE'S MARBLES, LOSE ONE'S TEMPER.
[pop the question] <v. phr.>, <slang> To ask someone to marry you. * /After the dance he popped the question./ * /A man is often too bashful to pop the question./
[popup] <v.> 1. or [bob up] To appear suddenly or unexpectedly; show up; come out. * /Just when the coach thought he had everything under control, a new problem bobbed up./ * /After no one had heard from him for years, John popped up in town again./ 2. To hit a pop fly in baseball. * /Jim popped the pitch up./
[pork] See: SALT PORK.
[port of call] <n. phr.> 1. Any of the ports that a ship visits after the start of a voyage and before the end; a port where passengers or cargo may be taken on or put off; an in-between port. * /Savannah is a port of call for many Atlantic coasting vessels./ 2. A place you visit regularly or often; a stop included on your usual way of going. * /It was an obscure little restaurant which I had made something of a port of call./ * /His home had become one of my regular ports of call in Boston./
[port of entry] <n. phr.> 1. A port where things brought into the country to sell may pass through customs. * /Other ports of entry have been taking business from New York./ 2. A port where a citizen of another country may legally enter a country; a port having passport and immigration facilities. * /Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner./
[position] See: SCORING POSITION.
[possessed of] <adj. phr.>, <formal> In possession of; having; owning. * /He was possessed of great wealth./ * /He was possessed of great self-confidence./
[possum] See: PLAY POSSUM.
[post] See: PROM PILLAR TO POST.
[pot] See: GO TO POT.
[potato] See: HOT POTATO.
[potboiler] <n.> A book, play, or film written for the primary purpose of earning money for the author. * /"Reading a cheap potboiler helps me go to sleep," the professor wryly remarked./
[pot call the kettle black] <informal> The person who is criticizing someone else is as guilty as the person he accuses; the charge is as true of the person who makes it as of the one he makes it against. * /When the commissioner accused the road builder of bribery, the contractor said the pot was calling the kettle black./ * /Bill said John was cheating at a game but John replied that the pot was calling the kettle black./
[potluck] See: TAKE POTLUCK.
[potluck supper] See: COVERED-DISH SUPPER.
[potshot] <n.> A direct shot at an easy, stationary target from behind a protected position or camouflage; criticism. * /Modern journalists like to take potshots at the president of the United States./
[pound] See: PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH.
[pound away at] <v. phr.> 1. To attack; criticize. * /In his campaign speeches the candidate kept pounding away at the administration's foreign policy./ 2. To work industriously. * /Mike was pounding away at the foundation of his new house with shovels and pickaxes./
[pound of flesh] <n. phr.>, <literary> The maximum payment authorized by law. * /He had hoped that Peter would be lenient regarding the interest they had agreed on, but Peter demanded his full pound of flesh./
[pound out] <v. phr.> 1. To play a piece of music very loudly on a percussion instrument. * /The boy was pounding out the tune "Mary had a little lamb" on the marimba./ 2. To flatten something with a hammer. * /The bodyshop uses special hammers to pound out the indentations in the bodies of cars./ 3. To produce a piece of writing on a typewriter in haste and without much care. * /She hurriedly pounded out a letter of recommendation for the foreign graduate student./
[pound the pavement] <v. phr.>, <informal> To walk up and down the streets; tramp about. * /John pounded the pavement looking for a job./ * /Mary and Bill pounded the pavement to find an apartment./
[pour] See: IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS.
[pour cold water on] See: THROW COLD WATER ON.
[pour it on thick] See: LAY IT ON THICK.
[pour money down the drain] <v. phr.> To spend one's money unwisely; to waste one's funds. * /"Stop supporting Harry's drug habit," Ralph said. "You're just pouring money down the drain."./
[pour oil on troubled waters] <v. phr.> To quiet a quarrel; say something to lessen anger and bring peace. * /The troops were nearing a bitter quarrel until the leader poured oil on the troubled waters./
[pour out] <v.> 1. To tell everything about; talk all about. * /Mary poured out her troubles to her pal./ 2. To come out in great quantity; stream out. * /The people poured out of the building when they heard the fire alarm./
[powder] See: TAKE A POWDER.
[powder room] <n.> The ladies' rest room. * /When they got to the restaurant, Mary went to the powder room to wash up./