Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
Шрифт:
[eat away] <v.> 1. To rot, rust, or destroy. * /Rust was eating away the pipe./ * /Cancer ate away the healthy flesh./ See: EAT OUT(2). 2. To gradually consume. * /The ocean waves were gradually eating the volcanic rocks until they turned into black sand./
[eat away at] <v. phr.> To psychologically gnaw at; to worry someone. * /Fear of the comprehensive examination was eating away at Sam./
[eat crow] <v. phr.> To admit you are mistaken or defeated; take back a mistaken statement. * /John had boasted that he would play on the first team; but when the coach did not choose him, he had to eat crow./ * /Fred said he could beat the new man in boxing, but he lost and had to eat crow./ Compare: BACK DOWN, EAT HUMBLE PIE, EAT ONE'S WORDS.
[eat dirt] <v. phr.>, <informal> To act humble; accept another's insult or bad treatment. * /Mr. Johnson was so much afraid of losing his job that he would eat dirt whenever the boss got mean./
[eat (live) high on the hog] or [eat (live) high off the hog] <v. phr.> To eat or live well or elegantly. * /For the first few days after the check arrived, they ate high on the hog./ Compare: IN CLOVER or IN THE CLOVER, ON EASY STREET.
[eat humble pie] <v. phr.> To be humbled; to accept insult or shame; admit your error and apologize. * /Tow told a lie about George, and when he was found out, he had to eat humble pie./ * /In some old stories a boy with a stepfather has to eat humble pie./
[eating one] <v. phr.> To cause someone to be angry or ill-humored. * /We can't figure out what's eating Burt, but he hasn't spoken one pleasant word all day./
[eat like a bird] <v. phr.> To eat very little; have little appetite. * /Mrs. Benson is on a diet and she eats like a bird./ * /Alice's mother is worried about her; she eats like a bird and is very thin./ Contrast: EAT LIKE A HORSE.
[eat like a horse] <v. phr.> To eat a lot; eat hungrily. * /The harvesters worked into the evening, and then came in and ate like horses./ Contrast: EAT LIKE A BIRD.
[eat one out of house and home] <v. phr.> 1. To eat so much as to cause economic hardship. * /Our teenaged sons are so hungry all the time that they may soon eat us out of house and home./ 2. To overstay one's welcome. * /We love Bob and Jane very much, but after two weeks we started to feel that they were eating us out of house and home./
[eat one's cake and have it too] <v. phr.> To use or spend something and still keep it; have both when you must choose one of two things. Often used in negative sentences. * /Roger can't make up his mind whether to go to college or get a job. You can't eat your cake and have it too./ * /Mary wants to buy a beautiful dress she saw at the store, but she also wants to save her birthday money for camp. She wants to eat her cake and have it too./
[eat one's heart out] <v. phr.> To grieve long and hopelessly; to become thin and weak from sorrow. * /For months after her husband's death, Joanne simply ate her heart out./ * /We sometimes hear of a dog eating its heart out for a dead owner./
[eat one's words] also [swallow one's words] <v. phr.> To take back something you have said; admit something is not true. * /John had called Harry a coward, but the boys made him eat his words after Harry bravely fought a big bully./ Compare: EAT CROW.
[eat out] <v.> 1. To eat in a restaurant; eat away from home. * /Fred ate out often even when he wasn't out of town./ 2. To rust, rot, or be destroyed in time. * /Rust had eaten out the gun barrel./ See: EAT AWAY.
[eat out of one's hand] <v. phr.>, <informal> To trust someone fully; believe or obey someone without question. * /The governor has the reporters eating out of his hand./ * /Helen is so pretty and popular that all the boys eat out of her hand./
[eat up] <v.> 1. To eat all of. * /After hiking all afternoon, they quickly ate up all of the dinner./ 2. To use all of. * /Idle talk had eaten up the hour before they knew it./ 3. <slang> To accept eagerly; welcome. * /The girls told John he was a hero because he made the winning touchdown, and he ate up their praise./ * /Jim told Martha that she was as smart as she was beautiful and Martha ate it up./
[edge] See: HAVE AN EDGE ON, ON EDGE, SET ONE'S TEETH ON EDGE, TAKE THE EDGE OFF, THE EDGE.
[edge away] <v. phr.> To withdraw or retreat gradually. * /Frightened by the growling tiger guarding its catch, the hunter carefully edged away./
[edge in] <v.> To move slowly; get in quietly, especially with some difficulty, by force or without a big enough opening. * /People had crowded around the senator, but Don succeeded in edging in./ * /Harry edged the book in on the shelf./
[edge in (on)] <v. phr.> 1. To gradually approach an individual or a group with the intent of taking over or wielding power. * /Jack was edging in on the firm of Smith and Brown and after half a year actually became its vice president./ 2. To approach for capture (said of a group). * /The hunters were edging in on the wounded leopard./
[edge on] <adv. phr.> Edgewise; with the narrow side forward. * /The board struck him edge on./
[edge out] <v.> To defeat in competition or rivalry; take the place of; force out. * /Harry edged out Tom for a place in Mary's affections./ * /Signal lights on cars have gradually edged out hand signals./
[edgeways] See: GET A WORD IN or GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE, also GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS.
[edgewise] See: GET A WORD IN or GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS.
[education] See: HIGHER EDUCATION.
[effect] See: IN EFFECT, INTO EFFECT, SOUND EFFECTS, TAKE EFFECT, TO THAT EFFECT, TO THE EFFECT THAT,
[effigy] See: HANG IN EFFIGY or BURN IN EFFIGY.
[egg] See: BAD EGG, GOOD EGG, KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG, LAY AN EGG, PUT ALL ONE'S EGGS IN ONE BASKET, ROTTEN EGG.
[egg on] <v.> To urge on; excite; lead to action. * /Joe's wife egged him on to spend money to show off./ * /The big boys egged on the two little boys to fight./ Compare: PUT UP(6).
[either a feast or a famine] See: FEAST OR A FAMINE.
[either hide or hair] See: HIDE OR HAIR.
[eke out] <v.> 1. To fill out or add a little to; increase a little. * /Mr. Jones eked out a country teacher's small salary by hunting and trapping in the winter./ * /The modest meal was eked out with bread and milk./ 2. To get (little) by hard work; to earn with difficulty. * /Fred eked out a bare living by farming on a rocky hillside./