Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
Шрифт:
[sit on] <v.> 1. To be a member of (a jury, board, commission), etc. * /Mr. Brown sat on the jury at the trial./ 2. <informal> To prevent from starting or doing something; squelch. * /The teacher sat on Fred before he could get started with the long story./ * /The teacher sat on Joe as soon as he began showing off./
[sit on a bomb] or [bombshell] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be in possession of anything that is potentially disastrous or dangerous. * /The finance department will be sitting on a bomb unless it finds a way to cut overhead expenses./
[sit on a volcano] <v.>, <informal> 1. To be in a place where trouble may start or danger may come suddenly. * /Bob was in that part of South America before the revolution began. He knew he was sitting on a volcano./ * /The policemen who patrolled the big city slum area that summer were sitting on a volcano./
[sit on one's hands] <v. phr.>, <informal> To do nothing; fail or refuse to do anything. * /We asked Bill for help with our project, but he sat on his hands./
[sit on the fence] See: ON THE FENCE.
[sit out] <v.> To not take part in. * /The next dance is a polka. Let's sit it out./ * /Toby had to sit out the last half of the game because his knee hurt./
[sitter] See: ON THE FENCE also FENCE-SITTER.
[sitting on a powder keg] See: SIT ON A VOLCANO.
[sit through] <v.> To watch or listen until (something) is finished. * /The show was so boring that we could hardly sit through the first act./ * /Elaine liked the movie so much that she sat through three showings./
[sit tight] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make no move or change; stay where you are.
– Often used as a command. * /Sit tight; I'll be ready to go in a few minutes./ * /The doctor said to sit tight until he arrived./ * /The gangsters sat tight in the mountains while the police looked for them./ Compare: STAND PAT.
[sitting on top of the world] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD.
[sitting pretty] <adj.>, <slang> To be in a lucky position. * /The new library is sitting pretty because a wealthy woman gave it $10,000 worth of reference books./ * /Mr. Jones was sitting pretty until his $25,000-a-year job was dropped by the company./
[sit up] <v.> 1. To move into a sitting position. * /Joe sat up when he heard the knock on his bedroom door./ 2. To stay awake instead of going to bed. * /Mrs. Jones will sit up until both of her daughters get home from the dance./ * /We sat up until two A.M. hoping for news from Alaska./ 3. <informal> To be surprised. * /Janice really sat up when I told her the gossip about Tom./
[sit-up] <n.> A vigorous exercise in which the abdominal muscles are strengthened by locking one's feet in a fastening device and sitting up numerous times. * /Do a few sit-ups if you want to reduce your waist./
[sit up and take notice] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be surprised into noticing something. * /Grace had never impressed her teachers. Hearing that she had won the essay contest made them sit up and take notice./ * /George's sudden success made the town sit up and take notice./
[sit up for] <v. phr.> To wait until after the usual bedtime for someone's return. * /Mrs. Smith always sits up for her two daughters, no matter how late it is./
[sit up with] <v. phr.> To be with; particularly to keep someone ill company. * /Mrs. Brown sat up with her sick husband all night in the hospital room./
[sit well (with)] <v.> Find favor with; please. * /The reduced school budget did not sit well with the teachers./
[sit with] <v.>, <informal> To be accepted by; affect.
– Used in interrogative sentences and in negative sentences modified by "well". * /How did your story sit with your mother?/ * /Bob's poor sportsmanship doesn't sit well with the coach./
[six] See: AT SIXES AND SEVENS, DEEP-SIX.
[six bits] <n.>, <slang> Seventy-five cents. * /"Lend me six bits till Friday, Sam," said Jim. "I've spent all my allowance."/ Compare: TWO BITS.
[six of one and half-a-dozen of the other] <n. phr.> Two things the same; not a real choice; no difference. * /Which coat do you like better, the brown or the blue? It's six of one and half-a-dozen of the other./ * /Johnny says it's six of one and half-a-dozen of the other whether he does the job tonight or tomorrow night./
[size] See: CUT DOWN TO SIZE, PINT-SIZE.
[size up] <v.>, <informal> To decide what one thinks about (something); to form an opinion about (something). * /Give Joe an hour to size up the situation and he'll tell you what to do next./ * /Our coach went to New York to size up the team we'll face in our homecoming game./ Compare: TAKE STOCK(2).
[skate] See: CHEAP SKATE.
[skate on thin ice] <v. phr.> To take a chance; risk danger, disapproval or anger. * /You'll be skating on thin ice if you ask Dad to increase your allowance again./ * /John knew he was skating on thin ice, but he could not resist teasing his sister about her boyfriend./
[skating rink] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> Slippery road. * /Attention all units - there's a skating rink ahead!/
[skeleton in the closet] <n. phr.> A shameful secret; someone or something kept hidden, especially by a family. * /The skeleton in our family closet was Uncle Willie. No one mentioned him because he drank too much./
[skid lid] <n.>, <slang> A crash helmet worn by motorcyclists and race drivers. * /How much did you pay for that handsome skid lid?/
[skid row] <n.> The poor part of a city where men live who have no jobs and drink too much liquor. * /That man was once rich, but he drank and gambled too much, and ended his life living on skid row./ * /The Bowery is New York City's skid row./
[skim the surface] <v. phr.> To do something very superficially. * /He seems knowledgeable in many different areas but his familiarity is very superficial, since he only skims the surface of everything he touches./