Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[to first base] See: GET TO FIRST BASE.
[together] See: GET IT ALL TOGETHER.
[together with] <prep.> In addition to; in the company of; along with. * /John, together with his brother, has gone to the party./ * /The police found a knife, together with the stolen money, hidden in a hollow tree./
[to grips] See: COME TO GRIPS WITH.
[to heart] See: TAKE TO HEART also LAY TO HEART.
[to heel] <adj. phr.> 1. Close behind. * /The dog ran after a rabbit, but Jack brought him to heel./ 2. Under control; to obedience. * /When Peter was sixteen, he thought he could do as he pleased, but his father cut off his allowance, and Peter soon came to heel./
[to hell with] or [the hell with] <prep. phr.>, <informal> Used to express disgusted rejection of something. * /It's slop; the hell with what the cook calls it./ Compare: FED UP, GIVE A HANG.
[to it] See: PUT ONE'S BACK TO IT.
[to light] See: BRING TO LIGHT, COME TO LIGHT.
[toll] See: TAKE ITS TOLL.
[toll call] <n. phr.> A long distance telephone call for which one has to pay. * /We had several toll calls on last month's telephone bill./
[toll free] <adv. phr.> Calling an (800) telephone number with the call paid by the business whose number one has dialed. * /You can call us day and night, seven days a week, toll free./
[Tom] See: PEEPING TOM.
[Tom, Dick, and Harry] <n. phr.> People in general; anyone; everyone.
– Usually preceded by "every" and used to show scorn or disrespect. * /The drunk told his troubles to every Tom, Dick and Harry who passed by./
[tone down] <v.> To make softer or quieter; make less harsh or strong; moderate. * /He toned down the sound of the TV./ * /She wanted the bright colors in her house toned down./ * /When the ladies arrived, he toned down his language./ * /The strikers were asked to tone down their demands for higher pay so that there might be a quicker agreement and an end to the strike./
[tong] See: GO AT IT HAMMER AND TONGS.
[tongue] See: AT THE TIP OF ONE'S TONGUE, CAT GET ONE'S TONGUE, HOLD ONE'S TONGUE, KEEP A CIVIL TONGUE IN ONE'S HEAD, SLIP OF THE TONGUE.
[tongue-in-cheek] <adj. phr.> In an ironic or insincere manner. * /When the faculty complained about the poor salary increments, the university's president said that he was not a psychiatrist, thus making an inappropriate tongue-in-cheek remark./
[tongue-lashing] <n.> A sharp scolding or criticism. * /Jim's mother gave him a tongue-lashing for telling family secrets./ Syn.: PIECE OF ONE'S MIND.
[tongues wag] <informal> People speak in an excited or gossipy manner; people spread rumors. * /If married women go out with other men, tongues will wag./ * /When the bank clerk showed up in an expensive new car, tongues wagged./
[tongue-tied] See: TIGHT-LIPPED.
[tongue twister] <n.> A word or group of words difficult to pronounce whose meaning is irrelevant compared to the difficulty of enunciation. * /"She sells sea shells by the seashore" is a popular American tongue twister./
[to no avail] or [of no avail(1)] <adj. phr.>, <formal> Having no effect; useless, unsuccessful. * /Tom's practicing was of no avail. He was sick on the day of the game./ * /Mary's attempts to learn embroidering were to no avail./
[to no avail(2)] <adv. phr.>, <formal> Without result; unsuccessfully. * /John tried to pull the heavy cart, but to no avail./ * /Mary studied hard for the test but to no avail./ Compare: IN VAIN.
[too] See: EAT ONE'S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO.
[too bad] <adj.> To be regretted; worthy of sorrow or regret; regrettable.
– Used as a predicate. * /It is too bad that we are so often lazy./ * /It was too bad Bill had measles when the circus came to town./
[too big for one's breeches] or [too big for one's boots] <adj. phr.> Too sure of your own importance; feeling more important than you really are. * /That boy had grown too big for his breeches. I'll have to put him back in his place./ * /When the teacher made Bob a monitor, he got too big for his boots and she had to warn him./
[too ---- by half] <adj.> (<princ. British>) Much too; excessively. * /The heroine of the story is too nice by half; she is not believable./
[too close for comfort] <adj. phr.> Perilously near (said of bad things). * /When the sniper's bullet hit the road the journalist exclaimed, "Gosh, that was too close for comfort!"/ Compare: CLOSE CALL, CLOSE SHAVE.
[too many cooks spoil the broth] or [stew] A project is likely to go bad if managed by a multiplicity of primary movers.
– A proverb. * /When several people acted all at once in trying to reshape the company's investment policy, Tom spoke up and said, "Let me do this by myself! Don't you know that too many cooks spoil the broth?"/
[too many irons in the fire] See: IRONS IN THE FIRE.
[to one] See: TEN TO ONE, TWO TO ONE.
[to oneself(1)] <adv. phr.> 1. Silently; in the thoughts; without making a sign that others can see; secretly. * /Tom thought to himself that he could win./ * /Mary said to herself that Joan was prettier than Ann./ * /Bill laughed to himself when John fell down./ 2. Without telling others; in private; as a secret.
– Used after "keep". * /Mary keeps her affairs to herself./ * /John knew the answer to the problem, but he kept it to himself./
[to oneself(2)] <adj. phr.> 1. Without company; away from others; alone; deserted. * /The boys went home and John was left to himself./ * /When Mary first moved to her new neighborhood she was very shy and kept to herself./ 2. Following one's own beliefs or wishes; not stopped by others. * /When John insisted on going, Fred left him to himself./ * /The teacher left Mary to herself to solve the problem./
[to one's face] <adv. phr.> Directly to you; in your presence. * /I told him to his face that I didn't like the idea./ * /I called him a coward to his face./ Compare: IN ONE'S FACE. Contrast: BEHIND ONE'S BACK.